Ecclesiastes 4- Welcome to our World!

 

Dr. Jim Packer was one of the most famous and influential evangelicals of our time. He died last Friday, July 17,2020  at  the age of 93.  

For Jim Packer, Ecclesiastes was the book that cured him of youthful cynicism. The book, he said, “has taught me that it is folly to suppose that you can plan life and master it, and you will get hurt if you try. You must acknowledge the sovereignty of God and leave the wisdom to him. It tells me now what it told me 40 years ago, namely, that we wear out, physically we come apart. You get old, and getting old means the loss of faculties and powers you had when you were younger. And that is the way God prepares us to leave this world for a better world to which he’s taking us. The message of Ecclesiastes 12 is, “Get right with God as early in life as you can; ‘remember the Creator in your days of youth’ [v. 1]. Don’t leave it until sometime in the future when you’re not likely to be able to handle it well at all.” [1]  

When asked what his  final  message to the  world would be, he said,  “Glorify Christ every way”.

We now come to the 4^th Chapter of this remarkable, unique and sobering book of the Bible. The commentator Michael Eaton observes that “between 4:1 and 10:20, Ecclesiastes  resembles the book of Proverbs, with short  epigrams dealing with various aspects of life.”[2]  So, what we see here is a host of different topics pertaining to life under the sun as it is    observed by Solomon. 

In this chapter, Solomon considers   four   vanities under the sun. Each of them needs to be redeemed by the Lord Jesus. 

Each one is relevant to our times.

1.     4: 1-3: People  oppressed with no one to comfort them

2.     4: 4 -6: People working to keep up with their neighbours,  but they are  unhappy. 

3.     4:7-12: People who are incredibly lonely.

4.     4:13-16: People who rise from poverty to political power, forgetting   where they have come from, and worse still, who no longer know how to take advice, and who leave their high offices with no appreciation from those they ruled.

1.         PEOPLE OPPRESSED WITH NO ONE TO COMFORT THEM   (4:1-3)

Look at the text again. The word ‘oppress’ occurs three times. Then look at words such as ‘tears’ and ‘no comfort’. Solomon describes the hopeless condition of the oppressed. Although Solomon does not seem to have suffered from oppression himself, he would have seen it when he looked around in his pursuit to discover what life has to offer. 

He would have known of the oppressions that David, his father had experienced under  king Saul (1 Samuel 18ff), and also later under  his brother, Absalom who tried to take the throne from his father  David (2 Samuel 15). 

Sadly, it seems as if Solomon himself became an oppressor of his people later in his life (1 Ki. 12:4), when his many foreign wives led him astray.  His  son, Rehoboam  increased the oppression of his own  people of Israel  (1 Ki. 12:11). This led to Israel becoming  a divided kingdom during the  reign of  Rehoboam (1 Kings  12:16ff).

All this has a very modern tone to it.  Think about all the current oppressions of people under the sun. There is virtually no nation where people groups are not oppressed. 

We think of the history of our own nation. Apartheid oppressed black people. 

We think of the language of the minority Kurdish people (18%) which is not recognized in Turkey. 

In Syria, the Alawites, a religious Muslim  minority group (18 %)  was  historically oppressed by other Muslims, but now  under the leadership of Bashar al Assad this minority group is in turn  oppressing  other faith  groups.  Elsewhere  in Africa we have heard of the  Tutsi minorities   of Rwanda & Burundi   who oppressed the Hutu  majority, and this is still at the heart  of much unhappiness in  that region. Tribalism still oppresses many people in Africa. In the 19th Century many tribes in Africa sold each other, out of envy, into slavery. 

Germans oppressed and killed many Jewish Germans in the 20^th Century.  

China and North Korea have some of the worst human rights records in the modern world.  

Christians are oppressed in all Muslim countries.  

Many children on our continent are pressed into being child soldiers. 

Young girls in countless civil wars are oppressed by sexual abuse. 

This is what happens daily under our sun. 

This is the world we live in. 

This was Solomon’s world.

