Ecclesiastes #12
The Book of Ecclesiastes • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Connection:
The Bible puts great emphasis on the word Light. God is light, and in Him there is no darkness. God’s word is a light and lamp, illuming our doctrine and practice. God’s creation is a light, testifying of God’s glory and divine power. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the Light of the world. And God’s People, the Church, are called to shine as lights in this dark world. Light is a central theme of Scripture—the radiance and brilliance of shining light. Our text for this morning picks up on this theme and says that just as light shines bright, so too does godly wisdom make us to shine bright as the sun.
Theme:
The Strength of Shining Wisdom
Need:
We need to have radiant faces that reflect the beauty of God.
Purpose:
Instruction on true wisdom, fallen humanity, righteousness, and civil obedience; rebuking the sinful temptation to sexual immorality and adultery; exhorting us to walk in the strength of shining wisdom in all of life; and comforting us in the King of the Church, Jesus Christ—whose Word of Grace is Supreme
Recap:
Last Sunday we looked at 3 contrasts between wisdom and folly. We saw that godly wisdom and eternal perspective is better than foolish vanity and vapor; that joyful prosperity and humble adversity is better than prideful speculation; that living by faith and godly fear is better than righteous or wicked extremes—and we concluded with the reality that wisdom is better than folly in hebel, and those who fear the Lord will be freed from death in Christ Jesus. Now we pick up on a further application on what it means to live wisely in all of life, in the fear of God.
Open your Bibles:
Eccl. 7:19-8:9 ESV
PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY
(1) Shining Wisdom is Having Righteously Thick Skin - v. 7:19-24
(1) Shining Wisdom is Having Righteously Thick Skin - v. 7:19-24
Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.
All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
(1) Shining Wisdom is Having Righteously Thick Skin - v. 7:19-24
(1) Shining Wisdom is Having Righteously Thick Skin - v. 7:19-24
Having just finished a series of proverbs in Ecclesiastes, we pick up with another grouping now in v. 19-24. The first is this:
1 - 7:19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Solomon wants us to know that true strength does not come via position of honour. There can be ten rulers in a city, ten noble men, ten honoured men, ten authoritative men—yet, says Solomon—biblical wisdom gives more strength than political power and position.
Godly wisdom with the fear of the Lord will show a man, and give a man, the strength he needs to live well in God’s sight. It will equip him to discern good and evil, to trust and obey, to fear and rejoice—and to live for the glory of God even in trying times. In times of difficulty, ten rulers in the city might be distressed and fearful; but one man with godly wisdom from God’s Word has more strength than the entire political cabinet in Parliament Hill.
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
Truly godly wisdom is a great need to our souls—that we might know how to glorify God in each sphere of life, in the home, in the workplace, in the church, and in the public square. Biblical wisdom gives true shining strength.
2 - 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Borgman: Be suspicious of yourself.
Oh to know the depths of our own depravity and sin—the pain of our own evil hearts—the agony of our wicked schemes—and to live in constant repentance and confession, on our knees, before the Cross of Christ—for even the most righteous of men have their good deeds stained by their sinful flesh. What is Solomon saying here? He is saying that even the best that we offer to God must be joined with repentance, for even our righteous deeds are as filthy garments (Isa. 64:6). The only reason God is pleased with the good works of Christians, is not because of their inherent goodness, but because he has saved us by grace, and the Spirit sanctifies our offerings as they ascend up to our Father who is in heaven. We are saved by grace, and our good works are purified by grace. We must be humble and never forget that nothing good dwells in us, that is, in our flesh (Rom. 7).
On this verse Charles Bridges says: We must not overlook this humbling testimony to the universal and total corruption of the whole race of man. This important statement lies at the foundation of all right views of truth. Till the plague is known, the need of a remedy will never be felt, and the only true remedy will be worthless in our eyes.
Only the sour notes of sin experienced in humble repentance will lead to the sweet notes of joy experienced through Christ! The bad news makes the good news such a delight to us! That Christ in the proper time, died for the ungodly—to save sinners—to seek and save that which is lost! He who has been forgiven much, loves much (Lk. 7:47)! Let us never leave the elementary school of humble repentance before the Cross of Christ.
3 - 21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.
We need righteously thick skin! We need godly wisdom, and humble repentance, which will lead us to have thick skin—and this leads us to stop taking ourselves so seriously, and we will stop acting as if we are the wise guy who is beyond reproof. What is our problem? When we hear evil gossip about us we act as though we don’t deserve it… we forget that we are so evil that nothing people can say about us should offend us. We are worse than they think.
