The Quest for Success (Ecclesiastes 9:10-18)

Pre-Introduction

Introduction

They were vastly outnumbered, and they were out of time.

The year was 1529, the Ottoman Empire, now at its peak, had a force of at least 100,000 soldiers marching to the gates of Vienna, a city that had only 21,000 defenders. They were outnumbered 5 to 1.

The official in charge, realizing their situation, quickly gave operational command to a 70-year old German mercenary named Nicholas, Count of Salm.

Quickly, Nicholas ordered for the walls of the city to be strengthened and fortified, the four city gates blocked, and mounds of earth built up on the inside of the walls. Nicholas knew that if key weakpoints of their defenses could be built up, their much smaller force could have an outsized impact in the defense of the city.

After a brutal two-week seige, the Ottoman invaders fled in retreat, unable to take the city. During their final charge before their retreat, a rock somehow fell and gravely wounded Nicholas, the leader of the defenders. Just a few months after the historic victory, Nicholas tragically died from his injuries.

Nicholas, Count of Salm.

Have you ever heard his name before?

This key figure didn’t have a more powerful army than his opponents, but he did have a bit of practical wisdom that won the day.

But in the end, even though he delivered the city from the Ottomans, he died and was largely forgotten by history.

As we look at his life now, was he successful? Or not?

Post-Introduction

In many ways, our assessment of whether or not he was successful depends on our definition of success.

Why do you do what you do?

How do you know if you’re successful?

For some, success is winning big battles or being remembered for great accomplishments.

For others, success is making lots of money or being able to have influence and power.

For still others, success is achieving personal goals, being in a relationship with someone, or hitting your numbers at work.

How do you know if you’re successful?

This morning, the Teacher from the Book of Ecclesiastes is going to ask us this question: what is true success?

And as we’ve seen throughout the whole book so far, he’s going to take us along for the ride and tell us about his own quest for success.

In order to do that, he’s going to tell us a story that he found on his quest, the story of a poor wise man who delivered a city — much like Nicholas, Count of Salm — and from this story, the Teacher is going to turn to us and try to teach us an important lesson:

Big Idea: True success is caring more about being faithful than being successful.

Let’s look at our passage together:

Ecclesiastes 9:10–18 (ESV)

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.

13 I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me.

14 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it.

15 But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

16 But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.

17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

This morning, as the Teacher tells us what he’s learned from his quest for success, he’s going to try to convince you to care less and care more

He’s going to try to convince you: (1) You should care less about being successful, and (2) You should care more about being faithful.

The Quest for Success

1. You should care less about being successful (vv.10b-12)

Explanation

(Why?) Because of two main reasons:

(1) First, being successful is limited by death (v.10b, 12)

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (ESV)

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Ecclesiastes 9:12 (ESV)

12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.

“Sheol” is the Hebrew word for the realm of the dead.

But the Teacher’s point here is to stress that everyone is going to die and that your life with all its work and knowledge and success and failure, everything ends when you die.

And, you don’t know when you’re going to die.

He uses these powerful images in verse 12.

A fish, caught in a net.

A bird, caught in a trap.

And suddenly, they’re gone.

Illustration

[Estimated 1 billion birds hit skyscrapers and die every year]

[Nature documentary, follow a bird from egg to chick to adult. Follow the bird through migrations. And then suddenly the bird gets confused and slams into a window and dies instantly]

[Think about this for people, too!]

You are going to die.

No matter what you accomplish with your life, you’re going to die.

Let’s game this out with the Teacher.

Example #1: Accomplish personal goal

Let’s say you accomplish a personal goal of running a 5k. Good job! You’re going to die one day.

Ok, let’s say you work really hard to improve and run a half-marathon. Great work! You’re still going to die.

Ok, so you work even harder and you run a marathon. Wow! Congrats! You’re also going to die.

And in the end, what will your success actually mean for you when you’re gone? When you’re in your coffin, what benefit will your success in achieving your personal goal have for you?

