Intro: Keys to Understanding this book (Ecclesiastes)
1. Written by somone who is credited for being the wisest of all time.
2. Written by somone who has made many mistakes.
3. Written after many pursuits and a lot of trial and error.
Solomon describes life as an unending, repetitious, pursuit of nothing.
chasing the wind
dog chasing his tail
merry-go-round
treadmill
Nascar race
In the midst of all this, God has given us the task of figuring out this thing we call life (3:10) and a grievous task it is (1:13)
And not much time to do it! On the landscape of eternity our life is brief.
(Ps 39:5, 144:4; Jms 4:14)
Life here is often depicted as pitching a tent. (temporary)
(2 Pet 1:13, 2 Cor 5:1, 4)
With so many philosophies and winds of thought, it’s important to have some stakes to tie your tent to. (Truths from the Word)
Basic tent stakes to help you enjoy life (Ecc 3-4)
1. God is in control (3:1-10, 14)
a. God is sovereign
i. He has appointed a time for everything
b. We are not sovereign
i. Understand that we are eternal beings living in temporary bodies.
ii. God has set eternity in our hearts (v.11)
1) Stop trying to fill that eternal longing with temporary things
2) 1 Cor 15:51-58
2. God has a good plan for your life (3:12-13)
a. Find joy in the life God has given (Jer 29:11-13)
i. You are not who you are by chance
1) Without God, the joy in your life will always be in the next challenge, the next accomplishment, next relationship, or next material thing.
2) The past is gone, the future will never be, all God has given us is now and that’s why it’s called the present.
a) Medical science is helping us to live longer through live-saving operations and miracle drugs. But while it can add years to life, it cannot add life to years. That only God can do. May we say, as did Christian martyr Jim Elliot in his journal, "I seek not a long life but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus." Greg Laurie, Breakfast With Jesus pp. 111-112
ii. Enjoy your uniqueness
1) There’s a story about a child psychologist who wanted to observe how different children respond to negative circumstances.
They got a room and filled it with horse manure. Putting the pessimistic child in there, they observed how he responded.
Predictably, he whined and cried, and despaired that he was in a room full of smelly manure.
They put the other child in there, and the little guy started tearing around the room, digging in the manure with an excitement that baffled the on-lookers.
After a few moments of watching this, they asked him why he was so excited.
He replied, "With all this manure in the room, there’s got to be a pony in here somewhere"
2) A.W. Tozer once wrote, "Anything God has ever done, He can do now. Anything God has every done anywhere, He can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, He can do for you."
b. Whatever you do, do it for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31)
3. God will judge all things in the end (3:15-4:16)
a. The world is full of problems
i. Problems of injustice (3:16-17)
ii. Problems of oppression (4:1-3)
iii. Problems of competition(4:4-12)
1) Clovis Chappell, a minister from a century back, used to tell the story of two paddleboats. They left Memphis about the same time, traveling down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. As they traveled side by side, sailors from one vessel made a few remarks about the snail’s pace of the other. Words were exchanged. Challenges were made. And the race began. Competition became vicious as the two boats roared through the Deep South.
One boat began falling behind. Not enough fuel. There had been plenty of coal for the trip, but not enough for a race. As the boat dropped back, an enterprising young sailor took some of the ship’s cargo and tossed it into the ovens. When the sailors saw that the supplies burned as well as the coal, they fueled their boat with the material they had been assigned to transport. They ended up winning the race, but burned their cargo.
God has entrusted cargo to us, too: children, spouses, friends. Our job is to do our part in seeing that this cargo reaches its destination. Yet when the program takes priority over people, people often suffer. How much cargo do we sacrifice in order to achieve the number one slot? How many people never reach the destination because of the aggressiveness of a competitive captain? In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado Word Publishing, 1991, pp. 97-98.
iv. Problems of pleasing people (4:13-16)
b. Once there was an old man who lived in a tiny village. Although poor, he was envied by all, for he owned a beautiful white horse. Even the king coveted his treasure. A horse like this had never been seen before -- such was its splendor, its majesty, its strength.
People offered fabulous prices for the steed, but the old man always refused. "This horse is not a horse to me," he would tell them. "It is a person. How could you sell a person? He is a friend, not a possession. How could you sell a friend?" The man was poor and the temptation was great. But he never sold the horse.
