Ecclesiastes 2:18-21

Futility of Being a Workaholic

2:18 So I loathed all the fruit of my effort,

for which I worked so hard on earth,

because I must leave it behind in the hands of my successor.

2:19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool?

Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor

for which I worked so wisely on earth!

This also is futile!

2:20 So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor

for which I worked so hard on earth.

2:21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill;

however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance

to someone else who did not work for it.

This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

Ecclesiastes 6:2

6:2 God gives a man riches, property, and wealth

so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires,

yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor –

instead, someone else enjoys it!

This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.

Amos 1:8

1:8 I will remove the ruler from Ashdod,

the one who holds the royal scepter from Ashkelon.

I will strike Ekron with my hand;

the rest of the Philistines will also die.”

The sovereign Lord has spoken!

Isaiah 2:12-17

2:12 Indeed, the Lord who commands armies has planned a day of judgment,

for all the high and mighty,

for all who are proud – they will be humiliated;

2:13 for all the cedars of Lebanon,

that are so high and mighty,

for all the oaks of Bashan;

2:14 for all the tall mountains,

for all the high hills,

2:15 for every high tower,

for every fortified wall,

2:16 for all the large ships,

for all the impressive ships.

2:17 Proud men will be humiliated,

arrogant men will be brought low;

the Lord alone will be exalted

in that day.

Isaiah 23:9

23:9 The Lord who commands armies planned it –

to dishonor the pride that comes from all her beauty,

to humiliate all the dignitaries of the earth.

Isaiah 28:1

The Lord Will Judge Samaria

28:1 The splendid crown of Ephraim’s drunkards is doomed,

the withering flower, its beautiful splendor,

situated at the head of a rich valley,

the crown of those overcome with wine.

Daniel 4:37

4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live in pride.

Zephaniah 2:10

2:10 This is how they will be repaid for their arrogance,

for they taunted and verbally harassed the people of the Lord who commands armies.

Zephaniah 2:1

The Prophet Warns the People

2:1 Bunch yourselves together like straw, you undesirable nation,

Zephaniah 1:5

1:5 I will remove those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops,

those who swear allegiance to the Lord while taking oaths in the name of their ‘king,’