“There Was A Crooked Man - Part 2”

Shane Sowers

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Thomas Boston was a melancholy man, prone to seasons of discouragement in the Christian life. He was often in poor health, even though he never missed his turn in the pulpit. His wife also suffered from illness of the body and the mind. But perhaps the couple’s greatest trial was the death of their children: they lost six of their ten babies.

Preaching the Word: Ecclesiastes—Why Everything Matters Chapter 15: The Crook in the Lot (Ecclesiastes 7:13–18)

One of the first people that I hope to meet in Heaven is the Scottish theologian Thomas Boston, who was the subject of my doctoral research in church history. I admire the man for the depth of his theology. Jonathan Edwards said that Boston’s work on the covenants distinguished him as a “truly great divine.”2 I also admire him for the breadth of his writing—twelve thick volumes on almost every doctrine of the Christian faith, taught from every book of the Bible. I admire Thomas Boston even more for his faithfulness as a pastor over twenty-five years in the same rural parish. But I admire him most of all for his perseverance through suffering.

Thomas Boston was a melancholy man, prone to seasons of discouragement in the Christian life. He was often in poor health, even though he never missed his turn in the pulpit. His wife suffered from chronic illness of the body and perhaps also the mind. But perhaps the couple’s greatest trial was the death of their children: they lost six of their ten babies.

One loss was especially tragic. Boston had already lost a son named Ebenezer, which in the Bible means “Hitherto hath the LORD helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12, KJV). When his wife gave birth to another son, he considered naming the new child Ebenezer as well. Yet the minister hesitated. Naming the boy Ebenezer would be a testimony of hope in the faithfulness of God. But what if this child died, too, and the family had to bury another Ebenezer? That would be a loss too bitter to bear. By faith Boston decided to name his son Ebenezer. Yet the child was sickly, and despite the urgent prayers of his parents, he never recovered. As the grieving father wrote in his Memoirs, “it pleased the Lord that he also was removed from me.”

After suffering such a heavy loss, many people would be tempted to accuse God of wrongdoing, or to abandon their faith, or at least to drop out of ministry for a while. But that is not what Thomas Boston did. He believed in the goodness as well as in the sovereignty of God. So rather than turning away from the Lord in his time of trial, he turned toward the Lord for help and comfort.

Boston’s perseverance through suffering is worthy not only of our admiration but also of our imitation. One way to learn from his example is to read his classic sermon on the sovereignty of God, which is one of the last things he prepared for publication before he died. Boston called his sermon The Crook in the Lot. It was based on the command and the question that we read in Ecclesiastes 7:13: “Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?”

Thomas Boston was a melancholy man, prone to seasons of discouragement in the Christian life. He was often in poor health, even though he never missed his turn in the pulpit. His wife suffered from chronic illness of the body and perhaps also the mind. But perhaps the couple’s greatest trial was the death of their children: they lost six of their ten babies.

One loss was especially tragic. Boston had already lost a son named Ebenezer, which in the Bible means “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us” (, kjv). When his wife gave birth to another son, he considered naming the new child Ebenezer as well. Yet the minister hesitated. Naming the boy Ebenezer would be a testimony of hope in the faithfulness of God. But what if this child died, too, and the family had to bury another Ebenezer? That would be a loss too bitter to bear. By faith Boston decided to name his son Ebenezer. Yet the child was sickly, and despite the urgent prayers of his parents, he never recovered. As the grieving father wrote in his Memoirs, “it pleased the Lord that he also was removed from me.”

Boston’s perseverance through suffering is worthy not only of our admiration but also of our imitation. One way to learn from his example is to read his classic sermon on the sovereignty of God, which is one of the last things he prepared for publication before he died. Boston called his sermon The Crook in the Lot. It was based on the command and the question that we read in : “Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?”

Ecclesiastes 7:15–18 NLT

I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 161–162). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.

