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Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 1:2, “Vanity of vanities,’ says the preacher, ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’”  Vanity is absurdity, or frustration, or futility, or nonsense, or a combination of them all.  The Beatnik generation of the 50’s followed Albert Camus’ book, “Life is Absurd.”  Thomas Nagel championed the cause in the 80’s.  Solomon started with that thought to develop a rational basis for life, in 12:13, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.”  In Ecclesiastes, Solomon explored the absurdities of the popular goals for this life.

Ecclesiastes 1:8, “All things are wearisome; man cannot express it.  The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the ear filled with hearing.”  No matter what we seek on this earth, what seems to promise fulfillment gets wearisome.  What we eagerly desire to see or hear never seem to equal the anticipation.  Rather than relentlessly pursuing that which fails to satisfy, we need to learn from the disappointment.  If life is to have meaning, we need to look elsewhere.

Ecclesiastes 1:9, “That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”  Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.  Those who suppress history want to repeat it.  Those offended by history rail against what cannot be changed.  History exist so that humanity might learn from its mistakes.

Ecclesiastes 1:13, “I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man by which they may be exercised.”  The task of discovering the reasons for life has been given by God to all people, including the wisdom to do it.  In short, God expects us to think.  Solomon declared the task to be burdensome but worthwhile, a good exercise for the mind.

Ecclesiastes 1:15, “What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.”  Solomon observed that people cannot seem to fix what is obviously wrong in this world, so lofty goals become chasing after the wind.  But, rather than stopping in despair as have many before and since, Solomon continued his search for meaning in life for another 11 chapters to his conclusion: trust God.

Ecclesiastes 1:18, “In much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.”  As Solomon outlines in the succeeding chapters, the more we figure out, the more we pity those who are trying to fix what cannot be fixed.  The more we learn, the more problems we find.  But, rather than being overwhelmed by despair or rejecting wisdom and knowledge, the wise see life as a profitable exercise, preparing us to be useful to God.

Ecclesiastes 2:10 – 11, “Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.  I did not hold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; as this was my reward from all my labor.  Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind  There was no profit under the sun.”  Modern American culture as been tried before; it does not work in the long term. 

Ecclesiastes 2:24, “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor.  This also I saw was from the hand of God.”  Solomon recommended enjoyment of the simple things: food and drink and honest labor.  Beyond that is chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”  The first eight verses of this chapter were set to pop music by Pete Seeger and performed by the Byrds in 1965.  Solomon’s point was that even antithetical concepts like war and peace each have their proper time.  Life is not based on one type of emotion or action, but is a compilation of things each done at the right time.  Our purpose is not to find one thing, but to fit everything together.

Ecclesiastes 3:11, “[God] has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.”  Restating “a time for every purpose under heaven” (3:1), Solomon further reveals that humanity’s sense of the eternal was built in, so the concept of an eternal God is to be expected.  However, humanity also needs to be content not knowing everything.  Our limitations should not hinder our satisfaction.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 – 13, “I know that nothing is better for [workers] than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor – it is the gift of God.”  A simple workman’s life is a gift from God.  Achievement, power, influence all lead to emptiness.  Rejoicing over and doing what is good, along with the simple pleasure of the fruit of one’s labor is fulfillment.

Ecclesiastes 4:9 – 12, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.  For if they fall, one will lift up his companion, but woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.  Again, if two lie down together, they keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?  Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.  And, a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”  Note the change from two to three in the last line.  Including God in a relationship multiplies strength.

Ecclesiastes 5:1, “Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.”  Fools follow the practices of their faith without understanding the meaning of it.  Their lack of thought and wisdom leads them away from God, not toward.  The wise listen, learn, and discern the meaning of relating to God.

Ecclesiastes 5:7, “In the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity.  But, fear God.”  Many church leaders magnify their messages with “The Lord told me…”  Others speak many words but have little content.  Both are signs of self-centeredness.  Instead, Bible teaching should be simple, short, and direct, focused on imparting the skills to the hearers to find answers for themselves. 

Ecclesiastes 5:8, “If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.”  This was written over 2900 years ago.  There is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 7:1, “A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.”  All people are born into a broken world and face a lifetime of struggle.  Yet, we celebrate that beginning.  At death, the brokenness of earth is left behind.  For the faithful, only good remains.  Yet, we mourn their departure.  From the beginning to the end, the most important possession is a good name.

Ecclesiastes 7:4, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”  The house of mourning has many opportunities: to find comfort and to provide comfort; to learn from a life well spent or to be warned by a life squandered.  Entertainment is no more than a temporary escape from reality from which one must soon return and be disappointed.

Ecclesiastes 7:7, “Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, and a bribe destroys the heart.”  In the Bible, the heart is the seat of the character, not emotion as in English.  We can readily see that a bribe corrupts the character, not just the system, so future honesty is more difficult.  Less obvious is that oppression causes otherwise wise people to think less logically or less reasonably.  So, scholars find high-sounding rationale to defend oppressive governments or cultures.  This sad observation has been true in every era.

Ecclesiastes 7:10, “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’  For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.”  Solomon’s observation was that the “good old days” are only better than the present based on selective memory.