Example #2: Retire comfortably

Let’s say you work really hard and are really disciplined to make all your matching contributions for your retirement account

You end up being able to retire comfortably (I don’t believe in retirement I believe in redeployment), but you can even travel and see a few places.

Or let’s say you’re thinking about that and you decide that you want to work like crazy and put away tons of extra money so you can retire early and travel to a lot of places in retirement.

Ok great. You’re both going to die.

And when you’re dead, what difference will it make?

Death is a problem. The Bible says its an enemy and a consequence.

This world wasn’t built for death. We weren’t built for death.

We were built for life. We were built to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

But because of our sin—when we turned away from God to live for ourselves--the world is cursed by death. Death is the righteous penalty that due us because of our sin.

[Gospel Call]

All throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes, death is the great obstacle to a life of true meaning and significance.

But the good news of Christianity is that death has been overcome by Jesus Christ.

The way Jesus has overcome death is

by living a perfect life for us, in our place

by taking the penalty that we deserve, in our place,

by rising from the dead, proving that God has accepted his sacrifice

So that now, if you will turn from your sin and trust in Jesus, you can be forgiven from your sin and have unending life and joy with God.

Death can be overcome for you.

Application #1 - For those who are not Christians: turn and trust.

If you’ve never done that, that’s your next step

Talk to me after the service, I’ll be here at the front, I’d love to talk with you

Application #2 - For Christians, we often live forgetting the reality of death. And we live for all of these goals that death will render ultimately meaningless.

Transition: That’s the first reason you should care less about being successful: being successful is limited by death.

The second reason is:

(2) Second, being successful is limited by your lack of control (v.11)

Ecclesiastes 9:11 (ESV)

11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

Illustration - Farming

If you grew up on a farm or your parents grew up farming, this makes sense to you.

You can be the most diligent, hard-worker, and you can be doing everything right:

Choosing the right crop, thinking about climate, soil type, market demand, and your own expertise

Planning the right crop rotation schedule

Budgeting and financing: calculating the costs for seed, fertilizer, equipment, labor, and everything else.

Testing the soil to make sure the pH levels and nutrient content and soil structure is right.

Tilling the soil and making sure its ready for seed

Choosing high quality seeds

Making sure the seeds are treated properly

Sowing the seeds using the right techniques and making sure the seeds are at the right spacing and depth

Managing the water and irrigation

Protecting the crops from pests and diseases

Controlling weeds

Monitoring crop growth and making necessary adjustments

Pruning and training

Thinning overcrowded plants to reduce competition and improve growth

That and more!

And you can put all of that work in and all of that time and money and a single storm can ruin everything.

In August 2020, Cedar Rapids Iowa was hit by a derecho, a massive windstorm that caused hurricane-force winds and heavy rains and flash floods.

Wind speeds reached up to 140mph

65 percent of the city’s tree canopy were damaged or destroyed in an hour

One study estimates that 3.1 to 3.8 million acres of corn and soybeans were damaged or destroyed in the storm, an economic impact of anywhere from $600 million dollars all the way up to $1.8 billion dollars.

(2) Being successful is limited by your lack of control.

The Teacher lists out all of these situations where just because someone has put the time and energy into something, doesn’t guarantee that they’ll get what they want.

Look at some of the examples again:

Just because you’re fast, doesn’t mean you’ll win the race.

Just because you’re strong, doesn’t mean you’ll win the battle.

Just because you’re smart, doesn’t mean you’ll be prosperous and wealthy and successful.

In every case, there are factors outside of your control.

You might be fast, but what if someone else is faster?

You might be a strong military power, but what if a snowstorm traps you and your force on the battlefield?

You might be smart, but what if there’s a financial crisis on Wall Street and all of a sudden your retirement account is cut in half overnight?

As many things you think are within your control, there are even more things that are outside your control.

