It's Vanity-Pleasure, work and . . .
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The search continues
The search continues
Solomon (Koheleth) has started his quest to answer the big questions of life, to no avail. He has drawn a conclusion that all is vanity. In our passage today the search continues with seeking pleasure in wine, folly, labor, wealth, and the end result.
Futility of cycles of life (Ecc1:4-11)
Generation to generation, nothing changes
Sunrise to sunsets, it is the same
Even the wind is the same
There is nothing new under the sun
Futility of earthly wisdom (Ecc1:12-18)
Having the wisdom given from God; he sought out the value of earthly or human wisdom.
Earthly wisdom causes grief and pain
This too is vanity, it is like striving after the wind
The end result of his first quest and even the intensified quest in chapter one
17 And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.
Now we come to our passage today where he goes to experiment, to test his conclusion. Does he find the answer? Does his conclusion change? so as we venture on in our passage tonight we will look at.
Koheleth tested life (Ecc2:1-11)
Koheleth hated life (Ecc2:12-23)
Koheleth accepted life (Ecc2:24-26)
Koheleth Tested Life
Koheleth Tested Life
Have you ever tested a theory? Solomon (Koheleth) did. in our passage we see what he did and will look at other passages to reinforce his actions and we will see the conclusion he draws again, to back up his theory.
1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. 2 I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
3 I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.
4 I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; 5 I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees;
6 I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem.
8 Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines. 9 Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me.
10 All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. 11 Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
He starts again with a conclusion (vv.1-2)
Laughter (aka mirth) and pleasure is futility (aka: vanity).
So that goes with all the other things previously mentioned.
He then describes how he went about that conclusion (vv.3-11)
He experimented with wine and folly (v.3)
Why did he do it? (to stimulate his body and so he could understand if there is any good in it).
How did it do it? (with his wisdom still in tact; so not to get drunk).
He experimented with created things (made things). (Ecc2:4-6; 1Kn7:1-12; 1Kn9:15-19)
Summarizing 1Kings7:1-12
built own house over 13 year period (vv.1, 8-12)
House of forest of Lebanon (vv.2-5)
Hall of pillars (v.6)
Hall of throne (v.7)
In 1Kn9:15-19 you see how he came to have the labor, the forced labor to do the building.
Houses, vineyards, gardens, orchards, pools
He acquired anything his heart desired (Ecc2:5-8; 1Ki10:10; 1Ki10:14; 1Ki10:21; 1Ki11:1-3)
Servants, livestock, gold, treasures, singers , and the “pleasures of the sons of men (v.8) he could be referring to the instruments or the concubines. - - - - now how about some scriptures showing he acquired anything his heart desired?
10 She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great amount of spices and precious stones. Never again did such abundance of spices come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.
14 Now the weight of gold which came in to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold,
On annual basis Solomon was paid a tribute in talents of gold
21 All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None was of silver; it was not considered valuable in the days of Solomon.
So much gold, and silver too that his vessels were all pure God. Silver was so plentiful it was not even considered valuable.
1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love.
3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.
Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines
It seemed that he was happy, right (Ecc2:9-10)?
9 Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.
He had everything, experimented with everything, he did not hold back and he found pleasure in it
Still he lacked the answer to the big question, the meaning of life.
Still he was able to draw a conclusion (Ecc2:11)
11 Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.
Vanity of vanities (sound familiar? 1:2; 1:14)
Like striving after the wind (sound familiar?; 1:14, 17)
There is no profit under the sun
As weird as that sounds, he found joy, pleasure but it was all vanity. This experiment is not going very well for him, is it? Now that brings us to the next section.
Koheleth Hated Life
Koheleth Hated Life
Have you ever had displeasure from pleasure? Or no fulfillment in something that should be joyful? Now Koheleth reflects on wisdom, madness, folly as well as wealth to give some direction on what one should do.
12 So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? 13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both. 15 Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.”
16 For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! 17 So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
18 Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity.
20 Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.
22 For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
There is nothing left for the next man to do, to try (v.12)
He had tried everything, had the resources to do anything, so there was nothing for the “next” guy to do.
Wisdom is still better than folly (v.13-14a)
Just as light is better than darkness; wisdom is better than folly
At least the wise man can see where he is going
Still human wisdom is vanity (vv.2:14b-16)
They, the wise and the fool, have the same fate, death, so all is vanity.
The wise and the fool are forgotten after death so does anything really make a difference?
He hated life, and it was all vanity, all grasping for the wind (v.17)
Maybe I better give us (v.17) again just so it is before your eyes
17 So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
All work “under the sun” was grievous
Everything is futility
Everything is like striving after the wind.
That would be pretty depressing wouldn’t it? Can you see why he hated life? Remember he is looking at it and describing it from a humanistic world view without God in the picture .
He reflects on earthly wealth, riches (Ecc2:18-23)
Where work is a necessity, a blessing to have a job, the results of the labor is left to someone else. Some may pick up and keep going where you left off, but oftentimes you see squandering of the things that were previously done by the generation before.
Things can be and squandered by next generation (Ecc2:18-19; 1Kn12:1-19)
Summarizing that passage, Solomon is dead, Rehoboam is assuming the throne over his brother Jeroboam
He placed heavier yoke on the people then Solomon did. He did not take the advise from the elders but from his friends and it caused a divided kingdom, he over Judah and his brother Jeroboam over Israel. From peace that surrounded them in reign of Solomon to a divided kingdom.
The fruit of our labor is left to the next generation regardless, who knows if the person, people will be wise or a fool, they will rule over the resources provided.
Solomon came to hate the fruit of his labor
He came to despair all his labor (Ecc2:20-23)
The next generation does not have to work for it, labor for it, it is an inheritance, it is just given to them without investment of labor. No wonder it could bring despair here.
Solomon did not like it, did not think it was right, after all a man’s labor which is painful and grievous
This too is vanity and a great evil
Still no answer to the great question on the meaning of life, from all the works it ended in hate and despair for Koheleth. Still knowing he had his wisdom about it, but it was a burden to him. This now leads to the application section.
Koheleth accepted life
Koheleth accepted life
Regardless of the final outcome (death) here we see the application, the instructions.
24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?
26 For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.
His conclusion is enjoy life, enjoy the fruit of your labor now
He is not giving the view of eat, drink, be merry for tomorrow we die (Isa22:13)
13 Instead, there is gaiety and gladness, Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, Eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”
He does draw this conclusion, enjoy life, several times in his writings (Ecc2:24, 3:12-13, 3:22; 5:19-20; 8:15 and 9:7-9)
12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God.
Everything we have has been given by God for you (1Tim6:17)
17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
Finally we see the change and a great acknowledgment made. All is vanity and there is no satisfaction outside of God. The good we have is from God. Satisfaction itself is a gift from God not an entitlement.
To those who are good in the sight of God , He gives wisdom, knowledge and joy (Ecc2:26a)
To the sinner before God it is vanity and like grasping for the wind (Ecc61-2)
1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men— 2 a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction.
Drawing a conclusion:
Wisdom, folly, madness, pleasure and wealth bring nothing outside of God
Without God there is no hope for all the things of this world are vanity and bring no lasting pleasure.
God gives wisdom, knowledge and joy to the man who is His, these are eternal things that help to give purpose and meaning to life, this will be further developed as we continue the series.
How can we know we are His and are pleasing to Him? It stats with faith.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
(Encouragement slide 1)
May we know the vanity of the things of this world but the gifts from God that are eternal though faith. (expand briefly)
(Encouragement slide 2) (Exit)