Two Extremes

No Pain No Gain

The Crook in His Lot

The first thing we will look at today is the continued tension of a good God and a world full of injustice and evil. Second, we will see that suffering and pain is used by God to bring great gain in our lives. Finally, we will see that the crook in our lot was shared by our Lord when He carried the cross for His people.

Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to reject what God does in rebellion and to think of bad days as those where God has abandoned us leading us to two dangerous extremes, it is the grace, compassion of the Lord, and the power of the Holy Spirit that will cause us to take joy in trials of many kinds and become partners in the suffering of Christ so that we may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.

I. Two Extremes

- The righteous suffer and the evil prosper.

A. Now we saw that we cannot make straight what the Lord has made crooked. The good days and the bad days come from the Lord. God is sovereign over all things. But it is one thing to say it and another thing to live it out in this all is vanity kind of world. Solomon right after saying that God is in control of it all, he then gives us a scenario where he struggles with it.

B. Especially, in trials and tribulations, it just seems like time are just super unfair.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 NLT

I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people.

C. This does pose a problem for the world. Why? This is exactly the opposite of what most people would expect in a world that is governed by a good and righteous God. The righteous people are the ones who ought to rejoice in their prosperity, while the wicked suffer adversity until finally they are forced to admit that God is in control. But the problem...what we see instead is righteous people dying before their time, while the ungodly keep on living.

D. Godly ministers and missionaries all over the world are martyred for their faith, while their enemies live to terrorize the church another day after day. Innocent people trying to get through the meaninglessness of life get cut down in the prime of life; their killers get convicted, but instead of dying, they get life in prison. Civil right are violated and the violators get a slap on the wrist. Thieves get away with it. Cheaters get away with it. It’s just not fair!

The righteous people are the ones who ought to rejoice in their prosperity, while the wicked suffer adversity until finally they are forced to admit that God is in control. All too often what we see instead is what the Preacher saw: righteous people dying before their time, while the ungodly keep on living.

This is exactly the opposite of what most people would expect in a world that is governed by a good and righteous God.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 165). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

E. These injustices are some of the crooked things in life that we wish we could straighten out. But knowing that we cannot do this, the Preacher gives us some practical advice...

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 165). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Godly pastors are martyred for their faith, while their enemies live to terrorize the church another day. Innocent victims get cut down in the prime of life; their killers get convicted, but instead of dying, they get life in prison. It’s just not fair!

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 165). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

These injustices are some of the crooked things in life that we wish we could straighten out. But knowing that we cannot do this, the Preacher gives us some practical advice...

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 165). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Book

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 165–166). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ecclesiastes 7:16–17 NLT

So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time?

F. Now that’s curious. Many scholars differ on what this means… One way to see this passage is that its cynical. This is highly possible. Maybe the Preacher is saying, “Look, if the righteous perish while the wicked live to prosper, then why be good? Take my advice: don’t try to be a goody two-shoes. I’m not telling you to be evil, of course. It would be foolish to tempt fate by living a wicked life. I’m just saying that if only the good die young, then there is nothing to be gained by trying to be good.”

Some scholars believe that these verses are cynical, and maybe they are. Maybe the Preacher is saying, “Look, if the righteous perish while the wicked live to prosper, then why be good? Take my advice: don’t try to be a goody two-shoes. I’m not telling you to be evil, of course. It would be foolish to tempt fate by living a wicked life. I’m just saying that if only the good die young, then there is nothing to be gained by trying to be good.”

These injustices are some of the crooked things in life that we wish we could straighten out. But knowing that we cannot do this, the Preacher gives us some practical advice:

G. On this interpretation, the Preacher is advising “a kind of middle-of-the-road approach to life, not overzealous about wisdom or foolishness, righteousness or wickedness.” This kind of reasoning would have been right at home with the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, who often advocated a life of moderation. Too much piety or too much iniquity will lead to an early grave.

