Lose Your Fool (Ecclesiastes 10:2-20)

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Those are the closing lines from Robert Frost’s famous poem, The Road Not Taken. In pop culture it is an anthem of individuality and non-conformity – a charge to go your own way – knowing that your courage will lead you on to great adventure.

The thing is, that’s not why Frost wrote the poem. He wrote it as a joke. You see, Bob often took walks with friend and fellow poet Edward Thomas. But Ed always struggled to decide which way to go. After finally choosing a path, he would predictably lament that they hadn’t gone the other way.

The trouble was, no one got the joke! Frost later wrote to Edward Thomas complaining that after reading his poem to a group of college students, it was “taken pretty seriously…despite doing my best to make it obvious by my manner that I was fooling.”^[1]

A closer look at The Road Not Taken reveals that both paths are equally fair, both had worn the same, both are, in fact, uniformly untravelled. In the poem, the choice of one over the other comes down simply to the internal impulse of the moment.

Tonight, we stand with the Teacher at the head of two paths. As we set out he shares some poetic proverbs. There’s a bit of silliness in his illustrations, but make no mistake: The choice before us is extremely serious. One path leads to success in all the ways that matter, the other to ruin.

Ecclesiastes 10:2 – ² A wise person’s heart goes to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.

In the Bible, right symbolically refers to prosperity in the whole of life.^[2] It refers to the Godly way. It speaks of strength.^[3] The left refers to the way of disaster. Man’s way. The way of weakness. This isn’t about a walk in the woods. This is about the lives we’re living. The direction we’re headed in.

This is not like Robert Frost’s choice where both paths are essentially the same. These two paths are going in totally opposite directions. And you are on one of these paths right now.

Even if you feel like your life isn’t going anywhere, or that you haven’t made any major life decisions recently, you are in transit. Your life is developing according to the choices you make.

Notice that for both the wise and the fool, it is the heart that drives them on. What does our culture always say? “Follow your heart!” The problem is that our hearts are desperately wicked – more deceitful than anything else.^[4] The Proverbs tells us that foolishness is bound to our hearts.^[5] So, when we follow our hearts, we’re going to go to the left into folly.

We need to be cured of our heart disease. That’s why Christ gives us a new heart. Meaning a heart that’s truly alive, that’s filled with God’s wisdom and desires. A heart whose gravitational pull is toward this rightward path.^[6]

So, as we read this text, thinking about these two paths, the question is: Am I living wisely or foolishly?^[7] We shouldn’t assume we’re never the fool in these images we see along the way.

Ecclesiastes 10:3 – ³ Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense, and he shows everyone he is a fool.

Dan Allender writes, “[the fool] will follow a path that seems to be right, even when the blacktop gives way to gravel and gravel to dirt and dirt to rocks and debris.”^[8] You see, he thinks he has gone the right way, just as Lot did when he chose the plains of Sodom. It looked so promising. Look at the wealth out there. Look at the power he’d gain and the luxury and the worldly delights. He was so quick to leave the presence of the Living God for some lush grass. But even as the ground of Sodom crumbled beneath his feet, he still thought his way was the best way.

As he walks, the fool in verse 3 keeps telling people that they’re the dummies.^[9] But his heart has tricked him. Now, we might laugh at this foolish figure strutting down his path, but what happens when powerful fools cross our path? Look at verse 4.

Ecclesiastes 10:4 – ⁴ If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your post, for calmness puts great offenses to rest.

Maybe the “ruler” here, this person in authority over you, is a fool – they’re mad over something they shouldn’t be. Or, maybe you did something foolish and are getting tuned up for it. After all, we still make foolish mistakes from time to time.

Either way, when the ruler blows up in our face, what should we do? The Teacher is very candid: Don’t be so easily offended. Don’t resign your post in a huff.^[10] Your response shouldn’t be “I don’t have to sit here and be talked to like that.” Instead, the wise thing to do is to respond calmly. Philip Ryken writes, “This is the Biblical way to deal with fools—not by sharing in their folly but by living out the character of Christ.”^[11]

The problem is, we don’t want to suffer fools. We want to dismiss them. But we have a higher calling to live like Christ. And, thank God that He suffers fools, because that’s all of us, right?

Ecclesiastes 10:5-7 – ⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error proceeding from the presence of the ruler: ⁶ The fool is appointed to great heights, but the rich remain in lowly positions. ⁷ I have seen slaves on horses, but princes walking on the ground like slaves.

The Teacher isn’t being an elitist snob. He’s pointing out that things are all mixed up in our world. A powerful king might be infected by fool-heartedness while people who should be leaders are relegated to positions far below their abilities.

One example here is that you have an inexperienced house servant leading the army while the battle-tested field commander is mixed in with the infantry.^[12]

Now, as people on God’s path, as people who have real wisdom, we not only look at the world and understand how things could be better, but in Christ we actually transcend conventional wisdom and relate to the world according to what Christ thinks should be. Where the greatest among us should be the servant of all. Where life is not about aggrandizing ourselves, but magnifying the Messiah. Where wealth and social status and position aren’t the end goals of our lives, but the glory of God and the furtherance of His Kingdom, rather than our own.

Ecclesiastes 10:8 – ⁸ The one who digs a pit may fall into it, and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

There are different ways we could look at these proverbs. One is to recognize that, because of sin, the world is now an inherently dangerous place. A world of thorns. There are occupational hazards. Being wise means being careful when necessary, which might help us avoid some of those hazards.

Or, he could be referring to fools being stupid. Did you hear about the amateur treasure hunter in Brazil who dug a 130 foot hole in his kitchen floor? He dreamed there was gold down there and started digging. One day in his kitchen, he lost balance and fell 12 stories to his death.^[13] That’s not Adam’s fault, that’s your fault. There’s a difference between futility and stupid foolishness.

A third way of looking at this proverb is that you reap-what-you-sow. The sinner who digs a pit for an innocent person will fall into it himself in the end.

No matter which way we look at it, the point is we should use our God-given minds to think about the choices we’re making. Even though we can’t predict the future, we can do the math and make some forecasts. We should look a little bit ahead in life and take wise steps when possible.^[14]

Ecclesiastes 10:9 – ⁹ The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them; the one who splits logs may be endangered by them.

Sometimes accidents happen. The fallen world is in decay. That doesn’t mean we give up on doing life. Look at the elements here: Wood and stones. Basic elements for human activity. We have to accept risk to live life. Withdrawing from life is a waste of life.

Beyond the literal aspect, let’s think about it this way: There are things we need to do that are necessary for a healthy life. Things like being regularly connected to a local church. We go to the New Testament and it’s clear: We need this.

Yet there are many Christians who say, “Well, I love Jesus, but I’ve been hurt by ‘the Church,’ so I don’t go anymore.” Ok. I get it. But that attitude is just wrong. Yes, there are some risks when we connect our lives to other people. We’re all fools at heart. We all make mistakes. Sometimes we hurt one another. But quitting the quarry doesn’t lead you to a healthy spiritual life. It robs you of the basic elements you need for spiritual life. And remember, even great offenses can be put to rest if we fear God and walk in His wisdom. So, we can’t be so afraid of the risks of life that we refuse to live these lives God has given us. We simply need to be more wise and less impulsive.

Ecclesiastes 10:10 – ¹⁰ If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.

Wisdom can make life easier. On the flip side, foolishness makes life needlessly difficult. Sharpen your ax. Hone your skills. Improve your understanding. Learn from others. Get wisdom and apply it.

Ecclesiastes 10:11 – ¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer.

In certain cases, wisdom might actually save your life! There are a couple of ideas here. The first is about using wisdom to prioritize what needs doing now. If there’s a snake at your feet about to bite you and your shoes are untied, prioritize the snake. For you procrastinators out there, just be careful about what you put off to do tomorrow. Don’t pretend it doesn’t cost you something.

But also consider this: The Teacher always wants to keep death in our minds. Death is coming to bite you. A viper slithering your way. What will you do about that? Do you have the anti-venom you need? Even better, have you found the Person Who takes the teeth out of death?

Ecclesiastes 10:12 – ¹² The words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.

