Ecc Sermon Parts Week 8

Turning Point in the Book

Ecc 6:10-12 is a turning point in the book where Solomon shifts from observations and explorations to conclusions.

For the rest of the book he’s really unpacking what can be ‘gained’ here under the sun?

He answering the question “What does wisdom benefit us?”

Ecclesiastes 2:13–14 (CSB)

13 And I realized that there is an advantage (yitron) to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.

14 The wise person has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. = death

advantage, profit, gain = יִתְרוֹן (yitron)

the root word appears 18 times in the book.

The second half of the book, i think, are expounding on the advantages of wisdom to folly in this life under the sun = life in a fallen and broken world.

God’s Sovereignty

Ecc 6:10-12

This whole text is wrapped in the idea of God’s Sovereignty

Ecclesiastes 6:10–12 (CSB)

10 Whatever exists was given its name long ago, and it is known what mankind is. But he is not able to contend with the one stronger than he.

That is, it was done by God

man cannot contend with God

Isaiah 45:9–12 (CSB)

9 “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker— one clay pot among many.

Does clay say to the one forming it, ‘What are you making?’ Or does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?

10 Woe to the one who says to his father, ‘What are you fathering?’ or to his mother, ‘What are you giving birth to?’ ”

11 This is what the Lord, the Holy One of Israel and its Maker, says: “Ask me what is to happen to my sons, and instruct me about the work of my hands. 12 I made the earth, and created humans on it. It was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded everything in them.

11 For when there are many words, they increase futility.

Arguing with God is futility and leads to more futility (hevel)

And isn’t that what each of us do?

Don’t we shake our fists to God?

Don’t we say ‘how could you do that?’

ILL: Abby and not wanting to read.

We all think we know better than God

We all think we can run the universe better than him

That thought is Satanic in origin — i mean that.

For this is what got Satan kicked out of heaven.

What is the advantage (yitron) for mankind?

If that’s true, we can’t win against God, then what advantage is there?

what yitron?

12 For who knows what is good for anyone in life, in the few days of his futile life that he spends like a shadow?

Who can tell anyone what will happen after him under the sun?

This is our limited vision as finite human beings

The answer of course is no-one can — not on earth.

Only God, and God alone knows.

It is wisdom to acknowledge this.

Proverbs 9:10 (CSB)

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Ecc 7:13-14

This is also where Solomon ends, the same idea.

God’s is Sovereign and we are not = accepting this is wisdom

Ecclesiastes 7:13–14 (CSB)

13 Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?

We talked about this in week 1 when we compared it to Ecc 1:15

Ecclesiastes 1:15 (CSB)

15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

We said that this referred to Genesis 3 and the consequences of the Fall

the consequences of thinking you know better than God

The consequences of trusting Satan, of trusting yourself.

The result was the the curse that God gave in response to sin in Genesis 3 but always with the Hope of Redemption

Also Romans 8:21-22

There it is wisdom to know that the world is broken, that it has been subjected to the curse, to the hevel as part of God’s plan of redemption.

That being the case.

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him.

both prosperity and adversity are under God’s sovereign control

in prosperity = rejoice! be joyful and thank God

in adversity = consider that God is sovereign and good.

he keeps us dependent on Him

that is what ‘so that no one can discover anything that will come after him’ means.

Warren Weirsbe: God balances our lives by giving us enough blessings to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble...Why does God constitute our lives in this way?

The answer is simple: to keep us from thinking we know it all and that we can manage our lives by ourselves...Just about the time we think we have an explanation for things, God changes the situation and we have to throw out our formula.

This is wisdom: God keeps us dependent on Him becuase that is what is best for us.

its no use arguing with him.

We have to trust, have faith, that he is good.

Both powerful and good.

The Advantages of Wisdom (Ecc 7:1-12)

Given the reality that we live in a fallen world yet under of God’s goodness and sovereignty

What then is the advantageous way to live?

How can we live wisely?

How can we enjoy the advantages of wisdom?

Let’s look briefly at the advantage of wisdom.

Wisdom is an advantage (Ecc 7:11-12)

Ecclesiastes 7:11–12 (CSB)

11 Wisdom is as good (tov) as an inheritance and an advantage (yitron) to those who see the sun, 12 because wisdom is protection as silver is protection; but the advantage (yitron) of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

First he says wisdom is as good as an inheritance

that is coming into a substantial amount of money

Why?

because wisdom protect just as silver protects

Proverbs 3:13–18 (CSB)

13 Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding,

14 for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than gold.

15 She is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire can equal her.

16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths, peaceful. 18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who hold on to her are happy.

and ‘money is the answer for everything’ (Ecc 10:19)

What could you fix if you just had more money?

Could you sleep better at night if you just has a little bit more money?

Wisdom is like that.

Do you believe that? Do you feel that?

Doesn’t Prevent Death

Ecclesiastes 7:12 (CSB)

12 ...but the advantage (yitron) of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

Notice wisdom doesn’t prevent death but preserves life.