From this oppressive  vantage point Solomon   can come to only one conclusion: It is better   not to be born!  Have you ever had the thought, “I wished I had not been born?” 

Job and Jeremiah had  wished this at one time (Job 3:1ff; Jer.20:14-18). This is what happens when the world we live in,  is momentarily  handed over   to the madness of  Satan,  and his evil  demon possessed   people  who  for a time are not restrained by God  from doing  their evil.  When evil reigns freely it indeed appears better not to live at all.[3] Such life appears to be meaningless- vanity under the sun.   

Right now, this is a world that desperately needs to be redeemed. 

Thank God that it will be finally redeemed when Christ comes again. 

In the meantime thank God then for every society where law and order, freedom and peace, righteousness and justice, liberty of conscience and freedom of worship do exist!    And pray to God, when it doesn’t exist. 

2.PEOPLE  TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH THEIR NEIGHBOURS,  BUT  STILL UNHAPPY (4:4 -6)

Here Solomon makes three observations:

a. “I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbour “(4:4).   Here is a man who works for long hours, just to get money in order to keep up with his neighbours. Solomon clearly sees the motive behind it. It is envy and jealousy and covetousness that drive so much of what we do under the sun. This too is a common habit in our own day.  Jesus forbids such anxiety and teaches us to be content with what we have. (Matthew 6:25-34). Paul teaches contentment  in Philippians 4:2-20.

b. From there we move on to the opposite way of thinking: “The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh” (4:5).  Here is the man who does nothing. “He eats his own flesh“, probably refers to the fact that he is rotting away in his person. His hands are folded. He is idle. For   folding of hands – see Proverbs 6:10; 24:33 – this depicts a lazy man. The Bible  teaches us to keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness.. if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat (2 Thess.3:6-12)

c. “Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind” (4:6).  Here is a man who has both hands full, but what does he ultimately have?  He has only two full hands, and the real things in life – his joy in the Lord, and his joy in the relationships that God has given him under the sun-  these are missing!  

They have escaped him.  

His wife has left him. 

His children hardly know him. 

What has happened?  

He is climbing the corporate ladder so that he can feel good about himself. So, his ambition becomes  a necessity, and  necessity becomes a god. This god drains him, until he falls exhausted at his feet. Then he may perhaps ask himself, “What was this all about? 

So, “better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.”   One  could write a book  about the people who have pierced themselves with grief  on account of their relentless  pursuit  of material gain, moved by subtle  (and not so subtle)  envy  and jealousy.  Listen to Solomon! The ‘two hands full mentality’, is a striving after the wind. This thought will be repeated again in 5:10, 

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income…”. 

Paul says that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1Tim 6:6). 

Jesus says,   “A man’s life doesn’t exist in the abundance of his possessions”   (Lk. 12:15). 

Don’t try to keep up with everybody else. It is useless. It is a striving after the wind.

3. PEOPLE WITH POWER AND INFLUENCE, BUT WHO ARE VERY  LONELY (4:7-12)

You can have all the wealth of the world and yet have no true friend. Look at 4:7,8 – another   picture of vanity under the sun.   

Here is a man who is so busy working that he doesn’t have time to have friends. He is so busy that he never asks, “for whom am I actually doing this?”  

The world has many such lonely people.  

I read the story of John Paul Getty, one of the 20th century’s  first billionaires, who  during the most active years in his business life,  lived alone in a 72-room mansion outside London.  

Over a 25-year period, he had married and divorced five women.  “I hate to be a failure,” he said.  “I would gladly give all my millions for just one, lasting marital success.”  

He admitted to being a lonely man.  He said that people liked him primarily for his money.  According to one of his wives, he spent so much time building a business,  that he had no time to build a relationship with his family. He had everything, and yet he had nothing. He had two hands full of possessions, and no   handful of quietness.  He was married to money. [4] 

Solomon says that a man without a friend is lonely. Therefore “two are better than one”, but “three are even better than two” (4:12)  -  “a threefold cord is not quickly broken”.

