"Without God life makes no sense." Ecclesiastes 4:1-16
We come to the midpoint in our study in Ecclesiastes and I have always thought the reasoning and thoughts of Solomon in Proverbs ...Song of Solomon and here in Ecclesiastes are really fascinating.
Why are his thoughts fascinating?...because his knowledge was beyond ordinary mans knowledge..even till this day.
Kings and Queens from other countries would come to hear this man speak.
God blessed this man with everything that most humans try to achieve in life and he surpasses them all because of God's blessings of knowledge and riches.
With all the knowledge...with all the riches...prestige and power....In Solomon conclusions he found out the answer to life's most important question ...that even my wife knew the answer...
....on our refrigerator she placed a hand written note years ago and it's still there today that says: "Without God life makes no since"
I have a very smart wife....most of the time.
I believe that Solomon's blessing of knowledge from God was not only a blessing for the king to rule His people but, it is a continuing blessing for Gods people today because in Proverbs and here in Ecclesiastes is a library or reservoir of how we can live a life that is pleasing to God and man.
We don't like to evaluate sin because it's a natural way of life to us But, the wisest man to ever walk this earth besides Jesus...this man Solomon wrote an evaluation on every natural sinful human character that we were born with...either here in Ecclesiastes or Proverbs ...
God preserved the words of Solomon for a reason...that reason is for us to listen...learn and look at ourselves closer in our walk with Christ and pleasing to God.
We are going to look at a few of Solomon's conclusions about sin and the dos and don'ts in our walk with our Lord.
*Part of this lesson comes from chapter 4 of Ecclesiastes and lets read beginning in verse 4..Solomon says:
Ecclesiastes 4:4 Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
5 The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
6 Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.
7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.
8 There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.
Here Solomon is evaluating mans work and success..his conclusion is that all of mans drive for achievements is based on envy or jealousy of his neighbor.....also once man has achieved his goal in riches...prestige ...power....he still feels empty....feels it's all meaningless and false pursuit for a balanced life.
The writer rates envy or jealousy the most vicious of sins.....it rots the mind and leads to other sins and self destruction.
Dwight L. Moody once told the story of an eagle who was envious of another that could fly better than he could. One day the bird saw a hunter with a bow and arrow and said to him, “I wish you would bring down that eagle up there.” The man said he would if he had some feathers for his arrow. So the jealous eagle pulled one out of his wing. The arrow was shot, but it didn’t quite reach the eagle because he was flying too high. The envious eagle pulled out another feather, then another—until he had lost so many that he himself couldn’t fly. The hunter took advantage of the situation, turned around, and killed the helpless jealous eagle.
**Moody made this application: If you are envious of others, the one you will hurt the most by your actions will be yourself.
I have heard it said: As rust corrupts iron, so envy corrupts man.
Envy ...jealousy is not only the main ingredient in the corporate main stream but, it is much at work in our Christian community.
The really sad and dangerous thing about it in Christians is that it is a silent killer.
Where the envy and jealousy is very plain to see and is expected in the lost....it lays in the heart of a Christian and it eats away at those who are infested with it.
Sooner or later it will surface from the heart and then it grows to other sins....like greed...covet... but the worse thing it separates friends...family...co workers and churches and church fellowship.
When I say envy...jealousy is a silent killer in a Christian......a Christian knows it's wrong because the Holy Spirit revels that it is wrong.
Most Christians will hide their envious feelings toward someone because they know it's wrong and don't want to be recognized as a jealous person.
But, I believe that jealousy is like a weak heart artery ...it will explode and eventually have to be dealt with...either by repentance or God will deal with it directly....
*** But, it is meaningless and the end result is destruction.***
The first four chapters of Ecclesiastes is warnings, encouragement we are to apply to our Christian life.
Now let's go to chapter 5 verses 1 through 7...about worship
Ecclesiastes 5:1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.
4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Solomon says when you worship ...watch your step...when you make a vow to God make sure you keep it.
Don't utter words in prayer without seriousness ....is more or less of what he is saying.
God hears our every word wither its words just uttered or a cry of pain or heartache.
Many folks go to the alter without meaning or seriousness and never intend to keep their promise to God or utter a prayer with empty words....we serve a God that doesn't take His peoples prayers and worship lightly.
We serve a mighty God who reigns over this universe and everything in it including us because we belong to Him because we are not of ourselves...we have been bought for a price.
We all need to come to this altar more than we do.....you might say well... we just read the Bible says in verse 2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God .....
Aint we seriously thankful that we are saved?....aint we thankful for just being able to be here?
Arent we thankful for the church.. thankful for the freedom that we have so far that we can praise Him ...thank Him glorify His name...
.....If we come before God with a thankful heart... That pleases Him.....He will honor it!
******I went to the altar the other morning and ask Pastor Darrell to help me pray for a couple of matters that was on my heart.
I knew when I went up that Darrell would take me serious and pray with me but, above all God knows my heart and listens.
But, later that bothered me a little because I didn't want people to think I was just making a scene....but, it doesn't matter what people think if you are serious and doing business with God... I have found that when Gods people move and pray together God moves and makes things happen! Don't let anything or anyone keep you from this altar when you feel the need.
Now let's go to verse 8 of chapter 5
Ecclesiastes 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.
9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
We hear about corruption in our government just about each week on the news and the poverty programs are being taken advantage of... look at Medicare...many today who are attempting to get rich at the expense of the people. God will judge that. Solomon said in verse 8 “For he that is higher than the highest regardeth.” God sees what is going on.
It's amazing that King Solomon saw this cycle of corruption and greed of leaders and in government over 3000 years ago...it's nothing new but, each time we watch it happen on the news we are surprised.
We had some Godly leaders when this country was declared independent from the Kingdom of Great Britain on July 4, 1776.
One of them was Thomas Jefferson and there is a memorial for him in Washington DC and there is carved in stone inside the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC a quote of his words...that says
"Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever."
Thomas Jefferson was certainly right about that ...because the next time our Lord comes it won't be as a child...it will be in great power and great glory...He's coming as the judge, jury and the executioner....but, before He does we will be caught up.
Paul says in Thessalonians that we will be caught up to meet Christ in the air and forever to be with the Lord.
Those are some very comforting words from our Lord in these perilous times in which we live in today.
The world cries peace and peace will never come by the hand of man ...peace will only come when the prince of peace comes to set up His kingdom because our Lord is just and faithful.
Ecclesiastes is like reading a mystery novel...you see mans struggle with understanding of things around him...like the environment.
The pain and suffering of Gods people and how God blesses those that we think He shouldn't.
We see how corrupt man's heart is and how we try to maintain a balance with just surviving through it all.
But Solomon's evaluation and answers to life is when he was away from God....when he was under the sun
I myself leant a great deal about things when I was away from God for a lot of years but, I came to only one conclusion myself.
That when there is nothing left but God...you find that God is all you need.
I'm not even close to being smart as Solomon but, I was smart enough to see the need for Christ in my life.
Some will search their whole life to find satisfaction and meaning to life...and it's so simple that most will miss it...
Just like reading a mystery novel you can look at the last chapter to find the answer to the mystery of life just as the writer Solomon did.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
The answer to life because just as Brenda's note on our refrigerator says.."Without God life makes no sense.
Love in Christ Jesus, Ronnie Miller www.themillersbiblestudy.com