H. But is this not kinda the way people think today? This also happens to be the way many people think today. We know better than to live a life of total wickedness because deep down we believe that God will judge people for all their sins. But in secret we suspect that trying to be holy will take the fun out of life. Generally speaking they try to be good, and they hope they are good enough to get by on the Day of Judgment. But their consciences are troubled too little by their sins. As long as they are not overly righteous or overly wicked, they are happy the way they are.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 166). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 165–166). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

On this interpretation, the Preacher is advising “a kind of middle-of-the-road approach to life, not overzealous about wisdom or foolishness, righteousness or wickedness.” This kind of reasoning would have been right at home with the ancient Greek and Roman philosophers, who often advocated a life of moderation.

This also happens to be the way many people think today. They know better than to live a life of total wickedness because deep down they believe that God will judge people for their sins. Yet secretly they suspect that trying to be holy will take the fun out of life. Generally speaking they try to be good, and they hope they are good enough to get by on the Day of Judgment. But their consciences are troubled too little by their sins. As long as they are not overly righteous or overly wicked, they are happy the way they are.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 166). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

I. I think a better way to look at this is when he tells us not to be “overly righteous,” he might be telling us not to be self-righteous or needlessly righteous. Lemme show you. Grammatically speaking, the form of the verb that the Preacher uses in verse 16 may refer to someone who is only pretending to be righteous and is playing the wise man in ignorance. In that case, the person the Preacher has in mind does not have the true holiness that comes by faith and true wisdom that comes by faith, but only the hypocritical holiness that comes by works.

J. Overly righteous? Holier than thou? You know that this is impossible. God’s standard is perfection. James. Even if you are perfect are you simply doing what we are supposed to do anyway? So you see our real problem is thinking that we are more righteous than we really are. Somehow there never seems to be any shortage of people who think they are good enough for God.

There is an alternative, however. When he tells us not to be “overly righteous,” he might be telling us not to be self-righteous. Grammatically speaking, the form of the verb that the Preacher uses in verse 16 may refer to someone who is only pretending to be righteous and is playing the wise man. In that case, the person the Preacher has in mind is too righteous by half. He does not have the true holiness that comes by faith, but only the hypocritical holiness that comes by works.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 166). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

K. In response, the Preacher warns us not to be self-righteous. We should not think that trying to be more righteous will save us on the Day of Judgment. Nor should we think that we are so righteous that we do not deserve to suffer any adversity, that it is unfair for someone like us ever to have problems in our lives.

No, our real problem is thinking that we are more righteous than we really are. Somehow there never seems to be any shortage of people who think they are good enough for God.

In response, the Preacher warns us not to be self-righteous. We should not think that trying to be more righteous will save us on the Day of Judgment. Nor should we think that we are so righteous that we do not deserve to suffer any adversity, that it is unfair for someone like us ever to have a crook in our lot.

L. When we think too highly of ourselves, resting on our own righteousness, then it is easy for us to say, “I don’t deserve to be treated like this. Doesn’t God know who I am?” It is also a very short step from there to saying, “Who does God think he is?” So the Preacher cautions us not to be, as it were, “too righteous.” In saying this, he is warning against a conceited righteousness that “stands ready to challenge God for His failure to reward” us as much as we think we deserve.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 166). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 166–167). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

M. This is not to say that we should be unrighteous, of course. The Preacher warns against this mistake in verse 17 when he tells us not to be too wicked. His point is not that it is okay for us to be a little bit wicked, as if there were some acceptable level of iniquity. When it comes to sin, even a little is too much. His point rather is that there is great danger in giving ourselves over to evil. It is one thing to sin from time to time, as everyone does. The Preacher will say as much in verse 20: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” But there is a world of difference between committing the occasional sin and making a deliberate decision to pursue a lifestyle of theft, deception, lust, and greed. “Don’t be a fool,” the Preacher is saying. “If you live in sin, you will perish.”

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 167). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

This is not to say that we should be unrighteous, of course. The Preacher warns against this mistake in verse 17 when he tells us not to be too wicked. His point is not that it is okay for us to be a little bit wicked, as if there were some acceptable level of iniquity. When it comes to sin, even a little is too much. His point rather is that there is great danger in giving ourselves over to evil. It is one thing to sin from time to time, as everyone does. The Preacher will say as much in verse 20: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” But there is a world of difference between committing the occasional sin and making a deliberate decision to pursue a lifestyle of theft, deception, lust, and greed. “Don’t be a fool,” the Preacher is saying. “If you live in sin, you will perish.”