Solomon isn’t talking  here about the benefits  of  marriage, although the marriage partnership is given by God  to be  a real source of strength and completion.  The logic  here is  that two (and better three)  keep each other encouraged  when  they are weak, and  when they are vulnerable and when they are attacked. So, don’t allow yourself to be robbed of the strength and privilege of real  friendships for the sake of chasing the material wind. 

Thank God especially for your   best friends, and your marriage partner, and never cease to thank God for the church, where more than two or three are gathered together. 

Learn to draw upon the rich relationships in the church!  There is incredible strength in unity! There is very little strength in in money and possessions. Jesus encourages us to build our wealth not by trusting in money but by  laying up treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:19-24). 

May I remind you that money does not go to heaven. 

People do. 

Invest in people.

4.  PEOPLE RISING ‘FROM RAGS TO RICHES’, FROM ‘POVERTY TO POLITICAL POWER’, AND FORGETTING   WHERE THEY HAVE COME FROM, AND WORSE STILL, WHO  NO LONGER KNOW HOW TO TAKE ADVICE, AND WHO  LEAVE  THEIR HIGH OFFICES  WITH NO  APPRECIATION FROM THOSE THEY HAVE RULED (4:13-16).

This last thought is complex in its composition.  

Solomon tells the short story of a poor young man, who though he was once in prison, eventually became king, by replacing an old king who no longer knew how to take advice. Many years later he encounters that same problem when those that enthroned him (in favour of that old foolish king) now would be glad to get rid of him. 

Political leadership is a lonely place. When there are many voices shouting, the real temptation is to withdraw and not to listen to anyone at all, and that can be equally damaging. 

Proverbs teaches us about the importance of having advisers - godly advisers!    The simple moral of the story – no president or king should do more than two terms in office! How relevant to our own age. 

When will political rulers ever learn that   the longer  they  rule  a nation, the more they are tempted  to  become a  liability and not a blessing  to the nation,  and that people  do get tired of them?  

When will we learn the wisdom of Scripture that teaches us that human nature is fallen, and therefore unable to  set up  a righteous kingdom? This too must wait for the return of Christ.

Conclusion

We have had enough application in the course of this exposition. The great lesson  before us is that  the things in life that we so often cherish and pursue are,in the end, a chasing after the wind. Once again  Solomon’s sermon provides us with ”reality therapy“ – a true insight into our world,  and this  drives us back  to  listening carefully  once more to the wisdom of  the law, the prophets, the apostles – all who find their fulfilment in Jesus. 

Of Him, God the Father has said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom  I am well pleased: listen to Him!”  (Matthew 17:5)

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[1] Article by Ivan Mesa:  https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/j-i-packer-final-words-church/

[2] Michael A. Eaton:  Ecclesiastes,  Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, p. 104

[3] See also the statement of Jesus  in Matthew 24:15-21

[4]  https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1215.html

JOHN 11:45-57 "The Power of Believing and the Power of Unbelieving”

             

1.     This  account follows an astonishing miracle (11:45) 

      2.     This   account portrays  stunning unbelief  (11:46-48)

      3.     This account  contains  an accurate prophecy  from a most unlikely source (11:49-52)

      4.     This account teaches us that possessing  correct  information  and  outward displays of piety  or religiosity do not make a person  a true worshipper  (11:53)

We want to be the kind of people described in 11:45 : "Many of the Jews therefore who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him". 

1.     An Astonishing  Miracle (11:45)

The concluding verses of the 11^th Chapter of John’s gospel follow the amazing miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus.  He was the brother of Martha and Mary who died, when Jesus raised him simply by the power of His word (11:43). It was an event witnessed to by many (11:45). This is an astonishing miracle, considering that he had been dead for four days!  We read that many who had seen what Jesus did believed in Him. This is the most encouraging verse in our passage. Our eternal destiny hangs on whether we believe in Jesus or not! (cf. John 3:16-18)

