Ecclesiastes: Purpose in Life
7/10/2005
“I will worship you until the very end” - we sing those words, but sometimes we forget why we sing them. We have been reminded today of what Jesus did for us on the cross, taking our very sin upon himself, and it causes us to be grateful. But even when we know we no longer face the penalty of our sins, sometimes we are led astray in our thinking of what this life is all about.
Jesus’ prayer for his disciples is that though they are IN the world that they would not be OF the world. It is often easy to be influenced by the thinking of the world. I John tells us, For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. We had the chance to go on vacation last week, and whenever you’re on vacation, you see people who have so many more “toys” than you do. We were in Traverse City at a house on a small lake - and on the lake are 2 million dollar homes, big motor boats, and all sorts of “toys” - $3000 water trampolines - and it is easy to think that life is all about toys.
Capitalism tells us- He who dies with the most toys, wins. But we know that’s not true. There are all types of other ideas out there. And you can describe them as to how they relate to toys.
Atheism - There is no toy maker.
Polytheism - There are many toymakers.
Evolutionism - The toys made themselves.
Agnosticism - It is not possible to know whether toys make a bit of difference.
B’Hai - All toys are just fine with us.
Hedonism - Forget the rulebook! Let’s play!
Hinduism - He who plays with bags of plastic farm animals, loses.
Voodoo - Let me borrow that doll for a second.
Jehovah’s Witness - He who sells the most toys door-to-door, wins.
Existentialism - Toys are a figment of your imagination.
Confucianism - Once a toy is dipped in the water, it is no longer dry.
Catholicism - He who denies himself the most toys, wins.
Anglican - They were our toys first.
Greek Orthodox - No, they were OURS first.
Amish - Toys with batteries are surely a sin.
Church of Christ - He whose toys make music, loses.
7th Day Adventist - He who plays with his toys on Saturday, loses.
Pentecostalism - He whose toys can talk, wins.
Baptist - Once played, always played.
Non-denominationalism - We don’t care where the toys are from, let’s just play with them.
But the ultimate reality is found in the statement that “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.” And when it comes right down to it, we spend much of our lives on things that really don’t matter much at all. Forget all the toys - all the trinkets and baubles of this world, because they don’t matter in light of eternity.
We’ve been going through the OT together, and we’ve been looking at the books of wisdom - Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes. Today we want to look at Ecclesiastes and learn from the wisdom it gives us. Turn with me to Ecclesiastes 1.
Many people struggle in finding meaning in life. Many of our celebreties turn to alcohol, drugs, and suicide, because they know that what they have doesn’t satisfy, but they haven’t found a meaning for life. Solomon, the son of King David, shares with us in this short book his search for meaning in life, and the conclusions he found. Here is the smartest man sharing his wisdom with us. We need to pay attention.
Read 1:1-14 - The words of the Teacher, son of David, king of Jerusalem: "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." What does man gain from all his labour at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains for ever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Here is Solomon - a man who has it all - wisdom, riches, power, influence, pleasure - but he realizes that nothing satisfies. This book is a record of his quest to find something of meaning. Notice a few key phrases in this chapter.
First, in verse 2 - “meaningless” - or as the KJV has “vanity”. The idea here is that which is merely a vapor - a shadow - that which is of no real substance or value. Solomon realizes that everything we do in our own efforts is of no real value. When it comes right down to it, what difference will you make with your life?
We go to work, often living for the weekend, living for payday. Most Americans work at jobs they hate, but they keep on working there because they feel trapped. There is no fulfillment, no satisfaction, no purpose. Solomon writes with great insight - our lives are meaningless and purposeless.
Notice the second key phrase - verse 3 - “under the sun.” This is the key for understanding what Solomon is writing about. Looking at things from a merely earthly perspective - looking at all the things we do here on this earth. Solomon has written one of the greatest books of philosophy here in Ecclesiastes, and he argues that this life, looked at on a simply human, earthly perspective level is utterly meaningless.
And that is true. There are many philosophies that try to avoid that, but the truth is that if we look at things from a merely human perspective we would all be fatalists, existentialists, hedonists. We would say, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. We would say, live for all the gusto you can get - because there is nothing else after this life. The problem is, that way of thinking gives no hope. Our culture teaches no values - whatever a person wants to believe is OK - and as a result, we find no purpose in life. We have no standards, no absolutes.
Solomon records in this book his search for meaning. And he tries four areas, the four areas we often try. Chances are you will recognize a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or relative in these four attempts to find meaning.
A. Solomon started by turning to Wisdom. -1:12-18, 2:12-16
Solomon found that seeking to learn all he could did not make much difference. The more he learned, the more he found out just how little he really knew. No matter how smart you are, you will still die. All kinds of medical research has been done to prolong life and attempts have been made to try to live forever, but all to no avail. In fact, Solomon says the more you learn, the more you suffer.
If you’ve read Tolkein, the Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings, you know about hobbits. A made up creature somewhat human - but hobbits never go out of their hometown. They are oblivious to all that is going on in the world. When Frodo ventures forth in the Lord of the Rings movie, he comes back a very changed hobbit: with great wisdom, but with great pain and heartache as well.
