Verse that stood out: Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few – Ecclesiastes 5:2

Today’s reading left a little depressed at first and then a little embarrassed. In the book of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher looks over the far reaches of human existence and declares, “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Then a book later, the writer of the Song of Songs pens lyrics that would rival anything in the erotica section of the local bookstore. Read some of today’s passages out loud and those around you might question what you’re into. Just the Bible.

Over the centuries, different church and synagogue leaders have tried to limit access to these two books. Certain rabbis forbid anyone under the age of thirty from reading from the Song of Songs. The two major schools of Jewish rabbis argued over whether or not Ecclesiastes should even be included in the Hebrew Bible. And yet, there they both are, right in the Bible next to Moses, Paul, and Jesus, himself.

Despite how uncomfortable these books make me, I’m glad these books are in there. They remind us that two things the church has often looked down upon are actually sanctioned by God – sex and thinking. Ecclesiastes asks some fairly profound questions and wonders aloud about the meaning of life in a way that resists easy answers. Song of Songs reminds us that the Creator’s declaration of the goodness of creation clearly applies to sex within marriage, as well. When we belittle either one of these two activities, we do so against the Scriptures.

For tomorrow:

• Cover to Cover: Song of Songs 7:9-Isaiah 13:4
• Key Passage: Isaiah 6:1-13
• Verse of the Day: Isaiah 6:5