At this point, I know it’s easy for me to say, “Well, I’m not the fool in this passage, so I’m good.” But let’s remember the many warnings we receive as Believers in the New Testament about our words. James, in particular, really hammered home this idea about our words. Because, he said, none of us have fully tamed our tongues. We need these reminders because, as James says, “We all stumble in many ways.” In particular with the things we say.^[15] We can diagnose our heart health by looking at our words.

As wise people, walking God’s path, our words should fall into the category of grace. We’re saved by grace, we should speak with grace. But again, remember the context: We’re walking through life in this fallen world, going God’s way but dealing with the fools around us. We have to interact with them. We have to speak with them. The calling of God is that we speak with undeserved favor toward people. Obviously that doesn’t mean we never deal with problems or bring up mistakes, but let’s be less quick with the phrase, “I want to speak with your manager!” Grace is the way.

Ecclesiastes 10:13 – ¹³ The beginning of the words from his mouth is folly, but the end of his speaking is evil madness;

Words matter. Look at what the words of a fool do in this verse. He may start by saying, “I’m just foolin’,” but before he knows it they’ve born the fruit of raving wickedness. So, seeing the impact of the fool’s words, it should cause us to measure our own. Because words can destroy lives. They can destroy relationships. They can destroy churches and institutions and industries.

The answer is not to come up with a list of words that make us ‘good.’ The answer is proper heart health. When our hearts are in proper shape, we’re able to speak as Paul commanded:

Colossians 4:6 – ⁶ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.

Ecclesiastes 10:14 – ¹⁴ yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what will happen, and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?

The fool has no idea where he’s headed, but he’s sure he knows the way. Be careful of people who come to you as if they’re an expert when they’ve never been where they’re telling you to go.

Ecclesiastes 10:15 – ¹⁵ The struggles of fools weary them, for they don’t know how to go to the city.

As on commentator puts it: The fool would get lost if you put him on an escalator.^[16] That’s a silly image, but some people stumble through life that way because they have no direction. They’re driven on by their urges, by temptations, by fallen, conventional, human wisdom. Their lives are built on sand. There they are, at the bottom of a pit they’ve fallen into, holding a dull ax with a bunch of snake bites, shouting up at you that they’ll tell you how it really is!

The thing is, in this world, it might be a king down there in the pit. He might have beautiful royal robes on. He might have all his court attendants down there with him. But folly is still folly.

Ecclesiastes 10:16 – ¹⁶ Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth and your princes feast in the morning.

The word doesn’t only mean a very young king. It can also mean a man-child.

What about all those other times when the Teacher told us to enjoy feasting? Yes, we’re called to enjoy the lives we’ve been given. But this is a heart issue. Instead of waking up each day to lead his people and improve his society, this fellow wakes up and starts to party.^[17] His life is about selfish pleasure at the expense of the people around him. Think of King Belshazzar in Daniel 5.

Ecclesiastes 10:17 – ¹⁷ Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles and your princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

The feasting isn’t the problem – it’s the heart behind it. Here’s a king who is thinking about how to lead, how to protect his people, how to improve his nation, who knows that he needs personal strength to do those things.

By the way – ‘noble’ here isn’t used because the Teacher is a classist. It refers to a person of high moral character.^[18]

Now, we’re not kings or queens. But there is still an application for us: We have a spiritual and societal duty to grow up. To mature. What did Paul say? “When I was a child,  I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put aside childish things.”^[19]

We’re to grow up as we walk with the Lord – not remain childish. We’re to exercise self-control and thoughtfulness and selflessness and moderation. Peaceful hearts, not constantly offended.

Ecclesiastes 10:18 – ¹⁸ Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of negligent hands the house leaks.

The Teacher has spent a lot of chapters talking about our hevel world, but don’t blame this on hevel. This is just foolishness causing problems.

Ecclesiastes 10:19 – ¹⁹ A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life happy, and money is the answer for everything.

Instead of being wise, instead of maintaining the roof, the fool spends all his money on a party. And then when the drips start leaking in, they sing verse 19, which some scholars think may have been a drinking song at the time.^[20] They say, “Just throw more money at it.” Our government does this sometimes. But do the problems go away? Not without wisdom.

Yes, money is useful, but eventually it dries up. And if it’s wasted and lost and the leak isn’t fixed, then we’ve got real problems. The answer is to walk in wisdom rather than folly.

Ecclesiastes 10:20 – ²⁰ Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry the message, and a winged creature may report the matter.

No sorcery happening here. Has anyone ever come up to you and said, “A little bird told me…”? This is a closing reminder that wise living demands wise speaking. Be careful, especially when you are using sharper words. “Well, this king deserves it!” Maybe. But we still have a God-given duty to respect authority.^[21] And we need to be honest about the fact that the words we speak are seeds being planted in our relationships and in our own hearts. Seeds that bear fruit.

Two paths diverge before us: The foolish and the wise. We’re called to this other way. Calmness, not cursing. Grace, not griping. Thoughtfulness, not impulsiveness. A way of life that is different than what the world does. A way that leads to rest, not ruin. Fruitfulness, not futility. Destination, not disaster. As we walk it, our lives will benefit and the lives around us will benefit. But most importantly, we’ll be headed in a true direction, to the right destination, fulfilled along the way.

Look On The Blight Side (Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:1)

Do you consider yourself a pessimist or an optimist? Compared to other nationalities, Americans are some of the most pessimistic people. When asked if they think the world is getting better, only 6% of Americans said yes. If you think that’s bad, nearly 1 out of every 3 Americans say they believe humanity will be extinct in the next century.^[1]

There are optimists, of course. Clint Eastwood is quoted as saying, “I don’t believe in pessimism. If something doesn’t come up the way you want, forge ahead. If you think it’s going to rain, it will.”

But does pessimism bring the rain? Even the most optimistic person here would have to admit that Clint’s quote is more wishful thinking than anything else. We don’t control the weather.

We live in a wonderful world full of beauty and supply and discovery and adventure. But, at the same time, life in this world can be incredibly frustrating. This reality is often rife with suffering, unfairness, disappointment, and sorrow.

Optimism doesn’t keep the clouds away, as I’m sure many of you who had an outdoor wedding can confirm. On Monday we took a day trip to Yosemite. It was a beautiful day…until it wasn’t. In the mid-afternoon a cloud suddenly rolled in. Before we knew it, rain was pouring down and, since it was so cold, snow even started to flurry.

It was fun for us, but there was at least one couple who did not appreciate the sudden change – the lady and gentleman who were taking their wedding pictures outside the Yosemite Valley chapel. They were doing their best – forging ahead – but there was something profoundly unfair about how things turned out for them. Of course, we’re used to that kind of thing. “It’s just part of life.”

In our text tonight, the Teacher speaks frankly about the fundamental unfairness of this world. Many label him a pessimist, but that’s not quite right. Certainly he is distressed by the world he lives in and has studied so closely, but the Teacher isn’t just a cynical Eeyore here to ruin the party. He’s honest about what we’re up against. Look at the world, look at your life, and you’ll find many happy occurrences, days filled with achievement and joy. But in the same life you’ll find when things went the other way, and not because of something you did or some mistake you made, but simply because this world is broken. What should happen doesn’t always happen.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 – ¹¹ Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all of them.

The Teacher isn’t talking about The Tortoise And The Hare here. In that case, the Hare gets what he deserves. These are instances where chance twists the outcome. Think of any obviously terrible sports call – Maradona’s hand-of-God goal in the 1986 World Cup. The rightful winner simply doesn’t always win.

Nikola Tesla died broke while Pablo Escobar died with $70 billion.

Or consider stories like that of Donald Peters. For 20 years he would buy a pair of lottery tickets from his local 7-Eleven. On November 1, 2008 Donald bought his tickets, like he always did. He died later that day. And then the numbers were announced: Donald’s ticket won $10 million.^[2]

There have been times when you should’ve been selected for the promotion, the position, the opportunity, but it didn’t happen. Why? Because time and chance hold sway over this world.

Even so, the Teacher isn’t saying that it’s stupid to train or strengthen ourselves or to learn to be wise and skillful. He’s already shown how doing those things can dramatically help you in life and benefit the world around you. The point is that you cannot guarantee outcomes in this life.

Ecclesiastes 9:12 – ¹² For certainly no one knows his time: like fish caught in a cruel net or like birds caught in a trap, so people are trapped in an evil time as it suddenly falls on them.