Ecclesiastes 7:14, “In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one alongside the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.”  Enjoy the good times; in the bad times consider that both are profitable before God.  Further, we are reminded that we do not really know what is coming next.  Just trust God.

Ecclesiastes 7:29, “Truly, this only I have found: God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”  We have only ourselves to blame for the evils of this world.  We were made upright, with eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11), innately knowing as well as observing the goodness of God (Romans 1:18 – 21).  Yet, many choose to suppress reality in favor of self-deception.

Ecclesiastes 8:8, “No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, and no one has power in the day of death.  There is no release from that war, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.”  In general, people turn to wickedness because they think it will gain them some advantage.  Whether a starving man steals food or a greedy man deceives investors, each thought the evil action would yield a benefit.  In the larger scheme of things, that is nothing more than self-deception.

Ecclesiastes 8:14 – 15, “There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous.  I said that this also is vanity.  So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry, for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.”  Don’t let the absurdities of life ruin the enjoyment of the simple things.

Ecclesiastes 8:17, “I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun.  For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.”  Certainly, God has done many things on earth that are described in the Scriptures.  They were neither subtle nor hidden.  Yet, God certainly does much more.  But, people cannot discover what those actions were or will be, so speculating about them is vanity and chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 9:1, “For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God.  People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them.”  After observing that those who do right often are oppressed, Solomon concludes that, while their works may be overlooked or destroyed on earth, God knows them.  Further, selflessness and hatred are built in, not learned.  The question is how they are used.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 – 8, “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.  Let your garments always be white and let your head lack no oil.”  Despite the many evils perpetrated on earth, have joy in the simple pleasures, secure in the knowledge that God knows what good has been done.  Let your appearance reflect the godly joy of life.

Ecclesiastes 9:9, “Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life; and in the labor which you perform under the sun.”  The closer people are to us, the easier it is to find flaws.  Solomon reminds husbands to remember the joys, not the sorrows, of marriage.  Our portion in life is not to contemplate that which went poorly, but to rejoice in that which went well.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 – 12, “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all.  For man does not know his time: like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.”  Unrealistic expectations spoil the simple joys of life.

Ecclesiastes 9:14 – 15, “There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks around it.  Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city.  Yet, no one remembered that same poor man.”  Don’t let the ungratefulness of the world spoil the joy of doing what is wise and good.

Ecclesiastes 9:16, “Wisdom is better than strength.  Nevertheless, the poor man’s wisdom is despised.”  True wisdom knows better than to expect to be heard or respected simply due to that wisdom.  Further, seeking the power for that wisdom to be heard is self-defeating.  Sufficient is the knowledge that wisdom is better.

Ecclesiastes 9:17, “Words of the wise quietly heard are better than the shout of the ruler of fools.”  Politics has demonstrated repeatedly the veracity of Solomon’s observation.  On a more personal level, seek that which is quietly wise.  The purpose of theatrics is deception.

Ecclesiastes 9:18, “Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.”  The world always will be populated by a vast majority of fools who purposely or inadvertently destroy what should be fostered.  But enforcing the dictates of wisdom on them simply creates more clever fools.  Wisdom is better, but will never conquer.

Ecclesiastes 10:1, “Dead flies spoil the perfumer’s ointment and cause it to give off a foul odor; so does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.”  Those who develop wisdom have a treasure that needs protecting from the contaminants of earthly life.  One lapse into foolish thinking can contaminant a lifetime of wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 10:10, “If the ax is dull and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom is a successful advantage.”  The value of wisdom is that it makes life much easier.  Mistakes are avoided; deceptions are detected; unnecessary complexity is simplified.

Ecclesiastes 10:18, “Because of laziness the rafters sink, and through idleness of hands the house leaks.”  In modern terms, preventative maintenance is more cost effective than breakdown maintenance.  The short-term savings of waiting until it breaks is, in Solomon’s words, just laziness.  The same is true of child-rearing, family relationships, and spiritual life.

Ecclesiastes 11:2, “Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth.”  Share while there is opportunity.  Inevitably, evil will come and consume whatever might have been reserved for sharing later.

Ecclesiastes 11:4, “He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.”  Solomon did not trust weathermen, either.  Proceed in a timely manner, dealing with obstacles as they become obstacles rather than waiting for the perfect time that is known only after it has passed.

Ecclesiastes 11:9 – 10, “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.  Therefore, remove sorrow from your heart and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity.”  Enjoy life, but know that there are consequence.  Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Ecclesiastes 12:1, “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’”  Develop a relationship with God when life is full of hope and strength.  Then, as age and difficulties accumulate, that relationship will be there to finish the race.

Ecclesiastes 12:7, “The dust will return to the earth as it was and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”  All the physical stuff, including our bodies, is constantly recycled.  The important part, the eternal part, returns to God.  So, think as a spirit, develop it for the long haul.

Ecclesiastes 12:11 – 12, “The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.  So, my son, be admonished by these.  Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.”  Let the wisdom of God drive and build you.  Study, of itself, is exhausting.  Be sure your study results in advancements in wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 – 14, “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.”  After examining all the common goals of life, this was Solomon’s conclusion.  The commandments may be summed up as mutual trust and selfless concern.  Those who practice these consistently have no fear of secrets being exposed.