1. You should care less about being successful

Because (1) Being successful is limited by death (v.10b, 12)

and (2) Being successful is limited by your lack of control (v.11)

Application

Why would you build your life on goals that could at any moment fall apart? Why would you build your life on a foundation so thin and flimsy?

Application #1 - Why would you build your whole life on a goal like getting into the best school or getting the best grades?

What happens if you get sick and have to drop out?

Application #2 - Why would you build your whole life on a goal like starting a new business?

What happens if the business fails?

Transition: That’s the first lesson the Teacher is teaching us from his quest for success: (1) You should care less about being successful.

Second,

2. You should care more about being faithful (v.10a, 13-18)

Explanation -

We really start to see this when we look at verses 13-18.

Ecclesiastes 9:13–18 (ESV)

13 I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me.

14 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it.

15 But there was found in it a poor, wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

16 But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.

17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

Explanation

The Teacher tells us this story about a poor wise man who helps defend his city from a great king and his pow

He really highlights the power differential here.

One is poor and small and of a low standing in a small city, while the other is rich and great and of a high standing and leading a powerful army.

And even though the poor man hasn’t been as externally successful as the great king—who has amassed riches and power and fame and military strength and earthly success— nevertheless, the poor man has something the great successful king doesn’t have: wisdom.

Wisdom isn’t born out of a sudden flash of magic or mystery. It’s not a lightning strike of insight. It’s not a loud shout, as the Teacher says.

Wisdom is something slow. Steady. Boring. Wisdom is said quietly. It doesn’t have to shout and stand up and wave its arms to be effective.

Listen again to the Teacher :

Ecclesiastes 9:17 (ESV)

17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

I’m reminded of how James describes true wisdom in James 3:17-18

James 3:17–18 (ESV)

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

And yet, despite this poor man’s wisdom, and despite the fact that his wisdom actually saves the day and defeats the larger army, within a short period of time that poor man is forgotten, as history has moved on to the next crisis.

What are we supposed to make of this story?

(2) You should care more about being faithful because

(1) Being faithful is not limited by death

(2) Being faithful is within your control (by God’s grace)

What do I mean?

The poor, wise man has changed the equation of what it means to be successful.

(1) Being faithful is not limited by death

For the one consumed by metrics of success like wealth and power and influence and comfort and fame, death is the ultimate disappointment because once you die, you’re dead and everything’s gone.

That thing that you spent your whole life striving for and maybe even achieved for a short time is now gone forever.

But for the one focused on being faithful, when faithfulness becomes the definition of success, I don’t have to try and find my success here on earth before I die. Instead, I can have a broader horizon. I don’t have to just live for the here and now, I can live for eternity.

The Teacher doesn’t get into this explicitly here, but this is where his argument is leading

Remember, the very last verse of the book reminds us:

Ecclesiastes 12:14 (ESV)

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

There’s a day of judgment coming after you die.

That means you can focus on trying to be rich now, in this life, or rich later, in eternity.

You can focus on trying to achieve your best life now or trust in God to give you your best life later.

This poor, wise man was using his wisdom not to prop up himself or to make a name for himself, but to serve others. And in the end, even though he was forgotten here and now, because he was faithful, he was successful.

Transition: The second reason You should care more about being faithful is because

(2) Being faithful is within your control (by God’s grace)

If you are a Christian — meaning that you have turned from your sin and trusted in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and the hope of eternal life with God — then you know that the only reason you are a Christian is because of God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV)

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

That means right now, you stand in the Risen Christ, fully loved, fully forgiven, fully righteous, fully accepted and embraced by God because of Jesus and not because of you.

And, you know that not only are you declared righteous by grace, you are also made more like Jesus practically day by day by God’s grace

Philippians 2:13 (ESV)

13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

BUT, if you are a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit who has come to live with you and in you to empower you to live the Christian life.

And that means that now, by God’s grace, this is God’s will for you:

Philippians 2:12 (ESV)

12 ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,

It doesn’t say work for your salvation, it says work out your salvation.

