Ecclesiastes #5

Introduction:

Connection:

Our mood can change everything about how we enjoy life. Our perspective can change everything about how we pursue life. Our beliefs can change everything about how we use time.

Consider the difference between a man who was instructed to play golf with his eyes closed. It would be miserable. His perspective is skewed—blinded. But one simple adjustment, the opening of his eyes, and the game becomes a delight. How we view life changes everything, and every part of us. New eyes makes us new creatures—and new creatures have new delights.

Theme:

Work, Joy, and Time

Need:

As Calvin said so long ago: ““Scripture is like a pair of spectacles which dispels the darkness and gives us a clear view of God [and his world]”. We need to get fitted for these spectacles, for these crucial glasses—until then, everything will be blurry, and all will be vanity.

Purpose:

To rebuke us for making work our chief idol; to comfort us in the enjoyment of our Father’s world through Christ our Saviour; and to exhort us to use wisdom for each season from God under heaven.

Recap:

Last Lord’s Day we looked at the vanity and vapor of pleasure, indulgence, and wisdom. We saw that none of these brings lasting gain. We saw that all of these leave our hearts lacking. We saw that it is better to be wise than foolish—but wisdom in itself leaves us grave-bound. We saw that this world of hebel leads us to hate life—as we are striving after wind. Now Solomon finishes his brief autobiography, brings us to view work in its proper perspective, and exhort us to please God in the short time he has given us.

Read Text:

Eccl. 2:18-3:8 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) To Work for Human Gain is Sorrow and Vexation

(1) To Work for Human Gain is Sorrow and Vexation

At this final destination of Solomon’s autobiography before a short stop—he brings us to the endeavor of life that takes up the most of our time, thoughts, energy, stress, and effort: our work, our job, our vocation, our calling. Solomon has stumbled over the vanity of experience, pleasure, surpassing others, and wisdom—now he takes us to one last item on display. He is going to show us that the pursuit of work, due to the curse and fall of man, due to sin and corruption, due to hebel of hebels—that this too does not bring lasting gain to the human heart, it cannot satisfy, it is vanity, it is a vapor, it is a fleeting mist in a world bound for the grave. The piercing question for us is: if this is true, then why does work too often become our be-all-end-all, our god, our idol, and our chief purpose in life? If we examine our lives, does our job practically become the god of our life? Does it suck out our worship from us? Does it take away our time from being a faithful husband/wife or parent? Work is good—but work in hebel can quickly become evil. Let’s unpack what Solomon has to say here:

What makes human work for human gain a vanity? Firstly, because who knows whether or not our labours will be taken over by a wise man or a foolish man. He says: I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity (v. 18-19).

If we are looking to find gain in our work, Solomon rebukes us and says: how can this bring you gain if the next boss/employee could destroy everything you worked for? And if it is true that Solomon is the author, then oh how this verse applied to his own life. Solomon was reigning at the apex of life in the kingdom of Israel. The glory of the Lord filled the temple. There was peace and prosperity, safety from enemies, and covenant blessings abounding in the land. Solomon reigned for 40 years in the holy city. But his son Rehoboam took the throne after he died. Rehoboam shortly thereafter led the people into idolatry, a divided kingdom, and covenant curses. All that Solomon labored for was stripped from him by a godless son. 1 Kings 12:18-19

1 Kings 12:18–19 ESV

Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboam hurried to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

2 Chronicles 12:1 ESV

When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he was strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and all Israel with him.

The covenant son and heir to the throne of David was a wicked and foolish man who sparked the beginning of the division between the northern and southern kingdom, between Israel and Judah, between the people of God from within. Oh what a warning this is to train up our children in the fear and instruction of the Lord—lest they prove to be foolish and bring dishonour upon our name. Who knows whether those who come after us will be wise or a fool? Work, hard work, good work, fruitful work—it cannot bring lasting gain, it cannot satisfy, all is a vain vapor.

This led Solomon to despair and frustration, crying out because of the evil corruption of this fallen world! He says: so I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. (v. 20-21)

Just as last week we saw that Solomon hated life, so now does he hate his toil. Even his covenant labors as King. Even his righteous deeds. Even his kingdom-building. Even his church-work. Even his service in the house of God. All his toil led him to a deep-seated frustration and despair. Because in itself it could bring no gain.

In bondage to work, in bondage to sin, in bondage to slavery, like Israel of God who do not listen to the Word of God because of our “broken spirit and harsh slavery” (Ex. 6:9).

All his wisdom and knowledge, all his skill and gifting, all his graces and fruits—they are left to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. All my hard work, and the next person just gets a free pass! How can that be? How is that fair? Do you feel the frustration in Solomon’s voice? This, he says, is a great evil. Oh how human work leaves us unsatisfied and frustrated—yet we slave away, hours without end, head down, working all day, and the next day, and the next day, and the next day—and each day our work does not satisfy our weary hearts—and all our efforts could go down the drain when a foolish person gets our position years down the road.

