Ecclesiastes 7:1-29
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Ecc 7:1-29
Ecc 7:1-29
Kids:
Ecclesiastes 7:1 (M:BCL)
1 A good reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date.
Ecclesiastes 7:2 (M:BCL)
2 You learn more at a funeral than at a feast— After all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover something from it.
Ecclesiastes 7:3 (M:BCL)
3 Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:4 (M:BCL)
4 Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games.
Ecclesiastes 7:5 (M:BCL)
5 You’ll get more from the rebuke of a sage Than from the song and dance of fools.
Ecclesiastes 7:6 (M:BCL)
6 The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs Under the cooking pot. And like smoke.
Ecclesiastes 7:7 (NIV)
7 Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 (M:BCL)
8 Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out.
Ecclesiastes 7:9 (M:BCL)
9 Don’t be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.
Ecclesiastes 7:10 (M:BCL)
10 Don’t always be asking, “Where are the good old days?” Wise folks don’t ask questions like that.
Ecclesiastes 7:11 (LEB)
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance; it benefits the living.
Ecclesiastes 7:12 (LEB)
12 For wisdom offers protection like money offers protection. But knowledge has an advantage—wisdom restores life to its possessor.
Today is day 2 of Hills Alive. Why did you see yesterday? Who are you wanting to see today? Who is serving this year and helping out in some way or another? Thank you for that.
How many of you journal? I do. It ebbs and flows. Sometimes I need to get my feelings out to someone and it’s not fair to put that on my wife. Sometimes, I need to rejoice, cry out, worship, and sometimes I need to carve up my heart some. This book is so strange to me from other books in the Bible. It begs the question “What is the meaning of life?” and can we ever comprehend it. Some people out here this weekend are asking exactly that question, and they need to hear from someone like you why you have the hope you have in your life.
Last time, Solomon went all the way down. He even said it’s better to not even be born than it is to live a life that is not satisfied, like his was. Chapters 5 and 6 run together and we saw Ecc 5:18-6:2 “18 Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage. 19 As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart. 1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.” The old adage “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away.”
In Ecc 6:6 “6 even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place?”
He ends chapter 6 with Ecc 6:12 “12 For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?” He’s fully stuck in the mud. This God he knows comes across to Solomon as a fuddy-duddy that makes up his own rules and Solomon, in all of his wisdom, can’t figure Him out. Duh? Right? BUT I gave you some verses that prove again and again, God has a plan, and His ways are greater than our ways. His plans are to prosper us, not to harm us. We all have seasons in our life, those seasons are for us to grow thru, BUT, they’re also for us to share with others to help them overcome and do what? Point them to Jesus.
You just heard me go thru the first 12 verses here, I used some different translations to help the kids understand…now, Kids, I want you to see your parents answer some of these questions too, to help you better understand their hearts as well. Your mom and dad will help you make the Word of God useful, especially today as we go out among the masses and shine the Light.
Pray
Ecclesiastes 7:1–12 (NKJV)
1 A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth;
Good name, Reputation than any joy and prosperity - foreshadowing Matt 26:7 “7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.”
Day of death than their birth. Why is that?
2 Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart.
You learn more at a funeral than a feast. What happens at feasts?
What happens at a funeral? Why would that be better? Do we recognize our morality?
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Is it sin to be happy? Solomon is singing “Nobody knows, the trouble I see...” Does this sound familiar to anyone?
James 4:7-10 “7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
Why verse 4 like this? What are we to mourn?
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Does this sound familiar? Prov 17:10 “10 Rebuke is more effective for a wise man Than a hundred blows on a fool.”
The word is Kisil, which describes someone who hates knowledge.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
Does anyone in this room camp? What is Solomon describing here? What happens when you don’t add any fuel logs, but keep using kindling to keep a fire going? Does it get hot? Does it stay hot? CAN YOU COOK ANYTHING WITH IT? What do you say when you watch someone try to cook with lighter fluid and twigs? You sir, are an idiot, right?
What do fools laugh at? YOU!
7 Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, And a bribe debases the heart.
Imposing power on someone. Look at the “wise men” of our society today. What keeps them from God?
The Bible explains everything. When you examine human behavior thru a scriptual lens, everything makes sense.
8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Why is the end better?
9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
James 1:19 “19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;”
James 3:6 “6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
10 Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.
The Message Bible: Don’t always be asking, “Where are the good old days?” Wise folks don’t ask questions like that.
11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun.
Is Solomon talking about money? An inheritance profits the living?
12 For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.
Wisdom defends you from what?
Money defends you from what?
13 Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.
Who can make straight what HE has made crooked? What in the world does that mean?
