Ecclesiastes 1[1]
As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, January 2nd, 2010
It is natural to sometimes look to the heavens and wonder, "Why, God? Of what use is this earth? Why do we labor, study, serve, give, go, dream, build, and love if it all comes to nothing in the end?" All the incredible engineering feats that Rome developed were neglected by the hordes of barbarians who over-ran that nation; people camped in squalor and filth within sight of great stone buildings, bridges, and aqueducts left behind by the Romans. No wonder people have questioned the heavens, "Why learn, grow, save, and build only to see it squandered by those who don't care?"
I have friends from high school that I've reconnected with (thanks to Facebook), and I recently found out that five out of our grand graduating class of 49 have fought or are fighting cancer. Three have succumbed, and have passed on. One lady has recently endured a double mastectomy, and this past week found out that her seven-year-old son has a mass behind his sternum. Truly, for some of us, life is hard. The poet Steve Taylor said it this way in the 80's: "Life unravels like a cheap sweater; but since I gave up hope I feel a lot better![4] " There, what a bright thought for the New Year, right?
If you think that Christians never struggle with such thoughts, I believe you're fooling yourself, or you're naïve at best. And if you think the Bible is all happy, victory, excitement, fun, and love, well – this morning is a reality check for you. The Bible chronicles the revelation of God our Creator, and of man as well. Of God we see glory, holiness, wisdom, goodness, and power. Of man, we see, well – much chasing after the wind. It is an honest book; but before too much gloom fills the room, let me say it is a book of hope and joy as well! Turn with me to the book of Ecclesiastes today, and let's gather some wisdom from one who asked such questions, and who left us with answers as well. Let's read chapter one of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-18
1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
8 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.
12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge."
17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.
18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Let's pray. Father, may the good truth of the gospel encourage us today, and may our faith in Jesus be strengthened, and our joy be made more full. Let us see You today in this text, Lord; and let us come to see ourselves as well. And Lord, help us to see Christ, the Savior of all who believe. In His Name and for His glory I pray, amen.
Now a more challenging book doesn't exist in the Bible! One Christian joked that Ecclesiastes is a lengthy Prozac ad. I will acknowledge that it is a tough read, but it is God's Word; it is a worthy read, and it requires us to think. Today I want us to look for the gems here, and take away the main message of this book. The question posed in this sermon is, "Is Wisdom Gained in Vain?" The answer is my theme: There is vanity; but take joy in your work, and fear God, the Creator and Judge of all. So vanity, joy, and fear.
Let me explain that one of the reasons Ecclesiastes is difficult to interpret is because of the many styles of writing employed. In this book there is poetry (both parallelism and contrast), there is irony, and there is dark humor; some of this is hard to grasp in English with hundreds of years between Solomon's culture and ours. For example: he writes that "there is no remembrance of former things", yet we read his "former writing" thousands of years after he penned those words. Ironic? Yes! So of course it isn't a blanket statement that should be taken out of the context of the book, nor out of the context of the other 65 books of the Bible. And dark humor, such as this line from 9:9: "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun." He jokes about getting old and dying in chapter 12. "The grinders cease because they are few", and "those who look through the windows are dimmed". He's talking about his teeth getting old and falling out, and his eyesight failing. So there is poetry, contrast, irony, and dark humor. Having said that, let's hit the first theme…
Vanity. Now we read, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity" all through this book. This word shows up in 27 verses, from chapter 1:2 through chapter 12:8; this is a constant bass drum beat of the book. That word vanity is hard to define; most scholars agree that Solomon meant something like a vapor, or smoke. It is wispy, hard to grasp, and easily blown away on the wind. In fact, he also often uses the phrase, "striving after the wind" (v 17) as well. What is a vapor to this man who looks back on his life, and looks at death? Well, wisdom. He says in chapter 1:17-18 that gaining wisdom is vanity, and much vexation. But in 2:13 he writes, "Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness." And he commends wisdom many more times than he disdains it as a fleeting vapor. "Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun." Other things are targeted for his drumbeat of vanity…
Pleasure. Self-indulgence, labor, leadership, wealth, and honor, just to name a few. Here is a good way to take in all of this vanity, this striving after the wind: our lives are brief, and we are gone before you know it. That's the reason things look like a vapor – we quickly pass. Death is faced and looked squarely in the eye here. We need to learn from this, church; we sanitize it in nursing homes, hospitals, and clean, distance-holding funerals. But death comes to us all, and is a natural part of this life. We can't avoid death any more than a young boy can keep his little boat floating in the tub once mom has pulled the plug; the water will drain, and the boat will hit the bottom. None of the things of this earth – intellectual gain, physical strength or beauty, wealth, power, pleasure, or things we build – can help us stay past the demise of this earthly body. We will pass. Thus, all is vanity, a vapor – brief, temporal. Now…
Joy. Joy, you ask? Yes, joy! If the constant bass drum beat in Ecclesiastes is vanity, then the snare drum beat that comes often to offset the bass drum is JOY. Read with me from chapters two, three, five, and eight. Here are a few of these verses…
Ecc 2:24-25 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
Ecc 3:12-13 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man.
Ecc 5:18-19 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil--this is the gift of God.
Ecc 8:15 And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.
See this thought sprinkled throughout this book; take joy in your work and relationships here on earth. It makes the fleeting, brief time here better! Rejoice that we can work, rather than bemoan the fact that we have to. Now today we hear a lot about passion; we should seek to work where we have passion, do things we're passionate about. This is unrealistic; often work is work, and just needs to get done (this is why many pass on a job while they wait for a management position that they're passionate about). But we can choose to take satisfaction and joy in our work. This mindset helps life be better, despite the many pains, griefs, and losses we will encounter along the way. If you have to take a trip, you might as well make it joyful rather than miserable, right? Enjoy life, he writes, though it is fleeting and may sometimes seem useless; it is not. So vanity, joy, and lastly…
Fear. Remember that a theme throughout the wisdom literature (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes) is The Fear of The Lord. Here in Ecclesiastes it is associated with the judgment of man, which is only accomplished only by God.
Ecc 3:14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.
Ecc 5:7 For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.
Ecc 7:18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.
Ecc 8:12-13 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
Ecc 12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them";
Ecc 12:13-14 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Our take away? All will face the judgment of God; we should fear Him now and seek a way to pass before Him then. But – how? This is the subtle gospel message in this book of Ecclesiastes; God judges sin, and all of us are sinners (8:10-12). Our only hope of standing before God through His judgment is in Christ, church!
Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Folks, we fear God because He judges all mankind, and all mankind is guilty of sin. We inherit the sin nature from Adam, and we add to it, and personalize it, making our own guilt just! Who can be saved from God's wrath if this is true? Only those whose names are listed in God's book of life; and our names are only recorded there when we believe in Christ. You see, when we acknowledge our guilt, repent of our sins, and believe in Christ – the Way, the Truth, and the Life – we are saved, and our names written in this book!
There is vanity; but take joy in your work, and fear God, the Creator and Judge of all. So vanity, joy, and fear. Folks, life is hard, and then you die. But along the way, those who have true wisdom do not live in vain, because they fear the Lord and believe in His Son. And there is, for this church, hope beyond this life! With that, we can take heart and enjoy all that we can while we live in this sinful world.
[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.
[2] As reported here, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-30/ivory-coast-leader-s-supporters-plan-to-seize-opponent-s-base.html
[3] Said horror detailed at http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/01/mexico-border-city-record-drug-killings/
[4] From the song, Whatever Happened to Sin? Written by Steve Taylor © 1982 Birdwing Music/Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co., Inc./C.A. Music (ASCAP)
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