This leads Solomon to ask the infamous question again: What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity (v. 22-23).

Not only does Solomon have weariness during the day, but also at night! His reflections on this life of hebel gave him insomnia. Have you ever experienced insomnia? Awake for hours on end. Even if you are tired, your mind just doesn’t shut down. Solomon knows what that is like. He feels the weight and pain of an unsettled heart and mind, he feels the burden and despair of a broken and evil world, he feels the sorrow of a life that is marred by hebel. This also is vanity.

BORGMAN: At this point hebel is not just breath but the frustration that it brings. Qoheleth is in deep despair about the fruit of his labor under the sun, knowing that his legacy will be left to one who did not earn it, will not appreciate it, and may even mismanage it. He his at his breaking point as he has tried to answer his question from 1:3: what does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? The disappointment is a breath and in grasping that reality, he is empowered to see the joy of a fleeting life and all it entails.

I hated my toil—I was depressed in my toil—I am full of sorrow in my toil—but alas, Solomon finally finds a new pair of glasses, some new spectacles, a new lens to try on. Finally some light shining in this dark book! Finally some beauty after dismantling the lies of an ugly world. Finally, some joy after the night of weeping over sin.

(1) To Work for Human Gain is Sorrow and Vexation

Here comes the first point of true happiness in the Book of Ecclesiastes:

(2) To Receive the Gift of God is Joy and Pleasure

(2) To Receive the Gift of God is Joy and Pleasure

Novelty fails to bring gain, legacy fails to bring gain, wisdom fails to bring gain, pleasure fails to bring gain, comparison fails to bring gain, living wisely fails to bring gain, working hard fails to bring gain—so where does Solomon go from here? Where is the next stop? Is he going to learn that nothing in the created realm can fill his little heart that was made for God? At last he stops, takes a breath, and realizes: I can’t shepherd the wind, I can’t satisfy my heart in the creature, I can’t find gain in this world—and it dawned on him—the first step to happiness is to stop trying to get more out of the creation than it was meant to give. It is a creature not a Creator. It is a gift not the Giver. It wasn’t meant to satisfy our hearts. The world is very good, and though it is stained by sin and hebel, it can still be enjoyed as a token of love from the Lord.

If we stop trying to suck satisfaction out of the created realm—we can start receiving joy from it as we see the hand of God behind it. If we stop the endless pursuit of gain—we can start the happy life of gift. This is what the Sabbath is for, for proclaiming that work is not our god, as we rest our bodies from labor, and rest our souls in the worship of Christ the Lord!

We need a new mindset. We need a new perspective. We need a new lens in this blazing heat of hebel. What is it? It is the lens of receiving a gift freely, instead of slaving for an inheritance that it cannot give. It is Gospel life. Good news. Free grace. Instead of building a tower of Babel to reach the heavens, we receive the simple pleasures of God as a gracious present to be received with thanksgiving in our hearts. Instead of trying to use the creation to get out of hebel, we start to enjoy the journey through hebel as we take joy in the fleeting gifts of God. That’s it. Taking joy in the fleeting gifts from God—instead of trying to find joy in the gifts themselves.

Solomon says: There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. For apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? (v. 24-25).

How do we find happiness in God’s world? How do we find joy in this life of hebel? By sitting down, shutting up, quieting our hearts, putting out our hands, and receiving freely. Life is a gift, not a gain. Life is a grace, not a merit. Life is a present, not a wage. Life is a fountain, not a faucet.

We can’t reap gain from something that was never meant to bring gain. We can only receive it with happiness, gratitude, and thanksgiving. This is the life of faith and blessedness in the world of hebel, God’s good world stained by sin and the fall.

Pause with me for a moment. Think about the fact that you are breathing God’s air. Think about the fact that you are being upheld by His power. Think about the fact that you are sheltered by His house. Think about the fact that you are surrounded by His people. Think about the fact that you are worshipping the God of heaven. Think about the fact that you get to enjoy the sun, the beach, family, friends, houses, homes, gardens, concerts, restaurants, good drink, good food, and how when you receive these as gifts, not turning them into gain, you do have a joy and gratitude as you walk in the good gifts that come down from the Father of lights—his good and perfect gifts.

What do you love to do? What are some of your favourite hobbies? What makes you excited with anticipation? What makes you joyful and pleased. What good gifts from the Lord do you delight yourself in? This is our Father’s World—and He made it for his children to enjoy. Find something you love doing, and glorify God in it. Find something that warms your heart, and enjoy God through it. Don’t make it a god, don’t make it an idol, don’t make it an end in itself—but make it a time of fellowship with God, to be happy in Him and HIs good gifts. Know that they are a vapor—know that they cannot satisfy—but know that as you stop trying to grab on to them so seriously, you can start to enjoy them happily from the heart of God your Father in Christ.