Ecclesiastes 2:14 (CSB)

14 The wise person has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.

something greater would be needed to overcome death (resurrection) the one who has power over death.

Solomon is very intent on keeping our own mortality before us.

it is good to contemplate one’s death

and appreciate the few years that the lord has given us.

Psalm 90:12 (CSB)

12 Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

ILL?

Conclusions for Wise Living

So far we’ve seen that Wisdom is advantageous to follow for it preserves life, prolongs life but doesn’t prevent death.

It is wisdom to acknowledge that God is sovereign over all things and it is folly to argue with him.

It is wisdom to know that we live in a broken and fallen world (crooked) but that even this is a part of God’s plan for Redemption (Romans 8:20-22)

So then what ‘wisdom’ can we live by?

Better than

In Ecc 7:1-12 there is a word that is repeated 8x in these verse.

it is the word ‘better than’

the literal hebrew is ‘more good’

When words are repeated in the bible it indicates what the main point or purpose is.

In what follows, Solomon is saying what is ‘better’, that is what is the advantageous way to liv.

Endings are more important than beginnings

Let me ask you this:

Which is more important?

your wedding day? or your final day?

The first day of your marriage or the last day?

Is it not the last day?

How you begin doesn’t matter so much if it doesn’t end well?

Same thing with starting a company, or a friendship, or a project or paper or a sermon for that matter.

This is exactly what Solomon is saying.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (CSB)

1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 (CSB)

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning...

Character over Appearances

First he says a good name is better than fine perfume

think about perfume or fine ointment.

What is its purpose?

to cover up an unpleasant smell

Mary anointed Jesus before his death —why dead people stink

it is a pleasant mask over an unpleasant reality.

some of you are wearing perfume, thank you.

Better than merely appearing to smell good is to actually smell good.

better to be good than appear to be good.

Better is a good name — that is character / reputation than just merely the appearance of ‘being good’

Think Jesus and the pharisees — white washed tombs, immaculate on the outside, dead on the inside.

Better is the day of death than the day of birth

He relates that to the day of death (who you will be on your last day) as opposed to your birth date (who you were at birth).

In other words, better is who you have become by the end of your life than who you were at the beginning, or even in the present for that matter.

Anybody here a better person today than when they were born?

We’ve got a newborn and the big moments in his life right now is seeing further than six feet, smiling and figuring out that those arms and legs are his and that he can control them.

We all are on a journey of growth throughout our lives.

Are you growing into something better? or worse?

Solomon is calling us to consider the end of our life

to consider who we are becoming.

What this means is each of us need to take time to not just work IN our lives but work ON our lives.

We need to take a break, as weekend retreat, a week off as an individual, as a couple and assess

Where are we? Who are we?

Is this what we want? Is this what God has called us to be?

Where do we want to go? Who do we want to become?

Who has God called us to be?

Wisdom says make a plan to get there.

This is what many companies do with year end reports, goals and assessments.

Make a plan

But wisdom also says — realize that God is in control.

This doesn’t mean we don’t make plans, it means we make them and then submit them to God.

Wisdom must be adhered to in order to be advantageous

Ecclesiastes 7:5–6 (CSB)

5 It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools, 6 for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.

Better to listen to rebuke — that is to listen to wisdom

to receive correction

than to listen to the song (the deception) of fools.

For fools songs, laughter and distraction is like the crackling of kindling in a fire

it makes noise and provides a brief relief

but doesn’t last.

Just as kindling gets a fire going but in order to keep it going you the a good piece of wood (wisdom)

So the challenge for all of us is to not just ‘hear wisdom’ but to apply ‘wisdom’ to our lives.

As James says to not be merely ‘hearers of the word but doers of the word’

Extortion

Ecclesiastes 7:7 (CSB)

7 Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the mind.

one path from wisdom to follow is taking the easy way

accepting a bribe

using blackmail to get what one wants.

This is folly in the eyes of the lord and will not yield a man/woman of character

Grieving is Better

Ecclesiastes 7:2 (CSB)

2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.

Would you rather go to a Birthday Party or a Funeral?

B-day party right? Solomon says otherwise.

Better to go to the ‘house of mourning’ a place of mourning and grief than a house of feasting and presumably folly

Why?

partly b/c this is contemplating our own death, our own mortality.

We’ll really spend some time on that in a few weeks

But it’s the same point just made, we only have one life to live — how can we live the better life?

Apparently the ‘better’ life is a live where grieving is a part of it.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 (CSB)

3 Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 CSB

4 The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

Why is grief better than laughter?

When a face is sad a heart may be glad.

What does this mean?

It means facing the realities of a fallen world.

that we cannot run from our pain

we cannot laugh it off

we cannot ignore it, push it out with pleasure or forget it.

Pain will always come back in one way or another.

