Christian Joy and Holy Living: Reflections from ‘Don’t Waste Your Breath’ by Brian Borgman

My addition to the Wicket Gate today begins a multi post series of reflections from select chapters of “Don’t Waste Your Breath” by Brian Borgman. I have written a short book review for introduction, and I look forward to sharing more on “The Wicket Gate” and I pray all that is posted brings glory to God, and edifying to those who choose to read my “Sunday school material.”

Brian Borgman is a pastor at Grace community Church in Minden, Nevada. He holds degrees from Biola University, Western Seminary, Westminster Seminary in California, and Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has authored many other books and articles. I was blessed to find this book through NetTalk, a Reformed Baptist Network Podcast, where Borgman was interviewed about this book on February 27, 2024, by Mark Chanski. “Don’t Waste Your Breath” was published by Free Grace Press. Borgman’s “Don’t Waste Your Breath” is a section-by-section exposition of Ecclesiastes. He divides the book into twenty chapters, each driven to show the applications for holy living under God’s sovereignty intended by the Preacher.

Borgman begins by examining “Hebel” a word that is traditionally translated “vanity” but can also be translated “breath or vapor” (30). Borgman supports this use by examining use of “breath” in Job 7:16, Psalm 39:5-6, Psalm 39:11, Psalm 62:9 and Psalm 144:4 (31). “Once we begin to read Ecclesiastes and replace “vanity” with “vapor” or an appropriate synonym, the we understand that the book of Ecclesiastes is not wrestling with the apparent meaninglessness of life, but rather, with the brevity of life and all the pain and mystery that brevity brings.” (32). Borgman will spend the rest of the book supporting this argument, not that “life is useless, vain, or meaningless, but that it is temporary or transient.” (33). Chapters two through twenty are section by section exposition of Ecclesiastes.

The first take away from the book are the excellent titles of each chapter. While they may seem playful, chapter after chapter the title concisely describes what will be discussed. With titles like “Life on the Merry-go-round”, “Solomon’s Money Makeover Plan”, “The Lives of the Wise and Foolish, and “The Good, the Bad, and the Smugly” the reader is excited or at least interested to dive into the lessons of that chapter.

Second, Borgman’s personal life experiences within the chapters adds authenticity to his exposition. His use of fleeting Christmas Joy (56-57), the removal of his brain tumor (69), and experiences of beauty on the Oregon coast (19-25). The author is not pushing an abstract idea, instead he is demonstrating the Spirit inspired concrete truths using his own experiences of Hebel.

Third, Borgman’s use of quotes from Rigney, Wilson, and Gibson to support his arguments helps solidify his argument that life is to be enjoyed as a gift from God. The support material provides the reader with a list for further reading including The Things of Earth”, “Strangely Bright”, “Joy at the End of the Tether”, and “Living Life Backwards”. All of which reinforce Borgman’s belief that a rightly ordered Christian enjoys God by enjoying life.

The Wednesday Night Class at Crossroads Bible Church recently read through and discussed “The Things of Earth” by Joe Rigney. The book was eye opening for me to say the least, the idea of Christians glorifying God by enjoying Him forever. Mentally I have always been stuck in the mentality “don’t enjoy the good times, because God will take them away.” A great way to live in joyless anxiety and constant terror. So when I heard about Borgman’s book on RBNet, and knowing he is a Reformed Baptist Seminary instructor, I was excited to read. I had no idea he would use Rigney or his mentor Piper, or that Borgman would not only examine the suffering of life seen in Ecclesiastes but look emphatically to the blessing of Christian joy in life.