5:6-21 The en commandments are repeated - with some further explanation. Those standing here now would either not have been born, or been too young to fully understand the law when it was first given (Exo 20). So just before Jordan is crossed they are re-presented.

In  Deut 5:15 God tells Israel that on the Sabbath Day they must think about their deliverance from Egypt.  This is new.  God hadn't included this in the previous laws about the Sabbath.  But Deuteronomy is spoken to the new generation of Israelites. How important it was therefore to be, when they were to dwell in their comfortable houses in their Promised Land.  "Don't forget where you came from, and how I provided for you," God says.

Vs.7-21 The Ten Commandments are repeated from Exodus (Exo 20:3-17).  These are all relevant to the Christian believer except keeping of the sabbath.  Followers of Jesus can override the necessity of keeping this day as the Jews did (Luke 6:5).  The sabbath is still important as it represents God's day of rest.  True believers look forward to God's ultimate day of rest.  This period will occur when Jesus returns to the earth to set up His Kingdom (Psa 118:24).

5:7       In calling Israel to remember that they should have no other God before Yahweh Israel are being reminded that God wanted an exclusive relationship with them. False worship destroyed that exclusivity. The same is true in our day.

5:16 ‘Honour thy father and thy mother’ and ‘that it may go well with thee’ are joined by Paul – 6:2 – to show that the principles of the law of Moses applied to those who want to be in the kingdom, just like Israel who, when Moses spoke to them, wanted to enter the land of Canaan.

5:3-4  The generation who are about to enter into the land of Canaan were no older than 20 when the law was given at Horeb. In fact many of them would probably not remember what took place as they were either too young or not even born at that time. So Moses prevents them reasoning that they did not agree to the terms of the covenant by telling them that God spoke to them.  The word of God is relevant to all, whether present at the time it was spoken or not.

5:9-10 Notice the contrast between the consequences of sin and the benefits of obedience. Whereas iniquity is punished for the third and fourth generation – those who came out of Egypt and those who died in the wilderness’ God’s mercy is limitless.

5:13-14 In the wilderness, as a homogenous group, sabbath observance would have been relatively easy to observe. All one’s neighbours would have been keeping the sabbath. Peer pressure would encourage sabbath observance. However once in the land and dispersed throughout it the nation would have been more fragmented thus sabbath observance would have been easier to violate. Hence the repeating of the sabbath law just before Israel crossed Jordan into their inheritance.

If Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes (as is generally accepted) then it would underscore the important point that wisdom and knowledge alone are not sufficient to worship God correctly (vs. 17,18). 

Solomon had wisdom and knowledge more than anyone else of his time (1Kin 3:12) and yet he sinned against Yahweh.  For example, he amassed horses (1Kin 4:26) which was against the Law (Deut 17:16), and women which turned away his heart from Yahweh (1Kin 11:1-3; Deut 17:17). 

The fear of Yahweh is the cornerstone to the correct application of wisdom and knowledge (Psa 111:10; Prov 1:7).  Solomon had forgotten that and had become embroiled in the pride of life (1John 2:16).  Perhaps Yahweh added riches to Solomon's request for understanding as a trial (1Kin 3:13).  When we ask Yahweh for wisdom and knowledge, let us use them to reflect His glory and not our own.

V.4 guarantees that the earth itself will never be destroyed.

Vs.9,10 are talking about human nature and behavior which have never changed since Adam.

1 An overall view of the book of Ecclesiastes teaches us that life is either futile or there is purpose. How we view life is determined by whether we recognise God at work in our lives or not. If we do not see Him at work then our lives seem futile. If we do see God working in our lives then things take on a totally different perspective.

1:3The question ‘what profit …’ highlights that without an appreciation of God’s involvement in one’s life it is an endless, pointless cycle. This view has to be contrasted with Ecc 1:13 which shows that life is a learning experience.

Solomon muses that life is full of futility and paradox. What's the point of it? Yahweh's creation continues in its endless cycle, but what does man gain? He comes and goes - but for what purpose? Who can understand it all? Is it worth trying to find out, or is this in itself a futile pursuit which can only bring pain? Seen, alone, in the light of man's post-Eden experience, life is useless. But, God has a plan for man beyond this present existence.  Understanding His plan puts everything into perspective, and gives hope to those who believe Yahweh.

1:4-8  This is the first of a number of series of cyclical events recorded by the ‘preacher’.  They are designed to highlight that life is cyclical. The cycles we experience are all designed to teach us one thing. Life without God is vanity – empty.

1:17-18 This seemingly negative presentation of the emptiness of life has to be seen against the background of not seeing God at work in one’s life. For that is what life is like without God. The contrasts has already been given in 1:13 where the events of this life, for the servant of God, are beneficial.

1:11 That there is ‘no remembrance’ catches the sentiments of the Psalmist – Psa 6:5 – and passes into Ecclesiastes as a recurring theme wit the final contrasting exhortation in Ecc 12:1‘remember thy creator’ – as if whatever else is forgotten our Creator must be remembered.

17 v.17 By asking the Father to sanctify his disciples 'though thy truth' and then commenting 'thy word is truth' Jesus indicates the route through which our sanctification comes. There is no mystical operation on our minds. What is required is our application to the Scriptures.

