Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro: The proverbial wisdom of God is not limited to the book of that name.

We also find many proverbs in Ecclesiastes.

Of particular note are the proverbs that relate to the vanity of life – ; – there are many things that man thinks and does in life that are a waste of time – – like trying to catch the wind.

I) Better is this than that

Because God says so – the wise sayings of men are only as valuable as the wisdom of the one who gives it, God is the creator and His wisdom is supreme

God’s wisdom is often a reversal of human logic – – which is true about much of the wisdom of Ecclesiastes –

This itself is logical when we consider the advantage of being guided by the spirit over the flesh –

II) What the eyes see –

Reality – the eyes are symbolic of a logical look at our real world, an ironic twist of symbols from the NT usage which values the unseen –

We must learn to be content with what is – – since contentment does not come naturally (or through the flesh) – v.7

Let’s examine this point in depth

Contentment does not come through having everything – – or having anything – vs.6-7; – but through appreciation of what is really valuable – , ; – because that is what God offers freely

This includes being content to fulfill our duties to God as we have them –

These gifts are already given and we should realize they are better than…

III) What the soul desires

Fantasy – the soul’s desire is for what we do not have – vs.1-6 – “grass is always greener” syndrome

Some are never satisfied with what they have (Aesop’s fable of boy who is given the opportunity to place his hand in the candy jar only once; he puts his hand in candy jar to take a few, then reasons that his hand will hold more until he cannot draw his hand out without dropping them all)

Those who live in fantasies are never happy where they are, except when they are indulging their fantasies (like sports fans, workaholics, or music groupies)

Those who live in a fantasy world are ineffective in accomplishing their real-world duties – ; – John Mark and Demas did not continue with their work

Concl: Luther translated this passage:

“It is better to enjoy the present good, then to think about another good.”

Although I question the accuracy of the translation, it gives the general idea that we are much better off seeing what is good in what is, instead of desiring something different.