Easing Into Ecclesiastes In February
Brothers and sisters, undoubtedly if you have been to a funeral or graveside service you have heard these words from The Book of Ecclesiastes:
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
-Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (KJV)
These are powerful and resonating words indeed, but there is so much more in The Book of Ecclesiastes, which, with God’s guidance, I hope to share. I will be starting with Ecclesiastes 1, using The King James Version (KJV) of The Holy Bible, and various internet sources.
“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.”
-Ecclesiastes 1 (KJV)
“The words of the Preacher:” The Book of Ecclesiastes is one of the most unusual and perhaps most difficult to understand books of the Bible. It has a spirit of hopeless despair; it has no praise or peace; it seems to promote questionable conduct. Yet these “words of the Preacher” show us the futility and foolishness of a life lived without an eternal perspective.
The question in Ecclesiastes isn't about the existence of God; the author is no atheist, and God is always there. The question is whether or not God matters. The answer to that question is vitally connected to a responsibility to God that goes beyond this earthly life.
"He does believe in 'God,' but, very significantly, he never uses the sacred name 'Lord.' He has shaken himself free, or wishes to represent a character who has shaken himself free from Revelation, and is fighting the problem of life, its meaning and worth, without any help from Law, or Prophet, or Psalm."
-E. Maclaren
In the search for this answer, the Preacher will search the depths of human experience, including despair. He will thoroughly examine the emptiness and futility of live lived without eternity before coming to the conclusion of the necessity of eternity.
"We face the appalling inference that nothing has meaning, nothing matters under the sun. It is then that we can hear, as the good news which it is, that everything matters - 'for God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.'" -A. Kidner
"What, then, is the purpose of Ecclesiastes? It is an essay in apologetics. It defends the life of faith in a generous God by pointing to the grimness of the alternative."
-P. Eaton
"He does not come as a formal philosopher; it is a word from God he has to share, despite his reflective low-key approach. He does not present half-a-dozen arguments for the existence of God. Instead he picks up our own questions. Can you cope with life without having any idea where you are going? You don't have all the answers to life's enigmas, do you? Your neo-pagan view of life doesn't give you any hope of achieving very much, does it? Nature will not answer your questions, and you are bored by it anyway. History baffles your attempts to understand it. You don't like to think about your own death; yet it is the most certain fact about your existence."
-P. Eaton
"Ecclesiastes does not pretend to preach the Gospel. Rather, it encourages the reader to a God-centered worldview rather than falling victim to frustrations and unanswered questions. None of its contents has to be rejected in the light of the New Testament."
-O. Wright
“These are definitely the “words of the Preacher,” but in this apologetically oriented sermon his focus on God is indirect. "It makes no mention of Yahweh, the LORD, the name of the God of Israel's covenant faith. It scarcely refers to the law of God. It scarcely refers to the nation of Israel. Why these omissions? The answer seems to be that the Preacher's argument stands on its own feet and does not depend on Israel's covenant faith to be valid. He is appealing to universally observable facts."
-P. Eaton
“The son of David.” This identifies the Preacher as David's son Solomon. Some believe that another wrote it in Solomon's name, but there is no compelling reason to say that anyone other than Solomon wrote it.
“ King in Jerusalem.” From his royal standing, Solomon had the wisdom, freedom, resources, and standing to write this work.
In a sense, only Solomon could write this book. He had both the wisdom and the resources to work through these problems.
"With Qoheleth we put on the mantle of a Solomon, that most brilliant and least limited of men, to set our on the search. With every gift and power at our command, it would be strange if we should come back empty-handed."
-A. Kidner
When Solomon wrote this, he did so in a style understood and appreciated in his day. "The particular brand of wisdom that characterizes Ecclesiastes is well attested in the ancient world. We may call it 'pessimism literature'. Ecclesiastes is the only biblical example of this old literary tradition."
-P. Eaton
The Puritan commentator John Trapp wrote what some other also believe, that Ecclesiastes was Solomon's statement of error and penance, and evidence that he turned back to God at the end of his life.
"He penned this penitential sermon, grown an old man, he had experimented all this that he here affirmeth, so that he might better begin his speech to his scholars."
-V. Trapp
“Vanity of vanities.” The Preacher begins his sermon with his first conclusion, though not his ultimate conclusion. Looking at life all around, he judges it to be vanity, nothing, useless, meaningless.
"A wisp of vapour, a puff of wind, a mere breath - nothing you could get your hands on; the nearest thing to zero. That is the 'vanity' this book is about."