The Teacher often reminds us of our impending deaths, but that’s not the only thing he’s referring to here.^[3] He also means the regular misfortunes of life that grab the guilty and innocent alike, like a self-springing trap.^[4] Ours is a dangerous world, full of thorns and tangles and snares.

The Teacher considers time and chance to be “evil.” A cruel net. A system that works against people, whether they’re wise or foolish, righteous or wicked. Not as it should be.

Ecclesiastes 9:13 – ¹³ I have observed that this also is wisdom under the sun, and it is significant to me:

Wisdom should always triumph, but we’re under the sun in a reality where Adam and Eve traded God’s wisdom for man’s wisdom and now, things are different. Just as the rules of movement and survival change when you submerge under water, so reality changed under the sun when sin came.

The Teacher invites us to look at a particular case study that proves his point. He says this is significant to him. Your version may say it was “great” to him. Not great in the sense that he was happy about it, but in the sense that it was a major finding in his research. This story shows the kind of brokenness and unfairness people are up against in this world.

Ecclesiastes 9:14-15 – ¹⁴ There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it. ¹⁵ Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

Scholars argue over what the Teacher really said in this story. One of two things happened: Either this poor wise man figured out the way to save his town and then, despite his heroism, he was forgotten and unrewarded, or the Teacher might be saying that this poor wise man could have saved the town, but because of his social status, he was ignored and the town was destroyed.^[5]

Either outcome would’ve been bad. Yes, the second option is much more bad, but neither is right. But, despite what should be, this world values a lot of things that don’t actually matter. Things like social status, style, the class a person is in, the hype that surrounds them. It still happens today.

This is a serious blight in the system. Let’s say the wise man did successfully save his city. Wouldn’t you want to then give that guy a position of leadership? But, they didn’t, because he wasn’t cool enough or rich enough or important enough. He’s written off – never paid back for his service.

How often has history shown people choosing defeat and destruction because they were too proud to humble themselves to do the wise thing? Isn’t that the case with those who refuse salvation in Jesus Christ? Psalm 149 tells us that God adorns the humble with salvation.^[6] But so many people refuse to humble themselves and instead choose humiliation in the end.

Ecclesiastes 9:16 – ¹⁶ And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

“Wisdom is better than strength” was probably a popular maxim during the Teacher’s time – one of those things people say like, “Cheaters never prosper.” “Every cloud has a silver lining.” “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” True? Kinda. Maybe.

In an ideal world, wisdom is better than strength. But in this world, wisdom is disdained far too often. Think of the Apostle Paul on the ship sailing to Rome. He knew they were making unwise choices to keep sailing late into the season. He warned them to head to port and wait out the winter. But unwise men wanted pleasure, wanted convenience, wanted their payday, wanted to be seen as the experts, and so they sailed right into the Euroclydon and almost paid with their lives.^[7]

Our world’s rebellion against wisdom is a feature, not a bug. That doesn’t mean we should all give up on this world or give up on wise living, and just recede into ourselves. In fact, chapter 10 is all about the consequences of folly. And we’ve already seen that wise living, even in our broken system, can bring a lot of advantages to a life and community. But we shouldn’t be surprised when the world around us goes the way of fools. Cooler heads do not always prevail.

Ecclesiastes 9:17 – ¹⁷ The calm words of the wise are heeded more than the shouts of a ruler over fools.

That is better translated, “Wise words, spoken quietly should be heeded rather than the leader of fools.”^[8] But the system is broken. Once again, what should be true usually isn’t here under the sun.^[9]

Let me ask you this: If you turn on any cable news show tonight, what are you most likely to see? A calm and thoughtful person making a reasoned case full of solutions for the world’s problems? Or, will you see four people all shouting over one another, saying nothing particularly sage or helpful?

Ours is a shouting society. That’s not a good thing. Let’s not be a shouting people to our family or in our community or online toward those we disagree with.

Ecclesiastes 9:18 – ¹⁸ Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much good.

If this was where Ecclesiastes ended, it would be pretty bleak. Remember, this is a major finding in his research. This is the way things are in this world, vividly illustrated in the next verse.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 – Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

All the work of gathering the ingredients, reducing them down, straining and purifying them, storing them properly, then mixing them all together in a careful recipe to make this costly bottle of perfume. And then one little fly randomly lands in the batch and it’s all wasted. Ruined. Hevel.

The Teacher says the same is true when a single “bungler” enters a situation in life.^[10] He doesn’t even necessarily mean a purposefully evil person. But that’s how things go under the sun.

The Bible is full of examples of the incredible, destructive power of sin and folly. Achan’s impulsive decision to take a few goods out of Jericho led to a shocking defeat of Israel’s army. Solomon’s own son Rehoboam made a foolish political decision and instantly the kingdom of Israel, which had never been stronger, wealthier, or more at peace was ruined. Split in two.

As I said, if this were the end of the book, it would be pretty hopeless. But it’s not the end. By the end, the Teacher will have discovered not only what is but also he finds the answer to what we should do about it. His findings are basic, considering he was writing centuries before Christ’s arrival. In his conclusion, having seen the brokenness of the world and the difficulties of life, he says, “Here’s what you do: Fear God, follow Him, and enjoy the life He has given you even though our life experiences are dominated by time, death, and chance. God is real. He is sovereign. He knows what we don’t, so live as joyfully and happily as you can and trust that God will do the right thing.” That’s the culmination of the Teacher’s lifelong research.

But, before we close, I think it’s important that we wrestle with this for a moment. Given what the Teacher discovered about the broken, hevel nature of the world under the sun, is his finding sufficient? We know a lot more about the plan and Person of God than Solomon did. We don’t think about life from an agnostic, secular humanist perspective, but rather in the knowledge of what God does and what He has promised and what He is capable of.

Knowing what we know, how are we to reckon with the unfairness that pervades this reality? If God is sovereign, how do we square that with the chance horrors of life? The nagging problems of pain, suffering, injustice, many of which are arbitrary not only from our perspective, but frankly from history’s perspective? We know God could remove His people or exempt them from the consequences of sin. He’s done it before. But, in most cases He doesn’t. The cruel net grabs young and old, good and bad alike. And often without direct spiritual purpose.

It’s estimated that 16,000 children die every single day around the world. Eleven every minute.^[11] When people suffer around us, as theological conservatives we tend to assuage ourselves by saying, “God must be trying to teach us something.” Or, “God will bring specific good out of that situation.” But is that just a not-quite-real maxim like “every cloud has a silver lining?”

Did all those children die today because God had things He wanted to teach people? More than 225,000 people died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. As far as I know, none of them became a modern Lazarus. Rather, if we’re honest, it seems to be more Ecclesiastes 9 than Genesis 50.

Jesus Himself seemed to reference the arbitrary randomness of suffering inherent to this world in Luke 13. A group of people came to complain to Him about injustice. In response He said, “A tower fell and killed 18 people in Siloam. Do you think that happened because they were more sinful than other people?” The answer was no. The fact of the matter is that tragedy, injustice, and unfairness are baked into this world because of the ruinous impact of sin. How do we square that with what we know about God?

On the one hand, we take to heart that wonderful promise from Psalm 31 that “My times are in Your hands.” But we also experience the same reality that the Teacher brought out here: People are trapped in an evil time under the sun. These findings have serious implications.

If God is sovereign and He cares about us and He can deliver, then why doesn’t He? Why does Peter go free while James is beheaded?

It’s wise to consider these questions because this is the major accusation people use when they reject the Gospel. And we should be careful in how we answer these questions because we may inadvertently back ourselves into a theological corner where God is a monster making sport of us. Or, we may convince ourselves that every difficulty would go away if we could just learn the spiritual lesson. That suffering always exists because I’m being disciplined or instructed.

We must start by thinking about the sovereignty of God. The Bible clearly, explicitly teaches that God is sovereign. The Teacher agrees, while also noting that chance impacts everyone, both righteous and unrighteous. Evil touches all of our lives, yet God cannot be the Author of evil.

When you think of sovereignty, what do you imagine? Do we picture it as God standing before a vast, soulless machine which only He operates – pulling levers and flipping toggles in whatever order He wants while each gear underneath turns in lifeless obligation? Is the universe simply a great bin of Legos that God alone is constructing, posing, and adjusting with no other input?