N. So there are two dangers. One is a temptation for the religious person—self-righteousness. The other is even more of a temptation for the non-religious person—unrighteousness. Both of these errors will lead to destruction; they may even lead to an untimely death. But there is a way to avoid both of these dangers, and that is to live in the fear of God.

So there are two dangers. One is a temptation for the religious person—self-righteousness. The other is even more of a temptation for the non-religious person—unrighteousness. Both of these errors will lead to destruction; they may even lead to an untimely death. But there is a way to avoid both of these dangers, and that is to live in the fear of God.

Ecclesiastes 7:18 NLT

Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.

O. Michael Eaton - “The right life walks the path between two extremes, shunning self-righteousness, but not allowing one’s native wickedness to run its own course.” When we do this, we will avoid the death and destruction that will surely befall us if we live sinfully and self-righteously.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 167). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

P. To say this more simply, the right way for us to live is in the fear of God. Notice in verse 18 that the person who “fears God” will escape the dangers of death and destruction. The fear of God is one of the great themes of the second half of Ecclesiastes, as the book moves from the vanity of life to the fear of its Creator. When we get to the very end of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher will tell us to “fear God and keep his commandments” (). Here he tells us to fear God and escape the coming judgment.

Q. To fear God is to revere God. It is to know that he is God and we are not. It is to hold him in awe for his majestic beauty. It is to have respect for his mighty and awesome power. Having the true and proper fear of God will help us not to be so self-righteous. We will know that God sees us as we really are, and this will teach us not to pretend to be something we are not. The fear of God will also keep us from living a wicked life, because when we understand his holiness, the last thing we will want to do is fall under his judgment.

II. No Pain No Gain

-The Pain now is part of the Happiness tomorrow… that’s the deal.

A. So why does God allow suffering? Its maybe the hardest lesson of all is the one with which we began in verse 13: learning to look beyond our present difficulties and see the work of God, accepting all of the crooked things in life until he chooses to make them straight.

But maybe the hardest lesson of all is the one with which we began in verse 13: learning to look beyond our present difficulties and see the work of God, accepting all of the crooked things in life until he chooses to make them straight.

B. Thomas Boston and his sermon on . Boston ended that sermon by listing some of the many reasons why God makes some things crooked. These were Biblical lessons that he had confirmed through his own experience of grief and pain—lessons about the sovereign purposes of God that can help us in our suffering. Why does God make some things crooked, even when we pray for him to make them straight?

Thomas Boston and his sermon on . Boston ended that sermon by listing some of the many reasons why God makes some things crooked. These were Biblical lessons that he had confirmed through his own experience of grief and pain—lessons about the sovereign purposes of God that can help us in our suffering. Why does God make some things crooked, even when we pray for him to make them straight?

C. First, said Boston, the crooked things in life are a test to help us determine whether we really are trusting in Christ for our salvation. Think of Job, for example, who was afflicted with many painful trials in order to prove the genuineness of his faith. Our own sufferings have the same purpose: by the grace of God, they confirm that we are holding onto Christ. Or perhaps they reveal exactly the opposite, that we have never fully trusted in Christ at all but still need to trust him for our salvation.

D. Second, whatever crooks there are in our earthly lot turn our hearts away from this vain world and teach us to look for happiness in the life to come. Suffering is part of our preparation for eternity. Consider the Prodigal Son, who did not head back home to his father until he lost everything he had. When something in life seems crooked, remember that the day is coming when God will make it straight.

E. Third, the crooked things in life convict us of our sins. The reason that anything is crooked at all is because there is sin in the world, including our own sin. The Holy Spirit often uses the crooks in our lot to touch our conscience, reminding us of some particular sin that we need to confess. Remember Joseph’s brothers. When things went badly for them in Egypt, they thought at once of their guilt before God for selling their brother into slavery many years before (see ). It would be a mistake to think, every time we suffer, that it must be because of our sins. But it would also be a mistake to miss the opportunity that every suffering brings to repent of any unconfessed sin.