2.     Astonishing Unbelief (11:46—48)

Secondly, we take note of the astonishing unbelief of the religious leaders and the Pharisees.  They freely admitted “that this man does many miracles." (11:47). Instead of taking a good look at Jesus and deeply  thinking about  the claims of Jesus, we read   that they gathered the council – the Sanhedrin council  (11:47)  with the purpose of putting Jesus to death (11:53).  Sadly, the religious leaders that ought to be shepherding their people into the arms of God here are seen as the biggest opponents of the good news from their God, in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. He was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29,36).  Perhaps the most surprising element of our text relates to the attitude of those, who we might have thought would be the first to recognise the finger of God,  displayed  in and  through the life  and work of Jesus.  But no! 

Look at their statement  in  11:47-48, “So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”  

What then were these religious leaders so afraid of? They were afraid that Jesus would attract a large following, who would make him their leader and king. Then, they thought, the Roman occupation would then hear this, and consider this a rebellion. They had after all installed their puppet king, Herod.  They were scared that if such a rebellion took place, the Romans would send their army and destroy the temple and Jerusalem, as the Babylonians did, approximately 600 years earlier. 

Two brief comments on Jesus'  take on  their phobia:

(i)               Jesus never allowed   himself to be made king, even though there was such an attempt following his feeding of the 5000 in John 6:1. It was thought by men like the  Roman governor  Pilate that Jesus’  mission was to become the king of the Jews (John 18:33). Nothing was further from the truth. Jesus emphatically did not come at this point to oppose Caesar. He plainly taught and affirmed Caesar’s  role, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21) 

(ii)             His kingdom was of a different nature and kind to the political kingdoms of this world. He said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world” (John 18:36)

The problem with the religious rulers was that they would not see him for who He was. He was  the glorious King mentioned in Psalm 2, enthroned in the midst of  the raging of the nations.  All they were concerned about was that their way of life should not be disturbed. Does that not sound contemporary? We don’t like it when our comfort zones are challenged. We don’t like it when invisible viruses like Covid-19 disturb our way of life. Sadly, we often actually like our current lifestyles more than the lifestyle that Jesus expounded in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, Chapters 5-7). Jesus has come to challenge us to give up our small ambitions and our worldly kingdoms, and follow Him, and live according to the lifestyle, logic and ethos of His kingdom. In John 6:66 we saw what the outcome of Jesus’s call to discipleship produced …many gave up on Jesus then. Many people think that they lose their freedoms when they follow Christ. Not so. See what Jesus says in John 12:25,26, 

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also....".

I also remind you that their unwillingness to hear and follow Christ was a great mistake. The time would come in AD 70, not long after they had crucified Jesus,   that the Roman armies did take away their place and nation.

Let us think for a moment about the power of unbelief. People may see signs, wonder and miracles and yet remain hard and unbelieving.  If they will not believe the Word of God, their OT Scriptures  which point  to the coming of a Messiah, they will not  listen  to such a Messiah, even if He came  to authenticate Himself with astonishing miracles.  The gospel writer Luke spends considerable time to show us  Jesus’  unusual  authority in  His teaching  and in  His miraculous power. At the end of the 16^th chapter  he  records a  parable,  telling  the story of the rich man  and Lazarus,  commenting  in conclusion of  this parable, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (Luke 16:31).

Miracles in themselves have no power to convict or convert anyone. No-one has ever become a Christian by seeing an extraordinary miracle. The Bible teaches us that it is by Grace alone, by God given faith alone,   through the inward working of the Holy Spirit alone,   that a person is saved alone.”[1] The Jews of Jesus’ day are a proof to us that we may see signs and wonders, and yet our hearts remain as hard towards God and His Word.  The plain truth is that man's unbelief is  far deeper  and profounder  than  we would care  to  believe.

Nothing can  take away  the  power of unbelief as we see here displayed  in our text.  No profounder miracle could  be  done  than what Jesus  had done in the raising of Lazarus and yet   these religious leaders continued to hate  Christ.  Nothing and no one on earth can deal with a hard heart like that. Only God can. And remember that if you are a believer in Jesus, that you have been enabled to do so only by the grace of God. You have no ground  to boast in your  own decision to follow Christ.  

