Vanities
Ecclesiastes: Everything Matters • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction:
Introduction:
In the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams writes about Deep Thought, the powerful supercomputer tasked with determining the “the Answer to Life, the Universe, and double check its computations- 7 and a 1/2 million years to be exact- but eventually it spits out a simple unambiguous answer: the meaning is 42.
Someone yells out, “Forty-two!” “that is all you have to show for 7 and a 1/2 million years’ work?”
The computer replies with, “‘I’ve checked it thoroughly.” “And that quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you’ve never actually known what the question is.”
Deep down, everyone wants to know the meaning of life, but to get the right answer we have to ask the right question in the right way. This is our Question in Ecclesiastes: to come to a true, accurate understanding of life, the universe and everything- which hopefully will take less than seven a half million years!
Recap:
Recap:
Author: Solomon
Date: 930 B.C.
Purpose: As we will see this morning, the preacher tries to find the meaning of life, a good life only, “under the sun.” Which occurs 29 times throughout the book.
Background: Solomon is the first existential philosopher. looking to self for the solution that can only be found in the Son of God, or in his case the God of Israel. Existentialist believe that a persons existence is determined by each person. What works for you might not work for me, what is meaningful for you might not be meaningful to me.
Essentially your meaning is determined by you, you define yourself. The conclusion is that there isn’t any absolutes.
Key themes:
The tragic reality of the fall
The vanity of life
Sin and death
The joy and frustration of work
the grateful enjoyment of God’s good gifts
The fear of God
vv 2-11) Vanity of the natural world
vv 2-11) Vanity of the natural world
[2] Again we see the Preacher (Solomon) begins his sermon with his first conclusion, which is also his ultimate conclusion too. Vanity of vanities. He looks at life all around, he judges it to be vanity- nothing, useless, meaningless.
Needless to say that this word “vanity” is an extremely important thematic word: Hb. hebel, lit., vapor or breath. The preacher isn’t going to completely explain his intentionality behind using this word right away. It is only as the book progresses that its meaning become clear.
Breaking down what he has said thus far is that life is transitory, fleeting, useless, empty and futile. Void of meaning and nothing on this earth provides a valid goal of existence. Hence Solomon being the first existentialist.
This is where we must ask ourselves if this true? Yep… It is 100% true! If this life is all there is, and death draws a final curtain on human existence, then life is nothing but a breath or a vapor- unsubstantial and pointless. Paul reminds us that the whole creation was subjected to vanity or futility as a result of sin.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
and it is not without significance that Adam and Eve named their second son Abel or hebel.
What we can tell from this one verse is that Solomon wrote this from a certain perspective, a perspective that is so wrong. The perspective of a man who thinks and lives as if God doesn’t matter.
This is one of the reasons we need to read this book in its proper context. Because Ecclesiastes is filled with what we would call true lies. In light of Solomon’s perspective “God doesn’t matter,” it is true that all is vanity. Since that perspective is wrong, it is not true.
[3] Mankind is frail and our lives are filled with toils and labors, but where does it get him when all is said and done?
He is on a treadmill, a tiresome round of motion without progress. You ask him why he works, and the response is, “to make money.” But why does he want money? To buy food. why does he want food? To maintain his strength. Okay, why does he want strength? Needs strength to work. Right back to where he began.
Talk about a bleak existence. But such is a life living under the sun, and not in the Son.
[4-7] Solomon looks out upon humanity and see that in one aspect the world is full of birth, and in another full of deaths. Coffins and cribs everywhere. This is an unstoppable cycle under the sun.
Each person thinking they are enduring only to quickly be forgotten.
Solomon also thought that the earth would last forever too. But Peter tells us that the earth and works that are upon it will be burned up in the coming Day of the Lord.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Solomon concludes: that generations come and go, The sun rises and sets, the patters of the wind, and that streams all run to the sea with out end… never ending, all of these doing the same thing over and over again.
For the OT orthodoxy, creation rings with praises of the LORD (YHWY). Because creation is His!
1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
“but” says Solomon, take away its God, and creation no longer reflects His glory.
All the rivers of earthy joy may flow into our hearts, but we will never be filled… never finding satisfaction.
Only in Christ… Under the Son of God, men might find the secret which makes all things new. A reason to exist.
Only in Christ can men and women find the reason to exist.
[8-11] Life that is confined to this earth is full of weariness. Language is inadequate to describe the monotony, boredom, and futility of it all.
Mankind is never satisfied. No matter how much they see, they will always want more. And our ears never reach the stage where they don’t want to hear something new. We travel incessantly for new sensations, sights, sounds.