That is a view of sovereignty held by many faithful Christians, commonly known as “Divine determinism,” or “meticulous providence.” The problem is that this view of sovereignty leads invariably to God being the cause of the suffering in our world. Even the suffering that we have to admit does not lead to any lesson being learned or eventual Joseph-esque reveal in the end. And it also conflicts with some very straightforward teachings in Scripture like: “God does not tempt anyone,” yet we are tempted.

On the polar opposite you have what is called “Open Theism.” If you boil down this view, the idea is that God is not totally sovereign – in fact He doesn’t even really know what’s going to happen in the future. He’s just super powerful and is reacting to things. Proponents of this view will say things like God is “experimenting,” and “taking risks” with us.^[12] All I can say is, “Yikes.”

There is another perspective called “Relational sovereignty.” Where “God’s will is settled in terms of the intention of His character” and His overall plan for this world, but meanwhile He personally relates to us and invites us to individually, truly cooperate with Him, not as pawns but as partners.^[13]

What does that mean? It means your life is not just a toggle God is switching, but He allows you to make an impact on His heart and activity. You can please Him. You can grieve Him. You can anger Him. You can hasten His coming. You can delay His stated intentions in your life. All of these things are said and exampled in the both Testaments of the Bible. But that means there is flex in the providence and sovereignty of God. Does that mean things can happen that He wasn’t aware of or happen outside of His authority? No. He is sovereign over all the universe. But He is sovereign over His sovereignty. And, as King, He has freed the wills of human beings and humans now make a difference as we interact with Him. As God reigns, He invites us to live in this hevel world as active partners in His grace. We will be subject to the futility of this world just as Jesus Himself was subject to it in His Incarnation. Though time, death, and chance often work against us, and though this fallen, failing, soon-to-be-dissolved world actively tries to trap us and hinder us, none of it can succeed in separating us from the love of God in this real relationship we have with Him.

Understanding that God’s sovereignty is accomplished through a love relationship can give us a lot of hope, perspective, and excitement.

It gives us hope because we know that even though we are impacted by time, death, and chance under the sun, we have a faithful Friend and Savior Who does care about us and Who does keep the score with the intention of settling it in eternity. And He allows us to impact His heart and activity as we respond to His love and grace by loving and obeying Him in return.

It gives us perspective because we realize that God could remove us like He removed Enoch, but instead He has decided to leave us here, under the sun. Why? So that we can be salt and light. So we can lead others to salvation. So that we can be a part of restraining evil through the power of the Holy Spirit. God leaves you here so that maybe you can, in some small or large sense, be the wise person in the city under attack. You have God’s truth, His wisdom, His mandate. These are better than weapons of war. These are more precious than gold. These keep our world from spiraling into total ruin. Your life is meant to be an example of what is possible and what is coming.

And having that perspective should give us a lot of excitement. Your life might not be appreciated by the world around you, but God appreciates it. He gave it to you for a reason. He put you where you are and gave you real freedom and empowering to not only bring Him glory, but also so that you could actually please the Lord Himself. And you can be a meaningful, heroic part of His merciful, redemptive work. Your simple life shining as a beacon of how the Lord is going to make all things right one day. How hesed not hevel defines the people of God.

Yes, the world is unfair. Yes, sometimes it rains on our wedding day. Yes, sometimes we suffer under the sun – intensely – not because we’re being disciplined, not because God’s is going to use it to start some new ministry, not because we need to learn something, but because the world is sick with time, death, and chance.

But knowing what is really true and knowing what is really going on and knowing what is really going to happen because God is sovereign, as Peter said in his second letter, “It’s clear what sort of people we should be:” People who understand that my focus does not have to be on the failures of earth, but the faithfulness of God as we fear Him and follow Him and are able to do so joyfully and contentedly in spite of the sufferings of this present time. No matter the unfairness, no matter the circumstances we can trust Him and thank Him for His faithful love endures forever.

A Death Well Lived (Ezekiel 8:16-9:10)

In the mid-1700’s lived a man who could have written Ecclesiastes if Solomon hadn’t already done it. He entered the university at age 12. From there, his life took many adventurous turns. He was a cleric, then a soldier, a gambler, a poet, and a conman alchemist. He once saved the life of a Venetian senator and became a spy in Amsterdam.^[1] He was imprisoned by the Inquisition, then became the only person to ever escape the prison.^[2] He reportedly helped to write the libretto for Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni and penned a 12 volume autobiography. He knew wealth and poverty, saw the world, and left a string of scandals and broken hearts in his wake.

Some idolize him. To others he is notorious. You know his name, at least his last name: Giacomo Casanova. One author wrote that Casanova’s quest was to “drink as much pleasure from the cup of life as possible.”^[3]

And yet, while many celebrate his lust for life, his womanizing, and his unrestrained worldliness, the truth is that at the end of his life Casanova knew no joy. At the age of 65, exiled from Venice, worn out, and unhappy, he got a job as a librarian. He was so lonely he considered suicide.

But there was a problem: Casanova was afraid of death. He described death as a monster who chases you out of a theater before the play is over. And so he lingered at his librarian job for the last dozen years of his life.

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s Casanova – A man who tried everything he could think of to drink in life. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t escape the shadow of death. It haunted and frustrated and demoralized him.

In tonight’s text he comes to a couple of conclusions. The first is that human beings don’t know nearly as much as we think we know. The second is that the one thing we do know is that we are going to die. And the third conclusion is how we should respond to the first two.

Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 – ¹⁶ When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one’s eyes do not close in sleep day or night), ¹⁷ I observed all the work of God and concluded that a person is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.

The Teacher speaks as someone who is trying to solve the puzzle of life on his own, using human wisdom, human genius, human philosophy. The problem is: Human philosophy cannot solve the puzzle. Derek Kidner very aptly points out that every human philosophy comes along and exposes the omissions of its predecessors.^[4] Another scholar writes, “Human insight, understanding, and reason, like water, cannot rise higher than their source or own level.”^[5]

We are finite beings. We cannot comprehend the infinite unless it is revealed to us. The Bible puts it very plainly in Job 28: “Where can wisdom be found? It cannot be found in the land of the living” (meaning under the sun). But God understands the way to wisdom, and He knows its location.^[6]

Not only does God reveal His wisdom to us, He also reveals that He is in charge of all things. He is sovereignly accomplishing His will. While we often don’t know why things are happening the way they are, we do know that God is working. That means we can be s Christians no matter what happens. In the first 10 verses of chapter 9, the Teacher shows us how it’s possible to live a joy-filled, faithful life even in the midst of hevel, of unfairness, and even when facing death.

Ecclesiastes 9:1 – Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands. People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them.

We don’t know what’s going to happen. We know some things, like that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. But we don’t know a lot of important specifics, like whether we’ll be alive to see it. Will your Thursday be full of delight or disaster? Or will it be a mixture of both? We don’t know.

Here’s what we do know: Your life is in God’s hands. Not only in the general sense that He reigns over all the universe. Look at what Solomon says here: He specifically carves out the righteous – God’s people. He is our loving Shepherd and we are the sheep of His gentle hand.^[7]

Yesterday I saw a video where Ben Shapiro said, “We live in a timeline where God clearly hates us.” I think he was probably being a little sarcastic, but he said it multiple times as he expressed his fear for the election.^[8] I can’t help but note that he speaks and feels as someone who has rejected Christ as Messiah. Someone who turns away from God’s revelation.

But God doesn’t hate us. And we can be hopeful because that the righteous are safe in His hands.

That doesn’t mean believers won’t experience problems or suffering. The Teacher is about to make the point that everyone on earth is subject to the same effects of time, death, and chance. But rather than being frustrated about the mysteries and disappointments of life, we can remain hopeful and joyful and confident in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 9:2-3a – ² Everything is the same for everyone: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. ³ This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone.

The one fate he’s talking about is physical death. That’s always what the Teacher returns to, because  as a self-centered secular humanist, that’s the end of the line. And, as usual, he’s incredibly upset by the fact that there’s no apparent escape from the grave. Whether you’re good or bad, clean or unclean, honorable or dishonorable, everyone has a date with death. All of us are dying right now!

