Wisdom and Joy

When God created humanity he created us with the capacity to gain knowledge and to put that knowledge into action.

That is wisdom.

As we talked about a few weeks ago there are really two types of wisdom:

General worldly wisdom, like knowing a tomato is a fruit but not putting it in a fruit salad.

And Godly or biblical wisdom, that is fearing God and living according to his commandments.

Solomon in Ecc and in Proverbs puts a high value on both types of wisdom.

Although he also recognizes that no matter how hard we try wisdom is somewhat elusive we will never have perfected wisdom no matter how much we try.

But one of the keystones to wisdom is acknowledging the realities of the world around us.

There are ups and downs.

Peaks and valleys.

Joys and sorrows.

Life and death.

The good things bring about happiness, and the hard things bring about despair.

Living a life of wisdom is knowing that both joy and despair exist.

And these extremes teach us something else.

They stir in our hearts a longing for something more.

Meaning in life.

Purpose in existence.

Both joy and despair cause us to long for heaven.

Our experiences help us to long for something more. Something greater.

A place where there will be never ending joy.

This world under the sun for those of us who believe and trust in Jesus should make us homesick for our true place of residence.

This world is not our home. This world is temporary.

This world and the ups and downs will eventually pass away.

And so will we.

When this occurs God will restore earth to its intended state. A state of perpetual fellowship with him.

This is one of Solomon’s goals in Ecc.

Helping us to see the futility in living life under the sun without chasing after deeper and more meaning outside of this temporal realm.

He writes so that we long for restoration.

We long for justice.

We long for goodness.

We long for heaven.

So we seek and search out how to restore a little heaven on earth.

The we recover Eden in our lives and spheres influence.

And facing the ups and downs of life should spur us on to seek the things of God.

Enjoying the good gifts he has given us

While at the same time balancing the reality that nothing under the sun will ever be perfect, until it is made new.

That’s part of what we are going to look at this morning.

How as citizens of heaven we should live wise and God-honoring lives while we balance the realities of the world around us.

Let’s pray.

Ecclesiastes 8:1 CSB

1 Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.

Radiant Wisdom

Like I said earlier wisdom is important in Solomon’s writings.

He exalts the wise person here in the opening of Ecc 8.

After ending chapter 7 talking about how man has pursued many schemes instead of pursuing God.

H wants us to look to the person who fears God.

The wise one.

Wisdom is elusive, but still needs to be pursued and though it is difficult to obtain the journey is worth it.

There is something that happens to the wise person.

They are different.

Wisdom transforms a person.

Living in light of God’s design is transformative.

Ps 34.5 “5 Those who look to him are radiant with joy; their faces will never be ashamed.”

Those who submit to and pursue God’s wisdom are distinctly different from the rest of the world.

Think about Daniel and his friends.

He was held in high esteem while in Babylon.

Dan 1.20 “20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom.”

Daniel was different and he was trusted b/c he was wise in the eyes of the Lord.

The person wise in the sight of the Lord will influence and impact the world around them.

They will look different and cause the people around them to wonder what they have.

Why?

B/c with wisdom comes a pure and unadulterated joy.

There is a radiance that comes from one who walks in the wisdom of God.

Wisdom brightens your face.

Makes you trust worthy.

Makes you attractive to those you come in contact with.

Not only that but wisdom changes the sternness of you face too.

Meaning that that frown of sin and brokenness becomes the smile of grace and love.

Wisdom, true wisdom that comes from our relationship with God changes everything about us.

When we pursue him and his goodness other people will wonder what’s going on with you b/c you are able to endure the hardships of this world with a radiant contagious joy that doesn’t make sense to this dying world.

Wisdom that comes from our relationship with Jesus doesn’t just impact us it impacts others.

But not only does Godly wisdom radiate outward, it also informs on how to interact with the world around us.

That’s what Solomon is going to lean into next.

How do we interact with authority in accordance with wisdom.

We submit to the authority of the king or rulers b/c God has placed them in that power.

