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*Ecclesiastes 7 Sermon*
*June 23-24, 2007*
Big Idea: Wisdom, though imperfect, if based on a fear of God, preserves life and gives it meaning.
I.
Introduction
A. Secular – Isaac Newton’s secular achievements
1. Isaac Newton has been in the news recently, and if you don’t remember who he was, here are some quick facts about his life.
2. He was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer and natural philosopher, and according to a recent poll in England, has had a greater impact on science and humankind than even Albert Einstein.
3. Some of his achievements include:
a.
He published his /Principia Mathematica/ in 1687 which is a foundational text still today.
b.
In it he described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion.
We remember him sitting under an apple tree.
c.
He explained that the motions of objects here on earth and of planets and stars were governed by the same set of natural laws.
d.
He invented the reflecting telescope through optical innovations and advanced the particle theory of light as well as the use of prisms.
e.
In addition, he helped develop the mathematical discipline of calculus.
4. Because of these talents and achievements, he became world-famous.
a.
Much of what he discovered and wrote about college students still discuss today.
b.
He has literally changed the world, but what’s more, he was recognized in his own time as doing that.
B. Personal
1. Don’t you ever wish you could be famous like that?
That people would look up to you and remember you?
2. That you could invent something, discover something, or just think of something that would change the world and benefit people for generations to come?
3. Have you ever wished you could be that wise?
C. Biblical
1.
The guy that we’re studying right now, the Preacher, certainly wanted that as well, and he certainly considered himself to be very wise.
2. In the book of Ecc., which we’re going through, the Preacher’s spent six chapters telling us what he has researched and observed in life.
I don’t know if you’ve picked up on this, but so far it hasn’t been too good.
a.
The word “meaningless” or “vanity” has come up a few times to describe not only the various aspects of life that give us pleasure
b.
But all of life is described in this way also.
c.
Of the 38x the word for “vanity” appears in this book, we’ve seen 26 of them already, or 2~/3 in just ½ of the book.
3. Everything that he has set his mind to discover and observe has just made him come up empty.
His conclusions are not very uplifting.
D. Textual
1. However this week we’re in Chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes and the purpose and structure of the book changes just a bit.
2. The first six chapters were the Preacher giving us his data; what he has found from extensive research, and some of his conclusions regarding the meaning of the data.
3. Up until this point the Preacher hasn’t been focused too much on the “Now what can I do with this?”, or as a friend of mine likes to call it, the “So What?” of the message.
a.
He hasn’t made the rubber hit the road quite yet.
b.
Until now.
4. Beginning in Chapter 7, we get conclusions from his observations and advice on what to do with it.
5. Thus begins a very practical section, that applies for you and I today as well.
6.
Although we begin a practical section, the Preacher wants to help us make that transition by giving us some proverbs about wisdom and folly to chew on first.
7.
And while the first half of this book could be characterized by the use of the word “vanity”, this chapter alone contains ¼ of the occurrences for the word for “good”, which also shows up as “better”.
So we see a shift in attitude, as well as content and form.
II.
Exposition
A. Wisdom, Though Imperfect, Preserves Life (1-14)
1. Wisdom Remembers Our Mortality, Folly Laughs It Off (1-4)
a.
There is a day that all of us will die.
1.)
Folly laughs it off and takes nothing seriously.
It wastes money, talents, energies all in celebrating “today” and giving no thought to tomorrow.
2.) Wisdom looks at life and takes it seriously.
Not to say that you’re not allowed to have any fun, but keeping it all in a proper perspective.
b.
A wise person sees that our days are numbered and lives rightly within them.
1.) Ps.
90:12 says “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom”
2.) Much of the Preacher’s frustration with life, especially in the first chapter, came from the observation that we’re all going to die, therefore, it seemed to him, everything we do is worthless.
3.)
Here he takes that same fact of mortality, and now says that we can use that understanding to live wisely now, and improve ourselves morally, which is what v. 3 is speaking towards.
c. Illustrations
1.)
One show I like to watch is CSI.
I enjoy the lab work and the scientific angle.
I thing that becomes apparent right from the beginning, however, is that nearly every dies in a state of foolishness.
a.) They’re partying and carrying on as if there will be no consequences to their actions and in the morning they end up dead.
2.) King Philip II of Macedon understood this truth.
a.)
He was father to Alexander the Great and king before him.
b.)
He had a full-time servant whose job was to stand in his presence and periodically say “Philip, you will die.”
2. Wisdom Recognizes Our Weaknesses, Folly Ignores Them (5-10)
a.
A wise person understands that they have weaknesses, that there are kinks in their armor.
b.
The Preacher gives several examples of what our weaknesses might be.
1.)
We like to be flattered (5-6)
a.)
While we might be tempted to simply listen to all of the good things people might say
b.)
It is better for us if we seek out honest counsel from a wise person.
2.) We have a price (7)
a.)
When it comes down to it, we all have a price.
We all have an amount with which we can be bought and compromise our morals and values.
b.)
That price will be different for each of us, and what we’re selling will be different but it exists.
c.)
The price may be someone who pays special attention to us, the promise of a promotion, or just the thrill of “getting away with it”.
d.)
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