The Conclusion of It All

Introduction:

We’ve finally reached the end of the Book of Ecclesiastes and we get to the end of the matter. This journey has been a long one and at times it’s been depressing. Life on this earth without God is like that. It is depressing. But as I hope you and I both know, we don’t live life on this earth without God. We aren’t pre-programmed by evolutionary forces to act a certain way. We have a choice. And we need to use that choice to live for God and follow Christ.

Tonight, we are going to look at what Solomon has to say about things as he wraps up his experiment with the meaning of life.

Read text. Pray.

1. Solomon’s Credibility (vv.9-10)

I like to call this point, Solomon’s Street Creds

Street Creds = experience in real life. Solomon had a lot of life experiences and he could speak to the meaning of life for a couple of reasons.

A. He was wise

2 Chronicles 9:1–6 ESV

Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test him with hard questions, having a very great retinue and camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind. And Solomon answered all her questions. There was nothing hidden from Solomon that he could not explain to her. And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her. And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard.

B. He was a teacher

The Bible says in verses 9-10 that Solomon sought after acceptable and wise proverbs and sayings to write down. The Book of Proverbs is partly this work. We also see that Solomon pondered, or thought about much of what was written down. This is good because there is a lot of stuff out there that is written down.

Illustration:

Have you been to a bookstore lately like Barnes and Nobles and browsed through the self-help section? There are thousands of books to fix us! Man! We must be pretty broken chaps!

All of these books will give you something different that you need to do to fix your problems. The problem is that many of them contradict each other. And there is just soooo much out there to have to get through!

The same thing is true of preaching books and religious books! What’s interesting is that all we really need is right in the Bible!

C. He had the resources and opportunities few will have

We read earlier how Solomon had an abundance of wealth at his disposal, but we also know that as king he had time on his hands that he could try out these things he mentions in Ecclesiastes to bring him pleasure and meaning in life. In the end, Solomon came to a few conclusions. But before we get there, let’s look at the benefits of wisdom that Solomon gives us.

2. The Benefits of Wisdom (vv.11-12)

Wisdom is like a cattle prod

A goad was a sharp pointed stick that was used to direct cattle. The CSB translates the word as cattle prod, which is probably a good translation for us today. This wasn’t an electric prod, of course, but the idea is the same.

Wisdom sometimes has to jar us into the right course of action. Sometimes we need some discomfort in our lives to get us moving in the right direction.

Wisdom guides (like a Shepherd)

The second way wisdom benefits us is to guide us like a shepherd. This is a little different than a cattle prod. Solomon says that the words of scholars are like well-driven nails given by one Shepherd.

Solomon would know a little about being a shepherd. He is called a shepherd in Song of Solomon. The Shepherd will most often guide the sheep by his voice. The Bible is God’s voice to us. We need to listen to His gentle calling.

3. The Conclusion of the Matter - Fear and Obey God(vv.13-14)

A. Fear God

B. Obey God

Conclusion:

Why should we fear God and obey? Because God will bring every work into judgment. I love the song This is My Father’s World. It is a beautiful song. And the truth is, we are all just in it. We belong to God as well. We need to operate our lives by His truth, and when we do, we will find the blessings that we long for.