Eccl 1_12-18
Mum was emphatic as she spoke to me. You will go to college and you will work hard so you can make something of yourself. That’s a pretty heavy message to an 11 year old. It’s also a message that reflects the emphasis that society places on education.
The world has come to trust in education as the solution to its problems. Road deaths will be curbed through education. We are told that racism and bullying will stop once we gain the right knowledge.
Here’s a list I came across that does highlight some of the tangible benefits of higher education.
· longer life span
· greater economic stability and security
· more prestigious employment
· greater participation in artistic activities
· more book purchases
· greater community service and leadership
· more self-confidence
· less criminal activity
· And to top it off; greater use of seat belts.
Those are some pretty impressive benefits but can education, on its own, provide us with ultimate satisfaction? Can it give us meaning and purpose in life? Can it solve all our problems? That’s what Solomon sets out to tell us in Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 (READ)
v.12 I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Solomon was what we would call a Renaissance Man. He was rich, famous and intelligent. He ruled as king during a period when Israel was a peace with its neighbours. (ILL) It’s probably the last time Israel was free from conflict.
Because of these factors Solomon was able to apply himself to many intellectual pursuits. We are told that he had an interest in zoology, botany and architecture. He sought to educate himself in the fields of political science, psychology, law and philosophy.
The books of Proverbs and Song of Solomon show how wise he became and what a keen of observer of human nature he was. These were all the fruit of that initial blessing God gave Solomon in 1 Kings 3:5-14 (READ)
Despite this great beginning Solomon decided to pursue knowledge apart from the Lord. For a period of his life he set out to find meaningful answers to the big questions of life by just relying on his own intellect.
In the passage we are looking at this morning we see the Preacher pursuing those answers and the conclusions he came to.
I. First let’s look at the Preachers pursuit – Basically Solomon sets out to understand the meaning of life through education alone.
A. Solomon made this his wholehearted pursuit.
Twice in this passage in verses 13 and 17 Solomon says And I applied my heart.
(ILL) This is not some college kid who goes off to university just because there’s nothing better to do.
This is a man who is looking for answers. In verse 13 Solomon says I applied my heart to seek and to search. These words show how diligent he was. He asked questions to get to the bottom of things. He explored matters from every angle.
And he was also careful in his methods. Verse 13 says he sought answers by wisdom. Wisdom is always interested in doing the right things the right way.
B. This was a wholehearted pursuit and it was a broad pursuit.
According to verse 13 Solomon wanted to understand all that is done under heaven.
He wanted to know what is life on this planet all about. He hoped that educating himself would give him some answers.
(ILL) I have a friend who wrote his doctoral discretion to answer one question. How can I successfully pierce the outer membrane of a certain bacteria? I saw the published volume. He wrote a huge book to answer a tiny question.
Solomon wouldn’t have been happy with that. He wanted answers to the big questions. What is the meaning of life? What gives life purpose? Where can ultimate satisfaction be found. This was a broad pursuit.
C. It was also a thorough pursuit.
1. In v.14 he says I have seen everything that is done under the sun. He observed everything he could to find some answers.
2. And his study wasn’t limited to just head knowledge. He can say in verse 16 he has gained great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
In verse 17 he says I applied my heart to know wisdom. To a Jewish person to know something is to be deeply acquainted with it. It is not just theory.
3. He also looked at all sides. v.17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. He looked at every possibility. Even the illogical and bizarre.
D. While all of this study was commendable we have to add that Solomon’s quest for answers was a worldly pursuit.
1. Notice how Solomon is relying on his own resources?
· v. 13 I have applied my heart to seek
· v. 16 I said in my heart I have acquired great wisdom
· v. 17 I applied my heart to know wisdom
This is the man who also wrote Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
2. Instead of looking up towards heaven for answers verses 13 says he looked under heaven. According to v.14 he limited himself to what can be observed under the sun,
What a contrast with his father David. There is no doubt where David went when he was looking for answers.
· Psalm 119:15 I will mediate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
· Verse 24 Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counsellors.
· Verse 55 When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies.
· Verse 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. And David goes on and on like that.
Solomon might have though his father was old fashioned or too simplistic for placing so much emphasis on learning just the Word of God.
So he applied himself to get a broader education hoping to find some answers apart from God. (Q) Did it work out for Solomon? (Q) Will education give us the answers to what life is all about?
Let’s look at some of the conclusions Solomon comes to after all his intellectual pursuits.