O’Donnell: In 1908, The Times newspaper asked a few authors to contribute on the topic “What’s wrong with the world?” G. K. Chesterton submitted the briefest response. He wrote: “Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton.”
So Solomon says, have thick skin—don’t take to heart everything that people say—remember that we are worse than they think—and that we ourselves have many times cursed others. Seek to please God—and don’t be a people pleaser, or else you will be ruined when someone isn’t pleased with you! (Gal. 1:10).
4 - 23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
Wisdom is good, wisdom is godly, a healthy worldview, rational thought, godly action, and Christian philosophy are great—when they are founded on God’s Word—but we must remember that wisdom has limits. Wisdoms shuts its mouth when it tries to peel into things that God has kept hidden from us. Wisdom submits to God’s Word in faith, even when it doesn’t make sense to us. Wisdom accepts mysteries in Scripture because God is the author who is fully truth and cannot lie. There are deep things, very deep things in God’s Revelation—and they are far from us. He is a fool who tries to understand them, leaning on his own finite mind.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
True and godly wisdom gives us thick skin, and humble hearts.
(1) Shining Wisdom is Having Righteously Thick Skin - v. 7:19-24
This brings us to our second point for this morning:
(2) Shining Wisdom is Pleasing God in Holy Purity - v. 7:25-29
(2) Shining Wisdom is Pleasing God in Holy Purity - v. 7:25-29
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
(2) Shining Wisdom is Pleasing God in Holy Purity - v. 7:25-29
(2) Shining Wisdom is Pleasing God in Holy Purity - v. 7:25-29
Here Solomon warns against the sinful snares of sexual temptation. This is a common theme in the book of Proverbs.
Keep your way far from her,
and do not go near the door of her house,
Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
And so here he says:
25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.
Godly Wisdom fears God, receives His Word, obeys His Law, and Flees from sin. Solomon here specifically warms about the adulterous women, which I am going to apply by principle to all sexual immorality, whether it’s internal lust, pornography, masturbation, sleeping around, fornication, marital infidelity, adultery, or whatever form of sexual immorality. How does Solomon describe such things? They are more bitter than death—snares and nets—fetters and chains. The one who pleases God and is following Jesus escapes such things, but the foolish sinner is taken by them. Oh how foolish it is to indulge in such sin. It wreaks of sheol, it smells of death, it ensnares fools, it captures the wicked, it locks up the simple, and it binds the weak.
Oh brothers and sisters, I know the statistics, I know that it is highly likely that at least 1-5 people here today are indulging in secret, cherished sin and iniquity—be warned brethren, your sin will find you out—and if it is a habit of unrepentance in your life it will prove to you on the last day that you were never truly born again. Repent, before it is to late, or you will perish.
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
And for you who are wrestling with such things, but are not enslaved to them, you who truly belong to Jesus—do not be sucked into them, do not grieve the heart of your Father, do not sin against your Lord, do not quench the Spirit of God—confess them to a brother or sister, forsake them, find mercy, restoration, and grace to follow Jesus fully, by His grace, and for his glory! Such sin will only harm your relationship with God, it will ruin your relationship with others, and it will be a foothold for the devil to make you useless for the sake of the Kingdom! For the love of our Lord Jesus Christ—you and I together, all of us together, we must please God and FLEE, like Joseph of old, we must FLEE!
she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.
O’Donnell: He flees! My brothers and sisters, let us flee from Lady Folly! Do you struggle with pornography? Flee from the unobserved computer. Do you struggle with a drug addiction? Flee from your dealer. Do you struggle with gambling? Flee from the casino. Do you struggle with coveting? Flee from the shopping mall. Do you struggle with sloth? Flee from the sofa. Do you struggle with gossip? Flee from people. Don’t let wickedness grab hold of your life. Shake it off, head for the door, and run like mad! Please God instead, not only because it is right, but also because he is more pleasurable than anyone or anything that this crooked world offers.
If there is something you need to flee from this morning—do not leave this building without coming to a brother, or coming to one of the Elders—so we can help each other, admonish each other, and exhort each other to serve the Lord Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit, as we walk the narrow path of discipleship and obedience.
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Holy Purity is ALWAYS better then Sinful Immorality. Holiness is the pathway to true Happiness in Jesus Christ our Advocate.
