Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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Our journey through the book of Ecclesiastes, one of the books of wisdom of the Bible.
The key phrase that we’ve heard thus far and that Qoholet opens with is, “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
And we’ve learned that the term vanity can be translated as vapor.
In other words so much of what we chase after is here today and in a moment disappears.
Yet for some reason, in our humanness, and to our discredit, we deem these passing things as what is of primary importance.
Since the beginning of our journey through this book the author has been making a point of the idea that without God all of these things we might pursue amount to nothing.
Our chapter this morning opens with those words that perhaps found their way into the common vernacular through the Byrd’s song in the 60’s, with “Turn, Turn, Turn,”
If you’re like me, it is difficult to hear these words from Scripture without inserting the Byrd’s refrain, from the Byrd’s song after just about every phrase.
“For everything, turn, turn, turn..” It’s poetic, and what you might miss about this poetry, and what the Byrd’s left out is that it sets ups the verses that immediately follow.
Let’s look at them:
A Matter of Context
It comes down to a matter of context.
Throughout the message of Qoholet, we discover that our toil, pleasure, and all of it is a vapor, a chasing after the wind.
If ever there could be a depressing message it would be that all of our efforts are worthless.
And for many that is the message that people take away from this book.
Yet, that is not the message of Ecclesiastes.
There is a caveat to that message.
We learn Ecc 3:11
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)
[God] has made everything beautiful in its time.
and
The author clearly is reminding us of the words of Solomon in the book of Proverbs:
Yet still the Preacher continues in what so many have deemed as a downer of a message.
Continuing on in our reading from verse 16:
You may have recognized verse 20:
You’ve heard a phrase similar, perhaps used on Ash Wednesday, or perhaps at a funeral, from the book of common Prayer:
We therefore commit this body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes dust to dust...
From Genesis we learn that we were Adam was made from the dust of the ground.
According to scientists, the elements that make up our body would fetch the enourmous price of about $1 in the market place.
As we go into the next chapter, I’m not going to read it all, just to focus on one verse:
We are made of dust.
Still, we try and measure our worth by comparing ourselves to our neighbors.
We envy them for what they are, have, do; or perhaps we compare ourselves and see ourselves better than they are by what we are, have or do.
All of this is vanity and a striving after the wind.
It is a vapor.
So what in all of this is the message the Preacher is getting at.
If everything under the sun is vanity, if there is nothing new under the sun, if all my work, possessions, and toil amount to nothing more than a chasing after the wind…what is the value in this life?
What is it that gives any of us value?
Again, and again, the Preacher comes back to God.
Eccl 3:14
For everything there is a season… well, God is the one who sets the seasons
Ultimately, God is in control.
And it is God who assigns all of us value:
God valued each of us enough to send Jesus.
And since God created this world of ours, and loved us enough to send Jesus, and is continuing to work in us...
Our salvation is not through our work, but the work of God.
The striving after wind, the vanity of our toil is in the idea that we can somehow earn God’s favor.
So what are we to take away?
Should we just do evil?
No, that’s not what Qoholet is getting at at all. the Preacher writes:
Our work, our toil is a gift from God.
Our ability to create is a gift from God and a reflection of the fact that we are made in God’s (Our Creator’s) image.
And we can take joy in what we create.
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