The Teacher thinks this is unfair. Since God exists, shouldn’t making the sacrifices count for something? Shouldn’t religious activity get people an exemption from death?

It does, but not in the way the Teacher wants. You see, a real relationship with God makes all kinds of difference. But the differences are internal and eternal. The Teacher wants external and temporal differences. He wants to keep living this life. He wants to find human experiences to fill up the void in his heart. But that fulfillment cannot be found under the sun. It can only be found in eternity.

Faith in Christ is not about getting external, temporal things. It’s not about being healthy and wealthy all the time in this life. It’s about the internal transformation as God bears spiritual fruit in us. It’s about the eternal value, the eternal advantages.

Meanwhile, we live on this earth for a time. As we do, “Everything is the same for everyone.” That doesn’t mean we all experience the same things, but that the same rules apply to everybody. We’re in a world that is wrecked by the presence of sin which has brought death to every corner of the cosmos. This universe is spiraling down the drain to destruction. But God reaches down to save, reaches down to sustain, reaches down to make beauty from the ashes. But death still applies to the people of the earth. God has defeated death and He will cast death and hades into the Lake of Fire one day. But for now, we live in a storm of sin and we are headed to the end of our mortal lives.

Ecclesiastes 9:3b – In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live; after that they go to the dead.

Death isn’t the only problem in this world. We see here that life, too, has been infected by the toxicity of sin. It leads people into lives of “moral wildness.”^[9] This is why we shouldn’t focus all our efforts on patching world systems. We should focus on healing hearts. If we only work to make systems better – to solve temporal problems with temporal solutions – it will invariably come undone because the underlying condition of human hearts is evil madness.

Instead, we should work in the power of the Gospel that brings people from death to life. Power that transforms mad kings into evangelists. The power that changes the world.

Ecclesiastes 9:4 – ⁴ But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion.

From this verse comes the often quoted maxim, “While there’s life, there’s hope.”

Most people are generally hopeful that things will work out in the end.^[10] But what is your hope built on? A lot of people hope in the “I’m a good person” idea. That when they die, there will be a scale and all the good things they did will be on one side and all the bad things on the other, and the good will outweigh the bad. What a stupid hope! You’re going to be disappointed.

A lot of people hope that death is just the end, even though their own hearts betray them with the gnawing suspicion that death is not the end. Their hope is built on hevel. Wisps of smoke.

Our hope, on the other hand, does not disappoint. It the anchor for our souls. Our hope is firmly rooted in the justification by faith, in the grace of Almighty God. Fastened to God’s unfailing love that is poured out in our hearts. Our hope is real and secure and adamantine.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 – ⁵ For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten.

The Teacher is not denying an afterlife. He believes in a future judgment.^[11] But the fact of the matter is that these Old Testament believers didn’t have as much revelation as we have. They weren’t exactly sure what to expect after death.^[12]

The point Solomon is making is that you have this life to earn a reward. The problem is, this life is fleeting. At the same time, it’s incredibly important. Your life is not a mistake. Your life is incredibly valuable. As is the life of your neighbor. We must preserve the value of life in our hearts and we must recognize that how we live has monumental, eternal impact.

So many people live out their lives totally distracted and deceived by the enemy, doing all they can to ignore death or put it out of their minds until it suddenly ambushes them. We need to spread the word that there is an antidote to death. That there is a way to take all its sting and all its victory and it is only through faith in Jesus Christ, the King of Life.

Ecclesiastes 9:6 – ⁶ Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun.

We get one life on this earth. There’s no purgatory. There’s no reincarnation. There’s no time machines to do it over. This temporal life is passing quickly, but in it we are locking in eternal absolutes. Our eternal home. Our eternal rewards. From the Teacher’s perspective, death is the most significant moment in life and we’re all dying. So what kind of death are we living out? Are we living out a death in Christ or a death on the run from Him?

Love and hate here can also refer to passions.^[13] What are we passionate about? What are we filling our days with? Spending our lives on? Casanova had a great passion for women. But his passions were worldly. They led to perversions. Scandals. Disgrace. Looking at our passions – would our memoirs sit on the shelf next to Casanovas or someone like Corrie Ten Boom’s?

So, Solomon’s first conclusion is that we know much less than we like to think. His second is that what we do know is that death is coming. In verses 7 through 10 we have his third conclusion, which is how to live life in light of what he’s discovered.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 – ⁷ Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works.

That “Go” can be translated, “Come on!”^[14] It’s an urgent summons to action.^[15] The Teacher says we must live joyfully. And he’ll then point to joy in daily life, in marital life, and in your work life.

Bread and wine refer to life’s staples. Regular, day-to-day enjoyment of the gift of life God has given you. Philip Ryken writes, this is not to live a life of guilty pleasures, but Godly pleasures.^[16] That we seek joy where it can be found.^[17] The beauty of creation. The gratification of a meal. The cheer brought from a favorite song. God gives all sorts of gifts in ordinary life for our enjoyment.

Some Christians tend to think that the more somber we are, the better. That deprivation equals holiness. But that isn’t true. Again, we’re not talking about living a Casanova life. But neither should we think an ascetic life is what the Lord wants. James Smith points out that asceticism only intensifies the gloom of this world and all its problems. “That gloom, however, can be dispelled by resolving to enjoy all the gifts of God.”^[18]

The Teacher says your works are already accepted by God. The verb he used there often referred to God’s divine pleasure at the sacrifices in the Temple.^[19] That doesn’t mean anything you do will please God. But, as we walk with God doing the things He’s given us to do, then we please Him.

Ecclesiastes 9:8 – ⁸ Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head.

Is this a “let them eat cake” moment? No. In this time, white robes symbolized celebration and festivity.^[20] It’s about attitude more than attire. Don’t live your life in sackcloth.^[21] There are times of mourning or repentance or discouragement, but let those be the exception, not the rule.

In Psalm 45 we read that God anoints us with the oil of joy. In the New Testament the Lord gives His people white robes of righteousness. That’s the reality of our lives. If we don’t live in that reality, it’s a problem. In fact, when writing to the church at Sardis, Jesus said that there were a bunch of people there who had a reputation for being alive, but in reality they were dead. And He said, “But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy. In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.”^[22] We’re called to live the life Christ has given us. White robes of righteousness, anointed with the oil of gladness. Conducting ourselves as joyful people.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 – ⁹ Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.

Marriage was the first institution and relationship that the Lord established on the earth. The Bible is clear that not everyone needs to get married. If God calls you to singleness, that’s not worse than being married, nor is it better. But the vast majority of us are going to be called into marriage. And marriage is meant to be a great blessing to us – a thriving, cooperative relationship based on love. Solomon wrote this when most marriages were arranged. Here he says, “What God wants is for you to enjoy life with the wife you love.” And we see that God has an opinion about who you marry. He has a specific portion, a specific person in mind for you. And He matches you for just the right fit. And when we allow God to lead us in this area of our lives, the result is wonderful. Because he brings us to our helper so we can face the struggles of life together.

Enjoying here isn’t only for you. “In combination with ‘love,’ it seems to have the connotation of keeping one’s marriage ‘alive and happy,’ not allowing it to become ordinary and routine.”^[23]

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – ¹⁰ Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

Sheol here refers to the grave, not hell. Again, the Teacher isn’t saying there’s no afterlife or that when we die we go into soul sleep. Jesus echoed this verse in John 9 when He said, “We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.”^[24]

The message is: This life matters. What you do matters. The work of your hands and the words from your lips. Life is extremely consequential, but it’s also hevel – fleeting. And we live it out in a frustrating world that is dominated by sin, by suffering, by randomness, and difficulty. Knowing what we know, let’s live life on purpose with purpose.

Casanova reportedly worked 13 hours a day trying to complete his 12 volume memoir. A self-important record of his sinful excesses, crimes, and selfishness. What a waste of work. What a waste of the gift of life God gave to him.

You are dying. John Oxenham wrote, “Death begins at life’s first breath, [but for the Christian] life begins at the touch of death.” In this mortal world, we are living out our death. It’s an extremely important life, full of consequence and opportunity and worth.

