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Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 8:1–17: Is Justice-Delayed Justice Denied?
Apr 23Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260423130509-2026-04-23_TSW.mp3Download Audio File Qoheleth notices something that keeps theologians and barroom philosophers equally busy: the wicked prosper, the righteous suffer, and the sentence against an evil deed is almost never executed on time. That delay, he says, seems like a cosmic travesty. Human hearts read slow justice as no justice at all and fill the gap with more evil. What can be done? Obey the king, fear God, eat your bread, and accept that you cannot decode the logic of what happens under the sun. The man who claims he has it figured out is lying, even if he is wise. The Rev. Paul Cain, pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Sheridan, WY, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 8:1–17. To learn more about Immanuel in Sheridan, visit immanuelsheridan.blogspot.com. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 8:1-17 Keep the King’s Command [1] Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. [2] I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. [3] Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. [4] For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” [5] Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. [6] For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. [7] For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? [8] No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. [9] All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt. Those Who Fear God Will Do Well [10] Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. [11] Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. [12] Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. [13] But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God. Man Cannot Know God’s Ways [14] There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. [15] And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. [16] When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, [17] then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 7:15–29: Fishing for Righteousness, But the Nets are Empty
Apr 22Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260422132520-2026-04-22_TSW.mp3Download Audio File The Preacher goes looking for a righteous person on earth and comes back empty-handed. Be righteous, he says, but not so righteous you destroy yourself with your own piety. Be wise, but know that wisdom has a wall you cannot climb over. One man in a thousand might pass muster; among women Qoheleth found none, a line that has scandalized readers for centuries and says more about fallen humanity than about any particular gender. God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes. The Rev. David Boisclair, senior pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Overland, MO, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 7:15–29. To learn more about Our Redeemer, visit ourredeemerstl.org. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 7:15-29 [15] In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. [16] Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? [17] Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? [18] It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. [19] Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. [20] Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. [21] Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. [22] Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. [23] All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. [24] That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? [25] I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. [26] And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. [27] Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things—[28] which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. [29] See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 6:10–7:14: Funeral Crashers: Why Wisdom is Found in Mourning
Apr 21Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260421131542-2026-04-21_TSW.mp3Download Audio File Qoheleth gives advice that no lifestyle brand will ever print on a candle: go to the funeral, skip the party. The house of mourning beats the house of feasting because death is where wisdom actually lives. He dismantles the prosperity calculus, insisting that nobody can straighten what God has made crooked and nobody knows what tomorrow holds. Sorrow, rebuke, and patience all outrank laughter, flattery, and haste. It is a hard sell in every generation, and Qoheleth does not care. The Rev. John Shank, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Edwardsville, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 6:10–7:14. To learn more about Trinity in Edwardsville, visit trinitylutheranministries.org. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 6:10-7:14 [10] Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. [11] The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? [12] For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun? The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly 7[1] A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. [2] It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. [3] Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. [4] The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. [5] It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. [6] For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity. [7] Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart. [8] Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. [9] Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. [10] Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this. [11] Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. [12] For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it. [13] Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? [14] In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 5:8–6:9: The Midas Trap: Money Never Satisfies
Apr 20Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260420130640-2026-04-20_TSW.mp3Download Audio File The Preacher watches the money pile up and asks the obvious question nobody wants to hear: what exactly did it get you? Riches hoarded bring anxiety, riches lost leave nothing to pass on, and the man who has everything still can’t stop wanting more. Qoheleth traces the grotesque math of greed: the more you earn, the more mouths show up to eat it, and the only dividend is watching other people spend your wealth. Even the stillborn child, he says, has more rest than the rich man who never learns to enjoy what God actually gave him. The Rev. George Murdaugh, pastor emeritus, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 5:8–6:9. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 5:8-6:9 The Vanity of Wealth and Honor [8] If you see in a province the oppression of the poor and the violation of justice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. [9] But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields. [10] He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. [11] When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? [12] Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. [13] There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, [14] and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. [15] As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. [16] This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? [17] Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. [18] Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. [19] Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. [20] For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. 6[1] There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: [2] a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. [3] If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. [4] For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. [5] Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. [6] Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place? [7] All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. [8] For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? [9] Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 5:1–7: Shut Up and Listen: Let Your Words Be Few
Apr 17Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260416165209-2026-04-17_TSW.mp3Download Audio File Qoheleth walks into the temple and tells everyone to stop talking. Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know they are doing evil. A dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. If you make a vow to God, pay it; better not to vow at all than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth lead your flesh into sin, and do not tell the messenger it was a mistake. Fear God. The Rev. Matthew Kusch, pastor of King of Glory Lutheran Church in Elgin, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 5:1–7. To learn more about King of Glory, visit kogelgin.org. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 Fear God [1] Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. [2] Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. [3] For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words. [4] When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. [5] It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. [6] Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? [7] For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:16: Looking for Righteousness in all the Wrong Places
