Sermon Tone Analysis

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:

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

[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.

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.

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!

“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:

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.