New Ruler. Not Happy.

Introduction

We like the head coach, then we want him fired. We like the new head coach, then he’s not new anymore, and we want someone more creative. On and on it goes. This too is vanity and striving after the wind.

This cycle of wanting something new and getting rid of what’s old is what is about (although it’s not talking about sports but politics).

[Illus] And although we operate within a different political system, we see this same cycle in our own country.

Since we started keeping up with presidential approval numbers, there have been eight presidents who served two terms—Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barak Obama.

Harry Truman

All except two saw their approval numbers drop in their second term. The exceptions were Ronald Regan (50.3-55.3) and Bill Clinton (49.6-60.6).

But by and large, it seems people in our country get tired of the old leadership and desire something new until the new becomes the old and the cycle starts over again.

It was the same in Solomon’s day except worse because with a monarchy people had more time to get tired of the old leadership.

As King of Israel Solomon had opportunity to observe many rulers due to Israel’s relationships with other nations. What he saw was that for various reasons rulers came and went. People flocked to one ruler until they didn’t. Then they’d flock to another until he displeased them. And, in the end, all was vanity and striving after the wind. As he saw it, it was meaningless.

I think this passage is a specific example of what Solomon mentioned in ...

Ecclesiastes 1:3–4 NASB95

What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever.

Tonight we’ll see a few lessons for

What does a king gain from all the toil at which he toils? One generation loves him, but it will pass away. The next generation will want someone new. On and on it goes just as the earth goes on and on around the sun.

Solomon communicates by way of parable in this passage.

There’s a young lad, poor but wise, and old king who has stopped listening to advice or heeding warnings (v. 14).

The old king wasn’t alway like this. He was born poor like the lad and rose from poverty and prison to the palace (v. 15).

Even so, because he has stopped his ears, the people throng to someone new—the young lad from v. 13.

He listens.

He is wise.

And his rags to riches story is so compelling.

But although people flock to him in the present, future generations will not be happy with him either.

In the end, its all vanity and striving after the wind.

What lessons can we learn from this parable?

We know in v. 13 there is a young lad and an old king.

However, in v. 14 the “he” might refer to the young lad or the old king.

Then in v. 15, there’s a second young lad (ESV has “that youth”) that will stand in his place. The ESV says “the king’s place,” but which king—the old king from v. 13 or the young lad who became king?

In the end, it doesn’t matter because the point is that most kings will be loved by one generation and then despised and replaced by the next… and it’s all meaningless according to Solomon.

But let’s notice a few lessons anyway...

Major Ideas

Lesson #1: Listen (v. 13).

Ecclesiastes 4:13 NASB95

A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction.

Each person in this verses gets three descriptions.

The lad is poor, wise, and young.

Q: The youth is described as poor and the king is described as one “who no longer knows how to receive instruction.” Do you think that poverty inspires wisdom in any way? If so, how?

The king is old, foolish, and king.

Q: How might poverty spark wisdom?

Q: The king once knew how to receive instruction. Why do you think he lost the ability?

Q: How does one become young and wise?

Q: What makes the old king foolish?

Q: As we get older, how do we maintain the ability to heed advice?

Q: Why do you think the old king stopped listening?

Q: How do you make sure we keep heeding the counsel of others?

Lesson #2: Remember (v. 14).

Ecclesiastes 4:14 NASB95

For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.

The old king was born poor and spent time in prison before he came to the palace. He was the original “poor yet wise lad” before this other “poor yet wise lad” mentioned in v. 13.

Q: Why do you think the old foolish king was in prison?

Q: How might remembering his past helped the old foolish king remember to listen to the counsel of others? (“Look at what God has brought me through!” gratefulness)

Q: If we take it to refer to the old and foolish king, what do we learn from this verse?

Q: How might remembering his past have hindered his desire to heed the counsel of others? (“Look at what I’ve powered through!” pride)

Q: If we take it to refer to the poor yet wise lad, what do we learn from this verse?

Lesson #3: Understand (v. 15-16a).

Ecclesiastes 4:15 NASB95

I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him.

Ecclesiastes 4:15–16 NASB95

I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him. There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.

The people flock to the poor yet wise lad mentioned in v. 13. The old foolish king who didn’t listen is gone. The people are excited. The new king is excited. There are parades and speeches and dinner parties. It’s a wonderful time.

But this has all happened before. As Solomon said in , “A generation goes and a generation comes...” People celebrated new kings in the past. They even celebrated the old foolish king when he came to power. But later generations were not happy with him in the end. Later generations won’t be happy with this new king either.

Q: Do you think its wise or foolish for a leader to try to make everyone happy? Do you think its possible?

Q: The Bible says that, as far as it depends upon us, we are to live at peace with all people (). How do we do that? Where might problems arise in this command?

Ecclesiastes 4:16 ESV

There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Q: If we aren’t going to make everyone happy or be able to live at peace with everyone, does that mean we should give up? (No. This brings us to lesson 4).

Q: Why do you think people get tired of leadership?

If we look at v. 13 we see that it is sometimes because leaders stop listening. There are others as well, however. Sometimes people have unrealistic expectations of what a leader should or can do for them.

Conclusion

Lesson #4: Persevere (v. 16b).

Solomon said this was vanity and striving after wind because being a king who pleases everyone is not an achievable or satisfying goal. No matter how great you are as a leader people are going to be unhappy at times, and they will not remember you forever.

But the follower of Jesus doesn’t lead to make people happy, and he or she doesn’t lead for their own glory.

We lead for God’s glory in order to please Him for the good of our neighbors. Therefore, we don’t give up.

We don’t give up even when we are disliked.

We don’t give up even though we will be forgotten.

We don’t give up because we aren’t the point.

God is the point! And we lead to glorify and please Him!

Of course, Jesus is the supreme example of this.

He was the embodiment of divine wisdom.

He always listened to the Father and the Spirit and obeyed divine instruction. Thus, they were always pleased with Jesus.

Even so, not everyone was always pleased with Jesus. At times, his own disciples weren’t.

But Jesus didn’t lead to please them but to glorify His Father in Heaven by redeeming sinners by way of the cross.

In the same way, we must lead to glory of God and the only way to do that is to lead in such a way that people see the difference Jesus makes in our leadership.

We listen because he listened.

We gratefully remember the depths from which he brought us.

We lead for the good of others and God’s glory rather than our own good and our own glory because that’s how Jesus led.

We don’t get wrapped up in the praises of men because we are living to hear from him, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

But we can’t lead like him, unless we trust Him as our Savior and follow Him as our Lord.

Have you done that? Are you doing that?