He has given them that authority.

Therefore, submitting and obeying them is submitting and obeying God.

“Our submission to authority on earth is one important part of our submission to Christ in Heaven.”

Now we do have to be careful here.

B/c our submission to authority is not a mindless submission.

We should be discerning when it comes to how we submit to earthly authority b/c sometimes, often times, they aren’t Godly governments.

But just b/c they aren’t Godly doesn’t mean we don’t listen.

However, if they ask us to do something that completely opposes God’s word that’s when we stand up and stand firm.

Like in Acts 5:29 “29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people.”

Now in doing so, we also have to be willing to take the consequences of our actions.

If we oppose the authorities under the sun b/c of the Authority from God we are probably going to face some consequences.

We must use discernment and wisdom when it comes to opposing earthly authority

We don’t rebel in an unrighteous way, we rebel in a way that honors and brings glory to God.

We fight evil with Godliness.

But not every disagreement with authority is a fight that needs to be had.

Going back to Daniel and his friends Rack, Shack, and Benny.

They peacefully opposed the edict of the king.

B/c they would rather serve God than bow down to idols.

They didn’t fight evil with evil, but they did make a stand and face the consequences.

Is God going to save you from the fiery furnace.

Not Necessarily, but he is going to be glorified if we stand up for what is good and true, in a holy and godly way.

It is unwise to fight against the government in an evil and selfish way.

So we are to pick our battles.

We are to use discernment and patience.

It takes a wise heart to know when to stand up and when to submit.

But know that just b/c you want to fight against authority doesn’t mean that you are right or justified to do so.

There’s an incredible balance and wisdom that needs to be accounted for.

So I would suggest looking at other wise and godly people when it comes to whether to fight or to submit.

Take counsel and pray asking for wisdom, discernment and grace to approach situations in a God honoring manner.

Knowing that sometimes we can be self deceived b/c of our personal feelings toward a government or authority.

Ecclesiastes 8:2–6 CSB

2 Keep the king’s command because of your oath made before God. 3 Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence, and don’t persist in a bad cause, since he will do whatever he wants. 4 For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?” 5 The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. 6 For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though a person’s troubles are heavy on him.

Dealing with Authority

We don’t live in a Monarchy so we are a little out of step with what Solomon is bringing before us here.

The king in the ancient near east is in ultimate control.

It didn’t matter if you liked him or not, you had to show him respect or your life would be on the line.

Treating him in any disrespectful manner would not go well for you.

Not only that but the king also made the laws.

He was the sovereign over the area in which he ruled.

His subjects didn’t question him, they didn’t undermine him.

In fact, people were expected to swear fealty or loyalty to the king or be viewed as a traitor.

So in order to live wisely you would be subject to the kings authority.

You would honor and obey his rules and instructions.

Moving forward to our day and time, since we don’t live under a king how should we as followers of Jesus live under our governmental authority?

Well Jesus gives us some insight as does Paul.

Luke 20:25 “25 “Well then,” he told them, “give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.””

According to Jesus we are to give to Caesar what is his or give to the government what is owed to them.

Why would Jesus tell us to be under obedience to the government?

B/c he’s the one that has established and put them in control.

Rom 13.1 “1 Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.”

Listen whether we like the politicians or not they are give authority to rule over us by God himself.

He has put them in place to oversee the rule of the country in which we live.

And I want you to know something about when Paul wrote this letter.

He wrote Romans when Rome was under the leadership of Nero.

Now Nero was a bad guy. There’s no two ways about it.

He hated Christians.

He allegedly killed his own parents.

As well as allegedly set Rome on fire, blamed it on the Christians so that he could try and stamp them out.

He instituted the beginning of Rome’s official persecution of the Christian Church.

And even among the political hate, Paul still tells the followers of Jesus to listen to and submit to the authorities.

But even the Authorities have authority that they must submit to.

Ecclesiastes 8:7–9 CSB

7 Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen? 8 No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape. 9 All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one person has authority over another to his harm.