Like a hamster, men are in a cage who only makes his prison go round the faster by our race.
This doesn’t mean that our case is hopeless. All anyone needs to do is get above the sun to the One who:
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
World joy is fleeting- vanity itself;
Vain the dazzling brightness, vain the sores of wealth;
Vain the pomp and glory; only Thou canst give
Peace and satisfaction while on earth we live.
There is none. Lord Jesus, there is none like Thee
For the soul that thirsteth, there is none like Thee.
-Author unknown
An additional feature of Solomon’ disillusionment was the discover that there is nothing new under the sun. History is constantly repeating itself.
Is that true Pastor, that there is nothing really new? Yeah. Even the most modern discoveries are developments of principles that were locked into creation at the beginning. Many of man’s most boasted achievements have their counterparts in nature. Birds flew long before men did.
Those who spend their lives searching for novelties are bound to be disappointed. It has already happened.
There may be no new thing under the sun; but thank our great God- those who are born again by the Holy Spirit- don’t live under the sun in that sense. Their life is filled with new things.
A new name
17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’
A new community
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
A new commandment
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
A new covenant
28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
A new and living way to heaven
20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
A new purity
7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
A new nature
24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
A new creation in Jesus Christ
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
All things become new!
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
vv 12-18) Vanity of wisdom and knowledge
vv 12-18) Vanity of wisdom and knowledge
[12] Solomon was internationally famous for his great wisdom. If the answers to the seeming emptiness of life could be found by wisdom Solomon was the man for the job.
Solomon’s wisdom was a gift of God after all. When God offered him whatever he pleased, he asked for wisdom, specially the wisdom to lead the people of God (1 Kings 3). Therefore God made Solomon so wise that he wrote thousands of proverbs, and was considered to be wiser than all others.
[13-15] With the unique ability to make such a search, Solomon looked for the answers in wisdom- by which he meant human wisdom that excluded answers in the light of eternity
Seek and search out are not synonymous here. Seek- is a verb that implies penetrating into the depth of an object; search out means taking a comprehensive survey of matters further.
Solomon devotes himself to research and exploration, synthesis and analysis, induction and deduction. But he soon becomes disenchanted with learning as an end in itself. In fact, he says that it is an unhappy business with which God allows men to occupy themselves.
The seeming futility of life comes from God; He has given it to the human race for a reason. You see God has deliberately built a system where life seems meaningless and empty without the understanding of a living, active God to whom we must give account.
Should stir us to look for the solution apart from self. Solomon like many of us, is pretty dense...
Solomon mentions God- Elohim. Believing that He created all things. but nowhere in this book does Solomon acknowledge Him as the covenant-keeping God YHWH, who shows redeeming grace to those who put their trust in Him. Rebellion from what his father knew to be true?
[15] He is frustrated by his discovery that learning doesn’t solve all the puzzles of life. There are crooked thing that cannot be made straight and missing things that cannot be numbered.
Life is full of paradoxes and anomalies that cannot be solved...
We have landed on the moon, but the flight of a bee defies all know laws of aerodynamics. Scientist have delved into the secrets of the atom, but they cannot harness lightning or store its power. Diseases such as polio and tuberculosis have been controlled, but the common cold is still unconquered.
[16-18] “I said in my heart” This approach is natural for mankind. They are looking inward for wisdom and answers, instead of to the God who rules over all things.
Solomon looked into and explored both extremes of human behavior, wisdom and madness and folly. Just in case the true meaning of life was found in either or in both.
Our world claims that the solution to many of our problems is due to a lack of education… If that was true college campuses would be centers of peace and contentment. They are not… Rather they are a cesspool animosity and unrest.
“The wiser you are the more worries you have; the more you know, the more it hurts.”
There is some truth to the adages, “Ignorance is bliss,” and “what you don’t know won’t hurt you.”
vv 2:1-11) The vanity of pleasures, possessions, and accomplishments
vv 2:1-11) The vanity of pleasures, possessions, and accomplishments
Having failed to find fulfillment in intellectual pursuit, Solomon turns next to the pursuit of hedonism. It seems reasonable that one would be happy if one could just enjoy enough pleasure.
Pleasure, by definition, means the enjoyable sensations that come from the gratification of personal desires. So he decided that he would live it up, that he would try to experience every stimulation of the senses known to man. He would drink the cup of fun to the full, and then, at last, his heart would ask no more.
Yet the search too ended in failure. He concludes that pleasures under the sun are vanity.
[2-3] Like a modern celebrity he ran from party to party, entertainment to entertainment. At the end of it all, he judged it to be “madness” and without meaning.