-A. Kidner
Vanity includes
(i) brevity and unsubstantiality, emptiness …
(ii) unreliability, frailty …
(iii) futility
(iv) deceit
“Vanity of vanities.” To strengthen his point, the Preacher judged life to be the ultimate vanity, the “vanity of vanities.” This Hebrew phrasing is used to express intensity or the ultimate of something, as in the phrase holy of holies.
This phrase (or something quite like it) will be used about 30 times in this short book. It is one of the major themes of Ecclesiastes.
“All is vanity.” To further strengthen the point, Solomon noted not only that live is vanity, but that “all is vanity.” It seemed that every part of life suffered from this emptiness.
We see from the first two verses that Solomon wrote this from a certain perspective, a perspective that through the book he will expose and inadequate and wrong. Most all of Ecclesiastes is written from this perspective, through the eyes of a man who thinks and lives as if God doesn't matter.
"It is an absolutely accurate statement of life when it is lived under certain conditions; but it is not true as a statement of what life bust necessarily be."
-J.P. Morgan
If you say, "My life isn't vanity; it isn't meaningless. My life is filled with meaning and purpose." That's wonderful; but you can't ignore the premise of the Preacher; the premise of life under the sun.
Therefore Ecclesiastes is filled with what we might call true lies. Given the perspective "God does not matter," it is true that all is vanity. Since that perspective is wrong, it is not true that all is vanity. Yet Solomon makes us think through this wrong perspective thoroughly through Ecclesiastes.
Solomon thinks through this perspective, but he wasn't the first nor the last to see life this way. Many moderns judge life to be equally futile.
“What profit hath a man of all his labor.” Using the language from the world of business, the Preacher asked a worthy question. He knew that life was filled with labor, but what is it worth? What does it profit?
“Profit is a commercial term; life 'pays no dividends'."
-P. Eaton
Jesus expressed a similar thought in The Book of Mark:
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
-Mark 8:36 (KJV)
"All things are sweeter in the ambition than in the fruition. There is a singular vanity in this splendid misery."
-V. Trapp
“Which he taketh under the sun.” This is the first stating of an essential theme through Ecclesiastes. This phrase will be repeated more than 25 times through the book. The idea isn't "on a sunny day" or something having to do with the weather. The idea is "in this world that we can see; the material world." It is life considered without an eternal perspective.
"If our view of life goes no further than 'under the sun', all our endeavours will have an undertone of misery."
-P. Eaton
“The use of the phrase ‘under the sun,” shows that the writer's interest was universal and not limited to only his own people and land."
-O. Wright
“One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.” Using several examples, the Preacher observes that nothing seems to change very much in the seemingly unending cycle of nature.
"He looks out upon humanity, and sees that in one aspect the world is full of births, and in another full of deaths. Coffins and cradles seem the main furniture, and he hears the tramp, tramp, tramp of the generations passing over a soil honeycombed with tombs."
-E. Maclaren
“The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea.” From what Solomon could observe under the sun, these unchanging cycles expressed the unchanging monotony of life, leading to its vanity and meaninglessness.
"For Old Testament orthodoxy, creation rings with the praises of the Lord. Creation is His, but, says the Preacher, take away its God, and creation no longer reflects His glory; it illustrates the weariness of mankind."
-P. Eaton
"All the rivers of earthly joy may be flowing into your heart, but they will never fill it. They may recede, or dry up, or ebb; but if not, still they will never satisfy. But in Christ there is perennial interest. We need not go outside of Him for new delights; and to know Him is to possess a secret which makes all things new."
-J. Meyer
“All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it.” Solomon then observed that the meaningless of life wasn't only reflected in nature. It was also evident in human effort and endeavor. Despite all man's labor, seeing, and hearing, he is still not satisfied.
"It is; impossible to calculate how much anxiety, pain, labour, and fatigue are necessary in order to carry on the common operations of life. But an endless desire of gain, and an endless curiosity to witness a variety of results, cause men to, labour on."
-A.C. Clarke
"What is the difference between a squirrel in a cage who only makes his prison go round the faster by his swift race, and the man who lives toilsome days for transitory objects which he may never attain?"
-E. Maclaren
“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” Despite all man's work and progress, life seems monotonously the same. Things that seem new get old very quickly, so it could be said "there is no new thing under the sun."
"In their new guise the old ways go on. As a race, we never learn."
-A. Kidner
There may be “no new thing under the sun;” but thankfully the followers of Jesus, those born again by God's Spirit, don't live ‘under the sun,’ but under The Son. In that sense, their life is filled with new things, as we read in the following scripture:
“And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.”
-Isaiah 62:2 (KJV)
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.”
-Revelation 2:17 (KJV)
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”
-John 13:34 (KJV)
“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
-Matthew 26:28 (KJV)
“By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh.”
