ALL IS VANITY
Notes
Transcript
What is Solomon’s conclusion about life in itself?
What is Solomon’s conclusion about life in itself?
A. All is Meaningless (v.2)
A. All is Meaningless (v.2)
Everything man produces and puts his hand to either:
Does NOT LAST.
Does NOT SATISFY.
HEBEL (Hebrew) - translated as Vanity which literally means vapor.
HEBEL (Hebrew) - translated as Vanity which literally means vapor.
Also use in other parts of the bible in reference to something fleeting - something that happens fast and only for a short time.
Vanity is felt, seen and experience but does not fill the void in man’s heart. It leaves behind the feeling of EMPTINESS.
To say that “all is vanity” carries the idea that all man does lead to futility - pointless.
Solomon drew this conclusion from how he felt despite his enormous wealth, life status, position in society or country and responsibility as king. If that is what the most powerful and important person at the time concludes then how much more everyone below him, way below him? Remember this was his testimony.
No matter what he did—he found absolutely nothing that fully satisfied his heart.
Nothing gave him a deep sense of fulfillment. Everything he tried disappointed him and failed to bring any kind of lasting contentment.
Whenever he found something that pleased him, the sense of gratification was temporary and short-lived; it soon passed away.
In what areas do we see this in our life today? Where is the evidence of Solomon’s conclusion found?
In what areas do we see this in our life today? Where is the evidence of Solomon’s conclusion found?
1. Eating
1. Eating
2. Working
2. Working
3. Rest
3. Rest
4. Possessions
4. Possessions
All is VANITY - this is the main lesson that will resonate throughout the book.
All is VANITY - this is the main lesson that will resonate throughout the book.
B. All Human Activity has no Eternal Gains.(vv.3-7)
B. All Human Activity has no Eternal Gains.(vv.3-7)
What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?
What is there to show and see after a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your life to death?
Working hard is biblical and commendable, it is what’s missing in all the hard work is the problem. Most, if not all, we do here on earth is earth-bound.
We labor and in some instances to the point of death. Remember, you work to live not to die. Need to strike a balance!
UNDER THE SUN - simply means ON EARTH, in reference to where our focus is in.
Solomons spent his entire life pursuing what is only Earthbound and nothing eternal heaven-bound.
Solomon pursued the world of Satan and not the Word of God. He lived for the world and not for God.
Solomon pursued the world of Satan and not the Word of God. He lived for the world and not for God.
He saw things from an worldly perspective not from a spiritual perspective.
Some have a spiritual perspective but it does not involved the one true God.
Pursuing the world will leave one nothing in eternity, quite the opposite for those who invest their life in things above - HEAVEN.
When everything is said and done man gains nothing of lasting value from his labor and activities on earth and that makes it meaningless.
Here’s a picture of life as demonstrated by Solomon: People work all of their lives and then they die and that is all! Life is uncertain and ever so brief.
Here’s a picture of life as demonstrated by Solomon: People work all of their lives and then they die and that is all! Life is uncertain and ever so brief.
Coupled withe idea of the brevity of life.
All is vanity and yet it’s brief!
All is vanity and yet it’s brief!
Life is meaning and short! This outlook leads to suicide.
Solomon justifies his conclusion with four arguments by pointing to science to drive his points about life:
1. People don’t live long enough unlike the Earth. (v.4)
1. People don’t live long enough unlike the Earth. (v.4)
The sun that warmed and shine over the people in biblical times is the same sun that is over us today.
The moon and the stars that lights and twinkle in the night many years ago is the same moon and stars that we see today at night.
Everything that mans is discovering today about the Sun, moon, stars and galaxy has always been there since creation, man is just finding more about it today.
2. People don’t live long enough as the repetitious cycle of the rising and setting of the sun. (v.5)
2. People don’t live long enough as the repetitious cycle of the rising and setting of the sun. (v.5)
The sun continues to rise and set and repeats the same cycle everyday and in the days to come while different generations come and go.
Man eventually will stop seeing the same process but the continued repetition will go on and is not affected the shortness of ones life.
3. People don’t live long enough compared to continued blowing of the wind. (V.6)
3. People don’t live long enough compared to continued blowing of the wind. (V.6)
Here in Southern California generation after generation will experience the Santa Ana winds. The same phenomenon happening all throughout the existence of the Earth yet man will not live long enough to see be extinct.
