Ecclesiastes 1-2

Radiant Church, July 21, 2019 Mike Rydman Everything is Vanity Ecclesiastes 1-2 Qohelet – Preacher (who teaches the assembled nation) Solomon…or someone who wrote centuries later with a “Solomonic persona” Solomon the result of King David’s affair with Bathsheba 10th century BC followed his father as King built a great empire controlled all the important trade routes, incredible wealth built lots of buildings: the Temple, his own Palace 40,000 horses, 12,000 riders, military power wrote most of Proverbs and the Song of Solomon married 700 wives, and had 300 girlfriends on the side these women taught him different kinds of religion He was Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Hugh Hefner, Plato and Oprah all at the same time A fatal flaw: Because of all the women in his life, he abandoned God in his later life, the God who gave him wisdom So after he died, God later gave one tribe of Israel to his son, and the rest to a rival king Ecclesiastes was written in his final years What’s Solomon’s message in Ecclesiastes? Everything is vanity 2 ideas behind this phrase: short, brief, fleeting (like a vapor) unless, meaningless (like a waste) His main point is this: We are stuck in a monotonous prison where nothing we do really changes anything, and the only way to live a meaningful life in this meaningless existence is to find satisfaction and contentment in what God has given us. Ecclesiastes 1:1-18 The Gospel for those frustrated with the world The world remains the same, even after we’re gone and forgotten Everything is meaningless because all of our activity is pointless Nature teaches us this Ecclesiastes 1:1-7 the words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again. Even creation does a lot of stuff, only to repeat it all again the next day Nothing is new Ecclesiastes 1:8-11 All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new?” It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after. Life is hard - Everything is meaningless because nothing satisfies Solomon’s own experiences teach us this Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 I, the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. Life is hard, and it’s God who has made it that way (Genesis 3 – the Curse)…our frustrations in life show us our separation from Him. Futility is God’s gift to lead us to Jesus Romans 8:18-21 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Ecclesiastes 2:1-26 The Gospel for those who think life is going just fine Self-Indulgence ends up being pointless Pleasure is meaningless Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine – my heart still guiding me with wisdom – and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands and done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. Our earthly wisdom ends up being meaningless, and we’re forgotten anyway Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. All of our self-serving efforts end up being pointless, especially since we leave everything behind to other people who did not work for it Work, especially being an over-achiever at work is meaningless Ecclesiastes 2:18-23 I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? for all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. So what hope is there in all this? C.S. Lewis: our problem is not that we desire too much; it is that we desire too little Contentment in God and His gifts is the meaningful life Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from Him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases Him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. Christians are called to be counter-cultural How well we love others is contrasted with bad motivations for whatever good we accomplish What we believe is contrasted with all of the bad ideas the world offers us every day How we live is contrasted with the world’s lack of confidence that faith in Jesus really matters Because Jesus was not vanity, death did not contain him, His name was not forgotten, He is able to give us victory and meaning and redeem our work for Him under the sun Matthew 3:16-17 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.