Idol-Busting Wisdom

Conclusion of Wisdom Series-The reason to accept wisdom’s invitation to dine: Loving God and Neighbor -

With Advent already next week, today we conclude our fall series on Wisdom. There is always more we could study, but for now, the wisdom groundwork is laid out to continue your own study. On occasion, we’ll come back to The Bible’s Wisdom Texts aiding us further in loving God and our neighbor. That’s especially true as we’ll come to see how Jesus amazingly lived all these Proverbs out with perfect execution.

“for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to the simple and discretion to the young.” Prov 1:2-4

An Explanation of Ecclesiastes - Everything “under the sun” is “meaningless, meaningless.”

An Explanation of Ecclesiastes - Meaningless, Meaningless,

Contrary to Jesus who mastered wisdom, we meet in Ecclesiastes a frustrated teacher Quohelet whose quest for wisdom falls short. Many presume him to be Solomon - or an aging Solomon who eventually repented from turning on God. That quest is the search for the meaning of life. He does so by investing himself nearly 100% into every endeavor “under the sun.” This phrase repeated 29 times in Ecclesiastes limits his search to the scope of human achievement outside of God. He concludes life can be endured and it’s pleasures enjoyed-but such living falls short of true meaning. Disillusioned by life’s limits, not only is one’s life temporary, one’s achievements are soon forgotten. The end result is his conclusion that everything is meaningless. On first impression, we might expect this teacher to be driving us to despair of life itself, but instead, another person in the book-the narrator who reflects on Quohelet’s wisdom drives us to God.

Testifying to his misteps in acquiring wisdom is Quohelet-the teacher. Some presume him to be an aged Solomon lamenting and repenting from turning on God. Whoever he is, the wisdom teacher is on a never-ending quest to find the meaning of life. But nothing satisfies. Everything is Meaningless.

We too realize our own sense of disillusion when we place hope in the meaningless.

We too realize our own sense of disillusion when we place our hope in the things of this world. While Quohelet never uses the term idol, not every idol is a graven image. In mock pattern, just like Quohelet, we pin our futures on the next trend, technology, education, or even candidate to make everything right. Striving for solutions and purpose and happiness for everything “under the sun” we keep finding ourselves let down. That’s because outside of God, they are. All the things we put our trust in- striving for solutions and purpose but always being let down. Ultimately, in and of themselves, outside of God, these things and institutions are ultimately meaningless. Jesus highlighted this in -”Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.” “Where your treasure is your heart will be also.”

The Funnel Imagery (

Pinning all our hopes on our own shoulders or the American Dream of bettering ourselves - comes off as a nightmare for many. Working hard and learning hard isn’t always enough in this dog eat dog world.

Pinning all our hopes on government is a sure way to disappointment. Anyone turning on the television finds that one impeachment is actually two depending on which station.

The greatest disillusionment is the face looking in the mirror. We keep spinning our wheels searching for purpose and pursuing someone’s definition of success - we’re just exhausted.

The shining beacons outside of God we looked to for hopeA step back reveals that looking at a different angle - idol worship isn’t limited to the false gods people worship. When we pursue after created things - even the good ones above the Creator - we are not fearing God, we are worshiping idols. We put such a high degree of trust in all these things and more, that we come away lost and disillusioned when they don’t satisfy. This is the recurring theme in Ecclesiastes.

Problem in the Text - The Funnel Imagery ()

Reading Ecclesiastes from start to finish is like being caught up in a funnel. Like this picture, a funnel is wide at its body with a narrow neck at the bottom. The teacher considers the advantage of youth — While it is in their best interest to seek God or as Jesus says store up treasures in heaven, the wide open end of the funnel offers so many “under the sun” options to treasure. The problem is one is less prone as a youth to consider their eternal future and live in the moment.

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Consider our own youth. Very few of us as teens or young adults gave much thought to where we are right now. The options are wide open like the top of the funnel- but the teacher wants his students (a) to think ahead to the days of darkness (b) not forget God. I think back to Wednesday night as the GEMS left to sing carols. In that wonderful moment, they had God on their hearts. Yet, they were fully in the present. Not one gave thought that in 60 or 70 years, they would be the ones being visited. Yet in that hour or so of singing, whether they realized it or not, they were investing in the Treasure of Heaven.