How do we find happiness? By gazing into the heart of God who lavishes his people, by his grace, with the good life. But more than that! He doesn’t just lavish us with the good life, he lavishes us with eternal life! Not only can we rejoice in his temporal gifts, but we can rejoice in his eternal gifts. There is no lasting gain under the sun, but there can be happiness here—because there is lasting gain in the Son of God.

The Apostle Paul writes:

Philippians 4:1 ESV

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

What? How can we stand firm in the Lord? Where is the stability to be found in this whirlwind and sinking sand of hebel? He tells us right beforehand:

Philippians 3:20–21 ESV

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

We have been given saving grace! Not just temporal grace. Eternal grace! We have been given the chief of gifts. The royal diadem. The beloved Son. The one in whom the Father is well pleased. We have been given the fountain of life. We have been given the everlasting Word of God, the Word who is God! We have been given the radiant One! We have been given the gentle and lowly One! We have been given the Lord of glory. We have been given the Messiah—the Son of God—the Redeemer and Saviour of all who believe. We have been given Jesus Christ, our living hope—the Mediator of the Covenant of Grace!

Jesus is the gift of God, unto eternal life. He is the grace of God, bringing salvation to the world. He is the Lamb of God, bringing forgiveness and peace with God. He is the King of kings, bringing safety and refuge in God. He is the life-giving Spirit, pouring out the Gentle Dove upon our weary hearts. He is the Shepherd-King who tends to his garden and enjoys it’s choice fruits. He is our friend, He is our God! His perfect life, atoning death, radiant resurrection, and eternal life—He brings shalom, true rest and happiness with an inheritance in the age to come, in the new world, in the new creation. He saves us from the wrath to come, and He will raise us up on the last day! He is the greatest of gifts! And when He returns He will transform our hebel-stained bodies, and will raise us to glory.

Oh trust in Him Calvary! Repent of trying to find your satisfaction in the creature. Making Him your all-in-all. Receive the gift of eternal life. Rest in His sovereign grace. And find a happiness that cannot fail. And because of Jesus Christ, we can sing the song of the Gospel: Phil. 4:4

Philippians 4:4 ESV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

The old catechism was right. What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever. How do we do this? By glorifying and enjoying Him through his gifts, temporal and eternal—by being satisfied in His beauty and glory, and by shining the overflowing light of the Spirit through our happy and holy hearts. By his grace, and for his glory.

Amen. But Solomon recognizes that it is a poor estate and condition to live without God and without hope in the world, for even what the sinner collects will be given to the saints on the last day. There is no gain in this life, and to those who are not trusting in Jesus—you must cling to Jesus and find peace with God, or all you have will be taken from you on the last day. A happy announcement is followed by a solemn warning. Solomon says:

For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind (v. 26).

Do not stay in your sins. Run to Jesus. Your work, your gathering, your collecting—it cannot make you right with the King of glory. You cannot please him by your good works. But only through faith. Without faith it is impossible to please Him! Without trusting in Jesus, we can never offer up an ounce of beauty unto the heavens. We must hold fast to the Saviour—and be filled with his Spirit—so that we can please our Father who accepts our works, because He accepts us by grace alone. Do not stay in your sins. Wrath is coming. Run to Jesus, before it is too late. He stands ready to save you, trust in Him. Hear His very words, which agree with Solomon’s above:

Matthew 13:12 ESV

For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Those who come to Jesus lose nothing, and gain everything. Those who reject Jesus gain nothing, and lose everything. Let today be the day that you gain everything, becoming a child of God, and a co-heir with Jesus Christ:

Come to Jesus, and rest in Him. Turn from your sins, and believe in Him. Repent of your rebellion, and cling to Christ. Then be baptized, live for heaven, and drink deeply from the water of life for all eternity.

The life of receiving God’s gifts, temporal and eternal, is the life of true happiness and gladness. Our God is a good and bountiful God—enjoy Him truly, and long for the day when hebel will be swallowed up forever. May we not be sour Christians—but the happiest of all—for us who are believers in Jesus Christ have eternal and infinite cause to rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory!

O’DONNEL: [One writer] wrote that “these verses are an oasis of optimism in a wilderness of despair.” They are an oasis because God is there! The shadow of the Almighty can cover the shadow of death, as it does here. God’s presence and God’s presents are the reasons to rejoice.

(2) To Receive the Gift of God is Joy and Pleasure

In light of God’s good gifts, we lastly learn how to live under God’s good sovereignty:

(3) To Steward Divine Timing is Wisdom and Discretion

(3) To Steward Divine Timing is Wisdom and Discretion

After receiving the gift of God in Jesus Christ, and putting on a Spirit-empowered lens to view his temporal gifts as tokens of our Father’s love—we now must learn to submit to His sovereign allotment of the seasons of life, and respond with faithful stewarding of the times He gives.

