Under the sun, injustice prevails. God is the ultimate Judge, and He will set things right at the appointed time. In the mean time, we need to trust that He sees and cares and will judge accordingly. Only God is truly just, only God will always do what is right.
Because we are wicked and unjust, are we really any better than the animals? As the animals die, so people die. So, there is nothing better ‘under the sun’ than to find happiness in the work which God gives us to do. This is our source of joy, because, ‘under the sun’, there is nothing else which will satisfy us. We are driven for more because of envy, and this results in oppression of the poor and needy. It is far better to have little with peace than much with the turmoil which comes with envy.
Only in Jesus can there be true justice, contentment and joy in which we are completely satisfied. He is our hope and anchor in this fallen, sinful world.
Read 4:7-12
We strive because we compare and envy, and then leave it all to someone else. But, what if the person who has no inheritor--what causes him to strive for more and more when he is alone? He’s not working to provide for his family. He’s not working to provide for a child’s future. He’s not working so that he may enjoy life. He has riches, yet, his eyes are never satisfied. There’s always someone with more. So, he works and works to acquire more and more, yet has no pleasure in his work. This is vanity--it is futile and meaningless, and in the end, results in unhappiness.
Perhaps you know people like this--sometimes, we call them ‘misers’. I used to know a man named Bill who made his fortune during the Great Depression when most people lost everything. He had a wife and grown daughter, but was estranged from them for years. Without any dependants, he kept working to build his wealth, but never bought anything. He would come to my father’s restaurant each night and do menial work for food. He was worth millions, but most people thought he was homeless. All of his toil and riches didn’t bring him pleasure--he lived alone and few liked or respected him. It was all vanity.
God never intended for us to go through life alone. Remember, when Adam had perfect, sinless fellowship with God, God said it was not good. Adam did not have suitable companionship--he was alone (Genesis 2:18). God created us for community, it is vital in this life. Solomon gives three examples of why we need each other:
Verses 9-10 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
In ancient Israel, it was safer to travel with others. Paths were rocky and treacherous. Two together can help each other navigate the paths, and, if one falls, the other is there to help. All of us have either fallen and needed help or helped one who has fallen. Falling when alone can be scary--how will we get help? Who will mend our wounds? What else may happen?
Physical falling isn’t our only concern--we can do and fall spiritually and need the help of others. Sin only worsens when we are alone with no one to help us in our time of need. Two are always better than one, community is vital in this life because God made us that way. The Scriptures are filled with many passages about how we are to live with and help one another.
Verse 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?
In ancient Israel, people didn’t have blankets or sleeping bags and relied on their cloaks for warmth. It is far easier to stay warm when we are not alone. Again, this is a picture how important community is. In our lives, where we have blankets, coats and heat, only the poorest can truly understand what it is to need one another for warmth. But, we can see this idea among animals as they often cuddle together for warmth. That’s the concept Solomon is teaching us--community is vital in this life.
Verse 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Again, the Preacher gives an example of ancient Israel. It was dangerous to travel alone. Robbers would attack and overtake those who were alone (parable of the Good Samaritan). We know this is still true today, we teach our children the ‘buddy system’. It is always a good idea to do certain things with others. If trouble arises, three people together are much stronger than one.
This verse is often given a romantic feel, if God is in your marriage, it will be stronger. That concept, while true, is not what this verse is about. The point is that there is strength in numbers, if two working together is good, than many working together is even better. It’s about the importance of community to our lives--we need and are stronger because of each other.
The New Testament echoes this in teaching that the Church is a Body--many parts which work together (1 Corinthians 12). Individualism, while an American concept, is not a Biblical concept. God made us for community and we glorify Him best when we function together as a Body of believers, both in the local Church and among the church worldwide.
READ 4:13-16
The focus seems to be changing as Solomon teaches that a poor, yet wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. He contrasts:
Poor and Rich
Young and Old
Wise and Foolish
Commoner and King
Yet, he is still referring to the idea of community.
