[Thanks
to Karen for closing out our study of Job and Jeff for opening the study of the
book of Ecclesiastes!]
A GLANCE
BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES
The author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon enjoyed power, wealth, and
access to all of life’s pursuits and pleasures. He had experienced life “under the sun” (the
human point of view) and declares that it all is futile and unsatisfying. Only when he lives “above the sun” – with his
eyes and heart turned toward God – does his life become meaningful and
fulfilling. Ultimate satisfaction comes,
not from the good things of life, but from the Giver of life!!!!
Life is meaningless – OR meaningful. It depends upon your perspective. Where are you looking for satisfaction in
life? Have I found it there? If not, why not? And what would Solomon’s counsel be to
you?
In the first two chapters of Ecclesiastes, Solomon is
searching for meaning in life and he explores the meaning in the first 6
chapters. He wrote in the 10th
Century B.C. He spoke first of the
emptiness of life’s pursuits. 1:2
“Nothing is worthwhile, everything is futile.”
Solomon calls himself a preacher in Ecc. 1:2…the word Koheleth
(preacher) carries with it the idea of debating, not so much with the listeners
as with himself. Solomon would present a
topic, discuss it from many viewpoints, and then come to a practical
conclusion.
Chuck Colson said, “Life isn’t like a book. Life isn’t logical, or sensible, or
orderly. Life is a mess most of the
time. And theology must be lived in the
midst of that mess.” Solomon confronts
us with the thought and the theology in this book…it is up to us to live life
and BE SATISFIED.
Solomon’s thoughts give us a picture of how futile to
substitute man’s wisdom for God’s wisdom.
He takes many looks back into his wasted life. He had begun with a promising condition “he
loved the Lord and walked in the statutes of David his father…the people feared
him, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.” Before long, Solomon was led by his own
wisdom alone. He openly affronted God by
taking many wives, even heathen women.
They seduced him into toleration or practice of idolatry. I Kings 11:1
Ecc. gives a startling picture of how fatal it is for even the
wisest of men to substitute man’s ‘wisdom’ for God’s wisdom and attempt to live
by it.
ECCLESIASTES
3 – 5:7
Solomon had begun with an argument proving that life was
nothing, but then in chapter 3 he begins to re examine and challenge his own
arguments.
He gave four factors that must be considered before you can
say that life is meaningless. See
something ABOVE man – God Who is in control of time and who balances life’s
experiences. V. 1-8. See something from
WITHIN man that linked him to God – eternity in his heart v. 9 – 14. See something AHEAD of man – the certainty of
death v. 15 – 22. See something AROUND
man – the problems and the burdens of life 4: 1 – 5: 9.
The preacher asks us to look up, to look within, to look
ahead, and to look around and to take into consideration time, eternity, death,
and suffering. These are four factors
that the LORD uses to keep our lives from becoming monotonous and meaningless.
ABOVE: In fourteen
statements, Solomon affirmed that God is at work in our individual lives,
seeking to accomplish HIS will,. If we
cooperate with the Lord’s timing, life will not be meaningless. Everything will be “beautiful in HIS time”
even the most difficult experiences of life.
Life is something like a doctor’s prescription…taken alone,
the ingredients might kill you, but properly blended, they bring healing. God is in control and has a time and a
purpose for everything. Rom. 8:28.
3:14 gives us PURPOSE in it all: “and God does it so that men will reverently
fear HIM – know that HE is, revere and worship HIM.” This is not the cringing of a slave before a
cruel master, but the submission of an obedient child to a loving parent. If we fear God, we need not fear anything else
for He is in control.
The Preacher closes this section by reminding us again to
accept life from God’s hand and enjoy it while we can. Nobody knows what the future holds and even
if we did know, we can’t return to life after we have died and start to enjoy
it again.
Faith learns to live with seeming inconsistencies and
absurdities, for we live by promises and not by explanations. Solomon calls us to accept life, enjoy it a
day at a time and be satisfied. We must
never be satisfied with ourselves, but we must be satisfied with what God gives
to us in this life. If so, we can say
with Paul, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Phil. 4:11
In presenting his argument to himself, Solomon came to the
realities of life…he examined REAL life v. 1-3 and he found some painful
facts. It seems that he was viewing the
oppression of the underprivileged who found no comfort…could he have been
examining the governmental controls/the judicial system of that day or of
TODAY???
Then he went to the marketplace…v. 4-8 and he looked at three
different approaches to vocation…the idle man, the integrated man (life
balanced, not in the rat race, but responsible). The industrious man thinks that money will bring
him peace, but he has no time to enjoy it.
The idle man thinks that doing nothing will bring him peace, but his
lifestyle only destroys him. The
integrated man enjoys both his labor and the fruit of his labor and balances
toil with rest.
The independent man v. 7 – 8 No time to ask why he was
laboring…no one there for him…etc.
Solomon concluded…meaningless!
The LORD wants us to labor, but to labor in the right spirit
and for the right reasons. Blessed are
the balanced.
As the Preacher continued, he observed the value of
numbers: With two there would be a more
productive life v. 9 help in time of
need v. 10 comfort in friendship v. 11 protection when danger comes upon
him. Solomon started with number one (v.
8), moved to two v.9 and then closed with three v. 12. Typical of Hebrew literature…One cord could
be broken easily; two cords would require more strength; but three cords woven
together could not be easily broken.
Solomon had more than numbers in mind…he was also thinking of the unity
involved in three cords woven together…what a beautiful picture of
friendship.
v.13-16…the poor youth and the king who became needy is
Solomon’s next picture…Again, only vanity, emptiness.
Lessons from chapter 3-4…No matter where Solomon looked, he
learned a lesson. He looked up – God was
in control of life. Within – man was
made for eternity and God would make all things beautiful in their time. Ahead – the last enemy, death. Around, life is complex, difficult, and not
easy to explain. No matter where you
look, you see trials and problems and people who could use some
encouragement. However, Solomon was not
cynical about life. Nowhere does he tell
us to get out of the race and retreat to some safe and comfortable corner of
the world where nothing can bother us.
He does emphasize that we need one another and that we should be
balanced in life. It is good to have the
things that money can buy provided you don’t lose the things that money can’t
buy. As best said by Jesus, “For what
shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? Or what shall a man give in
exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36-37
Some people have BACK problems – back taxes, back rent, and
back alimony…”when your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your
downfall.”
The wealthy King Solomon knew something about money. Some of this wisdom he shared in the book of
Proverbs and some he included here in ECC.
He goes beyond the subject of mere money and deals with the values of
life, the things that really count. He gives
warnings that relate to the values of life:
Don’t Rob the LORD 5:1-7 When we
rob the Lord of the worship and honor due to Him, we are also robbing ourselves
of the spiritual blessings He bestows on those who worship Him in spirit and in
truth. (John 4:24)
No comments:
Post a Comment