I think back to Wednesday night. The GEMS were heading outside to sing carols at the nursing home. All conversation at the tables came to near halt - in that moment we were just so caught up their joy and energy. Quohelet was right. They gave little thought to the future as they left - that in 60 or 70 years, they would be the ones being sung too. Right now, the young have strength and unlimited potential. It’s with that same zest for life, Quohelet pursued after sorts of things for satisfaction. Yet without God in his proper place, not one of these gave him satisfaction.

(35x’s) Pleasure (2:1), Work (2:11), Profit (2:15), Estate (2:19), Life and Death (3:19) Achievement springing from envy (4:4), Lonliness (4:8), Many Words (5:7), Love of Money (5:10) Life (9-9) Future (11:8) Youth and VIgor 11:10,

But again and again as far as the teacher is concerned, storing up treasures on earth and seeking hope in them is meaningless. Consider just a small list of all he tried - Pleasure, work, profit, achievement, companionship, love of money. Exclusive to themselves, outside of God, all are meaningless. And the narrator of Ecclesiastes does not want his son repeating the same mistake. The sooner the lesson learned the better one’s life will be. We know all too well, time marches on.

But then with the narrowing of the funnel - With that funnel imagery still in mind, Quohelet realizes that as life goes on, one’s own options gives way to the common path of everyone. Life begins wide and open with so many options - Quohoelet is imbittered by it that in the end are the limits of one’s body. Whereas a long life is taken by Scripture to be a sign of blessing, Quohelet pushes back on this. While you will see on the news or hear of those who defy the limits of age - for the majority of us that is not the case. And if there’s one thing that starts to force one’s mind to thinking about the future and meeting their maker - it is aging, it is serious illness.

The Funnel Imagery (Ecclesiastes 1-11)

While you will see on the news or hear of those who defy the limits of age - for the majority of us that is not the case. And when you have less days in front of you compared to what’s behind you -

reach the neck of the funnelWith that funnel imagery still in mind, Quohelet realizes that as life goes on, one’s own options gives way to the common path of everyone. Life begins wide and open with so many options - Quohoelet is imbittered by it that in the end are the limits of one’s body. Whereas a long life is taken by Scripture to be a sign of blessing, Quohelet pushes back on this. While you will see on the news or hear of those who defy the limits of age - for the majority of us that is not the case. And if there’s one thing that starts to force one’s mind to thinking about the future and meeting their maker - it is aging, it is serious illness.

Old Age at the neck of the funnel (1-8)

Age at the neck of the funnel has a strangle hold on all of us - the ultimate idol buster (1-8)

Going back to the funnel imagery, as one ages, the funnel narrows. That’s Quohelet’s honest but somber view of old age. Our earthly treasure driven society takes a different approach. Our society teaches us that our retirement years are the wide part of the funnel with unlimited options. The neck of the funnel is our working and child rearing years. But not as far as the teacher is concerned. Let’s be honest - while the Bible speaks of the blessing of a long life, not all that change is for the better. In dramatic fashion, the teacher highlights the importance of remembering God early on for the things of this earth are temporary and soon forgotten.

Verse 1-2 - Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say - I find no pleasure in them. before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark and the clouds return after the rain. - before time runs out, the reversal of God’s creation of light.

Verse 1-2 - Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say - I find no pleasure in them - before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark and the clouds return after the rain — This is oppositte of the start of creation in where God ordained light and the sun, moon, and stars. The oppositte of this when these things are closed to us is human death.

Verse 3 - when the keepers of the house tremble, the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim. (metaphors for aging - tremoring limbs, aching backs, teeth falling out, eyesight dimming.)

- and the strong men stoop — where shoulders and backs pay the price of past work

- when the grinders cease they are few - as ones teeth begin to fall out

= and those looking through the windows grow dim - dim eyesight, cataracts, blindness

Verse 4 - when the doors to the street are closed, the sound of grinding fades;when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint - (again metaphors of aging - shut ins who can no longer go out, those no longer able to work, and even deafness)

Verse 4 - when the doors to the street are closed, the sound of grinding fades;when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint - (Here we are talking, shut ins who can no longer go out, workers no longer able to work, and even deafness setting in)

His purpose is not to bring us down but to get the youth to think ahead for treasuring up what really matters versus all the time he wasted. Jumping to the end of verse 5 - Reaching the end of the funnel, one dies.

