Ecclesiastes #14

Introduction:

Connection:

The Story of the Trojan horse teaches us that—wisdom is better than might. The story goes like this:

The Greeks, led by Odysseus, built a huge wooden horse and left it outside the gates of Troy as an offering to the goddess Athena. They pretended to give up the war and sailed away, leaving a Greek soldier behind to convince the Trojans that the horse was a gift. The Trojans fell for the trick and brought the horse into the city. While the Trojans were celebrating, the Greek soldiers climbed out of the horse and opened the gates to let in the rest of the Greek army.

And so it is in the Christian life. Wisdom is a mighty weapon in the hands of a holy saint, who is then equipped to be useful and effective for the Kingdom of Christ. Biblical Wisdom sharpens the cut of the Sword of the Spirit in daily life—knowing the precise way of applying Law and Gospel, Precepts and Promises, in every sphere of Life under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Wisdom is necessary for spiritual warfare, as we fight not against flesh and blood.

Theme:

Chance, Wisdom, and Folly

Need:

We need armour to battle against the enemy of our souls and his kingdom of darkness!

Purpose:

Exhorting the church to humility under God’s sovereignty; to godly wisdom in God’s world; to flee from folly and evil—and to trust in Christ the King who triumphs over the City of Man and the Kingdom of Satan.

Recap:

By way of recap, last Lord’s Day we saw that the fear of God is proof that it will go well with the saints, that we must be humble with God’s deep mysteries, that death is inevitable but the living has hope, and that we are to enjoy our fleeting lives as a gift from God in our portion of time here on earth. Now Solomon gives us another angle of what it means to fear God in his world that has gone terribly wrong, as we battle against the kingdom of darkness.

Open your Bibles:

Eccl. 9:11-10:7 ESV

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

(1) We must Expect Chance in a Cursed World of Evil Time - 9:11-12

Ecclesiastes 9:11–12 ESV

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. 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.

(1) We must Expect Chance in a Cursed World of Evil Time - 9:11-12

Solomon has told us that wisdom, strength, knowledge, possessions, gifts, and blessings are from the hand of God. He just finished last Sunday reminding us about how we are to work with all our might, and the book of proverbs is full of general promises that those who work receive favor and blessings from God. Work brings the fruit of our hands. Ecclesiastes reminds us that it isn’t an eternal or abiding gain—but a temporal blessing from the Lord. However, Solomon also knows very well that life in a cursed world means that sometimes the general rule of thumb is overturned by time and chance, which isn’t luck, but unexpected providence. Sometimes the tide is turned, and the normal is reversed—and expectations are exploded:

9:11 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.

Who normally wins the race? The swift, the fast, and the trained. Solomons says, nope. Sometimes the sloth wins the race.

Who normally wins the battle? The strong, mighty, and armed. Solomon says, nope. Sometimes the weak prevail.

Who normally gets his bread? The wise, hard working, and diligent. Solomon says, nope. Sometimes the lazy is rewarded.

Who normally gets riches? The intelligent, prudent, and entrepreneurial. Solomon says, nope. Sometimes the fool is lavished with money.

Who normally gets favor? Those who are knowledgeable, honourable, and reputable. Solomon says, nope. Sometimes the sinners get the spotlight.

All of Solomon’s general principles and promises, all of his basic rules and patterns—all of his proverbs—here he qualifies ALL OF THEM—and he says; in a fallen world, not everything goes according to plan—we cannot force the hand of the Almighty—sometimes his Providence and Plan brings the opposite of what we would expect—therefore—godly wisdom means that we need to expect chance, we need to expect the unexpected—we need to be ready for God to throw a monkey wrench—we need to be prepared for God to overthrow all of our efforts—we need to be ready for God to unravel all of our striving—we need to remember that sometimes God’s mysterious providence counters all reasonable expectations.

We need to qualify all of our logical syllogisms. If we are righteous, then God will bless us. We are righteous, therefore God will bless us! Solomon says—haven’t you lived a while yet? Haven’t you realized that God’s blessings are sometimes withheld from those to whom they a due? Haven’t you realized that the righteous suffer? That the wise are scoffed at? That the saints are scolded? Nothing in life is guaranteed—nothing under the sun, at-least. Solomon says, all time is in God’s hands (ch. 3)—but sometimes that time and chance happens to us in the most unexpected of ways.

Borgman: On the lips of an Israelite, ‘chance means what is unexpected, not what is random’. He is simply saying that unexpected events overtake us. Unexpected events turn our lives upside down in a flash. There are no guarantees in life. Everything is in the mysterious hand of providence. The hourglass empties faster than we thought it would or should. The unexpected falls on us like a piano from the sky. This is life under the sun.

Welcome to life in a cursed world of evil time. Not only must we remember that basically nothing is guaranteed under the sun—but also that the one thing that is guaranteed is out of our control: the day of our death.