As we live, let’s be a people of lively hope. Listen to what the Teacher has learned. Don’t let the mysteries or frustrations of life rob your joy. It doesn’t mean we have to walk around with fake smiles on our face. But, as we face each day, we can do so with a special knowledge. Solomon said that the living know that they will die. Well, as Christians, we are the dying who know that we will live. We’re going to live forever with the Lord, where He will reward us for the lives we lived here under the sun. And we know that He is sovereign and that He has our lives in His hand. We know He gives us innumerable gifts to not only endure life but to enjoy life. Because of these things, we can walk through life in hope, approved by God, and entrusted by Him with the Gospel and with so many other gifts. And not only can we enjoy this life He’s given us, He enjoys it when we receive these gifts from His hand.

It’s never too late to take this gift from God and use it the way He intends. I’ve dumped a lot on Casanova tonight, but let me close with this: At the end of his life, he turned to the Lord. Multiple witnesses record that his last words were, “I have lived as a philosopher and I die as a Christian.” The first road he took led only to sorrow and ruin. The high road of heaven leads to life everlasting, life more abundantly.

Death & Despots (Ecclesiastes 8:1-15)

In 1976, Mao Zedong stepped into eternity. This man responsible for about 80 million deaths was honored with an immense state funeral.^[1] The Politburo demanded that his body be permanently preserved. While he lay in state, a million people came to see him and pay him respects.^[2]

Above his crystal casket was a banner that read, “Carry on the cause left by Chairman Mao and carry on the cause of proletarian revolution to the end.” Sadly, his cause has been carried on. His legacy of oppression continues almost 50 years later, where he’s still called China’s “eternal father.”^[3]

Realities like that bother us. Why should a man like that get honor while countless thousands starve to death just outside the door? That sort of injustice bothered the Teacher, too.

He has talked about our daily lives, our goals, our family relationships, our religious behavior. But what about our relationship to the government? That’s one of his focuses tonight. The Teacher recognizes that sometimes government acts in a good way, but sometimes it acts in very bad ways. As we’ve seen before when he talked about judges and courts: Sometimes the people who are supposed to uphold justice are the very ones who multiply injustice in the world.

So, how should we relate to human government? What should we do when governments are unrighteous? What does wisdom dictate? The Teacher has thoughts.

Ecclesiastes 8:1 – Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.

The Teacher has just said that only one in a thousand people have real wisdom he’s searching for. But we know any of us can be that person if we will believe God and fear Him and go His way. When we do, heaven’s wisdom is a gift given to us to help us navigate life and please the Lord.

Whose face is the Teacher talking about here? Depending on how you read these verses, it could be our face or God’s face or a human king’s face.

The truth is, it can apply to all three. When we believe God and follow Him, we please Him. His face shines upon us as His grace flows into our lives. Wise speech and action will also help us in our relationships with earthly authorities. If you’re the kind of person who speaks knowledgeably and can solve problems, generally you will find yourself in the good graces of your boss, your supervisor, your commander, or other authorities.

But God’s wisdom doesn’t only change how other people perceive you. It actually transforms a person from the inside out. We heard about this in our study of Ezekiel this past Sunday. God’s people, going God’s way are – by definition – a transformed people. Visibly identifiable.

There are many people out there who are savvy, or smart, or successful. Are they transformed? Are we? Is the power of God at work in us as we walk with the Lord?^[4]

Ecclesiastes 8:2 – ² Keep the king’s command because of your oath made before God.

The Teacher is finally coming out of the depression he’s been in for a few passages.^[5] He sees that there is an advantage to wisdom. Whether he means human wisdom or God’s wisdom, either way, it’s better to live with them than without them.

He starts to talk about a person serving in the court of the king. We can apply it at the level of government or military or in other areas where there is authority over us.

The Teacher says, “Keep the king’s command.” Obey the government. Naturally and culturally we think, “Well, sure, if the command is good.” But the Teacher doesn’t add any qualifiers. In fact, by the end of this section, the Teacher is thinking more of an oppressive dictator than a King David.

Some commentators suggest that he really means God, not the earthly kings we’re under. But that really doesn’t line up with the rest of his description.

The primary question at this point is not whether the king deserves to be obeyed. The primary question is: Do we believe that government is ordained by God? Do we believe Romans 13? Do we believe Titus 3:1, which tells us to submit to rulers and authorities? Do we believe 1 Peter 2:16-17, which says, “Submit as free people…honor the emperor?” Do we believe God is right?

The truth is, we are a rebel people. Rebels by nature, rebels by culture. We come to the table in the default mode of revolution and resistance and self-governance. Now, let me say that I love our country. I think the American system has led to a great decrease in autocratic oppression on a global scale for hundreds of years. Liberty and democracy are very good things.

And let me also say that the Bible does not command blind or absolute obedience to earthly authorities. The book of Daniel is a treatise on Godly civic disobedience. The apostles, too, famously stood before the supreme court of Israel and said, “We’re going to obey God, not you.”^[6]

But the Bible is clear that the default position of a believer is to be peaceable, civic obedience even to ungodly governments. In God’s Word, the carve outs for disobedience are never for comfort or for prosperity or for our opinions. The only time civic disobedience is sanctioned by the Bible is when human authorities demand that God’s people disobey God’s specific commands.

Daniel served joyfully and faithfully in the court of Babylon for decades. He followed their rules, he enforced their laws, he supported their kings except when they demanded that he break specific commands of God. Even then, he did not resort to violence or revolution. He did not stage a coup. He simply said, “I won’t do that.” And then he waited around for the consequences.

Ecclesiastes 8:3-4 – ³ Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence, and don’t persist in a bad cause, since he will do whatever he wants. ⁴ For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

We shouldn’t be a people who huff and puff. “Unending vexation is pointless.”^[7] The New Living Translation shows another layer. It says, “Don’t try to avoid doing your duty.”

At this point I find myself thinking, “Well, a republic is different. The system exists for me to get what I want.” Ok. That’s not always wrong. But remember what Peter said: “Submit as free people.” They weren’t free in the Roman Empire. Peter says, “Act like you’re free and submit to the state as a testimony of God’s grace and peace.” Show the world that you’re just passing through.

But the king is corrupt! Or, my boss is an idiot! Or, I know more than the board of directors! Ok. That may be true, too. But here’s a question for us: If I’m unwilling to submit to an earthly king, what makes me think my heart will be willing to submit to my heavenly King? Again, that doesn’t mean we do things that are evil. But a lot of things we don’t want to obey aren’t actually about good and evil, they’re about my wants and comforts. They’re about my will, not God’s will.

When faced with a ruler that is doing something we don’t like, don’t be hasty to turn your back in rebellion. As one commentator writes, “When suffering oppression at home or at work or in society, do not let the desire for revenge turn your heart to ungodliness.”^[8]

Ecclesiastes 8:5-7 – ⁵ The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. ⁶ For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though a person’s troubles are heavy on him. ⁷ Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen?

Wisdom recognizes that human beings actually need governance. It would be nice if we didn’t, but we do. What child doesn’t need a parent? Soldiers need commanders. Authority is good for us.

Now, human authorities are not perfect. In fact, they’re often oppressive. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need authority. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to learn how to obey for our good and for the good of society. Let’s remember what Hebrews 5 says about Jesus: That “although He was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.”^[9] Obviously, you and I also need to learn to obey.

Ecclesiastes 8:8 – ⁸ No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape.

This verse reminds us that even though we’re so sure we know what every president and boss and quarterback should do, the reality is that there is a ton we don’t know and more we cannot control. “I think the government should do this and not that.” You might be right. Or there might be more going on that you haven’t considered. But let’s say you’re right. Even still, you and I have obligations to our nation and government.

What are they? Well, obeying the laws. Paying taxes. Praying for our leaders. Living at peace with our neighbors. Being a shining example of Godliness. Working righteousness, which will exalt our nation. These are our Biblical obligations to whatever society we live in. Whether we’re under Mao or Reagan, Stalin or Solomon. Specifics within our personal activity will change depending on which of those rulers we find ourselves, but the broad callings remain the same.

Ecclesiastes 8:9 – ⁹ All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one person has authority over another to his harm.

The Teacher is thinking of a dictator who oppresses his people. But what a comfort that we can live with faithfulness and wisdom even under bad rulers because most of history’s rulers have been very bad! But Christianity works in every time and in every place because God’s truth and power remain the same yesterday, today, and forever!