We expect the king to be wise, not only because he is the king, but because he is old, because with years comes wisdom. We expect the youth to be foolish simply because he is young and naïve. The key issue is that the king no longer knew how to take advice. In context, it refers to his ‘going it alone’. He is the king, after all, who does he need? Can anyone really give him advice? The king thinks he doesn’t need anyone and that has made him foolish. Community is vital in this life.
This poor and wise youth, although a prisoner, rose above his circumstances and took the kings place on the throne. Unlike the foolish king, he did not separate himself from his people, and they followed him--there was no end to the people whom he led. He was a successful king. Yet, even he was eventually rejected and forgotten. People are fickle, fame won’t be enough to being us lasting joy and meaning. As we already seen in Ecclesiastes, our accomplishments and successes will one day be forgotten, it is vanity and striving after the wind.
Life, ‘under the sun’ doesn’t make sense. The wise king is soon forgotten just as the foolish king is forgotten. The wise, as the fool, dies. People, like animals, die. Apart from God, there is no lasting meaning in this life--it’s vanity, a mere breath or vapor which is soon gone and forgotten.
This despair should drive us to God, for without Him, life is futile and meaningless.
Read 5:1-7
Solomon moves from the brevity and uselessness of life ‘under the sun’ or, apart from God, to His Temple. We have seen long passages in Ecclesiastes with no mention of God. Here, He is mentioned six times in seven verses. There are eight imperatives (or commands) and eight references to speech. How we approach God, how we speak and how we obey these imperatives shows whether or not we are fools.
As we approach God, we are to do it reverently, with fear or awe. Listen to God. During the time this was written, God was speaking through the prophets. Today, we have God’s Word in the Scriptures. We can hear Him everyday, but do we listen? Attending a church with a high view of Scripture where Bible teaching is the priority is an important way we approach God to listen. Trends in worship style come and go, but solid teaching of the Word with an attitude of reverence is foremost.
The wise who hear God are better that fools who offer sacrifices which do not please God. God doesn’t desire ‘empty’ sacrifice. He won’t take pleasure in them if our hearts are far away from Him. God is pleased when we listen to Him, not in our deeds if our hearts are hard.
Watch closely over your words when you speak and even what you say in your heart--for God is in Heaven and you are on Earth. God is transcendent--He is utterly different from us. He’s not our buddy or the ‘man upstairs’. It is better to say little than to be hasty in what we say before God. Often, our prayers are self centered, what we want rather than God’s desires. Our prayers can be angry of vengeful. They can be long, yet empty. We are not to approach God in this way. He is wholly other and thus, is to be approached in reverence when we pray.
We used to go a church where the pastor began his prayers with ‘God!’. It was so abrupt and harsh, it always felt like he was barging in on God or something. There are many ways which we approach God when we pray, but it should always be done in reverence and respect.
Verse 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.
Just as concerns and troubles lead to dreams at night, so a fool will speak too much, he doesn’t know how to hold his tongue. Where there are many words, rash things are said. One of these rash things is a vow.
In Scripture, we have examples of people making vows that they never intended to keep, they made ‘loopholes’ so that they were freed from their vows:
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath. (Matthew 23:16)
This is an attitude of rebellion. If you vow, you must follow through.
But, even if your vow is sincere, who knows what may happen? All of our good intentions may come to nothing because things change and people change. What if you vow to bring someone somewhere, and you get sick and can’t follow through? What if you vow to never spend over your budget, and then your family is in need? What if you vow to never leave your spouse and then they physically threaten you? It is unwise to make a vow because you don’t know the future.
The Preacher gives an example of sending a messenger to collect on your vow and telling them you can’t fulfill your duties, it was a mistake. It is sin to make promises you can’t keep, therefore, don’t vow in the first place. As Jesus taught in Matthew 5:33-37, let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything beyond this comes from evil.
Verse 6-7 Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.
