Ecclesiastes 6-7:1-4

Ecclesiastes 6

Ecclesiastes 6 (NKJV)

1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

2 A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.

Ecclesiastes 5:13 “13 There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.”

Ecclesiastes 2:25 (ESV)25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?

how many of you have experienced, an (extreme) loss of apetatite.

Ageusia (uh Gyou Zee UH):- scientifc term for loss of taste, loss of your palates

The worst part is seing people enjoy your food, yet you can enjoy it because you have lost your apetatite.

God giving riches without giving you the palates to appreciate and enjoy your wealth, is really a curse than a blessing.

The worst part it others enjoy eat but you don’t

Prov 10:22 “22 The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.”

God blessed Abraham in all things, he was exceedingly rich

God blessed Job and he was exceedingly rich in his time.

But he gave them the power to it of it, because they were good and righteous in his sight.

There is no sorrow ith it

3 If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he—

4 for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

5 Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man,

6 even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place?

We can see how, richess without the power given by God to enjoy, is worthless.

The scripture tells us that a still born child is better than such a man.

7 All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied.

It is true that one labors to satisfy his physical needs (hunger) yet his soul is not satisfied why?

Because, physical things are not designed to satisfy spiritual needs?

Man was formed from the earth and received breath from God to become a living soul.

The part of man (body) that came from the earth will be satisfied from the earth.

The part of man (spirit/soul) that came from God can only be satisifed by God.

People think that material things will satisify their spiritual need.

That it will make them happy, give them peace, purpose and meaning.

However these things are spiritual needs which cannot be met with material things.

The soul can only be satisfied by God

Our soul is designed to be satisfied when we have fellowship with God

God is Spirit and Word. Therefore when we fellowship with his Word and Spirit, our soul will live and be satisfied.

Isaiah 55:1-3 “1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance. 3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David.”

Deut 8:3 “3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”

John 6:63 “63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

1 John 1:1-3 “1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

God knew that our soul will only live and be satisfied by fellowshiping with diety.

So he came to us and manifested himslef to us so we can fellowship with all that he is. With his eternal Word and Spirit

8 For what more has the wise man than the fool? What does the poor man have, Who knows how to walk before the living?

9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Better what the eye can see (or what is at sight) than the wondering of the desire for something that you can see.

It is better to focus on what you have than to have a wondering desire about the things you don’t have.

It is better to focus on what is than wondering about what can be, or what might be or what will be.

NLT “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.”

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

10 Whatever one is, he has been named already, For it is known that he is man; And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.

11 Since there are many things that increase vanity, How is man the better?

12 For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?

The Question is Who (the question solomon could not find the answer)

Who will tell man what is good for man in life

Who can tell him what will happen after him under the son, or what will happen after he dies.

John 14:6 “6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

2 Tim 1:9-10 “9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,”

Man purpose for existence, for life was pre determined before the foundation of the world in Christ but was not revealed in time of solomon, it was revealed in the appearing of our saviour Jesus.

He has abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.

Jesus noiw reveals to man what will be after death, and reveals to man what is good for him in life.

Jesus Christ is the WHO of Ecclesiastes 6:12

So what is good for man in life, what is the purpose and meaning of his life.

It is for him to know Jesus

To be born of Jesus

And to live and walk with Jesus in this life.

Outside of this, outside of the pursuite of these, man life is vanity.

Ecclesiaste 7

Ecclesiastes 7 (NKJV)

1 A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one’s birth;

2 Better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that is the end of all men; And the living will take it to heart.

3 Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Here we read the pre- eminence of sorrow than laughter and mourning than feasting/mirth.

The scripture says that the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning and not in the house of feasting and enjoyment.

Luke 6:21 “21 Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.”

Luke 6:25 “25 Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.”

There is a sorrow that cleanses the heart of man from the vanities of this world, so that he can pursue the things of God.

2 Cor 7:9-11 “9 Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. 10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.”

Godly sorrow, is sorrow that is caused by God, and is about the the things of God

Wordly sorrow is sorrow that is caused by the world and is about the things of the world

The one produces life, the other death.

What Godly sorrow does is weans your heart from the lusts and vanities of this world by which men are esnared and destroyed.

It sobers you up and makes you to ponder and consider the things of your soul and the things of eternity.

So yes the heart of the wise is in the house mourning.

Psalms 102:4 “4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass (poetic way for saying a im full of sorrow of heart), So that I forget to eat my bread.”

Nehemiah 1:1-4 “1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. It came to pass in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the citadel, 2 that Hanani one of my brethren came with men from Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped, who had survived the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.” 4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”

Example of Paul in the letter of philipians

8 instances of the word Rejoice.

Philipians 1:18, he says “in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.”

Philipians 2:17 “I am glad and rejoice with you all”

Philipians 2:18 “you also be glad and rejoice with me.”

Philipians 3:1 “Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord”

Philipians 3:3 “rejoice in Christ Jesus”

Philipians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”

But he speaks of his sorrow.

Philippians 2:25–28 (NKJV)

25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;

26 since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful.

The joy of the Lord is not the absense of sorrow.

You can carry godly sorrow yet rejoice at the same time.

2 Cor 6:4 “4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,”

2 Cor 6:10 “10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

Romans 9:1, Paul writes about his great sorrow and continual grief his heart for the lost sheep of Israel.

5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, And a bribe debases the heart.

8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

10 Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun.

12 For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.

13 Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.

16 Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself?

17 Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?

18 It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all.

19 Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city.

20 For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.

21 Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you.

22 For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.

23 All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; But it was far from me.

24 As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, Who can find it out?

25 I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and madness.

26 And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

27 “Here is what I have found,” says the Preacher, “Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason,

28 Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find: One man among a thousand I have found, But a woman among all these I have not found.

29 Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.”