3.     An astonishing prophecy from an unlikely source (11:49-52)

“But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. 50 Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” 51 He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.”

Caiaphas was high priest from A.D. 26-36.[2]  How shall we understand this? How can this man, opposed to Jesus  the Messiah speak truth? I remind you that  it is not entirely strange that God should speak truth through an unconverted man.  

• He spoke through that false prophet Balaam (Numbers 22-24). 
• King Solomon spoke God’s truth even when at times he lived so very badly. 
• Pilate spoke the truth when he had these words written  and attached   in Hebrew,  Greek and in Latin to the Cross, ‘This is the King of the Jews’.  
• We should not be surprised that this  high priest could also speak the truth of  God  concerning the death of Jesus  for the nation  and the scattered children of God abroad (the gentiles). God can use a crooked stick to strike a straight blow. 

The old  commentator Matthew Henry says on this text, “There can hardly be a more clear discovery of the madness that is in man's heart, and of its desperate enmity against God, than what is here recorded. Words of prophecy in the mouth, are not clear evidence of a principle of grace in the heart.” [3] 

With hindsight we know that Jesus had to die for the Jews and the gentiles. God can make the evil designs of His enemies work together for the good of His people. In days of trouble, we that love God and His  Word  may rest patiently in the Lord. The very things that hurt us  now will  be for  our gain. Covid- 19 is a horrible thing, but for us who believe  this  will turn out for out good.

4.     Mere knowledge and outward displays of piety do not make a man / woman a true believer (11:53)

We saw that Caiaphas saw and told the truth about Jesus accurately. But none of this truth would help him. He would still encourage  the Jews  to crucify the Lord of glory. We need to be reminded  that knowing truth in itself has no saving  merits. It is not only hearing and knowing, but also believing (11:45) that saves.

We also want to observe what we read in  11:55: “Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and many went up from the country to Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves.” 

The Passover was one of the greatest feasts in the Jewish calendar. It reminded them of how the blood of the lamb sacrificed at that time had caused the wrath of God to pass over them in Egypt. Now here the Jews were now to purify themselves in remembrance of that event. The great irony here is that they were  going up to Jerusalem at great cost and inconvenience to have themselves purified, while in a few days  they  would sinfully   crucify Jesus,  the Lamb of God, who was  given by YAHWEH to take away their  sin. How could they ever be pure before God if they killed Him who was given to deal with the great issue of sin?

Brothers and sisters, settle this in your mind. Mere outward expression of religious activity   is utterly worthless in God's sight. The purity that God desires to see is purity of heart- love for God and love for our neighbour. That is the sum-total of the law.

 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matt. 5:8).

So then, as we take  leave  of this chapter, let us make sure that we are found among those  described in 11:45, 

“Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him.” These are the one’s now invited to the Lord’s supper.

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[1] Romans 1: 16,17

[2] Josephus. Antiquities xviii. 2, § 2.

[3] Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the whole Bible

Ecclesiastes 3 "A Time for Everything!"

The book of Ecclesiastes begins with these words:  “Life is vanity … meaningless … empty” (1:1-3).  

That’s a strong and uncomfortable statement!  

But thankfully this is not a final statement. 

The Preacher, Solomon begins by looking at life under the sun at face value i.e. without a reliable interpreter (i.e. the Word of God).  He wants us to know what happens when we look at life in this fallen world, under the sun with unguarded, uninstructed minds. 

Unfortunately that is the way in which many of us look at the world. We see things merely at face-value. We do not see the unseen hand of God behind events. We have no regard for the true truth behind things because we have no regard for God or His Word.