The Preacher is making a connection with those who dream big, they always brag about their plans, they make promises they cannot keep- they talk too much. Dreams and hasty words go hand in hand, both are meaningless and signify a fool. Their works will come to nothing. Our words must be few before God--we must listen and fear Him.
Solomon gives many warnings about how we are to approach God, but, in Christ, there is no fear:
READ Hebrews 4:4-16
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We no longer need to fear because, in Christ, we have confidence to enter God’s presence.
READ John 15:15
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
We no longer need to fear because Christ has called us friends.
READ 1 John 4:17-18
By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
We no longer need to fear because God is love, and perfect love casts out fear.
READ John 1:14-17
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.“ For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
We no longer need to fear because God came to Earth and has lavished grace upon us.
God came to Earth to be with men. This same Jesus who has redeemed us from futility of life ‘under the sun’ took away our fear by giving us grace upon grace. The Temple curtain which separated God and man was torn at Jesus’ death. We can now approach God in confidence through Jesus--He has removed our fear and called us friends.
Remember the story about Bill, the millionaire who lived as though he was homeless? He came to belief in Christ, made peace with his wife and daughter and gave each of them a large sum of money. His striving for more was fulfilled in Jesus, his life did not end in vain.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
ECCLESIASTES 3:16-4:6
READ 3:16-22
The Preacher’s thoughts turn away from God’s providence over the Earth to the injustice which is done on Earth. We can all think of examples of injustice in the world--and agree with Solomon that it just isn’t right. The Bible is filled with teachings against injustice, such as:
“An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked”. (Proverbs 29:27)
“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor”. (Leviticus 19:15)
But, under the sun, injustice prevails. God is the ultimate Judge, and He will set things right at the appointed time. We need to trust that He sees and cares and will judge accordingly. Only God is truly just, only God will always do what is right:
“The Lord within her is righteous; He does no injustice; every morning He shows forth His justice; each dawn He does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame”. (Zephaniah 3:5)
Verse 18 is curious--God is testing people so that they may see they are no different than the animals. To test can be translated ‘to prove’ or ‘make manifest’--to show. In our wickedness and injustice, we are no better than animals--not because they are wicked and unjust, but because they act on instinct without thought or care. And, like animals, in the end we die.
This echoes 2:15-16--just as all die, whether wise or foolish, so all humans, like animals, die. ‘Under the sun’, there is no difference--humans are just another animal. Evolution makes sense ‘under the sun’, humans and animals have equal worth, there is no distinction, and in the end, they both return to the dust. ‘Who can see what will be after him?‘ There is no afterlife for the one who lives ‘under the sun’ because there is no thought of God.
Because there is so much injustice and in the end, we will all die, nothing is better than finding happiness in our work. Again, the Preacher extols joy in the ordinariness of life. What God gives us to do everyday should be our source of joy. It often isn’t easy because we expect more and want more, but, in the end, these things lead to dissatisfaction.
Solomon, who had access to everything, tells us it is the simple things which will be our true contentment. Even those who live ‘under the sun’ can find joy in the everyday, this is God’s common grace given to all. They should, in fact, find joy in the everyday if this life is all that there is. ‘He who dies with the most toys, wins’ is not what Solomon advocates, and he, of all people, would know.
READ 4:1-6
Because there is no justice, wickedness and oppression prevail, just as it did in ancient Israel:
“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages” (Jeremiah 22:13).
“The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice” (Ezekiel 22:29).
“Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals” (Amos 2:6-7a).
The oppressors are powerful, those they oppress have no one to help them, they are all alone. The Preacher paints a grim picture of their hopelessness and concludes that the dead are better off than the living. Furthermore, it is better to never have been born than to see the evil which is done ‘under the sun’.
When America was attacked in 2001, I remember thinking that those who died prior to this event will never have to deal with what was coming--they were better off than we were. Even now, I sometimes think about my father, how he no longer experiences that bad things that we deal with. This is what Solomon is referring to. One who is dead, or has never been born is sheltered from the evils of this world, ‘under the sun’.