12 For man does not know his time.

Man does not know when he is going to breath his last. Man does not know when he is going to fall over dead. Man does not know when he is going to be hit by a car. Man does not know when he is going to have a heart attack. Man does not know when he is going to die from cancer. Man does not know when he is going to be murdered or attacked. Man does not know when his health is going to fail him. Man does not know when that tyrannical enemy of death is going to knock the door down and eat us alive. Man does not know his time.

Yesterday we had a celebration of life for Bubbles, and I had the opportunity to preach the Gospel to her family and friends—however—because it was a celebration of life, and not a mourning of death—the hearts of the people there weren’t downcast, and they weren’t solemn as they were grieving the loss of this godly Christian woman. Funerals are meant to be the place of mourning—weeping—grieving—and sorrow—but our culture wants to make death pretty, and so we change the aroma to make things feel easier to digest, so that we don’t need to stare death in the eyes.

Solomon says, man does not know his time—and so we try to do everything we can to cover up the fact that we need to face death. But it won’t work. Solomon says:

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.

Not only does man not know—but sometimes death comes suddenly upon us—like fish that are having the time of their lives and are out of no where swept up into the net—like birds that are singing their songs and feeding their young are caught in a trap—so is mankind snared at an evil time—so does mankind face death when he least expects it. And after death comes judgment—the dead lose all opportunities to be made right with God—death is the doorway into eternal destiny, either heaven or hell.

And so Jesus warns us about the immanence and urgent need to be prepared for death and his second coming:

Luke 21:34 ESV

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.

And so Paul warns:

1 Thessalonians 5:3 ESV

While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

And so the Rider of Death rides on conquering all who do not find refuge in Jesus:

Revelation 6:7–8 ESV

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

Death could call upon us today, our souls could be required of us today—the question then remains—do we have salvation from the sting of death? Do we have deliverance from the pangs of death? Do we have redemption from the eternal death of the wrath of God? Only those who cast themselves upon the mercy of the Son of God—will find grace that frees us from the fear of death because Jesus came to save his people from that wicked foe of the grave:

Hebrews 2:14–15 ESV

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

For the wicked—the sudden reality of death could sweep you away for all eternity. Don’t be a fool. Get right with God now! Seek Him while he may be found.

For the righteous—the sudden reality of death is still an enemy, and a pain, and can even cause us fear. Do not fear. Christ is Risen, and he holds the keys of Death and Hades—in Him you are secure, and you can sing—where O death is your sting, where o hell is your victory!

Until the day when all wrong is made right, and when all things are made new for the saints: We must trust God’s Word, instead of trying to dictate God’s Providence:

(1) We must Expect Chance in a Cursed World of Evil Time - 9:11-12

But not only must we expect the unexpected—we must value wisdom as a precious jewel in God’s sight:

(2) We must Live Wisely in a Cursed World of Sinful Strength - 9:13-18

Ecclesiastes 9:13–18 ESV

I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 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. 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. But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard. The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

(2) We must Live Wisely in a Cursed World of Sinful Strength - 9:13-18

Solomon is a master of allegory and figures of speech. He uses this illustration to drive home the necessity of wisdom for the Christian life under the sun—though wisdom doesn’t free us from the shackles of hebel—it does have benefit as we follow Jesus in his world. Let’s unpack this story:

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.

Here is a story that has a great impact on Solomon’s mind, and is a perfect illustration for his use. This little city, say the size of Kingston, was besieged by a great king—he surrounded it with siegeworks, with armed men, and for total destruction.

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.

Though the city of Kingston was surrounded by countless troops, there was a poor and wise man who strolled up to to the Mayor one day and by his wisdom overturned the armies and won the victory for Kingston, however—the poor man was despised, forgotten, and dishonoured.

After all of this—the question left ringing in our ears is: if this man’s wisdom will be forgotten? Why should we care to be wise?

Because wisdom is good in God’s sight—pleasing to Him—and because Christ, the Wisdom of God, is worthy of our service, even if all the world forgets us—just as it tries to forget about the Lord Jesus Christ—who became poor that we might become rich in his salvation:

Borgman: There was a poor wise man who delivered not a town but the world. That wise Man is the Son of God, who became the Savior of the world. Such wisdom and grace! And yet what ingratitude! How He is forgotten and ignored, marginalized, and mocked. But He stayed the course for our good. We can stay the course for His glory. Remember the Man of Sorrows. See Him, who rejected and despised, set His face like flint toward Jerusalem for our rescue (Isa. 50:7). Despite all the evil opposition, He endured (Heb. 12:1-3). So do not give up on hard work and wisdom. Sometimes God does great and awesome things which we did not expect (Isa. 64:3). Keep your hand to the plough.

