Ecclesiastes 4:1-16
The Woe Everyone Knows!
Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter— On the side of their oppressors there is power, but they have no comforter.¹ Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead, more than the living who are still alive.² Yet, better than both is he who has never existed, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.³
Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.⁴ The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.⁵ Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.⁶ Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:⁷ There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, “For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?” This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.⁸
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.⁹ For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.¹⁰ Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?¹¹ Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.¹²
Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.¹³ For he comes out of prison to be king, although he was born poor in his kingdom.¹⁴ I saw all the living who walk under the sun; They were with the second youth who stands in his place.¹⁵ There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king; yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.¹⁶
Introduction – Weird
This may be a far-fetched illustration, but let's give it a try. According to MSNBC, The British Medical Journal recently reported the case of a 76-year-old woman who visited her doctor complaining of stomach problems. When the scans came back, doctors were amazed to see a long object in her stomach. It was a pen! The woman remembered having put a pen in her mouth 25 years ago. She lost her balance, fell, and swallowed the pen. Her doctor at the time didn't believe it, and the x-ray equipment of that day didn't detect it, so nothing was ever done about it. Now here's the remarkable thing. When surgeons removed the pen, it still worked.
Sometimes we feel like we're being swallowed up in troubles, trials, pressures, and problems. Trials produce testings, but from testings come testimonies. We never lose our message. We never run out of ink. by David Jeremiah
Trouble 1-3
In this world there are…
Injustices - oppression
Inequities – discrimination, bias
Indignities - insults
There is wretchedness in life “under the sun”
Even in the best of societies, there are cruelties inflicted upon people. Why? Look in Genesis 3 where Adam willfully sinned against God!
Illustration – Greed
In November 2003, a sale on DVD players at a Florida Wal-Mart created a rush of shoppers that apparently resulted in one woman being trampled.
Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. announcing the start to the post-Thanksgiving sale, the 41-year-old was knocked to the ground by the frenzy of shoppers. "She got pushed down, and they walked over her like a herd of elephants," said VanLester's sister. "I told them, 'Stop stepping on my sister! She's on the ground!'"
Paramedics arrived and found the victim on top of a DVD player and surrounded by seemingly indifferent shoppers. VanLester was flown to a medical center for treatment.
Wal-Mart officials called to apologize and offered to put a DVD player on hold for VanLester. Spokesperson Karen Burk commented, "We are very disappointed this happened. We want her to come back as a shopper."
Later it was discovered that the injured woman had a history of similar claims. VanLester had collected thousands of dollars from several previous alleged incidents of injury.
"Woman Knocked Over by Trampling Shoppers," CNN.com (11-29-03); "Trampled Shopper Is Injury Prone," CBSnews.com (12-5-03)
Toil 4-8
In this world there is…
Difficulty – years of practice/work 4a
Futility - Jealousy, Envy, Vanity, Selfishness 4b
Reality – Sloth, Little Contentment, Workaholics 5-8
Illustration–Keeping up with the Joneses today!
One of the lessons that my late financial mentor taught me was to always be myself. However, this was a lesson that took me some time to learn. When I first broke into the financial business I tried unsuccessfully to keep pace with one of my coworkers. That "keeping up with the Joneses" attitude cost me over $1,500 of money that I simply didn't have at the time.
The particular coworker was actually a senior broker at the firm where I was hired. Unfortunately for me, I thought a good deal of the finance game was appearance and I was all about the flash, of which he had plenty. He had a fancy car, a huge house, and really nice clothing. While I couldn't emulate the house or the car I thought I could perhaps emulate the clothing.
After having a couple of conversations with that senior broker I found out where he did his clothes shopping. While I was used to buying things off the rack he went and actually got fitted for all his suits.
I went to investigate how much it would cost to dress like my coworker and was stunned at what I discovered. The suits that the senior broker wore cost around $1,200 each. I told the salesman I didn't have that kind of money, to which he asked how much I could spend. When I told him my price range he laughed. That's when I decided to go for it and whipped out my credit card.
Almost immediately after seeing my credit card the salesman got an almost evil smile on his face. I have to say that the fitting process and the attention I received were second to none. Of course, I couldn't just stop at the suit for $1,200. No, before I left the store I was sold on a nice pair of shoes and a couple of ties. The total for my excursion was over $1,500. While I left dressed to impress, I also left more broke than ever before with a maxed out credit card in my wallet.
I justified the cost by telling myself that I would make up for it with all the extra business I would do. The next day I was eager to show off my new suit to the senior broker, but when I told him what I spent he asked if I was crazy. He said he worked for ten years in the business before he could afford such luxuries and that I had made a huge mistake. That realization brought me back down to Earth in a hurry, but I was determined to prove him wrong.
Being a new broker and a very small fish in a big pond that new suit did me no good. I made no more of an impression on potential clients on the days I wore that suit as opposed to the days I wore my off the rack specials. Worst of all, news of my attempt to keep up with the Joneses caught wind at the firm and all the senior brokers would say, "Nice suit rookie," every day that I wore it which made me never want to put it on.
In the end I did pay off the credit card debt with some nice interest attached to it. I never did get any more clients as a result of that suit, but I did learn a hard and expensive lesson. While glitz and glamour are nice, they are only nice if you can afford them and in business you have to be yourself and forget what the Joneses are doing.
By Jimmy Collins | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Tue, Feb 21, 2012 12:41 PM EST *Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor.
Trials 9-12
A friend is an investment!
“Good reward” can also be translated “good return” for it means -dividends paid on a wise investment
Proverbs 18:24 “A man who has friends must himself be friendly…”
A friend will be there when there’s trouble.
Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
A friend will help you emotionally and physically anytime.
A friend will be loyal & defend you. Hand to hand combat
Proverbs 18:24 ““… But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
A friend will help you grow spiritually.
Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.”
Illustration–Friends1
Charles Swindoll has made the observation that,“ The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit that there is to the fellowship Christ wants us to give his church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality – but it is a permissive, accepting and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic. You can tell people secrets, and they usually don’t tell others or even want to. The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.”
Perhaps there is no better example of this than the television Sitcom “Cheers.” The theme song says, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came; You want to be where you can see, Our troubles are all the same; You want to be where everybody knows your name!”
Isn’t it sad that was written about a bar instead of the house of God.
Tears 13-16
Maintain a teachable spirit! You’ll never know it all!
Old age or gray hair does not always mean wisdom
Life is unpredictable and temporary
100 years from now, others will forget you,
but God knows who you are!
Illustration– Envy
In 1503, Julius II became Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. He immediately began a building program to beautify the Vatican. In 1509, he commissioned Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Michelangelo reluctantly agreed to paint the fresco, though he insisted he was a sculptor only.
Shortly afterward, the Pope commissioned Raphael to paint the frescos in the papal study. Raphael was eight years younger than Michelangelo and had become a master painter at age seventeen. At age twenty, he moved to Florence and for four years studied under Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and others.
During the work at the Vatican, a rivalry erupted between Michelangelo and Raphael. Michelangelo later said of Raphael, “All that he ever knew of art he learned from me.” That was not quite true, although Michelangelo did help in Raphael’s development as an artist. Michelangelo envied the easier work given to Raphael and the kind treatment Julius showed him. Raphael was envious that Michelangelo had received the most honored spot to paint, and he had to settle for a lesser area.
Their envy toward one another degenerated until they refused to speak to one another. And all of this took place while they were supposed to be working “for the glory of God.”
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Matthew 6:33
