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Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.”
And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.
The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth.
The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.
And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.
I. Everything is Fleeting
I. Everything is Fleeting
Solomon concludes his book where he started - everything is passing and temporary Ecclesiastes 1:2-3. So it is appropriate to remind ourselves of what he means by that.
This is not a statement of nihilistic despair. The empty meaninglessness of a temporary existence is a problem with a solution. So what exactly is the problem? Solomon wants to know what we can do that produces “profit” - that is, a lasting advantage to mankind.
The universe itself is filled with “cycles” - a great deal of activity with no real progress. The rivers flow, the clouds move, the sun rises and sets, but it’s just a cycle, it’s movement but no progress, no real change. Man’s own labor is marked by the same kinds of cycles - you get up and work to make money so you can live, but you have to spend it so you have to keep working just to stay in place. Furthermore, people forget so the lessons of history have to be continually learned by each new generation - a lot of learning and effort into getting wise, only for that wisdom to die with the previous generation and the same lessons must be learnt again. Ecclesiastes 1:5-6, 4, 9-11
Wisdom and knowledge is useless as well, if it is viewed as an end in itself. To know how the world is truly broken without the power to fix it or the hope of God’s redemption is simple to know hopeless despair. Ecclesiastes 1:17-18
Pursuing pleasure doesn’t work, for it only lasts for the moment leaving you no better off in the end than you were before. Laughter, if it is an end in itself, leaves you empty. Ecclesiastes 2:1-2
Ambition doesn’t work - You can become rich by working hard and gaining wisdom, and this will bring you power and honor. Ecclesiastes 2:11
However, once you’ve got enough to live on, there’s no real benefit to having more things.
It doesn’t make you happier, because all you can do is look at it. Ecclesiastes 5:10-11
And no matter how much you gain, you will eventually die and give it all to the next person. Your wealth will eventually find its way to a fool who will blow it all, and there will be nothing left to show for all your effort. Ecclesiastes 2:17-18
And that’s if you pursue wealth correctly. Excessive ambition to produce wealth will lead to excessive labor, and you’ll spend all your time simply accumulating without actually getting any real benefit. Working hard to produce wealth, produces not benefit, but exhaustion and burdensome sorrow. Should you go hard enough, you’ll exhaust yourself in life and never actually enjoy what you have. that’s of no value. Ecclesiastes 4:7-8
And that’s if you are successful. Life being what it is, you might do everything right, then lose it all through a bad set of circumstances. Then what was the point of all that work? Ecclesiastes 5:13-15
Injustice complicates things even more. Ecclesiastes 3:16; 4:1-3; 7:15; 8:8-11, 14
The oppressed end up being deprived of the rewards they should have had. Even if their oppressors often end up hurting themselves, the oppression means some people don’t get a benefit from their toil. Ecclesiastes 5:8; 7:7
Corruption is endemic in large governments, and it deprives people of justice, then what can they do?
Sometimes the good guys don’t always win.
Our inability to fully anticipate the future impedes our ability to do what we set out to do. Ecclesiastes 3:22; 7:14; 8:7; 10:14 “Chance” is our admission that we can’t always figure out why God does what he does, so sometimes we’re caught out by something we couldn’t possibly have seen coming. Ecclesiastes 9:11
II. God
II. God
Part of the solution is realizing who God is and what he does.
God is perfectly just. Ecclesiastes 2:26; 3:15, 17; 5:6; 7:16-18, 26; 8:12-13; 11:9
Man
is a sinner Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29;
The Mysterious, immutable Work of God.
It is unknowable Ecclesiastes 3:11; 8:17; 11:5
It is irreversible Ecclesiastes 7:13; 9:1; 3:14
God has appointed a time for everything (ch3; Ecclesiastes 7:14)
The Gift of God
God is the one who made us work Ecclesiastes 1:13; 3:10
The power to enjoy what we produce is the gift of God Ecclesiastes 5:19; 3:22
Therefore we ought to enjoy the good of our labor as the gift of God Ecclesiastes 3:13; 5:18; 8:15; 9:7-9; 6:3-6
Therefore we ought to rejoice in our lives Ecclesiastes 3:12; 11:8-9
III. Wisdom
III. Wisdom
General statements about wisdom
Wisdom ought to be valued Ecclesiastes 2:12-13, 26; 4:13
Wisdom amplifies and is equivalent to money Ecclesiastes 7:11-12
Human wisdom has inherent limitations Ecclesiastes 7:23; 9:13-15
Wisdom is better than strength Ecclesiastes 9:16; 7:19
Wisdom brings success Ecclesiastes 10:10
Specific advice about life
Live in light of the brevity of life Ecclesiastes 3:18-19; 9:4-6, 10; 12:1
Cooperation produces safety, but be careful who you partner with Ecclesiastes 4:9; 7:26-28
Be careful about your worship Ecclesiastes 5:1-2
Self-improvement
is more valuable than comfort Ecclesiastes 7:1-2
requires patience Ecclesiastes 7:8-9
Watch your Tongue Ecclesiastes 10:12-14
On Politics
Respect the King Ecclesiastes 8:2, 5-6; 10:20
Value wisdom in leaders Ecclesiastes 10:16-17
On Money
Calculated risk Ecclesiastes 11:1-2
Hard work overcomes danger Ecclesiastes 11:6
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