27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
The question upon us is this—who is this ONE man among a Thousand who Solomon found? He didn’t find any other righteous men, or any righteous women—ZERO. Who is it? It’s not Solomon—that man was a sinful wreck! Beloved, there is only one who fits this bill—Jesus Christ, the Godman—our Lord.
He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
distinguished among ten thousand.
John Gill: “By this one of a thousand, is meant the Messiah, the Wisdom of God, he sought for, and now says he found; to whom he looked for peace, pardon, and atonement, under a sense of his sins; who is the messenger, an interpreter, one among a thousand; yea, who is the chiefest among ten thousands, Job 33:23; Cant. 5:10 who is superior to angels and men, in the dignity of his person; in the perfection, purity, and holiness of his nature; in the excellency of his names; in his offices and relations; and in his concern in the affairs of grace and salvation; and who is to be found by every truly wise and gracious soul that seeks him early and earnestly, in the word and sacraments, under the illumination and direction of the blessed Spirit.”
Have you found this one of a thousand? The only one Righteous One and Holy One of Israel? Have you seen Him with the Eye of faith? Have you entrusted yourself upon His precious blood and righteousness? Have you put your faith in Him alone for salvation? Have you made Him your only standing before God? Then take hope—for though mankind has sought out many schemes—Jesus Christ came to seek and to save the lost—and in Him is redemption and life eternal—for all who repent and believe.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, there is hope for salvation, and power for living in holy purity. He is worthy of our all in all—so let’s take up our cross, deny ourselves daily, and follow Him in shining wisdom!
(2) Shining Wisdom is Pleasing God in Holy Purity - v. 7:25-29
(3) Shining Wisdom is Seeing with a Biblical Worldview - v. 8:1
(3) Shining Wisdom is Seeing with a Biblical Worldview - v. 8:1
Who is like the wise?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,
and the hardness of his face is changed.
(3) Shining Wisdom is Seeing with a Biblical Worldview - v. 8:1
(3) Shining Wisdom is Seeing with a Biblical Worldview - v. 8:1
So if the negative side of godly wisdom is fleeing from sin, what is the positive side? Shining with the beauty and splendour of holiness as we gaze upon the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ! Reflecting his radiant light in our faces of shining wisdom. In other words, being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ in the day-to-day ordinary realities of life.
8:1 Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
When we are walking in wisdom, walking in Christ, walking in God’s Word, we have the Spirit of wisdom filling us within, and thus we have a biblical worldview with God’s Word as King—due to this we can have certainty, we can know true interpretation of reality, as we see the light of God’s World in the the light of God’s Word.
For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light do we see light.
The unfolding of your words gives light;
it imparts understanding to the simple.
Who is like the wise? Who knows the right interpretation? Those who are abiding in Jesus, those who have the Word of Christ dwelling richly within us, and who are taking every thought captive to obey that Word—those who can refute errors with Scripture, and see God’s World with the lens of God’s Word. True biblical wisdom is wielding the Sword of the Spirit in all of life—True Christian philosophy is nothing less than letting the Word of God inform how we see reality, knowledge, and morality—faithfully interpreting reality, faithfully knowing truth, and faithful living in godliness. Though pagan philosophy and unbelievers rail against the truth of Scripture, we respond with Paul: “Let God be true though every one were a liar” (Rom. 3:4). And we exhort with Solomon:
“Van Til says: “When the sun of grace has arisen on the horizon of the sinner, the light of nature shines only by reflected light. The light of Scripture is that superior light which lightens every other light. It is also the final light … Since the Word of God is God’s interpretation to men, it must be brought in God’s name and with God’s authority … [only then will we truly] think God’s thoughts after Him”
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
Applying our hearts to the Scriptures leads to true interpretation and certainty, to know what is right and true, because God’s Word is Authoritative, Clear, and Sufficient. And what does such a biblical worldview lead to in practical terms? Solomon says:
A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
If we do this—if we cherish up biblical knowledge, with the fear of the Lord, with faith in Christ, and with the Spirit of wisdom—then it will make us men and women of shining wisdom, transformed by the only wise God, with soft and tender hearts, shining the light of Jesus in daily life.
