The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.  The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.              – Ecclesiastes 12: 10 – 11 (NASB)

The military is an institution that operates on acronyms.  My present employer is much the same way.  One of the first acronyms I learned was KISS – Keep it simple, stupid! Many times I will try to make things more complicated than they need to be.  At times I find myself suffering from “analysis paralysis” because of it.  To my detriment, sometimes I approach studying God’s Word with the same desire to make it more complicated in places where it really isn’t.

As I continued my personal study of Biblical shepherding I came across the above introductory verse for this post.  As I studied it I found myself once again trying to make it more complicated than it is.  However, once I stepped back and approached Ecclesiastes 12: 9 – 14 again the lessons for me practically jumped from the page.

First, in verse 9 we see “the Preacher” teaching the people so they would have knowledge.  Shepherds should similarly teach God’s people so they will also have knowledge.  In fact, this is not an option but a responsibility (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Timothy 3:2).

Second, the Preacher sought to teach the people truth based on the words of God (verse 10) and also warns us to prioritize God’s words over those found in “many books”.  This lesson is especially relevant to me personally and maybe it is for you as well.  I find the amount of time I have available for reading is more limited now with my new career.  When I have had limited study time in the past I have been guilty of supplementing books about the Bible with Bible reading instead of supplementing Bible reading with books about the Bible.  We have to get our study priorities right or we will miss something very important and end up not teaching the truth or what I think is more likely we will not be astute enough to teach the whole truth.

Third, from verse 11 the Preacher relates that God’s words should drive us to act just like goads drive cattle and nails are driven by a hammer.  Early in His ministry our Lord and Savior reminds us of the consequences for both acting and not acting on His words in the parable of the wise man (Matthew 7:24 – 27).  James warns us “faith without works is dead” (2:26).

It is our duty to act on God’s commands (vs. 14).  Too many times my experience in the Church has been we are good at teaching God’s Word but fall short at putting it into action.  The purpose of the knowledge is meant to lead us to action, not to impress others with our knowledge, especially if that “knowledge” is gained from books other than the Bible.  Not that sharing knowledge is bad, but we must balance talking the talk and walking the walk, not being devoted completely to one or the other.  We as shepherds should lead by example just as our Lord Jesus Christ led His disciples.  The next time you read the gospels notice how many times our Savior first teaches disciples and then those teachings become action.  Similar instances exist throughout the Bible.  Yet, too many times we confine our teachings and actions to activity within our buildings instead of within the community.  Our congregations must do better, and will only do so if they are led properly.

So, back to the KIS principle (I am dropping the “stupid” part).  In summary, the lesson for me from Ecclesiastes 12: 9 – 14 is to teach God’s Word to His people and use both Word and deed to inspire them to action.  By doing so we can fulfill the whole duty of man – knowing what God’s commands are and then keeping them so we may fulfill the “equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12).

May your blessings exceed mine today and all your days. – DEM