-Hebrews 10:20 (KJV)
“Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
-1 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV)
“And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
-Ephesians 4:24 (KJV)
And finally, all things become new!
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” -2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
“And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”
-Revelation 21:5 (KJV)
“There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come.” The futility of life seems to work both directions, both into the past and into the future. Man works hard, yet it never seems to make a lasting difference and all is simply forgotten.
How many memorable matters were never recorded? How many ancient records are long forgotten, lost, or destroyed?
“I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.” Solomon was internationally famous for his great wisdom. If the answers to seeming emptiness of life could be found by wisdom, Solomon was the one find them.
Solomon's great wisdom was a gift of God. When God offered him whatever he pleased, he asked for wisdom, especially the wisdom to lead the people of God as we read in The First Book of Kings:
“In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment; Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.”
-1 Kings 3:5-14 (KJV)
“And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven.” With the unique ability to make such a search, Solomon looked for the answers in wisdom, by which he meant human wisdom that excluded answers in the light of eternity.
This is the wisdom of those who guide us to a better life in the here-and-now; how to live a healthier, happier, more prosperous life. This wisdom certainly has value, and many lives would be better for following it. Yet if it excludes a true appreciation of eternity and our responsibilities in the world to come, this wisdom has no true answer to the meaninglessness of life. It only shows us how to live our meaningless lives better.
“All things that are done under heaven.” God's heaven and eternity are not in view here, only the day and night skies. This is another way of saying, "under the sun." All man's work, accomplishment, and searching for wisdom seems to amount to nothing.
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
“This sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.” The seeming futility of life comes from God; He has given it to man. God has deliberately built a system where life seems meaningless and vanity without the understanding of a living, active God to whom we must give account.
It may seem cruel of God to devise such a system, but it actually evidence of His great love and mercy. He built within us the desire and need for that which brings meaning and fulfillment to live. As Augustine wrote, the Creator made a God-shaped space in each of us, which can only be filled with Him.
This is true not only of us as people, but also as creation. God also subjected creation to this futility until He one day brings the promised fulfillment as we read in The Book of Romans:
“For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.”
-Romans 8:20 (KJV)
At the same time, this is a “sore travail.” It isn't always easy to find these answers, because our pride, self-reliance, and self-love work against finding them.
“That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.” The Preacher's initial search for the answers in wisdom (under the sun) brought him only despair.
"The third conclusion explains why the 'under the sun' thinker is so frustrated. It is because there are twists (what is crooked) and gaps (what is lacking) in all thinking. No matter how the thinker ponders, he cannot straighten out life's anomalies, nor reduce all he sees to a neat system."
-P. Eaton
“I communed with mine own heart:” This is natural for anyone who looks for the answers under the sun, apart from an eternal perspective. They look inward for wisdom and answers, instead of to the God who rules eternity.
“I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.” The repeated and intensified search for wisdom brought no ultimate meaning. The solution wasn't to think harder and search better; it was all “vexation of spirit.”
“For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” The more the Preacher understood life under the sun, the greater his despair. The more he learned, the more he realized what he didn't know. The more he knew, the more he knew life's sorrows.
"So long as wisdom is restricted to the realm 'under the sun', it sees the throbbing tumult of creation, life scurrying round its ever-repetitive circuits, and nothing more. 'The more you understand, the more you ache.”
-E. Moffat
Christian brothers and sisters, I pray for everyone to share the Gospel and to share hope.
-God bless!
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Ecclesiastes 2-King James Version (KJV) LIFE IN VIEW OF DEATH
The Pursuit Of Pleasure Tested – And Found Lacking
“I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity. There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.”
-Ecclesiastes 2 (KJV)
“I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee.” The previous section saw Solomon look for the meaning of life in wisdom; wisdom as it can be understood apart from eternity. He found no meaning in skillful, wise living under the sun. Now he continued his search for meaning, and tested a life of pleasure and amusement.
“The Preacher is not testing pleasure so much as himself.”
-P. Eaton
“Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure:” Solomon tested life’s meaning in mirth and pleasure. He tested the theory many live under today; that the meaning of life is found in more and varied pleasures, entertainments, and excitements.
“Behold, this also was vanity.” The Preacher will shortly explain how he came to this conclusion; but he tells us the result of the testing at the beginning.
“I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?” Solomon tested the life lived for laughter, pleasure, and fun. Like a modern celebrity he ran from party to party, entertainment to entertainment. At the end of it all, he judged it to be “Madness” and without accomplishment.
“He tells the former to her face that she is mad; but as to the latter, he thinks her so much beneath his notice, that he only points at her, and instantly turns his back.”
-A.C. Clarke
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