Jesus has not only delivered us from the sinful city of man, but also from the kingdom of darkness—ruled by Satan—we have been set free, made sons of God, transferred into the Kingdom of God, and have been granted an eternal inheritance in the new heavens and new earth—all because of Jesus Christ, who left the throne above, became a swaddled infant, who through perfect wisdom and obedience disarmed the powers and principalities of this age, redeemed his chosen people through an old rugged cross, rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, poured out the Spirit of wisdom—so that through faith and repentance we too can share in his victory and the fruit of his labours—eternal life and salvation for all—in Christ, faith overcomes the world, and we shall conquer by the blood of the Lamb!

Though our wisdom and deeds of valour will be forgotten by men—nothing escapes God’s sight—and he will reward us all for our faithful love and obedience. But Solomon adds another reason for wisdom, as opposed to folly:

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.

Even if the words of our wisdom are forgotten—they are better in God’s sight than the loud mouth of a foolish king. Even if the words of our wisdom are forgotten—they are better than weapons of mass destruction. Even if the words of our wisdom are forgotten—they are better than being the foolish sinner that brings curse and corruption.

Let all of our speech be seasoned with salt—let us put away the words of the fool that are heard in quiet, gossip and slander—and let us put on the words of the wise that are heard in quiet—prayer, mediation, and Scripture-saturated wisdom. Wisdom is better—it is always better.

One day might need to speak out in wisdom for the sake of the Kingdom of God—will you be prepared to overturn the workings of the evil one? Or will you be too busy living for the vanities of the world? Will you be prepared to speak the Wisdom of God to a dying world? Sharing about Christ Crucified to the lost? Or will you be too busy living for the vapors of this age? Choose this day whom you shall serve!

Wisdom in Christ is always better than Folly in Sin. Calvary—let us walk in the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Wisdom, by the Word of God—let us walk worthy of the Gospel—with Prayer and Petition—with the Armour of God—with the weapons of our warfare, which are not carnal, but are spiritual, and have more power than any physical weapon on earth. Let us walk in wisdom—for wisdom will make us useful in the service of Christ our King, and the advancement of His Kingdom on Earth.

Let us not stain our garments through sin and evil—but be cleansed by the blood of Christ—and walk in purity, worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

(2) We must Live Wisely in a Cursed World of Sinful Strength - 9:13-18

Not only must we live wisely as we follow Jesus—but we must hate folly and it’s consequences:

(3) We must Hate Folly in a Cursed World of Senseless Men - 10:1-7

Ecclesiastes 10:1–7 ESV

Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

(3) We must Hate Folly in a Cursed World of Senseless Men - 10:1-7

10:1 Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Precious ointment, sweet swelling perfume—it all begins to give off a nasty smell when a dead fly has been decomposing in its place.

This is one of the scariest verses in the Bible—and one which we know far too well in our own experience—how many names and reputations of men who had a public ministry and position, or even more of a private service and place, how many names and reputations have been stained in the eyes and ears of men due to the little moment of fleeting pleasure and sin and folly that has outweighed all of their wisdom and honor.

The Bible is quite blunt—it doesn’t matter how much you do for Jesus—if you indulge in sin and folly, it will outweigh your entire reputation in the eyes of men. As Solomon said earlier: “A good name is better than precious ointment” (Eccl. 7:1), so now he says: “Precious ointment is ruined by a little folly—and out goes the window our good name and reputation”.

Oh to believe in the depths of our souls—that just a little bit of folly, just a little bit of sin, just a little bit of evil, just a little bit of sloth—that one fleeting moment could ruin our entire Christian reputation, and could even disqualify us from certain ministries in the Church of Jesus Christ. If this isn’t cause for fear and trembling—then I don’t know what is.

Borgman: The conclusion is simple: a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honour. Think of Israel’s great King David. When our minds go to the man after God’s heart, we may think of him slaying the giant, but we may also just as easily think of David’s notorious sins nearly slaying him. A life of overall faithfulness and courage stained with one large blot [of adultery and murder]. This should put the wise man on notice. The folly that is so abundant in a fool may only have small traces in the wise man’s heart yet it is even more dangerous. Bridges says: ’The unguarded moment, the hasty word, the irritable temper, the rudeness of manner, the occasional slip, the supposed harmless eccentricities, all tend to spoil the fragrance of the ointment’

What kind of a life do you want to live? What kind of a legacy do you want to leave behind? What kind of a reputation do you want to be known for? I hope you want to be known for following Jesus fully, for being full of the Holy Spirit, for walking in the love of our Father, for being a man or woman of communion with God—filled with wisdom, knowledge, righteousness, humility, holiness, happiness, and honour—seeking first the Kingdom of God, living valiantly for God’s glory—loving God with all our heart, being a man or woman after God’s heart—loving our neighbours, loving the saints, building up the church, living on mission, living sacrificially, storing up treasures in heaven, being salt and light in a decomposing world—being a man or women who fears God and keeps his commandments—being one whose only comfort in life and death is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here is what Solomon is saying—be warned, brethren—all of our wisdom and honour could be overturned by a single moment of sinful indulgence—one public sin, one sinful scandal, one cherished iniquity, one shameful act, one gross immorality, one fall into transgression—and you will not be remembered for your sweet smelling aroma of Jesus Christ—but for the stench of sin that you indulged in.