There is a tangible difference between someone who is full of the Word and Spirit, and those who are not—there is a tangible difference between those filled with the love of God, and those who are not—what is the difference? It is the difference between light and darkness, beauty and ugliness, holiness and sin—those who look to Him are radiant! Those who look to him find their faces shining brightly, because they reflect the light of the glory of Jesus Christ—His beautiful splendour transforming us through His living and active Word. And so we shall shine like Moses of old:
the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
And why was his face shining? Because of the light of Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, reflecting in his face! Oh to walk in the light of holiness, in shining wisdom, as we follow the light of the world, Jesus Christ.
A biblical worldview, with Jesus Christ and his Word at the center, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, will lead you to shine with the light of godly wisdom and loveliness!
(3) Shining Wisdom is Seeing with a Biblical Worldview - v. 8:1
Finally then is our last point for this morning:
(4) Shining Wisdom is Submitting to Civil Authorities - v. 8:2-9
(4) Shining Wisdom is Submitting to Civil Authorities - v. 8:2-9
I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.
(4) Shining Wisdom is Submitting to Civil Authorities - v. 8:2-9
(4) Shining Wisdom is Submitting to Civil Authorities - v. 8:2-9
If Solomon gives this as a test-case for our shining wisdom, oh how we often fall short! Shining wisdom includes submission to civil authorities.
Solomon says:
2 I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. 3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?”
The king is a reflection of the King of kings, in his position of power and authority (although sadly not always by his righteousness and justice). Solomon says to keep the king’s command, to be loyal to him, to not rebel against him—for the king is the highest of earthly powers, and if you rebel you will come under judgment. Who can say to him, what are you doing? This reminds me of Daniel, speaking about the Lord, who can say to Him, what have you done? The kings and rulers of the earth are to be a reflection of the authority of God Almighty.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
And so shining wisdom honours the 5th commandment, which by way of principle calls us to respect, submit to, and honour human authorities.
5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. 6 For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him.
Not only are we to have a submissive spirit, but we are also to render obedience to his just laws in his position of authority. The wise heart knows when to obey, and when to disobey—but he never rebells with a spirit of revolting against his position, for whoever resists him, is resisting God’s minister, and we will bear judgment for such foolishness. Shining wisdom obeys the king’s just laws, and has a heart of wisdom to know when to obey God rather than man, while still maintaining a submissive spirit (Acts 5:29).
7 For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.
And so Solomon closes this section, calling the people of God to humility in their frailty—reminding us that we don’t have power over the day of our death—reminding us that we cannot escape from the warfare of hebel—reminding us that wickedness won’t free us from sin—and reminding us that in this life, sinful men and women will abuse their power and authority—so a heart of wisdom will know when to obey, when to disobey, when to strive for justice, and when to bear injustice—all the while trusting in the great day of Christ when he will come to make all things new, when he will come to bring perfect justice, so that only shining wisdom will fill the new heavens and new earth.
None of us has power over the day of our death—our time is in his hands—but we do have victory over the day of our death, because Jesus Christ laid his life down for his sheep, to save us from our sins, to bring us to God, and to transform us by the Spirit.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Jesus, the only man who did have power over the day of his death, laid it down of his own accord, for all who repent and believe—and he did it to save, to forgive, to cleanse, to renew, to restore, to reconcile, to bring peace and hope and life and joy—those who look to him are radiant, because Christ has conquered death. Trust in Him, beloved—and serve Him in shining wisdom, until that day when the morning star rises in our hearts, and we will see Him face to face! So we submit to civil rulers, because we submit to Christ the Lord, ruler of kings on earth—and we long for that day when the Kingdom of Christ will come in its full consummation:
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
Have you been transferred into the Kingdom of Christ? Only by being born again, and through faith can anyone come to know King Jesus and his saving grace—and only then will we learn to submit to authorities for the glory of God.
(4) Shining Wisdom is Submitting to Civil Authorities - v. 8:2-9
Hear now our conclusion:
(C) Shining Wisdom gives Strength for Humble Obedience to King Jesus.
(C) Shining Wisdom gives Strength for Humble Obedience to King Jesus.
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
(C) Shining Wisdom gives Strength for Humble Obedience to King Jesus.
(C) Shining Wisdom gives Strength for Humble Obedience to King Jesus.
Amen, let’s pray.
Discussion Questions:
(1) Why must we have thick skin in order to follow Jesus in a sinful world?
(2) Why must we pursue purity in a sexually addicted world? How can we do this?
(3) Why must we be reformed according to a biblical worldview in order to interpret things rightly?
(4) Why must we submit to authorities as we live for the glory of God in this world?
(5) Why is shining wisdom to important for a life of discipleship and mission as we follow King Jesus?
