Overcoming Futility—a sermon series on Ecclesiastes
“Better Off Dead?” chapter 4 -Pastor Bob Leroe, Cliftondale Congregational Church, Saugus, Massachusetts
Chapter 4 focuses on two burdens, injustice and alienation, that aptly describe the distress of living without God. Without spiritual resources, life is pretty tough. We need the support of faith and of faithful friends.
Solomon looked around and saw “the tears of the oppressed” (vs 1). Several years I received training from NOVA, the National Organization for Victim Assistance. NOVA is a victims’ rights advocacy group, and they have a low opinion of the criminal justice system. Solomon states in verse 1, "power is on the side of the oppressors." Criminals seem to get more protection under the law than their victims. I think courts are more concerned with what is legal, than what is morally just. Those who cheat and exploit others to gain wealth are only concerned with what works for them, not with matters of right or wrong. A despicable example is people defrauding relief agencies during natural disasters, pretending to be victims. We wonder, "How could anyone stoop so low? How can they live with themselves?" Little surprises us these days.
We often interpret Jesus’ overthrowing of the moneychangers’ tables as His offense over commerce taking place in a holy place, turning a sanctuary into a store...but there’s another element--the moneychangers were making an unfair profit, forcing poor people to pay an excessive lending/exchange fee. How do we respond to injustice in the world?
The very concept of justice informs us that we live in a world fashioned by God, where there are absolute values, moral principles...and it matters how we live. An advertisement for Hebrew National kosher hotdogs states, "We answer to a Higher Standard." When faith factors in, we’re not just concerned with what’s legal, but what is right.
Solomon indicates in verses 2-3 that many people without God wish they’d never been born, or that they’d be better off dead. Despair can lead people to thoughts of suicide, to escape the pain of life. A soldier who often came to my office for counseling got depressed one night and said in the orderly room that he wished he was dead...his First Sergeant heard this, and the next thing the soldier knew he was up on the psych ward of the Army hospital. I visited him just prior to his release, and I asked him about his experience. He reflected that his few days there made him realize he wasn’t "the only troubled person in the world.” Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. There are always other options, but alienated people often have tunnel vision, and are so absorbed with self that they don’t see how their death will affect others. Solomon is hoping his readers move from hopelessness to trust in God. But in order to guide them to faith, he has to first let them see the utter desolation of life apart from God.
Some people try to escape reality by engaging in things that burn up their lives. Verse five observes, "The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh" (NASB). This describes people sitting in idleness and devouring their resources. “Thank God it’s Friday” is a cry of those who see no divine calling in labor. We also consume ourselves by substitutes for God and responsible living, things that will never satisfy the longings of our hearts. Relief comes, not with substances or activities that can enslave us, but by turning our lives over to the One who says “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy-burdened, and I will give you rest.”
In verse 8 Solomon describes busy people alone in the world, working for fleeting, materialistic goals in life. There are two ways to become wealthy; one is to acquire more and more money and things...the other is to be content with what we have. Driven people work themselves to death, and for what? It’s a futile and miserable way to live. “Contentment is realizing that God has already given us everything we need for our happiness” (Bill Gothard).
Solomon goes on to describe what it’s like to feel isolated, friendless and alone, verses 9-12. "Two are better than one." Companionship is a blessing, yet we all know of lonely people living an empty existence. Loneliness keeps poets busy. In days past, travelers and soldiers used to bundle up close together at night for warmth. Companionship provides us security as well; there’s “safety in numbers”. The ties that bind provide strength--"a threefold rope isn’t easily broken.” Fellowship offers us spiritual connectedness, a closeness that enriches our lives. I get together once a month with a group of area ministers at Gordon-Conwell Seminary. We share ideas and pray for one another; I look forward to our meetings. Some people pretend they need no one, but no one is an island. We need others to encourage us.
Most of us are familiar with the story of John Merrick, known as the Elephant Man; his life story has been made into a book, stage play, movie, even an opera. Merrick was perhaps the most deformed person who ever lived, due to a disorder called neurofibromatosis. Merrick became a carnival freak, an object of horror for paying gawkers, until a surgeon at a London hospital rescued him. The doctor discovered that Merrick was an intelligent man who read the Bible and Shakespeare…and a gentle man who did not have a complaint or an unkind word for anyone. Merrick fashioned models of cathedrals, which he called “an imitation of grace flying up and up from the mud.” That could describe his life as well. Though alienated from society by his appearance, his character ennobled him, and like his models of cathedrals, John Merrick managed to rise above his alienation.
Solomon is again worried about his legacy. In verses 13-16 he admits that there is little he can do to guarantee continued political and economic stability in Israel once he is gone. The problem wasn’t just his son Rehoboam. Like children raised by parents who provide for all their needs, the Israelites resented their dependence on God. Solomon achieved the pinnacle of human success, yet he was unhappy and unfulfilled. People say "it’s lonely at the top." But alienation may be a gift, if it motivates our search for God.
When I served as an Army Chaplain, I made a habit of visiting the General, just to see how he was doing. I was the only staff officer who wasn’t asking for something, or briefing on projects. I did that as well other times, but I also came with no agenda, simply as a pastor, knowing how isolated and alone those in command can get. Soldiers steer clear of Generals…even some high-ranking Chaplains can be intimidating! Most of the senior officers I worked for welcomed my pastoral visits. Realizing the pressures and unique challenges of command made it a relief to have someone to talk to and pray with. There’s an old Swedish saying: “Shared joy is a double joy; Shared sorrow is half a sorrow.”
Who catches us when we fall? The answers to alienation and injustice cannot be found apart from God, which is why Solomon raises these issues. Unbelievers have no invisible means of support, no Higher Power. Solomon reminds us of some unpleasant things we’d perhaps rather not think about. But we have to face these matters, and hopefully see that the answers do not lie within, but Above. Our options are to trust God or trust nothing. We have to quit “playing God” and let God Himself “play God” in our lives. And let the unjust beware, because the final word is God’s. The principles of Scripture become rich when we encounter the hurts of life.
I want to close with an honest prayer that may register with those of us who are struggling with life: "God, I know You’re all I need, but I don’t know You well enough to hand over all my cares. Please let me find You." May we find our answers and our strength in our loving God.