Dealing with Authority

There are some things that no matter how much power you have you will never be in control of.

The first thing is the future.

We have no idea what tomorrow is going to bring.

Much less the next few days, weeks, months and years.

Not knowing the time makes is hard to do the wise thing, that’s why we need to do the wise thing at all times.

We don’t need to compromise our convictions b/c of the cultures and times we find ourselves in.

We need to stay steadfast in what God has revealed to us through his word and in the person and work of Jesus.

The future is a mystery, God’s rule and reign isn’t.

Submission to God is the ultimate submission to authority and thus is the wisest thing someone can do.

We have a God who is in charge of the winds and the rains over all creation and no matter how much authority we have here on earth it is limited.

That’s what Solomon is trying to get us to see in in v 8.

We are limited.

In v. 8, depending on your translation it will say wind or spirit.

The word used there in the Hebrew is Ru-ach, which is translated both ways in the OT it’s even the breath that is given to Adam in creation.

So what Solomon is saying here is that there is nothing within the human or earthly realm that has any ultimate control over powers and forces that we cannot see.

We are weak and frail when compared to the things that demonstrate great might and power.

We don’t have the power over life and death, and this is evidenced by the second phrase in v. 8.

And specifically, we don’t have power over the life and death of the Spirit.

What’s the point of this?

We are by nature limited.

That doesn’t mean that we are powerless, but we are subjects to the authority of God and ultimately we are subject to his will.

He is the one who gives us breath.

He is the one who gives us life. If he wishes to take it away who are we to try and stop him.

So we should fear him and do as he instructs.

For it is the right thing to do.

Ecclesiastes 8:10–13 CSB

10 In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they did those things. This too is futile. 11 Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil. 12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before him. 13 However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God.

Fearing God

The wicked and the righteous meet the same fate.

They both die. So what’s the point.

And Maybe your with Solomon here.

Maybe you look out at the world and you see the wicked and the evil getting all the things that you think you deserve.

They have the perfect life: money, big houses, cars, no debt, the best looking spouses.

Why are they winning at life while I am sitting here struggling?

Why does the wicked person live longer than the righteous person?

Why? It’s and innately human question.

But the answer is that we will not ever fully know.

So Solomon is basically saying that we need to know our place and trust God.

Trusting God is fearing him.

Knowing that he is sovereign over all and that given the opportunity we wouldn’t be able to do any where near as good a job.

So even though the world looks chaotic that things aren’t as we would like them to be, we need to trust that God is doing what he sees fit.

Fearing God is always a better avenue than not fearing God.

Living a godly life matters.

It matters while we are alive b/c it is the wise thing to do.

And it matters when we die b/c those who fear the Lord and trust him will spend eternity with him.

We have to have an eternally long view on our lives.

Though it may seem as if the wicked prosper today, their prosperity is short lived.

They will not prosper forever.

There will be judgement.

Their lack of fear of God here will lead to their separation from him later.

Therefore, since he is the one with ultimate authority the wise thing to do is submit to him, obey him, and listen to him.

But sometimes we look out at the world and ask why?

Why does all of this submission to authority matter?

Life doesn’t seem fair so should we listen to God?

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Ecclesiastes 8:14–15 CSB

14 There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile. 15 So I commended enjoyment because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

Unpredictable World

Solomon is dealing here with something that is called Theodicy or the problem of evil.

Why are all these things happening to both the good and the bad.

And more pointedly, why do the good seem to get what the wicked deserve.

Like we said in the previous section, what happens this side of the grave shouldn’t determine our actions.

We shouldn’t just do good b/c we expect God to do good to us.

Being godly is always a better road than being wicked.

And there is going to be judgement for the wicked we can’t forget that.

Their rewards are limited to this side of the grave.

But for the one that fears God they can enjoy the things of this world and the know that they are going to enjoy the things to come as well.

We would love for our actions to have predictable outcomes.