18 v.1 The crossing of the Cedron matches David's flight from Jerusalem from Absalom 2 Samuel 15:23 [the only other occasion in Scripture when crossing the Cedron is mentioned]. The gospel records wish us to see Jesus identifying with David. So when Jesus goes to prayer he withdraws a stone's cast [Luke 22:41] which echoes Shimei 2 Samuel 16:6. Jesus words 'thy will be done' Matthew 26:42] echo the sentiments of David's realisation of God's involvement in his life [2 Samuel 15:25-26].

17:9, 11 We might think that Jesus, having spent the night in prayer, actually chose the disciples himself we see here that actually he realised that they had been given to him by his Father. Do we think that God is involved in providing for our needs or do we think that we achieve everything by our own efforts?

18:17, 25, 27 We are all familiar with the fact that Peter denied his lord three times. However there is a stark contrast between Peter and Judas. Judas betrayed his lord - the betrayal of Judas is alluded to elsewhere in Scripture (1 Corinthians 11:23) whilst the denials of Peter are never mentioned again.

17:2 'hast ... all flesh' quotes Psalm 8:6 beginning the New Testament application of this Psalm to the lord Jesus.

18:12 In binding Jesus we see fulfilled the type seen in Isaac (Genesis 22:9) Another link with the offering is 'and it was early' quoting Genesis 22:3

17:2 God 'gave' Jesus his disciples. This is a recurring theme in this chapter (17:6,9,11,24). Do we think of ourselves as having been given to Jesus by God? That is what our calling is all about.

18:3 Judas was not simply a pawn in the capture of Jesus. Notice he was the one who was entrusted with the 'band of men'. This was the mind of Ahithophel (2Sam 17:1-3)

17:9 Jesus was, and still is, only concerned with those who are His.  Firstly, these were His disciples  and then those believers to whom his disciples taught the true gospel (17:20).  He is not concerned with anyone else.

Jesus had asked His followers to purchase a sword, which they did (Luke 22:36,38).  He did this not as a defensive manoeuver but as an object lesson.  It was to show His followers not to use force to resist the evil in their lives (18:10,11,36).

17:15   In praying that the disciples should be kept from evil Jesus is actually implementing the words of his own prayer that we should learn – Matt 5:13

17:6 In speaking of the disciples as those ‘which thou gavest me’ Jesus is drawing attention to Isa 8:18 where Isaiah prophesies that Jesus’ disciples will be given to him by his Father rather than just being his own choice.

18:22,23 Contrast Christ's reaction to being struck with that of Paul's in a similar situation (Acts 23:2-5). Christ did not react, even though He could have made the legitimate argument that He was the true High Priest. Paul had not yet learned how to react like his Lord (1Pet 2:21-23).

18:19  In seeking the deliverance of the disciples Jesus is seeking to help to bring to pass the words he had spoken in John 17:12. We should not just pray for something and then simply sit back and wait. If we pray we should also seek to create the circumstances where the prayer can be fulfilled.

17:9,16  Many sincere people believe that Jesus is their savior automatically. But, Jesus said: And you are my friends if you do what I command you (John 15:14). That means it is important to understand the true Gospel, be baptized, and continue living in the ways of Jesus.

These steps have to be taken for Jesus to become one’s savior. He is not the automatic savior of the world, as some suppose.

That is the reason Jesus only cares for His own followers and does not pray for the world. If we do not do what He says, according to what is written in the Bible, then we have no claim on Him, and we are not His.

17:4 When the work of building the tabernacle – the dwelling place for God – was finished – Exo 40:33 – the glory cloud filed the tabernacle. In like manner when Jesus had ;finished’ his work he was glorified and given the Divine nature.

In chapter 17 Jesus prays for his followers. In 17:9 he makes the distinction: "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world". In 17:14 he says that because he has given his followers the word of God, the world will hate them. So there is enmity between one and the other. Throughout this prayer we can see the continual reinforcement of this truth: that salvation is not universal. Whilst during his ministry Jesus had said "I came to save the world" (12:46-48) and in 3:17 "that the world through him might be saved", he now carefully defines who in the world will be saved. The world itself will remain condemned unless it accepts the word which has been given to the followers of Jesus Christ (again see 12:48, 18:36, 3:16-18).

So we each have a choice: accept fully the words of Jesus delivered to the apostles, and through the scriptures delivered to us; or don't accept them and remain in the world. The world which Jesus came to save rejected him, and therefore forfeits the salvation he came to give. Only by coming away from this world, to a "virtual" world away with Jesus, can we escape its judgement (17:15-16, 24). This is in effect a world of words, described in Heb 12:22-24 as a heavenly congregation. We gain entry to this virtual world of words when we daily absorb the words of God, gather with likeminded people to reflect on these words, and through them come to know God and his son 17:3,8.

18:14 We are now reminded of what Caiaphas had said – John 11:48 – to show how he unwittingly prophesied Jesus’ death.

v13  When they returned to Jerusalem, they would presumably have re-traced the steps described in verse 1 - that is they would have crossed Kidron.  Kidron was known in Josiah's time as a burial place. 2Ki 22:6, Jer 26:23.

Since there would have been no bridge, in a sense, Jesus put death under his feet as he crossed on the way to his own death and resurrection.