Solomon learned all he could - probably was one of the wisest men who ever lived - but he realized his learning gave him no purpose in life. Many people study for years to earn their PHD or other advanced degree - but to what purpose. Academic pursuit, degrees, schooling is ultimately of little value in light of eternity.
Next Solomon turned to Pleasure.
B. Solomon turned to Pleasure 2:1-11
He tried drinking and folly, and had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Yet in the end, he found it was all meaningless. Pleasure never satisfies. Instead, it drives a person crazy, because the novelty of the pleasure wears off. It becomes like an addiction. A person has to go to higher and higher extremes to find pleasure, because what once satisfied no longer satisfies.
Solomon had every pleasure imaginable available to him at his wish. But he realized it didn’t satisfy.
C. Solomon turned to Things - Wealth, power, riches, projects, jobs, looking for a sense of accomplishment - but nothing satisfied. He tried doing public service, planting parks and gardens, he turned to possessions, amassing servants and cattle, he organized choirs, but in none of it did he find his meaning. In the verses we just read, we see all he amassed for himself. The Queen of Sheba comes to visit him, but after seeing all his wealth, she said in 2 Chronicles 9, not even the half of your greatness was told to me.
So many people look for meaning in “things” - the car they drive, the neighborhood they live in, the memberships they hold, the offices they fill. But none of these bring meaning or purpose to life.
D. Solomon turned to Work - In 4:7-8 he writes, Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless--a miserable business!
Many people are “workaholics” - spending all their available time in their work - some even engaged in “good things”, but driven by a need for performance. One pastor I know had to have the elders come to him and tell him to “go home to your family.” Even good work can lack meaning and purpose.
Solomon goes throughout the book of Ecclesiastes expressing the frustration that Wisdom, pleasure, wealth, and work bring. None of it satisfies. But Solomon doesn’t leave us hanging. Instead he shares with us where fulfilment truly is found. There are many key ideas throughout the book. But to look briefly at three:
II. Solomon’s Answers
A. Enjoy Life Today - 2:24, 3:22, 11:8-9, 12:1+
One of the key lessons Solomon learned was that life is short, and we need to enjoy it while we can. Too many people work all their lives, trying to get things and retire early, only to find when they retire that they missed out on life. Enjoy everyday the little things that God puts into your lives. Never be too busy to "stop and smell the roses." Drop what you’re doing and play ball with your kids. Go out to the park and the zoo. Only two things last forever: people and the word of God. Invest your life in people and in following God. Here’s what Solomon has to say:
2:24 - A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?
3:22 - So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
11:8-9 - However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is meaningless. Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
12:1 - Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”
Far too often we are too busy - normally trying to do things that don’t really matter - we are too busy for the things of real importance. This week, in your schedule, carve out a big block of time to just enjoy life. We so often overlook the joys of life every day because we’re trying to put aside enough money that we can enjoy life 20 years down the road. Solomon reminds us to enjoy every day.
The second lesson that Solomon teaches us is:
B. Be Prepared For Tomorrow - 9:11-12a
I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come.
No amount of wealth, or good deeds, or moral living can spare you from death. We need to be prepared to face death. Hebrews 9 reminds us, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”
I have taught in high school for ten years. During that time I have given assignments, among others, to a murderer, an evangelist, a boxer, a thief, and an imbecile. The murderer was a quiet little boy who sat on the front seat and regarded me with pale blue eyes; the evangelist, easily the most popular boy in school, had the lead in the junior play; the boxer lounged by the window and let loose at intervals with a raucous that startled even the geraniums; the thief was a happy-hearted Lothario with a song on his lips; and the imbecile, a soft-eyed little animal seeking the shadows.
The murderer awaits death in the state penitentiary; the evangelist has lain a year now in the village churchyard; the boxer lost an eye in a brawl in Hong Kong; the thief, by standing on his tiptoes, can see the windows of my room from the county jail; and the once gentle-eyed little moron beats his head against a padded wall in the state asylum. ALL OF THESE PUPILS ONCE SAT IN MY ROOM, sat and looked at me gravely across worn brown desks. I must have been a great help to those pupils. All I taught them was the rhyming scheme of the Elizabethan sonnet and how to diagram a complex sentence.
Who are you in contact with? Who do you work beside every day? Have you shared your faith with them? Do they know you are a Christian? The time to get prepared for tomorrow is today. 2 Cor. 6:2 - I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.
Solomon also came up with a third summary truth:
C. Fear God and Keep His Commands - 12:13
He says this is the whole duty of man. Notice the word “duty” is in quotation marks. That means that it was supplied to help us understand the passage. Literally, to fear God and keep his commands is the “whole” of man - it is the complete summary of what we are to be about. More important than anything else in life, is fearing and serving God.
Those who fear God, who serve him, and who enjoy life every day are the happiest people on earth, because they know that whether rich or poor, whether a blue collar garbage collector or a white collar brain surgeon, when we are serving God faithfully, we have all the meaning and purpose in life we could ever ask for.
Let’s Pray!
