Ecclesiastes #3
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Outline/Main Points
1. The preacher’s search for meaning (2:1-10)
· A summary of his search (1-2)
· A description of his search (3-10)
2. The preacher’s reflection upon his search (2:11-23)
· Reflecting upon his labor (11)
· Reflecting upon wisdom, madness, and folly (12-17)
· Reflecting upon his wealth (18-23)
3. The preacher’s conclusion from his search (24-26)
· Man should enjoy the good in his labor (24a)
· The ability to enjoy is a gift from god (24b-26)
In his search, what sort of things did the Preacher explore?
In his search, what sort of things did the Preacher explore?
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was 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.
Laughter (fun and games) and pleasure
Wine and folly
This laughter does not last
Wine - mind altering substance but not becoming an alcoholic
What guided his heart during the course of his search?
Wisdom (perhaps that given the Preacher by God?)
What things did he accumulate during his search? (4-8)
What things did he accumulate during his search? (4-8)
Houses and vineyards
Gardens and orchards
Fruit trees and water pools to water them
Male and female servants, along with servants born in his house
Herds and flocks
Silver, gold, special treasures
Male and female singers, musical instruments of all kinds
Harem of beautiful concubines
We know the satisfaction from building things
He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
Even with all this, it left me bored and frustrated
How great did he become? What stayed with him? (9)
Greater than all who were in Jerusalem before him His wisdom
What did he get? (10)
Whatever his eyes desired, any pleasure his heart wanted
What was his reaction to this great accumulation of wealth? (10-11)
He rejoiced in his labor
But looking back on his works, he found them vanity and grasping for wind, with no profit under the sun
Then I considered all that my hands had 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.
The lesson he learned is not that pleasure is bad
The feelings were real and the pleasures were enjoyable and authentic - They did not linger. Therefore did not accumulate in order to produce something greater and something lasting.
How satisfying today is yesterday’s supper - not matter how good it was?
Same with movies, sex
We have a memory of these things and the memory of the pleasure enjoyed
But the pleasure itself is gone
Drugs on the brain
What conclusions were drawn about the value of wisdom and folly? (12-16)
Wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness
Yet death comes to them both, and they are soon forgotten
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.
What did this reflection lead him to do? Why? (17)
Hate life
Because all work under the sun was grievous, vanity, and grasping for wind
What else caused him to hate his labor?
The thought that he must leave it to one who comes after him
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,
Why did this trouble him? (19-21)
For the one who receives his inheritance gained through wisdom, knowledge and skill might prove to be a fool.
What did he conclude was the result of one’s labor, striving, and toil for things under the sun? (22-23)
Sorrowful days, restless nights
Grievous work, leading to vanity
What did he say was the best man could achieve? (24)
To eat and drink, and enjoy good in his labor
But who was capable of achieving this? (24-26)
The one who was good in God’s sight, to whom God gave wisdom, knowledge, and joy
Rehoboam caused a civil war
Had to plunder the nation’s gold to give to Egypt for protection
Solomon reign for 40 yrs and his son did this in one year.
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?
What did the sinner receive? For what purpose? (26)
The task of gathering and collecting
To give to him who was good before God
How was the preacher's search for meaning similar to the world's search for meaning today?
How was the preacher's search for meaning similar to the world's search for meaning today?