I AM NOT THE GREATEST (ECCLESIASTES 2)
Ecclesiastes begins with a resounding five-fold repetition of the word “vanity” in one verse, a literary abnormality even in repetition-heavy Jewish literature:
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity (Eccl 1:2). Instead of profit (1:3), permanence (1:9) and progress, there is pain, pessimism and powerlessness, as I experienced when my wife passed away on May 22, 2016, two weeks before this message.
In chapter one we looked at how he constructed his argument by presenting man, the person, study him biologically, historically and philosophically, and contrasted him with mother nature, father time, and philosopher kings (Plato). From man the person we study man and his potential. What are his advantages, advances and adversities? What makes him great, gifted and good? We ask three questions: Who are you – your being? What have you done? Your behaving? What is your future? – your becoming
You Need a Humble Attitude, not a Haughty Spirit (Your Greatness)
1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. 4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. 10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.
A King was going to his palace after his rounds in the city when he met a beggar. He asked the beggar, “What would you like?” The beggar laughed and said, “You are asking me as though you can fulfill my desire!”
The king was offended. He said, “Of course I can fulfil your desire. What is it? Just tell me.” And the beggar said, “Think twice before you promise anything.”
“I will fulfill anything you ask. I am a powerful king, what can you possibly desire that I can not give to you?” The beggar said, “It is a very simple desire. You see this begging bowl? Can you fill it with something?”
The king said, “Of course!” He called his vizier and told him, “Fill this man's begging bowl with money.” The vizier went and got some money and poured it into the bowl, and it disappeared. And he poured more and more, and the moment he would pour it, it would disappear. And the begging bowl remained always empty.
The whole palace gathered. By and by the rumour went throughout the city, and a huge crowd gathered. The prestige of the king was at stake. He said to his vizier, “If the whole kingdom is lost, I am ready to lose it, but I cannot be defeated by this beggar.”
Diamonds and pearls and emeralds, his treasuries were becoming empty. The begging bowl seemed to be bottomless. Everything that was put into it immediately disappeared, went out of existence. Finally it was the evening, and the people were standing there in utter silence. The king dropped at the feet of the beggar and admitted his defeat. He said, “Just tell me one thing. You are victorious – but before you leave, just fulfil my curiosity. What is the begging bowl made of?”
The beggar laughed and said, “There is no secret. It is simply made of human desire.”
Life has a way of keeping us humble, honest, and helpless.
You Need a Heavenly Holy Father, not a Human Figure
healthy
Being
Doing
Having and Giving
To be is to last
To do is to provide deliver rest breathe ample suffice
To have is to give
There are three distinctives to the first section. Verses 1-9 begin with “I” in Hebrew except for verse 2 which is a continuation of verse 1.
Chapter 2 is a contrast between being, bearing doing and giving. In this one paragraph, Solomon used the words `I,' `my,' `me,' and `mine' 67 times! According to KJV, I – 36x, me – 14x, my – 13x, mine -4x. The next highest “I” is 11 times in chapter 7. The next highest “me” is once in chapters 1, 7 and 9. The next highest “me” is three times. How many times for we and us? None.
The tone of the whole chapter is heightened and hardened by two imperatives in verse 1 – “go” and “enjoy (pleasure/good)” in KJV. Verse 1 begins with an imperative “Come” and the daring verb “test.” It is to tempt and try fate. It is a daring, direct and destructive challenge, unobstructed, unapologetic and ugly.. Enjoy “pleasure” or “good” in Hebrew is not a sin, because two other verses in the book seem to recommend it (Eccl 3:13, 5:18), but the problem lies in the imperative “enjoy” or “see” giving it the all-important big push and purpose in life. Life is not about maximizing pleasure.
The phrase “to myself” is “in mine heart” (v 1) in Hebrew and this introduction is new to the Bible and is repeated is verse 3 – “I said to myself” (v 1) and “I tried cheering myself” (v 3), otherwise “I said in mine heart” and “I sought in mine heart” (KJV). The phrase “my heart” occurs seventeen times in Ecclesiastes, half of it or eight times in chapter two, more than any chapter in the Bible (vv 1, 3, 10 twice, 15 twice). The next most is Psalms 119 with five times. Why is heart prominent? It implies to give in to the heart –self-gratifying, self-sufficient, self-important. Nothing in the world is as selfish as the heart. Solomon, with his seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:3), is the embodiment of egotism, extravagance, excesses, experimentation and enticement. He was the most overt and open hedonist, womanizer and playboy of them all. For people like Solomon, the pursuit of pleasure is the greatest good in life. Unfortunately they became nothing but sleazebags, scoundrels and slaves engrossed, ensnared and enslaved by sex, sensuality and sight superficiality.