-when the sound of grinding fades - because one can no longer work

“Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.”

-when men rise up at the song of birds but their songs grow faint - deafness is setting in

Further and further down the funnel we go

Verse 5 - when men are afraid of heights, and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms, and the grasshopper drags himself along, and desire no longer stirred (again all poetic metaphors for age - balance issues, muscle weakness, the blossoms marking the change of hair color, the legs that have lost their spring, where even sexual desire is not even stirred anymore.)

Reaching the end of the funnel, one find death. “Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.”

- when the hair turns white as the almond tree blossoms

- and the grasshopper drags himself along because his legs have lost their spring

- and not even sexual desire is stirred anymore

At the end of the funnel all of us will one day reach - Quohelet is brutally honest - Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets.

You can hear in Quohelet’s pleas a regret that he wasted so much time investing in everything under the sun on his quest for purpose and meaning. His one final plea overturns our own sense of disillusion with this world. It’s the wisdom we long for our children and grandchildren to take up.

Verse 6: Remember him-before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken;before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well. all four are metaphors for death - the end of the funnel

Ultimately verse 7 - the dust returns to the ground it came from and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

While the world in its wisdom tries to outgrow God — Outside of God the teacher concludes everything is meaningless.

As metaphors of the coming death - the dust returns to the ground it came from and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

This demise of human life frustrates him to no end -He’s ran out of time because everything ends up meaningless.

Verse 8: “Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. Everything is meaningless.” That’s the last we hear from the Teacher

Verse 8: “Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. Everything is meaningless.” That’s the last we hear from the Teacher

Verse 8: “Meaningless! Meaningless! says the Teacher. Everything is meaningless.” That’s the last we hear from the Teacher

The Conclusion of the Matter: Teacher Evaluation (9-12)

The Conclusion of the Matter: Teacher Evaluation (9-12)

For the 1st time, the narrator speaks. He admires the teacher but all is not well.

Verses 9 -12 -“Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.” The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails given by one Shepherd. Be warned my son of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.”

Such wisdom at times can come off hurtful as the narrator acknowledges:

But the narrator acknowledges his wisdom to be hurtful:

sBut the narrator acknowledges his wisdom to be hurtful:

“Verse 11-The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails given by one Shepherd. Be warned my son of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.”

Not all wisdom is pleasant to the ears. The words hurt sometimes - Goads being a pointed prod to get cattle moving and the firmly embedded nails poking through the boards keep sheep from wandering. Notice how most Bibles capitalize the word “Shepherd”. It may not be our taste, but the Teacher in the end after wasting so much of his life learns from his mistakes and discovers only a portion of his search. But the one Shepherd also is linked to God where wisdom originates.

Following after Christ, not everything Jesus said was joyful and fluffy soft either. Some of Jesus teachings leave us uncomfortable as well. If his expanded fuller meanings of the commandments weren’t enough, there’s family division and the knock at the door that Jesus might say I do not know you. But unlike our narrator, it’s not for us to evaluate the teacher - the teacher, Jesus Christ, will evaluate us.

highlight the positive - praising Quohelet for his quest and imparting wisdom along the way. —But delivered in such a bruttaly honest way - they may be true but they don’t come across as Gospel. And the narrow turns to honest critique that while his wisdom was honest and true, it also hurts. Read 11-12

Teacher Evaluation (11-12)- it smarts-painful lessons worth remembering

One by one - everything we might live for today - everything we might place our hope in finds itself an idol busted. All meaningless - and theretoo the greatest idol of all that gets in the way of God is you and me. The goad is like the cattle prod to get us to keep moving — like firmly embedded nails given by one shepherd.

And that’s when we realize in our seeking wisdom and following after Christ - that not everything Christ said was joyful and fluffy soft - There are times the wisdom and teachings of Jesus leave us uncomfortable. The I don’t know you being the worst - But in the end, under the wisdom of God, it’s not for us to evaluate the teacher — at the end of our lives, the teacher is going to evaluate us. Remembering the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the narrator of Ecclesiastes draws this conclusion. Out of all the possible things that can be pursued in this life as long as we have the strength — wisdom and satisfaction and purpose Quohelet never found - but the narrator does and teaches it to his son.