Pain that is not transformed will be transmitted

2. It means it is only through grieving the brokenness can we hope to be glad.

that we can hope to be healed form our pain.

That we might see God’s redemption — and if we don’t see it we can have faith that one day we will.

This is when Sadness and Joy in the movie Inside Out realize that they need each other.

There is a better joy than just being happy, it goes through sadness and is ultimately enhanced by it.

It is often through our pain that we grow the most

It’s where character comes from.

Romans 5:3–5 (ESV)

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Wisdom says it is better to mourn than to ignore.

it is better to deal with our pain than try to escape our pain.

And there will be time of pain.

Ecc 7:14 — times of adversity — but we trust in God’s goodness, in God’s power to redeem.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 (CSB)

4 The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

Fools are the ones that seek out pleasure to numb the pain.

How about that — Ecclesiastes has already told us what the entire Counseling Profession is telling us.

Patience is better than Pride

The next thing he says, which is totally related to everything we’ve said.

Patience is better than pride.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 (CSB)

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.

Being patient in the process of character growth.

The opposite is Pride.

Pride says I can do it.

Pride says why does it take so long

Pride is unwilling to wait on God.

Pride leads to impatience — and impatience leads to anger.

Pride leads to anger

Ecclesiastes 7:9 (CSB)

9 Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.

Anger lodges in our hearts

Eph 4:26, Psalm 4:4, James 1:19

James 1:19–20 CSB

19 My dear brothers and sisters, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20 for human anger does not accomplish God’s righteousness.

And when we don’t deal with the anger — it produces all sorts of problems.

Go back and listen to “forgiveness” in the Becoming Whole series.

Anger leads to bitterness, bitterness to resentment

and resentment to the defilement of many

and a loss of hope.

It’s the complete opposite of Romans 5:3-5

This leads to regret

which is what he says next.

Anger leads to regret

Ecclesiastes 7:10 (CSB)

10 Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” since it is not wise of you to ask this.

reminiscing on how things used to be

back in the good old days.

People that don’t deal with and heal from their past are stuck in it.

And when you are stuck in your past

it can dominate your present and destroy your future.

Thus cultivating patience in the process is wisdom

Patience means waiting on the Lord

just like the psalmist:

Psalm 130 (CSB) A song of ascents.

1 Out of the depths I call to you, Lord!

2 Lord, listen to my voice; let your ears be attentive to my cry for help.

3 Lord, if you kept an account of iniquities, Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that you may be revered.

5 I wait for the Lord; I wait and put my hope in his word.

6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning— more than watchmen for the morning.

7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord. For there is faithful love with the Lord, and with him is redemption in abundance.

8 And he will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Conclusion

Solomon teaches that your last state is better than your first.

Wisdom helps us preserve our life and live a better life

That looks like:

1. Listening to wisdom — applying it to your life — doing what it says.

2. Facing reality and dealing with pain rather than avoiding it — this leads to healing and gladness

3. Cultivating patience rather than pride and dealing with your anger as it comes up (an indicator of pride) — this means waiting on the Lord

4. Who is Sovereign over all things and all times the good and the bad — therefore we can cultivate patience on the Lord if we have faith that he is both Good and Sovereign.

5. Ending well means learning to depend on the Lord more and more throughout your life and circumstances.

Application

So what do we do with all of this information?

Will we choose wisdom? that means — will we come to the Word of God and live by it.

Will we deal with our pain and brokenness or run from it? — this is a decision we make to have hope rather than to cope.

Will we cultivate patience by waiting on the Lord and recognizing pride?

Again, the Word of God teaches us how to do this.

it teaches us that God is good and Sovereign

and most of all that God loves you.

that God is not being cruel to you.

that God has not forgotten about you

That God has not abandoned you.

The Cross

This is why the Cross is so important.

it is the anchor of our faith.

it is the ultimate symbol of God’s love for you and I.

It is where his goodness is ultimately displayed.

it is what removed the sin of pride and all other sin so that we can be with God here and now.

It opened up the pathway to be filled with God’s very presence which leads to the kind of hope we long for — a living hope.

Everything I have said about wisdom, grieving, patience, goodness and sovereignty is true because of the Cross.

Because God came through.

Because in Christ, death was defeated.

Because in Christ every affliction we experience is ultimately preparing us for an eternal weight of glory

everlasting joy in the presence of God forever.

I’m convinced that one of the most effective ways that Satan can attack us is to prevent us from coming to the Word of God

by distracting us

convincing us it is boring and irrelevant

But it is life for us.

We live by the word of God

and one of the most important things we can learn to do is to

be fed and led by the Word of God

it is what teaches us all that we have talked about today.

4. Take some time, plan some time then to not just work in your life, but to work on your life.

where do changes need to happen?

where does wisdom need to be applied?

what can you put into place to become the person you want to be, the person that God specifically and uniquely called you to be.

Closing

our lives truly are short.

Will you and I live the better life?

Will our last day be better than our first?

Let’s Pray