True happiness is heart, mind, body and soul, not eyes, flesh, sensations or skin-deep. You do not have to put your heart, mind and body to test to prove happiness or joy or gladness. Unlike gladness, laughter (v 2) is the outburst. It is not just laughter but can be translated as mock (Job 12:4), laughed to scorn (Job 12:4), sport (Prov 10:23) and derision (Jer 48:27).
Verse 1’s “enjoy pleasure” and verse 3’s “see…good” are the same in Hebrew. The problem was in embracing (v 3, infinitive) to what is good. Embrace is translated as caught (Gen 22:13), possess (Gen 34:10), take hold (Ex 15:14), lay hold (2 Sam 2:21), fasten (1 Kings 6:6). It’s been said, Happiness is sought but not caught, chase but not captured, Happiness happens. The worst thing about happiness is to think of yourself, which makes people more unhappy.
Socrates — 'The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.'
happiness is not found in things you possessions, but in the person; not what what you have but who you have.
4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7 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:
8 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. 9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
KJV
Planning Plantations Pool Possessions Presentation Profit
Edifice
Established
(Fixed) Estate
Exploration Engineering
Equipment Economics
Enterprise Entertainment
Enjoyment Exaltation
Egotism
Achievement Agriculture Advancement Acquisition Amusement Ambition
You cannot help but feel that he is not enjoying or having fun. Verse 4 and 9 ends with “great,” culminating with verse 9’s three verbs: great, increase (by far) and guard. There is only me, more, and forevermore.
Verses 9-11 ends with six “my” - my wisdom (v 9) and my eyes, my heart twice, my labor, my toil (v 10), followed by my hands (v 11).
All this is not virtue, verity, or valiant, but vanity, which occurs eight times （Eccl 2:1, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26, more than any chapter in the Bible. It is vacant, vapor and vanishing. The more you wanna be great, grand and glorious or glorified, you feel more gullible, guilty, greedy you are..
You are a Human Being, not a Human Doing (Your Giftedness)
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. 12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? 13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. 14 The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. 15 Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.” 16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die! 17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? 23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
Two days after my Doris’ passing away, a coworker (Jim) marveled to me of my wife’s high awareness, announcing her last blog entry (May 8) two weeks before her departure from the earth. Here is her entry:
“It is difficult to write this blog entry because I am afraid it might be the last one. Now I felt quite relieved as this may be the last task to complete on earth.
Thank you for praying with me in this journey as I sought to wait on the Lord. I also earnestly pray for His healing to have more time life on earth to serve Him. The Lord was quick to answer that His will would be otherwise. I have no contest. His will really is higher and the best. As I reflect, I would say that my only regret on earth is that I have missed out opportunities to set aside everything to serve Him because I was unwilling to let go of my pursuit of career success. I had falsely justified my vanity by saying that Christians in position of professional expertise (and power and success) can also be a strong testimony. Although this may be applicable to some people, we have to carefully search our hearts in the light of the Holy Spirit. Praise God that despite all, Jesus’ forgiveness and cleansing blood is all sufficient for even me!
During the week holding off treatment, I had some good parties, celebrating the publishing of our book with Victor’s colleagues, dim sum with my supporting “soup ladies”, relatives visiting to say goodbye, etc. I felt quite content that I have completed what is needed on earth.
If you feel like having a more personal goodbye, please app or email me so we can make a connection. I do not quite feel energized to have visitors.
I shifted to a new chemotherapy last week. So far, I do not seem to be tolerating well as I was not able to continue this week. My pain is becoming very difficult to manage, with various side effects complicating things. I am so ready and eager to leave this body on earth. Lord, I wait on you, have mercy on me, hold my hand and take me to You.” (May 8, 2016)
First portion extols a man’s greatness, next is his giftedness. Verse 12 begins a new literary style, which is to repeat the “I’ (I, I) which is not translated in Chinese or English in verse 12, 13, 14, thrice in 15, twice in 18, 20 and 24. For example, verse 11 in Hebrew would be “I, I surveyed” and verse 12, is “I turned” and verse 13 “I, I saw,” telling his experience, example and effort.
all my labour. The double I could mean certainty, confidence and control.