Now this doesn’t sound like Gospel good news. And yet this is true - it’s not a calling that came to an end in the New Testament.. It originated in Deuteronomy at the giving of the law - To fear your God, to wlak in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the commandments.

Ultimately, it’s the narrator who not only brings the book to a close - but he reveals the purpose of life to his son-the quest Quohelet never completed. Now all has been heard - hear is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Ultimately, it’s the narrator who not only brings the book to a close - but he reveals the purpose of life to his son-the quest Quohelet never completed. Now all has been heard - hear is the conclusion of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

Starting with -The fear of God as the beginning of wisdom until the end of our days - - that is our purpose in life. The narrator says we do so by keeping his commandments because God will bring every deed into judgement.

These words are an exact parallel of after God’s law was given. “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you? What is it that matters in life? to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him.

13 and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good

Moving from Old Testament to New Testament, our revealed purpose in life does not change. Jesus doesn’t scratch out the earlier wisdom instructions.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.Now this doesn’t sound like Gospel good news. And yet this is true - it’s not a calling that came to an end in the New Testament.. It originated in Deuteronomy at the giving of the law - To fear your God, to wlak in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to keep the commandments. The illusion the teacher was under all comes down to this — As the children are learning in Catechism, there were two tablets of the law - loving God and loving neighbor. This passage does not contain a promise to Christ and yet its there -

Moving from Old Testament to New Testament, the obligation changes very little, “You shall love the Lord your God You shall love your neighbor as yourself (-37-39.) (“For the love of God is this that we obey his commandments ) (If you love me you will keep my commandments - . They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me. -Mattthew 12:36-37 You will have to given an account…

When asked by an expert about the greatest commandment, Jesus answer - “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second like it. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

When asked by an expert about the greatest commandment, Jesus replied in - “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And the second like it. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

The cadets on Wednesday will recite - Jesus words - “If you love me you will keep my commandments”

In - Jesus warns of the account to be given for every spoken word.

While we might think we can disregard law and live as we please out of love, very little actually changes between Proverbs and the Gospels.

The command to fear God and obey his commands changes very little - but the reason we do changes dramatically. As commanded by Jesus, Communion celebrates that remarkable change in remembrance of him.

Now but the reason we follow through on fearing God and obeying his commandments changes dramatically. We do so in gratitude — Communion celebrates that remarkable change.

But in dramatic fashion what does change is why we do so. Jesus’ obedience and perfect wisdom overrides our inability to obey. Innocent, he bore God’s judgement for us. And we stand forgiven. Not only that, but at Jesus’ return when Judgement Day arrives - the Judge we face will be Jesus our Savior.

Now we live and strive for heavenly wisdom- not for fear of Judgement - but in gratitude.

14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Now we live and strive for heavenly wisdom- not for fear of Judgement - but in gratitude.

Like the wisdom teacher, if we limit ourselves to that which is “under the sun”, we’ll never find purpose or satisfaction. It is only when we look to God above when the spell of our disillusionment with this world is broken and meaning is restored.

To glorify God - Our Mission is the Great Commission to love and share his Gospel.

Far from what so many conclude - the answer for wisdom and purpose can only be found outside humanity. The spell of our disllusionment is broken as we turn our eyes to Jesus. Meaning is restored - and not even death at the end of the funnel has the final word.

Far from what so many think - life is not meaningless - Christ came to rid us of despair that we might have life more abundantly - knowing that the sense of disappontment and even disillusionment with our present world-the spell is broken humbled and put ino ur place, the spell is broken and all eyes are on Jesus.

14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

= Christ has come to give life-the good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.

In doing so, the reason why we ought to follow through on Jesus Christ changes from judgment to grace and from fear to thankfulness. Fearing the Lord remains the start of wisdom but why we do so changes. Communion celebrates that change that everything meaningless now holds meaning - even the meaninglessness of the death of a believer now has meaning as the gateway to new life.

No matter where we find ourselves in the funnel of life, this is what really matters. Communion becomes the ultimate symbol.

Our joy that we hold presently depends on the security we have in the future. Far from what so many think - life is not meaningless - Christ came to rid us of despair that we might have life more abundantly - knowing that the sense of disappontment and even disillusionment with our present world-the spell is broken humbled and put ino ur place, the spell is broken and all eyes are on Jesus.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.