That means be faithful! That means obey! That means grow in godliness. That means be full of confidence in who you are in Jesus Christ and because of your gratitude and love for him for all that He’s done for you, take actionable steps to change.

Look again at the very first phrase of this section, verse 10:

Ecclesiastes 9:10 (ESV)

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might...

The New Testament says the same thing:

Romans 12:11 (ESV)

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)

17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Colossians 3:23 (ESV)

23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Work hard in whatever you’re doing for the glory of God.

(2) Being faithful is within your control (by God’s grace)

Application #1 - You can’t control if someone else is faster than you so that you might not win the race;

but you can control whether or not you run to the best of your ability for the glory of God

Application #2 - You can’t control whether the stock market crashes or not;

but you can control whether or not you will live within your means so you can live generously toward others for the glory of God rather than living in a downward spiral of crippling credit card debt.

Application #3 - You can’t control whether or not you get cancer;

but you can control how you trust in God when the diagnosis comes, for the glory of God.

Application #4 - You can’t control whether or nor someone likes you;

but you can control how you treat them even if they don’t like you, for the glory of God

Application #5 - You can’t control whether or not God sends revival to your workplace or your school or your family

but you can control when and where and with what kind urgency you pray and ask for God to send revival, for the glory of God.

Application Question - What are the areas in your life that you are prone to want to be successful more than faithful?

What would it look like for you to care less about being successful and more about being faithful?

Conclusion

William Borden was born into a wealthy family in Chicago in 1887, with all the privileges and opportunities you can imagine. He was poised for a life of comfort and prosperity.

But from an early age, Borden was sensitive to spiritual things. He and his family faithfully attended Chicago Avenue Church, later known as Moody Church, a church that is still faithfully sharing the gospel today. When he was just 8 years old, his mom asked him and his siblings what they wanted to be when they grew up, and Borden wrote, “I want to be an honest man when I grow up; a true and loving and kind and faithful man.”

After high school, he took a gap-year traveling all around the world, and it was this trip that burdened his heart for global missions and evangelism, as he encountered many people who had never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ.

After returning from the trip, he went to Yale and then attended Princeton Seminary, all the while beginning to prepare for a life of missionary service. He ran several mercy missions, sharing food with the hungry and sharing the gospel every day. He saw many men and women profess faith in Jesus Christ. In 1912, he was ordained for gospel ministry at a service at Moody Church, and on December 17, 1912, he said goodbye to his friends and family and boarded a ship in New York and travelled halfway around the world to Cairo, Egypt. He intended to spend a year in Arabic and Islamic studies and then travel to London and study medicine for a year, so he could most effectively minister to the physical and spiritual needs of needy Muslim populations. Unfortunately, he never left Cairo.

After just a few months in Egypt, Borden contracted spinal meningitis. He fought the disease for two weeks, but tragically died at the age of 25 on April 9, 1913, just hours before his mom and sister were able to arrive to visit him from the US. He was buried in Cairo, thousands of miles away from home.

William Borden never made it to his final destination. He never reached his final goal of ministering with the China Inland Mission to Chinese Muslims. But he didn’t wait until he reached his goal to be faithful.

Borden’s biographer, reflecting on his life, summarized his mentality and focus this way: “No reserves, no retreat, no regret.”

Borden's life was short, but focused and faithful, and it left a lasting legacy. His faithfulness inspired many other men and women all around the world to care more about being faithful than being successful by bringing the gospel to the billions that haven’t heard his name.

That rings true for us today.

You don’t have to be a foreign missionary for your life to count for eternity. You should be open to that, because if its always someone else’s calling, no one will ever go. But that’s not the only way to serve God.

Whatever your vocation or your calling or your passion or your abilities, the lesson from God’s Word for us today is that True success is caring more about being faithful than being successful.

So the question is—by God’s grace—will you be faithful?

Let’s pray