How can we guard against this? There is only one way—watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41). Only by having the Word of Christ dwelling richly in us—only by having the Spirit of Christ filling us with unction—only through constant faith and repentance—only through humble obedience and the guarding of our hearts (Prov. 4:23)—only through the fear of the Lord, and fleeing from sin—only by staying near to Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour—only then can we ever put sin to death, crush our wicked desires, and flee from temptation.

And here is the scariest part, beloved—all it takes is for you to let your guard down for 5 minutes—and BOOM—your folly outweighs your honour. Oh Calvary—let us not smell of the stench of sin—let us smell of the sweetness of the aroma of Christ Jesus, whose love is better than wine. Oh to abide in Christ, and for Christ to abide in us—this is why we need healthy discipleship in the local church—becuase we need each other, by God’s grace, to stay fixed upon the things of God—so that we don’t fall into snares of the evil one. Oh how we need the Holy Spirit of Wisdom to be poured upon us. And so Solomon adds:

2 A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. 3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

Oh what grossness is found in folly—a foolish heart bound up to go the wrong direction, delighting in sin and rebellion—and flaunting his own pride and wickedness. God gives grace to the humble, but he opposes the proud in heart. Let us not wander to the left, to sin—but stay to the right, with Christ—who is at the right hand of God, who desires to fellowship with us, and to dwell in our hearts through faith—let us stay to the right, come what may. And if our righteousness and holiness causes persecution and consequences—we remain calm, says Solomon, trust in Christ, and commit the outcome to Him:

4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest:

When wicked rulers and tyrants come against us for our obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ—do not slander, do not revile—but bless them, love them, remain calm, and trust God:

Borgman: A ruler may get angry with a wise man. The ruler may be a king, a governor, or just a superior. The tendency is to cave in under such pressure. But Solomon counsels to hold your position with composure. There is no virtue in being a yes man.

Let us not change our mind for fear of man—but fear God, stay our course, and serve Him with faith, meekness, and boldness:

1 Peter 3:13–17 ESV

Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.

The last thing Solomon bewails in our text, is a disordered society, with people in positions that they shouldn’t be in:

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

When folly overcomes the heart of man—he puts foolish leaders in rule—and the wise are left beside. When men of God should be shepherding the flock—fools end up in their place. Men righteous leaders should take charge—sinful people rise to power. Oh that God would grant our church, our city, and our nation grace—to be well ordered according to His Word, with true Leadership after the example of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 20:25–28 ESV

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Praise God for the ransom by the blood of Jesus Christ, who redeems his church, and grants us a living hope in the Kingdom of God—let us trust in him, repent of our sins—and even if we do stain our reputation through folly—let us immerse ourself in his precious blood, the fountain of life that washes us white as snow—our folly can disqualify us from ministry—but our folly can’t disqualify us from Christ—for He came to save sinners—there is more mercy in Christ than there is sin in us—no sin is too gross to be repented of—no sin is too gross to be barred from finding the mercy of God for. So flee from such folly, hate it, turn from it—forsake it—and obtain mercy through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ.

(3) We must Hate Folly in a Cursed World of Senseless Men - 10:1-7

This brings us to our conclusion for this morning:

(C) Serving Christ the Lord means expecting Chance, living Wisely, and hating Folly.

May God give us a heart of wisdom, that we might be useful to the Master of the House—to the Lord of the Church. And so we cry out:

Psalm 19:13 ESV

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

O let me feel thee near me, the world is ever near; I see the sights that dazzle, the tempting sounds I hear: my foes are ever near me, around me and within; but Jesus draw thou nearer, and shield my soul from sin.

Proverbs 3:7–8 ESV

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

(C) Serving Christ the Lord means expecting Chance, living Wisely, and hating Folly.

Amen, let’s pray.

Discussion Questions:

(1) Why is it proper to talk about 'time and chance' even while affirming God's absolute sovereignty (9:11)?

(2) Why should not knowing the time of our impending death humble us (9:12)?

(3) Why is godly wisdom better than strength and weapons of war (9:13-18)?

(4) Why must we hate folly? And what are the consequences of folly (10:1-7)?

(5) Why is wisdom necessary as we serve Christ the Lord for the advancement of His Kingdom of Grace?