Life lived in a fallen world, without a reliable Interpreter can be extremely confusing. No wonder that our present generation (speaking of the world at large) is extremely confused.  Our world is by and large not interested in the God of the Bible. We are interested in pop psychology, pleasure seeking and self fulfilment – we work to buy our dreams. Solomon previously demonstrated this when he showed us three ways in which he pursued life at face value and for its own sake:  

(i)               He pursued wisdom for its own sake (1:12-18; 2:12-17). If you pursue wisdom for its own sake and try to think about this life with all its heartbreaks, inconsistencies and unfairness, it will lead you to despair. You will have no ultimate answers. Your thoughts will oppress you when you attempt to think about life in this fallen world without a reliable Interpreter.

(ii)             He pursued pleasure for its own sake (2:1-11). If you pursue life for the sake of mere pleasure, and when you are constantly on the lookout for the new and novel and the next  to get satisfaction, you will quickly get bored and realize that nothing ultimately satisfies. 

(iii)           He pursued fulfillment through work (2:18-23).  If you pursue work as an end in itself, and if you dream of  accumulating  money and many things, you will eventually get to a point  when you realize that you will eventually have to leave it all to someone who has not worked for these things. That is profoundly meaningless.   

Wisdom, pleasure and work are three avenues by which we attempt to find satisfaction and meaning in life, but if the truth be told, these things can only bring temporary, but not ultimate satisfaction.

Intellect is not the key to life; seeking pleasure is not the key to life and hard work is not the key to life. There is no stable center.

What is missing in these pursuits? 

The answer is God. God is missing! 

Thankfully, we find  Him  at  the end of Chapter 2 and in Chapter 3. 

 Ecclesiastes 3 - Outline

1. 3:1 – 8 Everything is part of a plan.

2. 3: 9-15 Everything  is full of purpose .

3. 3:16-20  Apart from that, life is hopeless, futile and meaningless.  

1.     3:1-8: Everything is part of a plan

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”…  This is not a world  abandoned to  the imaginations of mankind – and particularly  that immature  worldview that holds  that  things  happen randomly; that things are governed  by mere fate  and chance. Not at all!  In this often perplexing life under heaven (notice – not, under the sun), lived under the regime of a fallen world, there is a season  and time for every matter… “A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up;…” (3:2,3). When you think of the things spoken of in these verses not as harsh realities, but events that are known and controlled by our heavenly Father, then these things take on a new meaning. All of a sudden life is no longer meaningless.  There is an appointed season for everything.   Everything has meaning.

The positives  in this section  are easy to embrace: a birth, planting, healing, building, laughing, dancing, embracing, loving, making peace…

But the negatives are deeply disturbing. Who would choose a time to die, a time to kill, a time for war, to break down, to weep, to mourn, to hate…?  

No – one! But the fact is that we must live our lives in this fallen world, with all its ups and downs, by faith  in  the God who  steers us meaningfully through  this life until He  restores all things.

How then shall we live until that happens?  

How shall we cope with death?  

How shall we cope with having to defend ourselves against an enemy that threatens our lives, or when we have to defend our country against aggression? How can we keep silent when evil prevails? When must we hate? What must we hate?

The answer is that all these events are known and under the care of the Sovereign and good  Lord. 

• There was a time when Israel was delivered from bondage in Egypt, and there was a time when Israel needed to be handed over to bondage in Babylon. 
• There was an appointed time for Jesus, the eternal Son of God to be born into this world  (Gal. 4:4), and there was a time for Him to  for die – and though His death was horrendous,  we thank God  today that he diedthat death  for  us who believe in Him. 
• There  is a time for us  to face the Covid-19  virus and all its inconveniences, and there is a time  when we can walk about and travel without facemasks and with  no care in the world.

For  those  that love and know God, there may be “difficult- to- comprehend-  events”, but  there are no meaningless events.  Our days are in His hands. And our responses to things that we cannot comprehend in this life, and to the things which grieve us in this life,  are  the responses  which He teaches us in His Word. 

The Lord Jesus speaks for instance about our responses to our enemies in the Sermon on the Mount[1]. Thank God for the clarity of the New Testament. In the day of evil we must learn to trust Him to lead us and to give us words (Matthew 10:19,20). 