As Christians, we understand that we live in the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of Heaven at the same time, this world is not our home. That gives us perspective. Solomon is simply looking at the evils of living on Earth--the injustice and oppression and concludes that it is better to have never lived than to experience all the sorrow and suffering of life ‘under the sun’.
Verse 4-6 goes back to Solomon’s earlier observations that striving to accomplish and acquire are ultimately chasing after the wind. What causes us to strive for more is envy. We compare ourselves to our friends and neighbors--‘keeping up with the Joneses’. We may be satisfied with our car or house, until we see the new one our friend just bought. We may be content with a small business that pays the bills, until we hear of the young entrepreneur who made millions in his first year. We are glad that we were accepted at the college of our choice, until our friend is accepted at the Ivy League school. We are driven by envy.
It’s not just the big things which entice us to work more and more--maybe our friend just bought a great pair of shoes, so we head to the mall the next day. For me, it’s jewelry. An inexpensive item truly does make me happy. But, when I see something new and different, I still want it. I certainly don’t always buy it, but the desire is there. When we are enticed because of what others have and go after it, thinking it will bring us ultimate happiness, it is striving after the wind because there will always be something else that another has.
Selfish ambition, driven by envy, will not bring ultimate meaning. That’s not to say that ambition is a bad thing. The one who has no ambition is the one who folds his hand--he will not work, thus, he eats his own flesh. That is, he brings trouble upon himself when he can’t provide for himself and/or his family. There is a vast difference between being a workaholic because we envy what others have and resigning ourselves to doing nothing. Both extremes are to be avoided.
A little with peace is better than much with strife. It is better to be content with little and live a quiet life than to attain more and more when there is chaos and disorder. Being content with meeting our needs is to be desired above both not having enough due to laziness or having an abundance due to envy.
Ecclesiastes has much practical ‘advice’--God will deal with injustice, we should enjoy and be content with the simple things in life, rather than being driven by envy. In order to see how these relate to Jesus, let‘s take a look at a few New Testament passages:
Luke 18:7 “Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?”
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
God graciously reveals Himself and His will to us, so that we are not living meaningless lives of vanity, because the Messiah has come. It is He who said, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matthew3:16-17).
The Preacher’s thoughts turn away from God’s providence over the Earth to the injustice which is done on Earth. We can all think of examples of injustice in the world--and agree with Solomon that it just isn’t right. The Bible is filled with teachings against injustice, such as:
“An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked”. (Proverbs 29:27)
“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor”. (Leviticus 19:15)
But, under the sun, injustice prevails. God is the ultimate Judge, and He will set things right at the appointed time. We need to trust that He sees and cares and will judge accordingly. Only God is truly just, only God will always do what is right:
“The Lord within her is righteous; He does no injustice; every morning He shows forth His justice; each dawn He does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame”. (Zephaniah 3:5)
Verse 18 is curious--God is testing people so that they may see they are no different than the animals. To test can be translated ‘to prove’ or ‘make manifest’--to show. In our wickedness and injustice, we are no better than animals--not because they are wicked and unjust, but because they act on instinct without thought or care. And, like animals, in the end we die.
This echoes 2:15-16--just as all die, whether wise or foolish, so all humans, like animals, die. ‘Under the sun’, there is no difference--humans are just another animal. Evolution makes sense ‘under the sun’, humans and animals have equal worth, there is no distinction, and in the end, they both return to the dust. ‘Who can see what will be after him?‘ There is no afterlife for the one who lives ‘under the sun’ because there is no thought of God.
Because there is so much injustice and in the end, we will all die, nothing is better than finding happiness in our work. Again, the Preacher extols joy in the ordinariness of life. What God gives us to do everyday should be our source of joy. It often isn’t easy because we expect more and want more, but, in the end, these things lead to dissatisfaction.