4. People don’t live long enough to see the endless flow of the river going into the ocean and then cycling back to the atmosphere through evaporation and coming down back to the land in the form of rain just to be drain back into the ocean through river systems. (v.7)
4. People don’t live long enough to see the endless flow of the river going into the ocean and then cycling back to the atmosphere through evaporation and coming down back to the land in the form of rain just to be drain back into the ocean through river systems. (v.7)
Here’s one of natures natural wonder: Water from the ocean evaporates forming the clouds pushed by the wind across the world while dumping water in the form of liquid and solid (snow and hail). Then after being landing on the ground they are drained to common rivers that funnel them back into the ocean just to be evaporated again, the cycle repeats.
What is Solomon’s point with these four observations? All these nature’s cycles will continue through the lifetime of the Earth but the life of man is not as long as the Earth.
What is Solomon’s point with these four observations? All these nature’s cycles will continue through the lifetime of the Earth but the life of man is not as long as the Earth.
The life of man does not last as long as life of the Earth.
For, “All flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, And the flower falls off,
Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
If man’s life is only focused on things of the Earth (which is temporary), his labor will be in vain, it will gain nothing that is lasting.
If man’s life is only focused on things of the Earth (which is temporary), his labor will be in vain, it will gain nothing that is lasting.
There are decisions in life that will yield eternal benefits. These are the one’s that is inline with obeying God.
Believing in Jesus or continually rejecting Him at the point of death will determine your permanent residence in eternity and it’s not reversible. No return no exchange.
Ending up in hell in eternity is not a benefit, it’s a punishment.
Take for instance how scripture describes hell:
and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
Let me share again C.T. Stud’s poem entitled One Life:
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way; Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last (Source: One Life by C.T. Studd)
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way; Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart; Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last (Source: One Life by C.T. Studd)
C. All Things Are Tiresome. (v.8-11)
C. All Things Are Tiresome. (v.8-11)
There is no one thing that is done under the Sun that will be permanently satisfying.
Labor here on earth is tiresome because we have to keep on doing it. Which leads to man’s quest to work smart. Meaning, work in a way with less effort but reaping big returns.
Part of the insatiable nature of man is the tendency to never be tired of what one has.
Some leave their spouse because they want someone new and perhaps younger, more adventurous.
Some change clothes not because it wore out physically but just because they got tired of wearing it over and over again.
Some people change cars not because it stopped working but they just want the newer or better model or even brand.
Some change phones every time a new one comes out just to have the latest all the time.
This is one of the reason why we need to continue working, not only because we need to eat everyday but to have what we want in the world who always have something new to offer everyday.
Life can get tiring because we are never satisfied. It’s either wanting something new or wanting more of what you have. (v.8)
Life can get tiring because we are never satisfied. It’s either wanting something new or wanting more of what you have. (v.8)
All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
It about quantity, quality and variety.
You start with a two bedroom condo then later you upgrade to a 4 bedroom house, nothing wrong if you need the room because your family is getting bigger, as long as you can afford it. Most of the time to be able to afford, you need to keep on working not just with one job but there are times you have to get more than one job taking you away from precious and critical time with family.
The foundation of a strong and close knit family is based on relationships, one toward the Lord and the other toward each other, not based on the quality of the structure of the roof above the head. It’s not the roof but what takes place under the roof that matters.
You tend to work and focus only on what you know and see. If one believes that this is all to what is in life then of course the person will put all his effort on it and at the end die and realize that there is something else important, life in eternity. Where do you want to spend it?
Life’s restlessness is demonstrated by wanting to always try something new, something different, something bigger or smaller, better and nicer, something more exotic more challenging, and in a lot of cases something more expensive. Man is never satisfied, on the other hand Matt. 5:6 teaches:
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
To hunger and thirst is the act of pursuing.
Remember Jesus words to the woman by the well:
Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
From Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2011). Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon (p. 38). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide I quote:
Throughout most of his life, Solomon had drawn water from the wrong wells in an attempt to quench a fleshly thirst that could never be satisfied. Sin never fully gratifies; it always leads to continuing, increased sin—increased both in frequency and in intensity. The fascination with what is bought, gained, or achieved today will wear off tomorrow; the mind will require something else to capture its attention. But the things of the world can never satisfy the soul, so the soul continues to seek fulfillment in things that are empty, things that cannot last. Until a person finds God, all things will continue to be ultimately wearisome, never fully satisfying.
That is how greed operates in gambling. Most don’t quite while they are winning but only quit when they loose.
Life can get wearisome here on Earth because it is full of monotonous activity. (v.9-10)
Life can get wearisome here on Earth because it is full of monotonous activity. (v.9-10)
9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.
To one who is constantly and solely pursuing the world, life can be full of monotonous routines, similar in fashion as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the afternoon just to repeat itself the following day.