[[the celebrity]]
[4-8] Solomon didn’t only look for meaning in amusement, but also in great and legitimate accomplishments. He tried to give life meaning through the satisfaction that come through building and organizing and improving one’s environment. It is as if he had over-reacted in turning to futile pleasures, he now give himself to the joys of creativity.
He built houses, great gardens, huge pools of water, many servants, herds and flocks, and great wealth. If any of those things could give the true meaning of life, the Preacher would have found it.
[9-11] Solomon’s accomplishments rightly lifted him to prominence, and he had whatever meaning fame could bring to life.
It surprises me that through all of this searching apart from God he would retain all of his wisdom.
Does this mean that God is opposed to His people having pleasure? Not at all! If fact the reverse is true. God wants His people to have a good life. But He wants us to realize that this world cannot provide true pleasure. It can only be found above the sun.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
The world is spreading dangerous lies that you can find lasting joy and pleasure apart from God. All the world can offer you are cesspools and broken cisterns, whereas God offers the fountain of life.
vv 2:12-17) The vanity of living wisely
vv 2:12-17) The vanity of living wisely
[12] What we are going to see here is the simple fact that death is the great equalizer. Solomon is taking wisdom, madness, and folly to there natural conclusions.
[13] His general conclusion was that wisdom is better than madness and folly, just as the light is better and more helpful then darkness.
A wise person walks in the light and can see the dangers along life’s journey. The fool, on the other hand, gropes along in darkness and falls into every ditch and trap.
[14] However Solomon makes a startling observation: Even with the advantage of wisdom, it doesn’t change the outcome. Both the wise and the foolish die.
[15] Solomon now asks the question why did i put such a premium on being wise all his life. The only redeeming feature of wisdom is that it sheds light on the way. Apart from that, it is no better. And so the pursuit of wisdom is also a great waste of effort.
[16-17] Concluding this section is the funeral, both the wise and the fool are quickly forgotten. Within a few generations it is as if they never lived. The names and faces that seemed so important faded into oblivion, and it will happen again.
Even fame is fleeting. Solomon instead of finding satisfaction and fulfillment in human activity under the sun, only found grief.
“The greatest thrill of my life was when I first scored the decisive goal in a big game and heard the roar of the cheering crowds. But in the quiet of my room that same night, a sense of futility of it swept over me. After all, what was it worth? Was there nothing better to live for than to score goals? Such thoughts were the beginning of my search for satisfaction. I know in my heart that no one could meet my need but God Himself. Soon after, I found in Christ what I could never find in the world.” -Anonymous athlete
vv 2:18-26) The vanity of labor.
vv 2:18-26) The vanity of labor.
[18] One of the greatest injustices that bothered Solomon was that he would not be permitted to enjoy the wealth which he had accumulated.
“Death is a worm at the root of the tree of pleasure. It mars pleasure, it chills enjoyment, for it cuts off man when he would sit down after years of toil to reap the fruit of his labor” -C.E. Stuart
[19] He was bummed at the idea of having to leave what he made for another, his heir. He hadn’t a clue if his heir was going to be wise or foolish. Perhaps he had a premonition that it would happen to him. Rehoboam, would squander all of Solomon’s riches and cause a split in the land. Resulting in Israel to the north and Judah in the south.
[21] Parents throughout the world still spend the best part of their lives accumulating wealth that will be left to their children. They altruistically describe it as their moral obligation.
Selfishness is mostly at the root of it. Their first thought is to provide luxury for themselves in their old age. That their children inherit what is left is only the result of the parent’s death and the laws of inheritance.
For the believer, we need to have a different perspective. The best heritage to give our offspring is spiritual, not financially.
Perhaps the spiritual approach is to put our money to work for God. Martin Luther felt he could trust his family to God as he had trusted himself. In his last will and testament he wrote:
“Lord God, I thank You, because You have been pleased to make me a poor and indigent man upon earth. I have neither house nor land nor money to leave behind me. You have given me wife and children, whom I now restore to You. Lord, nourish, teach and preserve them, as You have me.”
The Apostle Paul, confirmed Solomon’s outlook. He said:
32 What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
Apart from the revelation found in Christ, we would come to the same conclusion as Solomon.
22 What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?
Man strives, he plod, frets and fumes- but for what? What difference does it make five minutes after he dies?
But we know from God’s Word that our lives can be lived for God and for eternity. We know that all that is done for Him will be rewarded. Our labor is not in vain in the Lord.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
So in closing we must:
24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
I Surrender All
I Surrender All
Verse 1
All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live
Chorus 1
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
Verse 2
All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus take me now
Chorus 1
I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