Do good, get good.

Do bad, get bad.

But that’s not how God operates.

That’s Karma and we don’t believe in Karma.

We believe in Justice.

Think about it this way, the good that the wicked receive here on earth is the best they are ever going to get.

But for those that fear God the best is yet to come.

That’s the hope of the resurrection.

That’s the promise of New creation.

That the hope of our belief in Jesus.

So in this unpredictable world of outcomes, Fearing God is the surest truth we can hold onto.

But what does it mean to fear God?

“To live a God-fearing life is to live in constant awareness of the presence of God, who is even closer than a prayer away. He is with us in the bedroom and the kitchen, in the care and on the bus, at the grocery store and at the football game. He is wherever we go.”

You see the thing we hold on to are not the pleasures of this world, but the God who gives good gifts.

Fearing God is trusting Jesus.

And trusting Jesus even in the calamity of this world can cause us to enjoy the things of this world.

Eating, drinking, and enjoying our lives and the ones we love.

The reasons that we can enjoy life in the Chaos is b/c we love Jesus and he loves us.

WE know that he is with us and guides us through the chaos to build his kingdom and make his name known.

So what should we do?

Enjoy the good things that he has given us.

Enjoy the pleasures of life never losing sight of the giver of those pleasures.

We don’t seek food, drink, and enjoyment for their ownsake.

We seek Him, creator of all and find enjoyment in his creation.

Ecclesiastes 8:16–17 CSB

16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one’s eyes do not close in sleep day or night), 17 I observed all the work of God and concluded that a person is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.

Unpredictable World

Solomon here is pointing out that we can never really know the impact that we have in the world.

With all the energy, toil, and labor we put out there, we don’t know if we are going to have a net positive or net negative impact.

However, on this side of the cross, with the full revelation of God’s person and character we can know that all things are going to work out for our good and his glory.

We will never know what God is doing at all times.

But we, especially on this side of the cross, know that everything that he does is for his own glory.

We can seek and search and we may find the part we play but we may not.

Here’s the thing, it doesn’t really matter if we see or know our impact on the world.

The true test of the wise God-fearer is did you remain faithful.

Did you listen to and obey God’s word.

Did you participate in God’s work while you are on the earth.

Did you gather and worship together with God’s people and spread the gospel of salvation?

When I was younger I would often ask what the will of God is for my life.

Should I take this job?

Marry this woman?

Go to this school?

Often times God isn’t going to give you direct answers to these questions, but he has given you access to his wisdom and the Holy Spirit to help guide you.

If you want to know if your life will have an impact after your gone, ask your self this question, are you living for the kingdom of God today?

Cultivating the Kingdom of God in your circles of influence is the will of God for your life.

Whether your a stay at home mom, a business owner, a grunt in the oil field, a pastor, or packing beef Jerky at Prasek’s.

The will of God is that you make much of him where you live work and play.

Use wisdom to discern whether you are using the gifts God has given you and how he has built you and participate in the kingdom work God is doing all around you.

We do what matters today b/c soon our days will be gone.

Ecclesiastes 9:1–6 CSB

1 Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands. People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them. 2 Everything is the same for everyone: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live; after that they go to the dead. 4 But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun.

Wisdom and Death

Solomon circles back to the discussion about death.

He continues to look at the world around him and hate the reality of death.

But he knows that we are all going to one day lay in a grave and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

I’m not going to spend an exorbitant amount of time on death again in this series, I’ve already preached like 3 sermons about it.

But I do want you to know this, death is coming for each one of us.

We cannot escape it.

But at the same time, death isn’t the final stage.

If you are in Christ, if you have repented of your sins and trusted in Jesus as your savior, you will get to live eternally in the arms of the Father.

You will get to experience the new Eden.

You will have eternal life.

You will know perfect peace, joy, grace, mercy, and love

But if you don’t know Jesus, if you haven’t turned from your sins and trusted him as savior you will spend eternity separated from him.

You will know no grace.