One day you find yourself landing in your first job then later transfer and work for other companies doing the same thing: WORK. Then next thing you know it’s time to retire. What’s next, you travel and go visit places you’ve always want to see or do the things in your bucket list. But then, what happens after you fulfill the last item on your list, what now? What’s next?
To some of you who are caregivers, the patients that you take care, once upon a time lived a busy life, traveling, engaging in business, raising a family, spending time with friends and fighting with friends and worse harboring their anger and frustration through old age. Then one will ask when they get to that age, that’s it? Is this what life is all about, some are happy and some are sad but the fact of the matter is there is a sense of sadness when we stop producing or when we no longer are needed in this life.
Which lead us to the last point:
Life become wearisome to one who pursues the world because they have no permanent legacy. (v.11)
Life become wearisome to one who pursues the world because they have no permanent legacy. (v.11)
There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, There will be for them no remembrance Among those who will come later still.
In the world of sports there will never be a permanent GOAT. Someone better and greater will always come later on. World records will always be broken at some point. In it comes to acrobatic performance in basketball there was Julius Irving AKA Dr. J but then MJ came along. In football there was Joe Montana today there is Tom Brady who is on his way out too. In track and field there was Carl Lewis then came Usain Bolt who also retired already. In boxing there were names like Muhammad Ali boasting as the greatest in boxing which became a household name even to the ones who are not avid fans but then came Floyd Mayweather boasting about his undefeated record. The list and the arguments as to who is the greatest will continue just at the cycle of night and day continues.
The person who focuses only on this life on earth and the things of this world will have nothing when life is over. Death ends our short life here on earth but it also ushers us to the next life and this time it is eternal - ETERNAL IS FOREVER.
So what can we take from today’s text to bring tomorrow? What can we learn from Solomon today?
So what can we take from today’s text to bring tomorrow? What can we learn from Solomon today?
1. One maybe considered wise in the eyes of the world but in they eyes of Christ’s they meet the qualification of a fool.
1. One maybe considered wise in the eyes of the world but in they eyes of Christ’s they meet the qualification of a fool.
Remember the story the rich fool in Luke 12:16-21:
And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Jesus continue with this advice:
33 “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.
What you invest into this earth will stay on this earth and soon will be forgotten but while being on Earth if you also invest in the kingdom of God it will yield return that will be waiting for you in heaven when you get there. As the saying goes:
You cannot take anything with you when you die but you can always send it ahead while you are alive.
You cannot take anything with you when you die but you can always send it ahead while you are alive.
The best part is, it is eternal and it can never be stolen from you nor it will decay.
Rewards will be waiting in heaven for those who have faithfully labored for the Lord and served Him. Investing in the kingdom will yield eternal dividends.
Look at what Paul declared while being on Earth? Phil 1:21-24
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
How did Paul arrive at this conclusion? Not over night and not without continually pursuing Christ.
As you spend time with God’s Word, He will gradually open your mind, eyes and heart to his will in life.
2. Life will never be tiresome if you are living for the Lord.
2. Life will never be tiresome if you are living for the Lord.
Don’t loose sight of God’s purpose of why you are hear and still alive today.
Strike for the Lord and not be strike out in life.
For the children of God, we live under a secular world with a divine purpose. That’s how we endure the challenges that live bring to us.
How not lose sight of God’s calling and purpose in life?
How not lose sight of God’s calling and purpose in life?
Time with God through His Word.
Time with God through His Word.
Time with God through prayer.
Time with God through prayer.
Time with God in obedience.
Time with God in obedience.
And you will not be alone during all three moments, the Holy Spirit will always be with you, guiding and convicting you.
Let me close with the following PERSONAL QUESTIONS:
If today’s message were a mirror, what do you see? One who is pursuing the world or the Lord?
If today’s message were a mirror, what do you see? One who is pursuing the world or the Lord?
Where are you spending most the God-given new life you have today?
Where are you spending most the God-given new life you have today?
As a precious commodity, where are you investing it? To enrich yourself here in the world or to enrich yourself in Heaven?
As a precious commodity, where are you investing it? To enrich yourself here in the world or to enrich yourself in Heaven?
Remember, you have been warned, you have been informed. What needs to follow is OBEDIENCE!
Remember, you have been warned, you have been informed. What needs to follow is OBEDIENCE!
LET’s PRAY:
Father it’s not too late to change our pursuit in life specially when we are chasing the world. You have made obvious through your Word what is important in life and how you want us to spend it. If we struggle to change our focus, our desires and priorities, we ask you as our Heavenly Father to help us overcome this struggle and once and for all pursue the things in heaven with the time we have left here on Earth. Amen!