KJV
The fool is, therefore, the self-assured, self-confident and self-made man’s contrast. The philosopher prides himself in understanding things more than the fool. He is thinks about the serious and not the silly side of life. He is more intelligent, insightful, intuitive, and idealistic than most.
The conclusion after the contrast is the commonality that punctuates with “not” (negation), “forever” (time) (NIV, long) and all (people) (NIV, both) in verse 16 (For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!).
The head knowledge leads not to mind superiority but to depths of despair. The verb “despair” (v 20) occurs six times in the Bible, all five times in the passive Niphal form (1 Sam 27:1, Job 6:26, Isa 57:10, Jer 18:12 “be despairing” or “no hope”) but only once in the intensive Piel (“surely” despair) form. The word “all” occurs more times in chapter two than any in Eccelsiastes, 17 times, next is 14 times in chapter 9. Progress “all”:
Eccl 2:11
all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
14 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.
Eccl 2:16 all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
17 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.
All feelings:
Eccl 2:18 hated all my labour
Eccl 2:20 despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
Eccl 2:23 all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night.
Progress “vanity”:
Eccl 2:11 all was vanity and vexation of spirit – new so far,
Eccl 2:17 for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Eccl 2:21 vanity and a great evil.
KJV all my labour
What is vexation of spirit (v 11), without the article “the”?
Eccl 2:11
striving after wind (NASB),
grasping for the wind (NKJV)
feeding on wind (Jerusalem Bible)
a pursuit of the wind (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
a chasing after wind (NRSV).
The wind or spirit (ruah) does not change, but vexation comes from the root “feed” (75x), shepherd (63x), pastor (8x) and herdsmen” (7x), keep (2x) and company (2x). Wind is invisible, invulnerable, and intense. It causes allergies, colds, currents, storms and damage. Man is feeble, fragile, futile, finite and fallible. Profit, progress and permanence.
You Have a High Calling, not a Hollow Existence (Your Good)
24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
The Westminster Shorter Catechism is a catechism written in 1646 and 1647 by the Westminster Assembly, a synod of English and Scottish theologians and laymen intended to bring the Church of England into greater conformity with the Church of Scotland.
The Catechism is in a question and answer format, which had been popularized by Martin Luther as a way to help children learn the meaning of the material, rather than simply memorizing the Lord's Prayer, Ten Commandments, and Apostles' Creed as had been the practice prior to the Reformation.
The catechism is composed of 107 questions and answers, of which the most famous of the questions (known to a great many Presbyterian children) is the first:
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. (Wikipedia)
Socrates went on to say that the good man is one doing things with right reason and virtue.
The definition of good is introduced and idealized but invalidated and ignored in chapter two (vv 1, 3, 24 twice, 26 twice). It is not mentioned in chapter one.
By the way, how do you measure good? Most philosophers would believe it is in the actions. Good is a quality, not quantity, the abundance versus the amount, the purpose versus the practice. Good by itself (v 1), good for men (vv 3, 24) and good in his labor (v 24) must be replaced by good in His sight and good before God (v 26) –both are the same meaning of “face.” The first good is internal, subjective to self. The second good is external or relational from others, and the last good is eternal - vertical or divine from God. “Good in the eyes of” could refer to good in the eyes of man or God, but good in the face always refers to God (Ecc 2:26 twice, Ezek 7:26). The face of God is greater than the eye of God because eye is in the face. You might say, Wait a minute. Eyes are plural, but face is singular. Sorry, face is also plural in Hebrew. Man makes its most appearance in chapters 2 and 9, nine times each.
The best greeting God can give you at the end of life is, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matt 25:21).
Verses 21 and 26 are contrasts. Joy (KJV) or happiness (v 26) is contrasted with verse 24’s grief and pain (sorrow and travail, KJV). Joy makes its most appearance and introduction in chapter 2. The “my” personal pronun accours 20 times in Eccelsiastes but an amazing 13 times in the chapter, out of which my heart Eccl 2:10
