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.
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