Mercy. Peace. Joy. and no love.

Your life after death will be miserable.

Separated from everything good.

I’ve said it before, but the reality is as broken as things are here on earth, there is still God’s common grace on all of us.

The Saved and the Wicked.

Things are not as bad as they could be.

They aren’t as good as they could be either.

For those of us who submitted to God’s wisdom and gave our lives to Jesus we will experience pure goodness when we die.

For those who have rejected God’s wisdom and salvation, you will experience the absence of every thing good.

So the wise thing to do is trust and submit to God knowing that our days are short.

Now we long for the day that we can be with Jesus, but that doesn’t mean that we sit on our hands and stare longingly into the sky, rather we should do what Solomon says in the next few verses.

Ecclesiastes 9:7–10 CSB

7 Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. 8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun. 10 Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

Wisdom and Joy

We should enjoy the good things of life.

Food and drink.

Bread and wine.

God has given us good things to enjoy them.

Creating in us a desire to enjoy them even further in the future.

The images conjured up here by Solomon is a celebration feast.

Most likely a wedding.

Where the food and drinks are plenty, where you dress up in your nicest clothes and just enjoy the celebration of life.

Oil on your head and beard, smelling your best, looking your best and enjoying the good gifts of life.

B/c even with the brokenness all around us we would be wrong to believe that there isn’t anything good in life.

We should have an attitude of gratitude which will overflow into a life of celebration.

If you are a married man you should celebrate and love your wife.

I want you to notice that your wife is a gift given to you by God.

You should prize her as a gift from God above.

Eph 5:25 “25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her”

If we’re honest with ourselves guys, we aren’t the best at this.

But loving our wives means laying our lives aside to serve her.

To honor her, not speaking ill about her.

Honoring and loving her in public and private.

We are to love our wives with the same costly, sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated when he died on the cross for our sins.

Your wife isn’t an obstacle, she isn’t an object, she isn’t someone meant to please you at your every whim, rather she is one that you should enjoy and love truly, madly, deeply.

Other than serving Jesus, the most important calling to married men is to love, serve, and enjoy your wife.

That’s a high calling.

And notice Solomon also tells us in that same verse that it is also a struggle.

To truly love someone sacrificially is hard.

In fact, its one of the hardest things in the world to do.

But we only have our wives for a short time.

They only have us for a short time.

So it’s best to live a life that honors God by loving your wife well.

Also men and women, in v.10 we are told to enjoy our work.

Whatever we do do it well.

Your work regardless of what it is, is your ministry.

It’s your calling at least for this moment.

And you should be the best darn worker in your place of business.

You should work harder and with more integrity than anyone else.

Our God has created us to work and so we work well.

We don’t work to please man. We work to please God.

We should do the work that God has given us to do and not long for the work that he’s given someone else to do.

We do the work we have been called to with all our might, with all our strength b/c it honors God when we do so.

Our jobs aren’t just busy work, they are an opportunity for us to honor God with our lives.

We must do our very best b/c that’s what honors God.

A Puritan, William Perkins said this when talking about work, “We must take heed of two damnable sins…the first is idleness, whereby the duties of our callings …are neglected or omitted. The second is slothfulness whereby they are performed slackly and carelessly.”

In work we do, all the work we do, we can either honor God by doing our best or dishonor God by not doing our best.

Living a wise life means doing, saying, and living a life that rightly fears God.

This means that we recognize the beauty and brokenness in life.

That while we are on this earth we try to rediscover and recover Eden in every aspect of our life.

Finding Joy in all that God has called us to do.

But this can only truly be found if we know where the joy comes from.

God is the source of Joy and Life.

He is the spring from which all goodness flows.

So in order to live the life of wisdom that we are called to live, we must first submit our lives to God’s authority and his instruction.

Then, and only then, will our lives fall into place as they should.

If you haven’t given your life to Jesus today is the day.

Don’t waste your life.

Find joy. Grace. Love. and Peace and the feet of Jesus.