Oftentimes these verses are read as if they are simply a collection of things for us to do. But this passage is first of all about what God does—in ordering every season of life, and in appointing ever time under the heaven. Seasons are out of our control—they are appointed by the Almighty. Time is our of our control—it is unravelled by His plan. Dan. 2:21 says that He changes times and seasons. When the time comes by God’s sovereign hand, we must act appropriately—we can’t change the times, we can only please God in them.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven (v.1).

Every season, spring, summer, fall, and winter—it all comes from the hand of God, as a gift of God, in the pleasure and in the pain. Each season has its purpose—and each season has its plan in the heart of your Father who is in heaven.

Isaiah 46:9–10 ESV

remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

His sovereign decree, His predestining of all things, His reigning over the great and small, His control of the atoms and the animals: it is all for your good, dear child of God.

Romans 8:28 ESV

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Our time is in his hands. He has numbered our days. But as He worked out his timing in life—he is unfolding his story of grace, and He is making us more like Jesus. He is equipping us to seek first His Kingdom. He is helping us to enjoy his good gifts. And He is stirring us to long for glory, when we shall see Him face to face.

So as the clock unwinds, as the seasons come and go, as God’s timing unfolds in front of our eyes—let us remember His covenant of grace and His precious promises, even when we walk through the highs and lows. These times under the heavens are changing from our perspective—but they are one unified plan from His perspective. Let us steward his time, pleasing Him in all things, and trusting His purpose even when we can’t understand what He is doing. He will bring us home, He will hold us fast. Until then, let us live wisely, with discretion, discernment, and the fear of the Lord.

From birth to death—let us live in the new birth, which frees us from the second death.

From planting to plucking up—let us plant the seeds of the Gospel and leave the sowing to our God.

From killing to healing—let us destroy the sin that dwells within, and receive God’s healing grace.

From breaking to building—let us tear down weeds of pride and build up the walls of the city of God.

From weeping to laughing—let us mourn over our sin and rejoice in God’s free gifts.

From casting to gathering—let us seek the advance of the Kingdom of Christ to the ends of the earth until he will gather us as one flock.

From embracing to refraining—let us cling closely to Jesus and let go of the sin that weighs us down.

From seeking to losing—let us draw near in communion with Christ, leaving the world behind.

From keeping to casting away—let us guard our hearts in all of life, as we toss aside vain pursuits.

From tearing to sewing—let us rip to shreds the clothes of the old man, while being knit more closely to Jesus.

From silence to speaking—let us know when not to cast pearl before the swine, and when to stand boldly for His Word.

From love to hate—let us delight ourselves in the Trinity, while hating all that keeps us from his will.

From war to peace—let us battle against the remaining corruptions within, while being filled with the shalom of the Spirit.

From extreme to extreme—each come from the decree of our Father—things are changing in this world, things are fleeting in this life—but His purpose remains steadfast, and His promises remain unbroken. Let us enjoy our God and His bountiful gifts, while stewarding the time that He has given us. Redeem the time, says Paul, for the days are evil. Let us be people who live for eternity—for only then can we enjoy this age, and only then can we be prepared for the age to come.

In all the shadows and turning of the cosmos, under the simple and pure plan of our Father—let us long for the day when the night will be no more, when we shall enter the golden shore—and the Lord himself shall be our light, never to taste the pangs of hebel again. And on that day we will never experience a fleeting joy again—but only and forevermore, an eternal joy.

Until then let us walk in wisdom toward outsiders, filled with the wisdom that comes down from above—so that we may know how to fear the Lord, in whatever season or time the Lord brings us by the counsel of his perfect and sovereign will.

(3) To Steward Divine Timing is Wisdom and Discretion

So here is our conclusion:

(C) Work is not Gain, but a Gift, and in Christ it is a Joy—So please God with our Fleeting Time, and Long for the Golden Shore.

Christians should be the happiest of people—for we are people lavished by grace. With the lens of the Gospel on, and the Promises of the Golden Shore—we can finally begin to enjoy our Father’s world through Christ our Lord.

BRIDGES: “Whence comes this present enjoyment? Is it not from the hand of God? That most loving Father, whose blessings puts love into all our outward mercies? Common mercies are sealed with covenant love. Two words suffice to describe the man of God’s present happiness—godliness with contentment!”

1 Timothy 6:6–8 ESV

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

1 Timothy 6:17–19 ESV

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

(C) Work is not Gain, but a Gift, and in Christ it is a Joy—So please God with our Fleeting Time, and Long for the Golden Shore.

Amen, let’s pray.