The Vanities and Values of People

The Vanities and Values of People

Ecclesiastes 4:1-16

I. Introduction

II. The vanity of oppression (1-3)

A. Explanation

1. The preacher sees the wrong in the oppression of people

a. To be oppressed means that someone has willfully done you wrong by way of violence or extortion – It is the one of power taking advantage of the one without power

b. He sees the tears and the fact that there is no one to comfort them – they are left without recourse.

2. The conclusion

a. The dead are better off than the living

b. Those who are never born are better off than either

c. There is a frustration with the depth of oppression that is better left unseen

B. Application

1. This is a part of life in a broken world – there will be evil and oppression

2. People of power will take advantage of the poor and disadvantaged

3. We are to be bringing redemption to the world, not oppression

III. The vanity of work (4-8)

A. Explanation

1. There are two excesses with work

a. The one who works out of envy – He will never be satisfied

b. The one who doesn’t work enough – They will consume themselves – They will use up what little they have to sustain themselves.

2. The alternative – Better is a handful of quietness than two handfuls of toil and a striving after the wind

a. This is the understanding that to have peace and quiet outweighs the idea of working yourself to death. 

b. We must seek to have a solid balance on life – We work to provide and sustain ourselves, but not out of the envy that drives us to overproduce out of envy

3. The preacher then evaluates the work against relationships

a. This person has no one to share life with, but continues to work continuously

b. This person has valued the work over relationships making life his hope of joy

c. But, it is a joy that never pays off – work does not love you back. It does not care about you.

B. Application

1. We are to be a people of hard work – to produce and to create to the glory of God

2. We are not to work out of envy or the desire to “Keep up with the Joneses” – This causes frustration and places our hope and dependence on ourselves for our satisfaction which we can never provide for our selves

3. We are to work to the glory of God while enjoying the life He has given us and the fruit of our labor which He has provided. 

4. People often look to these two extremes to find joy and neither pays off

a. The extreme laziness which leads to having nothing to exist on and not being able to pay the bills

b. The extreme of being a workaholic – This person works depending on himself to provide for his own happiness only to find there is none left after all the work is done

IV. The value of companionship (9-12)

A. Explanation

1. Two are better than one – Using traveling imagery

a. Often when people would travel they would not go alone due to the dangers – The possibility of being beaten and mugged, or just running into trouble

b. They have a good reward for their toil – They do better together financially than if they were alone

c. If one falls, the other lifts them up – They are help meets

d. Keeping one another warm – Often when people would travel in the dessert the night would be much colder.  They would sleep together to keep warm

e. The robber might prevail over a person traveling alone, but they are much less likely to attack if there is someone with them

f. They have even more strength if they have a third

B. Application

1. After speaking about the trouble of making your work your value in life, now he comes back around and talks about the value of companionship

2. What if we found more value in the people around us than we find in our work and self-reliance

3. We are meant to be in community

4. This is one of the great strengths of the church – Although our culture values self-reliance, maybe we are wrong and should seek community for strength and help

V. The value of collaboration (13-16)

A. Explanation

1. This illustration is about a King at young and old age and another king who comes after him

2. The first comparison is between the king at young age and at an old age – Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish King who no longer knew how to take advice

3. The King has grown from being young and experienced but was wise enough to seek counsel.  This contrasts with the older King who thinks he is wise enough on his own – He does not take advice or counsel. He also doesn’t listen to his people

4. Then a younger man comes along who listens and the people follow him

5. Then the cycle repeats – he will eventually be the one self-absorbed thinking he does not need to listen, and the people will abandon him

B. Application

1. This is the political cycle even today.  A newcomer comes and listens to the people and is elected.  He takes wise counsel and helps the people.  But as he grows older, he begins to think He is wise enough that he no longer listens. 

2. The wise person never stops listening to the ideas of the wiser and the constituency

3. He cares about the people and their wellbeing

4. He cares about the people enough to listen to others and take the best ideas

VI. Conclusion

A.