But, if the rulers are oppressive, why not overthrow them? Why not destroy them? “Since God is slack in His promise, why not do God’s job for Him?” We want justice as we see it. We want revenge for ourselves. And often we don’t want to wait for the Lord to be our Avenger.

The Teacher says, “Violent disobedience to authority is not the answer.” And then, to help us deal with the disappointment of injustice, he now pivots to say, “Chin up – Stalin will eventually die!”

Ecclesiastes 8:10 – ¹⁰ In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they did those things. This too is futile.

There are six different ways this verse can be translated.^[10] Your version may say the wicked are forgotten, not praised. Others say the righteous are forgotten. The point is that this world often doesn’t get it right. It’s hevel.

But, the evil king eventually answers to the King of kings. Chairman Mao – that evil oppressor – died and stood before the Lord to face judgment. He was no longer a king or commander and he is going to be repaid for his wickedness for all eternity.

But what happened back on earth? This world is so spoiled by sin, so defined by hevel that people here were crying for Mao. Honoring him. Praising him. Burying him with great pomp.

He doesn’t deserve that burial! He doesn’t deserve that praise! You’re right. He doesn’t. But this is the world we live in. A hevel world. And our job is not to execute our wrath on the people around us. Grace is the way forward. In an absurd world, we can cling to our faith in the fact that God will make things right. Mao is getting what he deserves right now.

Ecclesiastes 8:11 – ¹¹ Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil.

This is a principle that we wish our government would take to heart. But, in the moment, it seems the Teacher is actually criticizing God, not human rulers.^[11] As if he’s saying, “God, why don’t You wipe out these evil people so that people will stop being evil???”

Why doesn’t He? Because of His kindness. Because He loves people like us and wants to save us from the punishment we deserve. That’s the heart of God. When a person refuses God’s offer, then He will be a Judge to them. But His heart is to be their Savior and Father and Friend.

But, knowing what kind of Person He is, we should never take advantage of God’s mercy. We don’t sin that grace may abound and we don’t assume that mercy never expires. It does. For individuals, for nations, and ultimately for all mankind as God brings the history of this world to a conclusion.

Ecclesiastes 8:12 – ¹² Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before him.

I had a great teacher in college named Richard Unruh. I took as many of his classes as I could. He taught political science classes. He was very careful to never reveal his own political opinions in class. Some people were convinced he was a red-blooded conservative, others said a flaming liberal. He was acting like the Teacher. But every once in a while his core beliefs would sneak out.

Out of nowhere, the Teacher talks with the afterlife in mind. It’s uncharacteristic. Speaking of this sudden spiritual declaration Derek Kidner writes, “the Teacher drops the veil of his secularism and shows a window into his true faith.”^[12]

For the first time, the Teacher hints that death is not the end. For those who fear the Lord, there is something absolutely good and just and right waiting for us. And, as one commentary points out, the Teacher presents this idea to us without any supporting evidence! It’s all by faith.^[13] But his faith is comforting him in the midst of this unfair world. It’s carrying him through the futility.

Ecclesiastes 8:13 – ¹³ However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God.

Well, when will it go poorly for them? We’ve had a bunch of references to how they seem to get away with everything in this life. But, once this life ends, they don’t get away with anything. God brings the bill due. He settles every score. Justice is done.

Ecclesiastes 8:14 – ¹⁴ There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.

If all my affections are tied to this world, I’m going to be disappointed. Because hevel defines this world. And God is working to save us from it. But even here, the word hevel gives us hope. Remember: hevel means vapor – a wisp of smoke. Something temporary and fading away. The unfairness of this world is a passing vapor that will soon be gone, replaced with the Kingdom of Perfect Righteousness that will never, ever end.

So, after this discussion about government and unfairness and death and despots, what’s the bottom line? Are we just to grit our teeth and bear with the unrighteous unfairness of life?

Ecclesiastes 8:15 – ¹⁵ So I commended enjoyment because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

Six times the Teacher comes to this conclusion: Enjoy life. Not in the sense of “eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow we die.” The whole point of the book is that you can’t find ultimate enjoyment in life unless you understand that your life is made by God, sustained by God, and given to you by God along with other gifts like day-to-day enjoyment.

The only way to truly enjoy life is by fearing God and recognizing that we don’t know everything. But we know the ultimate truths. We know what is coming. We know that Christ is the real King. We know what God offers us. We know what really matters. Because we fear God and receive His wisdom, we are able to enjoy life, even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable or unfair.

When Chairman Mao was getting prepped for burial, the embalmers were told his remains needed to last forever. They were promised any facilities, personnel, or equipment they might possibly need.^[14] But the task was impossible. The result of their efforts was comedic and grotesque.

Our Lord supplies what we need for joy and peace and meaning in life and it works. He preserves us. He enlivens us. He fills us with joy. Even when city hall or Sacramento or Washington are against us. Even when we’re not getting what we think we should. Remember what God has provided. David Hubbard writes, “The simple graces from God’s hand are the daily staff of life. We should lean on them particularly hard.”^[15] By doing so, we can carry on in His cause, enjoying life along the way.

One In A Thousand (Ecclesiastes 7:15-29)

One in a thousand. That is the odds of you flipping a coin 10 times and getting heads on every flip. It’s also the odds of you catching a foul ball at a professional baseball game^[1] and the odds of the egg you crack tomorrow morning having a double-yolk.^[2]

The Teacher spent his life hunting for something much more significant than coin flips or foul balls. He was looking for someone who actually found meaning in life – someone who beat the system and was not only a good person, but also was able to enjoy their lives in a meaningful way, despite the difficulties, adversity, unfairness, and chance that all of us are subject to.

The odds of being that person? The Teacher says in his experience it’s one in a thousand. Maybe. And he admits that he is not one of those people. His experiments have failed.

Tonight’s passage is one of those eyebrow-raising sections of the book. We’ll find ourselves thinking, “Excuse me?” after some of these verses.

One commentator notes: “There is perhaps no book int he Bible that is the subject of more controversies than Ecclesiastes.”^[3] Chapter 7 is a major contributor to those controversies. Scholars tell us that some of the grammar is difficult to parse, as is the Teacher’s intent. But, on top of that, some of these verses seem to fly in the face of what the Bible teaches elsewhere.

So, let’s buckle up and take a look.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 – ¹⁵ In my futile life I have seen everything: someone righteous perishes in spite of his righteousness, and someone wicked lives long in spite of his evil.

In verse 14 the Teacher tried to reassure us. He said, “God is in charge. The best thing you can do is trust Him and go along with His plan.” But then he immediately acknowledges the reality that God-fearing people still suffer, sometimes unfairly. And some people who are doing life all wrong seem to escape any consequences.

Pastor Chuck Smith never smoked a cigarette in his life and then he died of lung cancer.^[4] We don’t live in an ideal world, we live in a fallen world. And even though the Lord provides for us, cares for us, and walks with us, we still are impacted by the effects of the fall every single day of our lives.

The Teacher says “in my futile life.” He acknowledges that much of his life has been a waste  – a hevel life. In the days of his apostasy.^[5] It will help if we remember this assessment as we get to the final verses of the chapter.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 – ¹⁶ Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Come again? Did he just say what I think he said? No. Remember: The Teacher is not speaking for a position of real faith in God, but from a secular position of trying to solve the problems of life with his own intellect, his own strength, his own will.

The righteousness here is self-righteousness. Derek Kidner writes, “[The Teacher] shuts out for a while any gleam of genuine faith, and introduces religion…only in the form of superstition.”^[6] And we know he’s not talking about real, heavenly righteousness because in a moment he’s going to say “No one is actually righteous.”

Self-righteousness cannot help you. It blinds you of your true condition and then robs you of joy in life. It breeds hypocrisy, a false sense of superiority. It is an inert medication for a deadly disease.

The Teacher is looking at someone who is trying to live a fanatically religious life, in the sense that they do all sorts of things that they think will put God in their debt so that He has to bless them or elevate them or exempt them from suffering. But that path, which looks so pious, really ends in ruin. Asceticism doesn’t work. Phariseeism doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because it’s just play-acting.^[7]

Ecclesiastes 7:17 – ¹⁷ Don’t be excessively wicked, and don’t be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

The Teacher now swings to the other extreme. If being a goody-two-shoes, religious fanatic doesn’t guarantee me a better life, might as well go all the way over to the other side and indulge myself. The Teacher says, “No, that’s stupid. If you do that there’s a good chance you’ll kill yourself.”