Solomon, who had access to everything, tells us it is the simple things which will be our true contentment. Even those who live ‘under the sun’ can find joy in the everyday, this is God’s common grace given to all. They should, in fact, find joy in the everyday if this life is all that there is. ‘He who dies with the most toys, wins’ is not what Solomon advocates, and he, of all people, would know.
READ 4:1-6
Because there is no justice, wickedness and oppression prevail, just as it did in ancient Israel:
“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages” (Jeremiah 22:13).
“The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the sojourner without justice” (Ezekiel 22:29).
“Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke the punishment, because they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals” (Amos 2:6-7a).
The oppressors are powerful, those they oppress have no one to help them, they are all alone. The Preacher paints a grim picture of their hopelessness and concludes that the dead are better off than the living. Furthermore, it is better to never have been born than to see the evil which is done ‘under the sun’.
When America was attacked in 2001, I remember thinking that those who died prior to this event will never have to deal with what was coming--they were better off than we were. Even now, I sometimes think about my father, how he no longer experiences that bad things that we deal with. This is what Solomon is referring to. One who is dead, or has never been born is sheltered from the evils of this world, ‘under the sun’.
As Christians, we understand that we live in the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of Heaven at the same time, this world is not our home. That gives us perspective. Solomon is simply looking at the evils of living on Earth--the injustice and oppression and concludes that it is better to have never lived than to experience all the sorrow and suffering of life ‘under the sun’.
Verse 4-6 goes back to Solomon’s earlier observations that striving to accomplish and acquire are ultimately chasing after the wind. What causes us to strive for more is envy. We compare ourselves to our friends and neighbors--‘keeping up with the Joneses’. We may be satisfied with our car or house, until we see the new one our friend just bought. We may be content with a small business that pays the bills, until we hear of the young entrepreneur who made millions in his first year. We are glad that we were accepted at the college of our choice, until our friend is accepted at the Ivy League school. We are driven by envy.
It’s not just the big things which entice us to work more and more--maybe our friend just bought a great pair of shoes, so we head to the mall the next day. For me, it’s jewelry. An inexpensive item truly does make me happy. But, when I see something new and different, I still want it. I certainly don’t always buy it, but the desire is there. When we are enticed because of what others have and go after it, thinking it will bring us ultimate happiness, it is striving after the wind because there will always be something else that another has.
Selfish ambition, driven by envy, will not bring ultimate meaning. That’s not to say that ambition is a bad thing. The one who has no ambition is the one who folds his hand--he will not work, thus, he eats his own flesh. That is, he brings trouble upon himself when he can’t provide for himself and/or his family. There is a vast difference between being a workaholic because we envy what others have and resigning ourselves to doing nothing. Both extremes are to be avoided.
A little with peace is better than much with strife. It is better to be content with little and live a quiet life than to attain more and more when there is chaos and disorder. Being content with meeting our needs is to be desired above both not having enough due to laziness or having an abundance due to envy.
Ecclesiastes has much practical ‘advice’--God will deal with injustice, we should enjoy and be content with the simple things in life, rather than being driven by envy. In order to see how these relate to Jesus, let‘s take a look at a few New Testament passages:
Luke 18:7 “Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?”
- When Jesus returns, justice will be accomplished. The book of Revelation is about how God will make all things right in His time.
- Unlike the animals, we are adopted, beloved and redeemed because Jesus, the Savior, has come. Like the animals, we die, but death is more than the grave, for Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, the one who believes in Him will never die (John 11:26-27).
- When envy is allowed to have control, it always leads to sin.
- We are to outdo one another in showing love, not by doing and acquiring more. Instead of envy, we are to love one another.
“But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
- We must find our contentment in Christ, for the temptation to get rich leads to destruction.
God graciously reveals Himself and His will to us, so that we are not living meaningless lives of vanity, because the Messiah has come. It is He who said, “Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Matthew3:16-17).
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