Ecclesiastes

(S1)What do you do when your life sucks?

How is this different from, “How do I make my life better?”

Marriage example: I have experience building a marriage that works not fixing one that’s broken. Proverbs tells you how to build a good life, Ecclesiastes tells you what to do with a broken one.

(S2 Master Oogway) Solomon becomes this character called, “The Teacher”. The teacher is an old wise man who’s travelled the world and seen all kinds of things. He’s reporting on the state of the world and his view is bleak.

A lot of reading because he’s chosen his words carefully and he’s writing in a sermon esque style.

(S3) Ecclesiastes 1:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun…

Ecclesiastes 4:1–3 (NIV)

1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter. 2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 5:13–15 (NIV)

13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, 14 or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit. 15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.

Ecclesiastes 8:14 (NIV)

14 There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 10:5–9 (NIV)

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: 6 Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. 7 I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. 8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. 9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.

(S4)

Life is meaningless. Every home you work so hard to afford will be nothing in the end. Every nation eventually crumbles, every city eventually falls. Every company goes out of business. Men and women are sold into slavery daily and for every criminal who’s locked up two more are born. You work your entire life so that you can die just like you were born, with nothing. The wicked succeed and the righteous fail. There are fools in power and truly wise decent people work as janitors and garbage men. Kids who deserve life die young and wicked men who have earned death live on. What do I do with that?

You can shake your fist at the sky and curse life for it’s meaningless nature.

You can curl up in a ball and wait for it all to be over.

You can convince yourself of the delusion that what you do matters because it matters to you.

You can try and judge God for what He allows to happen.

You can pretend that there’s some way to fix it, but the wise know there isn’t.

Or, and this is the wisdom of the teacher, you can see your life as the lot God has given you and trust and enjoy your purpose.

(S5)The purpose of God, How can you trust your purpose if the teacher says there is no purpose?

That’s not exactly his point. The point is that man’s purpose falls away but look what he says about the works God is doing...

(S6)

Ecclesiastes 5:18–20 (NIV)

18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

Ecclesiastes 8:16–17 (NIV)

16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth—people getting no sleep day or night—17 then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.

Man may build a tower that will eventually pass away, but in every moment God is doing eternal things. All of this is inherently meaningless, except that God is using it.

So what will you do?

(S7) Ecclesiastes 3:9–14 (NIV)

9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

(S8)

Ecclesiastes 9:3–10 (NIV)

3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten. 6 Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun. 7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love,

all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

You have choices, but for each choice there is a consequence (S9)

You can shake your fist at the sky and curse life for it’s meaningless nature: and grow old, angry, and bitter.

You can curl up in a ball and wait for it all to be over: which is a death already. You are the dead waiting to die.

You can convince yourself of the delusion that what you do matters because it matters to you: like all delusions they only last as long as you can keep yourself deceived and every tragedy will remind you of the cruel reality.

You can try and judge God for what He allows to happen: create for yourself a magic mirror that puts you above God. Build your own kingdom and watch it all fall.

Or, and this is the wisdom of the teacher, you can see your life as the lot God has given you and trust and enjoy your purpose: do the work God has for you today and pray that He makes it useful because it isn’t without Him. Enjoy the purpose God has for you. Take the tragedy of life and thank God for using that as well as the good.

(S10)The teacher is right and his final thought

Ecclesiastes 12:9–14 (NIV)

9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. 13

Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

“Now that I’m older I realize what’s really important.”

You aren’t God, you don’t have a magic wand, you can’t remake the world in your own image so these are your options

Yes life is meaningless, unfair, and God allows some people to grow up in abusive homes… What are you going to do with that? No man can change what the world is, but we can all decide what we’re going to do in light of it. God promises to use your meaningless existence, so honor, respect, and fear Him, His Son, and His Wisdom - Love, laugh, enjoy today, work, give, serve, have mercy, follow Christ because that is the duty of all. God will judge all things and use them in His eternal work, including every hidden thing, whether it’s good or evil.