One morning he found that the horse was not in the stable. All the village came to see him. "You old fool," they scoffed, "we told you that someone would steal your horse. We warned you that you would be robbed. You are so poor. How could you ever hope to protect such a valuable animal? It would have been better to have sold him. You could have gotten whatever price you wanted. No amount would have been too high. Now the horse is gone, and you’ve been cursed with misfortune."
The old man responded, "Don’t speak too quickly. Say only that the horse is not in the stable. That is all we know; the rest is judgment. If I’ve been cursed or not, how can you know? How can you judge?"
The people contested, "Don’t make us out to be fools! We may not be philosophers, but great philosophy is not needed. The simple fact is that your horse is gone is a curse."
The old man spoke again. "All I know is that the stable is empty, and the horse is gone. The rest I don’t know. Whether it be a curse or a blessing, I can’t say. All we can see is a fragment. Who can say what will come next?"
The people of the village laughed. They thought that the man was crazy. They had always thought he was a fool; if he wasn’t, he would have sold the horse and lived off the money. But instead, he was a poor woodcutter, an old man still cutting firewood and dragging it out of the forest and selling it. he lived hand to mouth in the misery of poverty. Now he had proven that he was, indeed, a fool.
After fifteen days, the horse returned. He hadn’t been stolen; he had run away into the forest. Not only had he returned, he had brought a dozen wild horses with him. Once again the village people gathered around the woodcutter and spoke. "Old man, you were right and we were wrong. What we thought was a curse was a blessing. Please forgive us."
The man responded, "Once again, you go too far. Say only that the horse is back. State only that a dozen horses returned with him, but don’t judge. How do you know if this is a blessing or not? You see only a fragment. Unless you know the whole story, how can you judge? You read only one page of a book. Can you judge the whole book? You read only one word of a phrase. Can you understand the entire phrase?
"Life is so vast, yet you judge all of life with one page or one word. All you have is a fragment! Don’t say that this is a blessing. No one knows. I am content with what I know. I am not perturbed by what I don’t."
"Maybe the old man is right," they said to one another. So they said little. But down deep, they knew he was wrong. They knew it was a blessing. Twelve wild horses had returned with one horse. With a little bit of work, the animals could be broken and trained and sold for much money.
The old man had a son, an only son. The young man began to break the wild horses. After a few days, he fell from one of the horses and broke both legs. Once again the villagers gathered around the old man and cast their judgments.
"You were right," they said. "You proved you were right. The dozen horses were not a blessing. They were a curse. Your only son has broken his legs, and now in your old age you have no one to help you. Now you are poorer than ever."
The old man spoke again. "You people are obsessed with judging. Don’t go so far. Say only that my son broke his legs. Who knows if it is a blessing or a curse? No one knows. We only have a fragment. Life comes in fragments."
It so happened that a few weeks later the country engaged in war against a neighboring country. All the young men of the village were required to join the army. Only the son of the old man was excluded, because he was injured. Once again the people gathered around the old man, crying and screaming because their sons had been taken. There was little chance that they would return. The enemy was strong, and the war would be a losing struggle. They would never see their sons again.
"You were right, old man," they wept. "God knows you were right. This proves it. Your son’s accident was a blessing. His legs may be broken, but at least he is with you. Our sons are gone forever."
The old man spoke again. "It is impossible to talk with you. You always draw conclusions. No one knows. Say only this: Your sons had to go to war, and mine did not. No one knows if it is a blessing or a curse. No one is wise enough to know. Only God knows."
In the Eye of the Storm by Max Lucado, Word Publishing, 1991, pp. 144-147.
God has not given us the task of making everything perfect in this world. Don’t take yourself too seriously. You and I are not perfect and that why Jesus is our righteousness (Rom 3). He came to save that which was lost and give abundant life even in our imperfection. (Jn 10:10) If you feel like you have blown it, remember Jesus died for you and if you make Him your Savior and Lord, you’ve got the one most important thing in the world right! No matter how many other things you’ve messed up. You can do it. Recieve Jesus as your Savior and Lord today and begin enjoying life on a whole new level.
