Sermon Tone Analysis

Bible Reading

Introduction

“Reading Ecclesiastes is like sitting in a philosophy class with a professor who provokes you with thorny questions and strange case studies, who pulls you into a dialogue to lead you to discover truth for yourself.”

(Tim Keller)

The Philosopher (Solomon) pushes you to look at the foundations of your life and to ask the basic questions that we might otherwise avoid:

“Is there any meaning to your life?

What are you really doing it all for?

Why is there so much wrong with the world?

How will you cope with it?”

As Solomon does this, he looks at all of these things in the world that typically provide meaning, and then systematically debunks the idea that meaning can actually be found in these aspects.

In this book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon has been making his case for futility in this life in stages.

The book began with three “life projects,” each project being an effort to discover a meaningful life under the sun.

The first was an effort to make sense of life through learning and wisdom (Ecclesiastes 1:12–18; 2:12–16).

The second was an effort to make life fulfilling through the pursuit of pleasure (2:1–11).

The third project that the Philosopher undertakes to chase away his sense of pointlessness is the pursuit of achievement through hard work (Ecclesiastes 2:17–26).

2 weeks ago, we considered Solomon’s attempts to find meaning through Wisdom (vv.12-17)

Being the wisest man alive, blessed indeed by God to have a wisdom that was envied by the wise, he was the one who most certainly would have been in first position to find satisfaction and meaning in his wisdom (that is wisdom divorced from God).

But in that endeavor to find meaning, he was confronted with this reality called “death”.

His argument was that just as death comes to the foolish, so death comes to the wise, and thus the same fate overtakes them all.

And this led all of his efforts at finding meaning to end with those climactic words in verse 17...

“So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me.

All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Solomon despaired of life itself.

He was truly at an all-time low in life.

As we begin this morning, we will consider Solomon as he looks to labouring and toiling in the sun.

At this low point in his life, Solomon has a rather negative perception of work under the sun.

This morning, we will see that Solomon goes on to speak to his audience about his hatred of wealth.

Not only does he draw the conclusion that he hates life (Ecc.

2:17) but he draws the conclusion that he hates wealth.

As he draws this conclusion, he outlines three reasons for his hatred of wealth.

1. Solomon’s Hatred of Wealth (vv.18-19)

1.1.

His Expression of Hatred

“I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.” (Ecclesiastes 2:18, NIV84)

Notice that he is fixing his attention on all these things that he has toiled for under the sun.

Recall all that he had built up and accumulated for himself… (buildings, temple, palace, massive gardens, dams, wealth etc.)

All of those projects that he had spoken about - where he had tried to find meaning in doing those things.... he now looks at the product of his labours / toils, and then considers all of that in light of the fact that he will die.

But he now begins to think about the future when he leaves the world.

Recall, in the previous section he had already begun to think about death when he considered his wisdom.

When applied to wisdom, his thought was that whoever comes after him is not going to learn anything particularly new.

(v.12)

He had also thought of death by relating the fact that both he himself as a wise man, along with the foolish man, will be overtaken by death.

So death is this theme on his mind here, as he considers his own life... what he's managed to achieve... who he is as the most accomplished person living in that day.

But this time he applies this to his possessions... and to what he's been able to toil for.

His conclusion is that he "hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun"

The very things that he had hoped would bring him pleasure.

The very things that so often our own minds think will bring us pleasure..

Instead of them bringing him pleasure, he says he hated them.

It's a strange thing, that sometimes that which we so deeply desire, thinking that this thing that we so deeply crave in our lives, can suddenly be turned within our hearts to a source of bitterness and hatred.

We may develop a hatred for that very thing that we once desired.

Think about Amnon (son of Solomon) and his deep desire for Tamar (2 Sam 13)

After violating her, he had a deep hatred for her... His hatred was even more intense than his longing for her.

(2 Sam 13:15)

One commentator writes:

“When man excessively love and delight in any created thing, the Lord is thereby justly provoked to turn that love into hatred, and indignation: and in much wisdom and mercy doth he so, seeing they will not take off their affections from these things, till they be made odious to them; nor will they till then place them where they should be.”

(Alexander Nisbet)

It may have been that Solomon was deeply moved to hatred for these material things, but while that hatred was certainly an unpleasant experience to him, God was yet using that hatred of wealth to draw Solomon to an important conclusion.

The conclusion will come in due course - but in essence, Solomon was learning through all of this where satisfaction and meaning in life were to be found.

1.2.

His Reason for Hatred (v.19)

Next, consider his reason for hatred.

“And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?

Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun...” (Ecclesiastes 2:19, NIV84)

Herein lies the real concern for Solomon.

Firstly, all that he has worked so hard to attain will go to someone else...

But more importantly, that the person that his accumulated wealth would go to could very well be a total fool.

It’s one thing to work hard, and to know that you have built something up for someone that and apply wisdom and maintain the benefits of it.

But it’s another thing altogether to consider that the person who comes after you may be a fool, and everything that you’ve laboured for is destroyed.

Solomon was a man who had worked and laboured hard!!!

He was not a lazy man... it would be impossible for him to achieve what he did and to develop what he did if he were a lazy person.

Solomon was a diligent and hard worker.

And this was really part of what drove him to such despair.

I've worked so hard... I've applied my life and my all so diligently to all that I've been able to develop and achieve.

But his concern is that he has no control over the character and characteristics of the one who comes after him.

Is my successor going to be wise as I was?

Is my successor going to be an outright fool who is going to squander all that I've laboured to build up?

The reality in Solomon’s case was indeed that the king that followed him would be foolish, and would make foolish decisions.

King Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:1-24)

And so Solomon’s concern was indeed seen to come true.

Solomon’s father David was correct when he penned these words in Psalm 39...

Sadly, Solomon needed to really go through the entire experience himself before he came to this realisation.

And so he draws his conclusion...

“This too is meaningless.”

(Ecc.

2:19b)

2. Solomon’s Despair of Heart (vv.20-21)

2.1.

His Expression of Despair (v.20)

“So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:20, NIV84)

Notice the terminology here!!

"Toilsome labour...”

That phrase takes one back to that moment in history when God placed a curse on the world due to the sin of Adam and Eve.

Solomon has developed much in his life.

He has had great success, and accumulated wealth.

But none of that was easy.... it was through “toilsome labour”

When we have worked hard for something, or achieved something by the sweat of our brow, do we not want to see the lasting fruits of that labour?

We certainly don’t want to see it go to waste.

Apply to today...

A CEO of a company does much hard work, striving to build up a large corporation, only to have the company collapse when the next CEO takes office.

It could be you working in a team on a project, and you put extensive effort into the work from your side, hoping for a great end result, but the lazy team member nullifies all of your own hard work.

A parent puts as much spare money aside, saving up so that their child can have a head-start in life... and the child squanders the money.

A parent works hard to provide a solid education for their child.

The child grows up and is lazy, doesn't apply himself, and doesn't even make it into college / university