II. The Preachers Conclusions
A. First he finds out that searching for answers apart from God cannot give happiness.
v. 13 It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
You get a picture of where Solomon is at in verse 13. This is his first mention of God in Ecclesiastes and he makes it out that it’s God fault he is so unhappy.
The real reason why he is unhappy and burdened is because he is trying to find the meaning of life apart for God. The world simply cannot offer lasting joy.
B. The second conclusion Solomon comes to is that seeking answers apart from God cannot give ultimate satisfaction
v. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
Twice in these verses Solomon concludes that all his pursuit of wisdom and knowledge was like striving after wind. One commentator said wind is something you can never catch and even if you could you would not have anything anyway.
If you leave God out of the picture this world leads to a dead end. You might study all its laws and make careful observations of all you see but for what? To what end?
Thankfully there are people who have been both great intellectuals and devout Christians. They are different than Solomon because they saw their studies as a means to a greater end.
1. Johannes Kepler, the German astonomer said "I wanted to become a theologian, and for a long time I was restless. Now, however, behold how through my effort, God is being celebrated in astronomy."
2. James Maxwell, a Scottish physicist told us what was behind his intellectual pursuits. He said "Teach us to study the works of Thy hands that we may strengthen our reason for Thy service."
(ILL) I hope every child in this church will study hard in their school work. I hope you make great discoveries in science or some other field of study but only if you see these things as a means of glorifying your creator.
Leave God out and all of your education will be like striving after wind.
C. What else did Solomon conclude? He found out that wisdom and knowledge on their own, cannot answer all of life’s questions.
v.15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. This is his conclusion even though verse 16 says he acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before him.
There are some mysteries in life that science and philosophy cannot provide straight answers for. There always a few pieces missing to answer the puzzling questions of life.
Because of sin the world is not quite right. We wonder why bad things happen to good people. How come one minute we can have a beautiful sunset the next an earthquake crushes a whole village. Why do people made in the image of God murder one another?
If you attempt to answer these questions without reference to God’s Word you will only get aggravated like Solomon is in these verses.
Save yourself the frustration and look to God’s Word for answers. He has revealed everything we need to make sense out of life.
There are some answers that God has kept from us. Deuteronomy 29:29 says “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.
While we are not given all the answers we are told we can trust in a God who does have all the answers. Our intellects will be satisfied knowing we have a God who is good and who does all things well.
D. Finally Solomon concludes that gaining wisdom and knowledge might actually lead to greater problems.
v.18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
1. (ILL) Once I went outside to unclog a pipe. It was a small ½ hour job. But then I started to wonder why the pipe seemed to always get clogged.
I made some further observations which lead to some research on the internet which lead to digging a small hole, which lead to digging some really big holes. I then had to buy some expensive pipes. The more I educated myself the more painful my back became.
This is what it was like with Solomon and his intellectual pursuits. The more he studied the more he found out what he did not know. Verse 18 says this lead to vexation. It irritated Solomon and even got him mad.
2. It also brought on more sorrow. One area Solomon studied was the plight of oppressed people. The more he studied the more sorrow filed his heart. He came to realise that education could not fix certain problems.
III. Conclusions
A. Last week Solomon was searching for meaning in hard work, gratifying the senses and in exploring every new thing that came along. They only lead to vanity.
B. This week Solomon has looked to higher learning to provide ultimate satisfaction and meaning in life. It too fell short of Solomon’s expectations.
The problem is that Solomon is trying to find answers apart from God. Many have gone down the same road. Plato, Darwin, Nietzsche, Dawkins, Shirley McClain, the list goes on and on.
God graciously brought Solomon back to the truth. By the end of Ecclesiastes Solomon will be telling us to fear God and keep His commandments.
· Fearing God means to revere and love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
· To keep His commandments implies knowing His Word and then ordering your life by it. This is the pathway to meaning and purpose in life.
To step off that path is to enter this world of vanity that Solomon has been telling us about. A world that is confusing and empty and meaningless.
The Lord is so gracious in revealing these truths to us. Without His Word we would be clutching at things or experiences or whatever else our minds can think up to save us from despair.
When you look at what Solomon went through don’t you find Jesus’ words in John 10 so wonderful? I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. The abundant life will not be found in hard work or in a good education. It is found in Jesus Christ.
If you have been looking somewhere else for meaning you are either weary of searching or you will be soon. Let me end with this invitation from Jesus found in Matthew 12:28-29 Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Let’s Pray!