F. Fourth, the crooked things in life may correct us for our sins. There are times when suffering serves as an instrument of God’s justice, as a punishment (or, for the believer, a chastisement) for our sin. So it was for David, after he had murdered Uriah: the sword never departed from his house (see ). When we suffer, it may be that as a consequence for our sin we are under the judgment or the discipline of God.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 168–169). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

G. These are not the only reasons why God makes some things crooked. Thomas Boston listed several others. Sometimes God allows us to suffer in order to keep us from committing a sin, or else to uncover a sinful attitude of the heart so deep that it could only be revealed by suffering a painful trial. Or maybe—and this is the happiest reason of all—God puts a crook into our lot in order to display his grace in our godliness. We are prone to what Boston called “fits of spiritual laziness,” in which our graces lie dormant. But when we have a crook in our lot, it rouses us from our spiritual slumber and produces “many acts of faith, hope, love, self-denial, resignation, and other graces.”

III. The Crook in His Lot

These are not the only reasons why God makes some things crooked. Thomas Boston listed several others. Sometimes God allows us to suffer in order to keep us from committing a sin, or else to uncover a sinful attitude of the heart so deep that it could only be revealed by suffering a painful trial. Or maybe—and this is the happiest reason of all—God puts a crook into our lot in order to display his grace in our godliness. We are prone to what Boston called “fits of spiritual laziness,” in which our graces lie dormant. But when we have a crook in our lot, it rouses us from our spiritual slumber and produces “many acts of faith, hope, love, self-denial, resignation, and other graces.”

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 169). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

- By His stripes we are healed.

A. But what made it all crooked was the unfortunate event in the garden of Eden when sin entered the world. The world was cursed. Creation was cursed. Mankind was cursed. Pain and Suffering became part of life under the sun. We had crooks all over the lot of life under the sun. When something in life seems crooked, we are usually very quick to tell him how to straighten it out. Instead we should let God straighten us out!

When something in life seems crooked, we are usually very quick to tell him how to straighten it out. Instead we should let God straighten us out! In

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 169). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

B. But that is why Christ came. He came to deliver us from from the curse of sin. And how did he do it? There was a crook in His lot too. We would not call it a crook… we call it a cross.

C. We all needed to be saved. We all need it to be free from the curse of sin.

D. This is why Christ came. He came to seek and save that which was lost. He became sin who knew no sin

E. Jesus died for ur sins according to the scriptures…

F. More promises come.... If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord… All who call upon the name of the Lord...

G. So Jesus suffered the crooked cross that it was his God-given lot to bear. And he trusted his Father, waiting for him to straighten things out when the time was right by raising him up on the third day.

So Jesus suffered the crooked cross that it was his God-given lot to bear. And he trusted his Father, waiting for him to straighten things out when the time was right by raising him up on the third day.

H. Dr. Boice raised a question that was based on the sovereignty and the goodness of God. “If God does something in your life,” he asked, “would you change it?” To say this the way Qoheleth would have said it, “If God gave you something crooked, would you make it straight?”

Dr. Boice raised a question that was based on the sovereignty and the goodness of God. “If God does something in your life,” he asked, “would you change it?” To say this the way Qoheleth would have said it, “If God gave you something crooked, would you make it straight?”

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 170). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 169). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 170). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

I. Dr. Boice answered his own rhetorical question by testifying to the goodness of God’s sovereign will. He said that if we tried to change what God has done, then it wouldn’t be as good; we would only make it worse. The Preacher who wrote Ecclesiastes said something similar. “Consider the work of God,” he said. “Do not try to straighten out what God has made crooked.” Our Savior would tell us the same thing. “When you consider the work of God,” he would say, “remember my love for you through the crooked cross, and trust our Father to straighten everything out in his own good time.”

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