"The Other Guy"

 "Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him," (John 12:4 KJV)

  "Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless - like casing the wind." (Ecclesiastes 4:4 NLT) 

 This is really a verse that needs to be seen by itself, as it pinpoints the motivation of the heart towards Jesus, even though Jesus still loved and cared for this guy! Like the Drummer Boy, which was a made-up character, from the 40's, Mary was not looking for a reward in what she did for Jesus; she did it out of love for Him, because she felt it had to be done, no matter the cost or the embarrassment. 

 The other guy, who was more than likely self-centered, envious of others, and looking for rewards, at the expense of others, he had position, and was very proud about it. Not that being proud of position can always be bad; it just depends on that person's motivation for being proud: are they proud about the position they have, or are they proud to be serving who they are under? 

 One is the attitude of, 'What's in this for me?' While the other is focused on, 'How can I please the one who I am under?' Totally and completely different set of standards, from beginning to end, of every task and every situation! If you could only see and observe the heart, as God does, people are not always what they seem to be. 

 As to this verse from Solomon's, The Preacher, this is an observation of people, which I am mostly in favor of the fact that Solomon was the kind of person that observed people. Therefore, as king, he had the great honor of having many servants, as well as too many wives; so, he had abundant opportunities to just sit and study the manor and reactions of those that were under him. 

 Much like his great-great-grandfather, who studied the young girl from Moab...

"Then Boaz asked his foreman, "Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?" And the foreman replied, "She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi. She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes' rest in the shelter."" (Ruth 2:5-7 NLT)