Untitled Sermon (2)

Ecclesiastes 7-12

7:5-6, “It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity.”

> It is better to have the constructive criticism of a wise person than the flattery of many fools. Doesn’t this summarize celebrity culture today? The songs of the fool are like a Christmas tree in a bonfire, noisy, flashy, and short lived.

7:9, “Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

>There is righteous anger which can manifest quickly. This is why we are told not to sin in our anger. But the anger expressed here is not righteous anger but foolish anger. If gone unchecked it becomes a part of us and who we are.

7:10, “Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.”

> It is pointless to look back to the good old days when those days never existed. In all generations there was corruption, sin, and misconduct. Though we may be fond of memories the days themselves were no better. Though this sins manifest differently today the sins were still present then. To look back and hope for them again is not said with wisdom. Like Israel who looked back to Egypt following the Exodus.

7:15-18, “15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.”

>The warning not to be “overly righteous” or “too wise” is not an exhortation to do a little sinning. The Teacher is not dealing here with the issue of personal sins as such. Rather, he is concerned with a philosophy of life that seeks the benefits of long life, prosperity, and personal happiness through the strict observation of religious and wisdom principles. A modern way to put it would be, “Do not be a fanatic.” We are avoid self-righteous religion as well as a complete disregard.

8:10-13, “10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.”

>10-11 Solomon points out an injustice in his eyes. People who did evil, even those who went in and out of the holy place, died, were buried, and celebrated. The injustice is not that they were buried. Even criminal were given this right. The injustice is the celebration of fellow man for someone who did such evil. But verses 12-13 Solomon speaks of his faith in God’s justice. Though he does not give a rational to this he does communicate that it will be well with those who fear God. Those who fear God are not the ones spoken of in verses 10-11.

9:11-12, “11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.”

>M.A. Eaton writes, “Five accomplishments are listed, none of which guarantees success or prosperity: (i) the swift-footed may find himself a loser; (ii) military strength is no guarantee of success in battle; (iii) wisdom similarly is no guarantee of a livelihood; (iv) understanding may be accompanied by poverty (cf. 9:15); (v) favour may be delayed for or not come at all. Two factors may upset all human calculations. First, time, which is solely in the hands of God. Second, chance is the unexpected event which may throw the most accomplished off course.”

9:17-18, “17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.”

> Solomon makes a clear proclamation, the ruling class or those in authority does not mean they are wise. There is a saying, “just as a few dead flies make a fine ointment disgusting.” Another danger is that wisdom is easily overthrown.

10:12, “The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.”

>Words may devour (Psalm 52:4 “You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.” ) They consume the fool’s reputation (v. 3), his character (James 3:6 “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.”) his impact for good (Eph. 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” ) and finally the man himself (Matt. 12:36a “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.)

10:16-17, “Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

>These verses conclude the Teacher’s political meditations. Once again “servant” (v. 16) and “noble” (v. 17) refer to the moral character or maturity of the king more than to his position . If the king and his administrators view their power as an opportunity for self-indulgence, the nation is lost. If, however, the king and his administration are just and devoted to their duty, the nation is safe.

11:6, “In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.”

> If we are never sure which endeavours will prove fruitful, the right approach to life is to give ourselves to the responsibilities at hand, and await the course of events. I refer back to 9:11-12, time and chance. But if you recall, though we may not know how things might turn out, though we labor, there is still joy in our contentment. Say the seed grows and we are fruitful, wonderful. still being content in our wealth will be the true joy. Say we are not fruitful, there is a greater joy in the contentment we have in Christ. To become shook up by the dried up soil will no produce anymore fruit (Matthew 6:27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”)

12:13-14, “13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with[v] every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

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