The point is that good days and evil times, days and seasons will come  under the sun, but not without the  full knowledge  of Him who rules above.   Our response  to all these things is an indication as to whether we are trusting in God, who  knows how  to  work for His good and glory in all things. (Rom. 8:28)

You have two choices.

• You can  believe that life is the result of chance and the random operation of nature. If you do, there is no meaning to life.
• You can believe on the basis of the authority of Scripture  that at the end of all things there is God, who works out all things for good. Therefore  you  are  helped  not  to depend on mere appearances. You are not ultimately  satisfied by worldly wisdom, worldly pursuit of pleasure or mere job satisfaction.  You are satisfied with Jesus in whatever circumstances. This is what Paul learned in Philippians 4:11-13: “…. I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. At all times, good and bad, God was with Paul. Paul was not in the hand of circumstance, fate or evil men. Paul was in God’s hands. So are you, dear believer!   And that is where the Preacher is now pointing us to  in 3: 9-15. 

 2.     3:9-15  Everything is full of God’s  purpose

Here the Preacher works out the implications of God’s providences in this life. Look at 3:11 and 14. He tells us here that “God has made everything beautiful in its time”. Everything… in its time. Everything?  

We know that births are beautiful, but deaths? Build – yes, but break down? Yes, says Solomon … everything … all things, if we care to see these things through God’s eyes. We have already discussed  this in our last  point. 

It is this truth that turns the content of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 from something that is frustrating and meaningless to something which is comforting and meaningful. 

The doctrine of the Sovereignty of God, when well understood and applied in your dark times, dear believer, is a wonderful comfort  to your troubled soul. It is a great relief  to  your aching  and grieving heart. You have eternity in your heart, and whatever you do not understand now, you will understand then(3:11). Therefore, live this imperfect life enjoying God’s  temporal gifts, and learn to appreciate and to savour the moments when life is good, knowing  also that in evil times, God will remain your God.  

3.  Verses 16-22: Apart from this  Truth, Life is  meaningless!

In these closing verses of the third chapter Solomon  has one more challenge to  those  who are attempting to live this life under the sun without  the thought of God at the center.  These verses present to us a problem which cannot be answered apart from God’s sovereign providence. That  problem is the persistent manifestation  of  injustice found in this fallen world.

In  3:16 he points out this problem.  “I saw under the sun that in the place of  justice, even there was wickedness”. And so it is in this world. Don’t expect perfect justice in this world. Don’t  be naïve.

But expect God to judge the righteous and the wicked for there is a time for every matter and for every work (3:17). It has been appointed by God – (Hebrews 9:27). 

Thank God that there is a time when the truth is perfectly revealed and justice is perfectly executed by the righteous Judge.  Our ultimate hope is in a God who judges. And so the Preacher says in 3:17. “God will judge.”  

Finally, in  3:18-21 Solomon reflects the thoughts of  a person  who lives without any  sense of God. What is a person without a sense of God?  If the truth be told, such  person  is no better than a beast – an animal. In that sense  their lives are vanity. They go down and not up. They do not have eternity in their hearts.

CONCLUSION  

Life under the sun is deeply challenging when there is no center holding our thoughts together. Our center is God. Apart from Him we ultimately fall apart. 

The center came apart when man sinned. God in His mercy and grace shows us how futile and empty life is without Himself at the center. 

In His mercy and grace He has also provided the New Testament solution to emptiness and vanity and meaninglessness. The Gospel of Jesus Christ provides us with salvation,  and therefore  with ultimate meaning  - with  true love, joy and peace, and so when  you have had your heart broken by the  death of a loved one  – if  you have lost a child, a spouse;  or when you have had  your career hopes dashed,  or you have been betrayed by a friend. Stop!

Do not be held captive by an idolatrous attachment  to all these. They are not our life. Christ Jesus is our life. Look to Him. Repent from your attachment to the world, and trust Him to  give you perspective, and work out your troubles  by the Holy Spirit, whom He has promised and given as your Comforter. 

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[1] The Sermon on the Mount : Matthew 5-7