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Building a case for frivolity, meaninglessness
Solomon has made some bold statements, There is nothing new under the sun, life is monotonous, so that makes if frivolous (Ecc1:4-11).
Then the futility of Wisdom (Ecc1:12-18); oh then there is the futility of pleasure and possessions (Ecc2:1-11) and the final statement, the futility of labor (Ecc2:12-26).
In our passage tonight he is going to back up his words, we are looking at the first one regarding the monotony, frivolity of life.
George Santayana (Harvard Philosopher, 1889-1912) said
“Why shouldn’t things be largely absurd, futile and transitory?
They are so, and we are so, and they and we go very well together.”
Santayana had the same philosophy that Koheleth did, no view of God here.
Without God what he says is pretty accurate.
English professor Joseph Wood Krutch from Columbia University said:
“There is no reason to suppose that a man’s life has any more meaning than that of the humblest insect that crawls from one annihilation to another.”
I don’t think you and I could agree with either of those statements, why?
Our human life has to be more than mere transitory existence, doesn’t it?
We are unique, we are talented, we are gifted, we are called, for if we were not unique, made in the image of God then.
We are not important and if not important than life has no meaning, if life has no meaning,then life is not worth living is it?
Then what became the Epicurean philosophy “Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.”
And Solomon’s statement about “grasping at the wind” would hold true.
But in his argument from a secular humanistic view looking out and not up, without God in the consideration, he does stop and consider man and God in our passage tonight and next couple of lessons as we look at:
There is something above a man
There is something within a man
There is something ahead of man
And, there is something around a man
So in essence Koheleth is asking the people to look up, look within, look ahead and look around.
Man needs to take into consideration time, eternity, death and suffering there are the factors that God uses to keep our lives from being monotonous and meaningless.
Too much information to cover tonight, so some tonight and will finish it next week.
Look Up!
I don’t think it takes a scientist to understand or a philosopher to explain that there are seasons for everything.
Without with the providence of God things would be chaotic.
There is time and season for everything.
What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?
Times, seasons, we, philosophers, scientists and everyone else can agree that there are seasons.
But there is an great thing that some ignore, some try to debate away, while others embrace the overruling providence of God.
From our first breath to our last breath God is involved accomplishing His purpose, making life have meaning and not be monotonous.
All things are good in their time (Ecc3:11; Col1:16-17; Rom8:28)
And the N.T. comparison
and we then know
In the comparisons Koheleth draws you cannot but see God’s providence.
Birth and Death (Ecc3:2) God’s hand (Ps139:13-16; Gen33:5; Gal1:15; Gal4:4) for his purpose (Eph2:10)
God formed you, God wove you, you are God’s works and he has numbered our days from birth to death.
God blesses us with children, grandchildren, they are God’s gift to us.
God calls us, God sets us apart from birth
God, at the right time, at the fullness of time, sent Jesus, God’s grand plan, God’s scheme of redemption.
From the womb to the tomb God ordained our days.
We may try to hasten the number of our days but we cannot prevent death, it is part of the seasons of life.
Planting and uprooting (Ecc3:2) God’s hand involved (Ps65:9-13)
We live in an agricultural area, so we understand the appointed times for planting and for uprooting (or plucking depending on version).
Israel was the land of milk and honey, it was rich agricultural area too, so the words of Koheleth were not lost on them.
God appoints the times and the seasons and you can read more on that in Lev23, but may we look at another passage now
The Lord visits, the Lord enriches, waters, prepares it, brings the rain, He brings the produce, just like farmers today know it, they can plow, they can plant, but the increase is left in God’s hands.
I once read “a successful farmer knows that nature works for him only if he works with nature.
This is also the secret of a successful life; Learn God’s principles and cooperate with them.”
Killing and healing (Ecc3:3); not same as war in (Ecc3:8); God allows some to die, while healing others (1Sam2:6; Isa38:1-5); tearing down and building up (Ecc3:3)
and We may not understand the Lord’s way, His purpose, but we do need to know.
In the Story of Hezekiah found in Isa38:1-5 Hezekiah the king of Israel was deathly ill and God healed him and added 15 years to his life.
Why God does this, let’s one die (be killed) of cancer but heals another, we need to have faith that God is in control of time, from womb to the tomb.
Tearing down to make way for something new.
Whereas some of the others are opposites, this can be a part of the same (insert Marine Corp Boot Camp process)
Weeping and laughing (Ecc3:4) and mourning and dancing (Ecc3:4; Job2:11-13; 2Sam1:17-27; 2Sam6:14-15 and Zep3:17)
Lamenting and mourning could be a profession, but in the seasons of life there is a time for weeping and laughing so we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
Jobs friends lamented for 7 days
David sang a song of lament if you look at 2Sam1:17-27 over Jonathan’s death.
As for dancing here is another good verse to consider
David danced will all his might (heart) before the ark of the Lord
Throw stones, gather stones (Ecc3:5; 2Kng3:19, 2Kng3:25); Embracing and refraining from embracing (Ecc3:5; Lev15:19-31; 1Cor7:5)
I found an article that spoke of that God gave angels stones to spread around the world but the angel stumbled and drops lots of them in Palestine, which is a very rocky area.
For the ground to be used the stones would have to be gathered up before the ground was usable.
These words were from Elisha to Israel on what they were to do to the Moabites to hurt them by placing the stones on their land and making it useless.
How do you think we can cast stones on peoples land, or in their way today?
Stones are neither good nor bad, what matters is what you do with the stones, use stones to build up, not to cast down and destroy.
Now coming to embracing and and refraining from such.
In many cultures even today hugging, embracing, kissing is part of saying “hello” and even “good-by.”
Now the commentators go on to say this can apply to marriage too.
In Lev15:19-31 it is about the time to withhold embracing due to a woman’s time of the month would make her unclean.
You can read that on your own
As married men and women we are not to withhold embracing from one another except for specific reasons.
Searching and giving up for lost (Ecc3:6); Time to keep and time to throw away (Ecc3;6)
There are times we need to search for things, and other times we are to give up as things are lost.
Times to gather things, and times to throw them away, get rid of them.
Sounds like a rule for not hoarding.
Have you ever searched for something, tried and tried and tried to find it, to finally having to give up?
There is a time for that, I don’t do this one very well.
A time to tear apart, and sew together (Ecc3:7; 2Sam13:30-31; 2The4:13-18), to be quiet and to speak (Ecc3:7; Ps62:5; Pro31:8-9)
It was common in grief, in despair to tear your clothes as exampled by
But not to do it as the unbelievers do, you can look at (2The4:13-18) on that.
There are times when we need to get the needle and thread and start sewing things up, including spiritual things.
As to being quiet
And speaking up
Loving and hating (Ecc3:8; Mt22:38-39; Ps97:10; Pro6:16-19) War and peace (Ecc3:8)
But there are also things we should hate
Even God hates
War and peace is not just a book, it was a philosophy that Solomon (Koheleth) gave to the people, a time to go to war to defend, and a time of peace to stop war.
I want to paraphrase something I read by Warren Wiersbe
“Life is like a doctors prescription taken alone, the ingredients may kill you, but when properly combined and blended they bring healing.”
May we remember God has His hand in all things and causes all things to work together for the good (see Rom8:28)
Look Within
Here is the shift of view, from “under the sun” now God is brought into the picture and that always will give a new perspective.
What did you see, what did you notice, what sticks out to you?
Is it all worth it?
Is all the labor a man puts in worth the effort, under the sun.
He rephrases the question he asked back in Ecc1:3 and now, after all his investigation, after drawing the conclusion he gives three answers to the question.
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