Apr 16Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260416121755-2026-04-16_TSW.mp3Download Audio File Qoheleth looks at the place of justice and finds wickedness there. He looks at the place of righteousness and finds wickedness there too. The oppressed weep and have no comforter; their oppressors hold all the power, and there is no comforter. He says it twice, and the repetition is the point. The dead are better off than the living, and better than both is the one who has never been born and never seen the evil done under the sun. Then he watches the lonely workaholic, the king who will not listen, and the crowd that follows the next new thing and forgets the old one. The Rev. Dan Grimmer, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Mitchell, SD, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 3:16–4:16. To learn more about Zion Lutheran, visit zionmitchell.org. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16 From Dust to Dust [16] Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. [17] I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. [18] I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. [19] For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. [20] All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. [21] Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? [22] So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? Evil Under the Sun 4[1] Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. [2] And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. [3] But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun. [4] Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. [5] The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. [6] Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. [7] Again, I saw vanity under the sun: [8] one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business. [9] Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. [10] For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! [11] Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? [12] And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. [13] Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. [14] For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. [15] I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king’s place. [16] There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 3:1–15: Turn, Turn, Turn: For Everything There is a Season
Apr 15Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260415120901-2026-04-15_TSW.mp3Download Audio File For everything there is a season: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up. The poem is so famous it became a pop song, which is ironic given that Qoheleth’s point is how little control you have over any of it. God has made everything beautiful in its time and set eternity in the human heart, yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. What is, already has been. What is to be, already has been. God seeks what has been driven away. The Rev. Jeremy Loesch, pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Newark, DE, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 3:1–15. To learn more about Our Redeemer in Newark, visit ourredeemernewark.org. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 A Time for Everything [1] For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: [2] a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; [3] a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; [4] a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; [5] a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; [6] a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; [7] a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; [8] a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. The God-Given Task [9] What gain has the worker from his toil? [10] I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. [11] He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. [12] I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; [13] also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. [14] I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. [15] That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 2:12–26: Equal Opportunity Grave: The Wise Man Dies Just Like the Fool
Apr 14Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260414145654-2026-04-14_TSW.mp3Download Audio File The Preacher turns from his experiments to face the one fact that wrecks every human résumé: the wise man and the fool end up in the same hole. Qoheleth hates life for a minute because all his toil will be handed over to someone who did not work for it, and who may turn out to be a fool. Then he pivots. Eat, drink, and find enjoyment in your toil, because even that comes from the hand of God. To the one who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; to the sinner He gives the business of gathering and collecting, only to hand it to someone else. The Rev. Sean Willman, pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hillsdale, MI, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 2:12–26. To learn more about St. Paul’s in Hillsdale, visit stpauls-hillsdale.org. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 The Vanity of Living Wisely [12] So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. [13] Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. [14] The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. [15] Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. [16] For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! [17] So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. The Vanity of Toil [18] I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, [19] and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. [20] So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, [21] because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. [22] What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? [23] For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. [24] There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, [25] for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? [26] For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 1:12–2:11: Been There, Done Everything: Solomon’s Experiment in Excess
Apr 13Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260414145007-2026-04-13_TSW.mp3Download Audio File The Preacher sets up the grandest controlled experiment in history: what if you had unlimited resources and tried every possible avenue to meaning? Wisdom, pleasure, laughter, wine, building projects, slaves, herds, silver, gold, concubines. Solomon held nothing back, and his conclusion is devastating. All of it was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. The pleasure chapter is not a permission slip; it is a crash report filed by the richest man who ever lived. The Rev. Donald Stein, pastor of St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Rockton, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 1:12–2:11. To learn more about St. Andrew Lutheran, visit standrewrockton.com. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11 The Vanity of Wisdom [12] I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. [13] And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. [14] I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. [15] What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. [16] I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” [17] And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. [18] For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. The Vanity of Self-Indulgence 2[1] I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. [2] I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” [3] I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. [4] I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. [5] I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. [6] I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. [7] I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. [8] I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. [9] So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. [10] And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. [11] Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Transcribe →Thy Strong Word — Ecclesiastes 1:1-11: Vanity of Vanities! All is Vanity!
Apr 10Tap to summarizehttps://kfuo-od.streamguys1.com/recast/thy-strong-word/20260414144127-2026-04-10_TSW.mp3Download Audio File The Preacher (Qoheleth) takes the stage and delivers his verdict before the book even gets going: everything is vapor. Generations rise and fall, the sun runs its circuit, the rivers pour into a sea that never fills, and the eye and ear are never satisfied. Whatever has been is what will be, and there is nothing new under the sun. Qoheleth sets the terms for everything that follows in Ecclesiastes, forcing an honest look at life lived “under the sun” apart from what God reveals from above. The Rev. Robert Smith, pastor emeritus in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Ecclesiastes 1:1-11. What does a man gain from all his toil under the sun? Solomon asked that question three thousand years ago, and it still cuts. Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s most unflinching book about work, wealth, wisdom, and the ache nothing in this life can fill. It is also one of the most pastoral, because the Preacher tells the truth about death, time, and meaning without leaving the reader in despair. Pastor Booe and guest pastors from across the Synod study it verse by verse, following Solomon’s argument to where it finally lands: fear God and keep His commandments. Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org. Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org. Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 All Is Vanity [1] The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. [2] Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. [3] What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? [4] A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. [5] The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. [6] The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. [7] All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. [8] All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. [9] What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. [10] Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. [11] There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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