James 1:2-5 “2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
Romans 5:1-5 “1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness. 16 Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all.
Is this sound advice? Stay in your lane, right? Do you think wickedness goes unpunished? What happens after we die? What do our loved ones do? They go thru our belongings. Pockets, wallets, photo albums, computers, phones, web history, e-mails, hand written notes…They get to see the private parts of us, and that’s where the questions start, don’t they? This was, or was not the person I knew. The Lord sorts it out for us. The first leaders conference I ever went to was right after a major pastor had fallen. Pastor Robert Furrow admonished us and said “If you’re toying with sin pastor, church leader, knock it off in the name of Jesus. If you think you can get away with it, you can’t. Stop while you still can, because Jesus will let you complete your sin…then he will make an example out of you.”
Don’t be overly wise? What does that get you? What does our wisdom do to us? It paralyzes us. We keep looking at what might happen if things go wrong, instead of being excited for what may happen if things go RIGHT.
Don’t be overly wicked, nor foolish. Don’t let your sin catch up to you. We have liberty, but what do we do with that liberty? If you take the verse as a whole, it could read like this: “Whenever you’re about to do something, you should think, "Would an idiot do that?" And if they would, do not do that thing.”
Why should we grasp this? Did any of you listen to the podcast I sent out earlier this week? What drives people from us? Us. What ties people to us? Us. How we treat others and realize that sometimes the long game is the right game to play. The Rod and the Staff, they comfort me from Psalm 23. The staff was long and crooked on the end, for direction. The Rod was thicker on one end, and used for protection…but also for correction.
Kids, do you like it when your mom or dad just comes in and sits with you?
19 Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. 20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. 21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.
We often lord our positions and liberties over others, am I right? Remember James 3:6 “6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
Do you realize that your sin looks worse on someone else? Will you get treated differently by people if you don’t treat them like you should? Don’t bad-mouth people. If you hear me doing it, stop me! Some of you have had me come and apologize to you for what I thought of you when I first met you…I had to repent because I was wrong, even though you didn’t know it. It also says in Ecc 7:21 “21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you.” Why? Why should we not take to heat what other people say? First, if we’re listening in for gossip, you’re in sin…but who defines you? Who made you? Who is the only one that has the power to do that? Jesus is. If we let the lies of this world get in our ears, they wrap their arms around our mind and twist us like the serpent did with Eve in the garden.
23 All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; But it was far from me. 24 As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, Who can find it out? 25 I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and madness. 26 And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her.
Sin is magnetic. Think of gravity, it pulls at a distance very lightly, then you what happens? It pulls you closer and closer until it’s got you trapped. Then it pulls harder, faster, and the longer you’re in orbit, the harder it is to break free. Solomon was looking for the meaning of life under the sun. He found, eat, drink, be merry, live in moderation…learn from me! Do you think Solomon is in heaven? I don’t know. There’s no record that he repented of his sin, which is a requirement, right? Does anyone know where the Hall of Faith is in the Bible? Hebrews 11. It mentions lots of people from the old testament…but not Solomon. Was he known for his faith? Nope, for his wisdom. Think about it…all of this real estate in the Bible, and he might not have made the cut. Is the stuff worth it?
27 “Here is what I have found,” says the Preacher, “Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason, 28 Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find: One man among a thousand I have found, But a woman among all these I have not found. 29 Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.”
God made man upright, where is that found in the Bible? What do we think of when we think of a person who walks uprightly? When was man like this? Genesis 1-3 right?
Genesis 3:1-6 “1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”
We scheme, we cannive, we are always looking for the shortcut. Are there shortcuts? Nope, we must climb the path, and when we get to the top, what must we do? Look down at those struggling to make it up and do what? Go get them.
Solomon has done the math, connected the dots and is still seeking what? One man out of a thousand. He’s longing for that one Man. The one Man who lived a sinless life. The one Man who did what we could not. The one Man who pleaded while being crushed inside by my sin to the point where he was sweating blood, Father, take this cup from me, Not my will, but Yours be done. The one Man who found Peter when the cock crowed amongst thousands. The one Man who wore the robe. The one Man who took the beating. The one Man who was scourged. The one Man who carried the implement and pinnacle of His suffering, My Cross. The one Man who had his arms stretched out, taking my nails in his hands and feet. That’s what pinned him there. The one Man who, with those outstretched arms, accepted our sin and paid the fine of death that we had earned. The one Man who took those sins and buried them. The one Man who Rose from that grave, and called us out of our tomb. The one man who’s calling to us to GO, PREACH THE WORD today.
Do you not think Solomon felt alone and miserable? Are there Christians that feel lost and alone? What do they need? They need you.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”