He’s not saying you’ll definitely die early – verse 15 made that point – but excessive vice, excessive worldliness does very often lead to an early death.

In these two verses, the Teacher has covered the philosophies of the vast majority of human beings. You have those who try to earn their life through self-imposed rules that they think will obligate God to do things for them. Then you have those who ignore their duty toward God. They dive into self-indulgence, feeding every urge whether it’s good or not.

And then in the middle you have people who think like the Teacher – people who want it both ways. One commentator writes, “They know better than to live a life of total wickedness because deep down they believe that God will judge [them]. Yet secretly they suspect that trying to be holy will take the fun out of life. Generally speaking they try to be good, and they hope they are good enough to get by on the Day of Judgment. But their consciences are troubled too little by their sins. As long as they are not overly righteous or overly wicked, they are happy the way they are.”^[8]

Ecclesiastes 7:18 – ¹⁸ It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.

So is Solomon saying “be a little good, but be a little bad?” That is the conclusion that conventional wisdom leads to. But when we fear the Lord, something new happens. Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of true wisdom^[9] – wisdom that leads to abundant life and eternal satisfaction.

When a person fears the Lord, they are able to escape the traps of self-righteousness and self-indulgence and they are able to get what the others failed to achieve. The self-righteous reaches for religion and casts off enjoyment. The self-indulgent person does the opposite. When a person fears God, they are able to to live a life of true religion and true enjoyment.^[10] They are gifts God gives us freely as we walk with Him. Sanctification and satisfaction. Devoted and delighted.^[11]

Ecclesiastes 7:19 – ¹⁹ Wisdom makes the wise person stronger than ten rulers of a city.

Remember, the Teacher speaks from the level of human wisdom. That doesn’t mean these proverbs are wrong, just that they will not ultimately lead to the eternal guarantees we all long for.

Verse 19 encourages us to value wisdom over other traits in our leaders. More than success. More than strength. More than wealth. More than will. Wisdom, meaning thoughtful understanding, will benefit a city or a society most. That’s a good reminder for a country like ours where we have the privilege of choosing our leaders. Do you want a truly strong leader? Then pick a wise one.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 – ²⁰ There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins.

Even the Teacher in his secularism cannot help but preach this obvious truth. As we listen to his lecture, we can’t help but feel bad for the him. He’s the smartest person in the world. He’s the most accomplished, the most impressive, all the things. He’s right there, so close to the truths he really needs to grant him the hope and peace that he’s longing for. But, thus far, he won’t surrender himself to God. The Teacher recognizes that God is Judge over all the earth and is sovereign and that He has laws that we sin against. But the Teacher won’t give himself to the Lord. Not yet, anyway. And the result is that he is trapped in futility. He can’t shake the plague of unrighteousness.

Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 – ²¹ Don’t pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, ²² for in your heart you know that many times you yourself have cursed others.

It’s so easy for us to get upset about things people say or post or suggest. Social media really brings the worst out of us on that level. It thrives on aggravation. But listen: I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. Sometimes criticisms we hear are legitimate. And sometimes we misunderstand what was meant. Sometimes we hear things that were said in confidence. We can let it go.

In your version, this verse may say, “don’t take it to heart.” That was a good image for me. Our heart is a garden. What we plant there grows. If we plant these seeds of anger or resentment or bitterness, what kind of fruit do we think is going to come out? Be careful what you take to heart. Certain crops crowd out a lot of space and they produce nothing but rotten fruit.

Ecclesiastes 7:23 – ²³ I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, “I will be wise,” but it was beyond me.

How could the wisest man on earth be so disappointed? We know why. It’s because, in his old age, Solomon did not love the Lord.^[12] That is why peace and satisfaction and rest and fulfillment and meaning was always just beyond his reach. And that’s why the more he looked for good, the more he found bad not only in himself but also in others.

Ecclesiastes 7:24 – ²⁴ What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it?

At the close of his life, Isaac Newton said, “I have been paddling in the shallows of a great ocean of knowledge.”^[13] A truly wise person is quick to recognize how much they don’t know.

The Teacher had the practical but not the eternal – the rational but not the essential. After all this time, he had no answer to what life is about. The further he went, the further he felt from the goal.

Ecclesiastes 7:25 – ²⁵ I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness.

He wants us to understand how meticulous he was in this pursuit. It wasn’t just a hobby. He wasn’t a weekend warrior. He dedicated himself to finding out the meaning of life, how to live a life that matters, how to have peace in his heart. What is the bottom line – what is the sum of all things?^[14]

Ecclesiastes 7:26 – ²⁶ And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap: her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her.

Some use the next three verses as evidence that the Teacher was a deplorable sexist, or that the Bible is a chauvinistic book. The words taken without context or consideration are controversial. But let’s pause and remember what we know.

First, we know the Teacher isn’t anti-woman. He will say in chapter 9 that one of the best things a man can do is enjoy the wife that he loves. We also know that, as a person, Solomon had a great love for women. And we know how he venerated women in his other writings. The book of Proverbs ends not with the portrait of a great man, but of an excellent woman.

We also know that the Teacher is detailing the results of his personal study. These are his findings from his own experience. And we know that Solomon’s life was brought down to ruin because he surrounded himself and deeply attached his heart to pagan women who turned him away from the Lord.^[15] His relationships with them did become a net and chains, spiritually speaking.

Some scholars make a case that the Teacher is personifying folly as a woman in these verses the same way Solomon personified Wisdom and Folly as women in Proverbs. They also point out that there is a lot of reference to Genesis 1 through 3 in these verses.^[16]

So, before modern ears are offended, we should consider the whole context. Philip Ryken writes, “Taken as a whole, the Bible has as much (if not more) to say about sinful men than sinful women. Iniquity is an equal opportunity employer.”^[17]

As an application there are a couple of good warnings here. First, to the fellows: There are women out there who are a trap. Perhaps some of you are going to the computer and have what you think is a victimless relationship with an enticing woman or harem of women as you watch pornography, but you are actually being snared and chained. That’s something you need to escape from.

But then, the second warning is the fact that any of us could be a trap to another person. God has an opinion about who you should marry or stay married to. When we don’t follow Him, obey Him, and honor Him, we potentially become a dangerous trap to other people. And when we get into a marriage or extra-martial relationship that God wants to rescue us from or keep us from, the only result is misery. The Teacher is the expert on this and he is giving us firsthand testimony.

It’s so easy for us to put ourselves in the victim’s position, but we also need to acknowledge that we could also be the problem. Instead of causing problems because we’re trying to please our own flesh or go our own way, we’re called to please God. How does a person please God? Through faith. By believing God’s Word, by going God’s way, by trusting that God has an opinion, discerning it and following in it. In this example, by coupling in faith.

Ecclesiastes 7:27-28 – ²⁷ “Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, ²⁸ which my soul continually searches for but does not find: I found one person in a thousand, but none of those was a woman.

Again, this isn’t sexism. A paraphrase of these verses is, “I have found very few people who please God—no one at all really.”^[18] There’s a poetic parallelism happening here.

Isn’t it interesting that his sample size is 1,000? How many wives and concubines did Solomon have? So, the Teacher says, “I looked all around at these people, trying to find someone who was upright, who had life figured out, and I found maybe one in a thousand.” Well, that ratio might improve if you didn’t fill your court with pagans who hated the God of Israel!

Meanwhile, the world is generally full of people who are not going God’s way – people captive in sin and stuck under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 – ²⁹ Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.”

Schemes here can mean inventions or devices or downward path. It can mean people have gone after their own explanation of things.^[19] And this looks back to the fall of man in the Garden. God showed His way, man decided to go his own way. And Ecclesiastes is the result.

In ancient Babylonia there was a poem written that we call the Babylonian Theodicy. It was a piece of their wisdom literature. It’s very possible that it was known to Solomon – the dates work out.

In that poem, we’re told that the gods made humans the way they are today. It’s not our fault that we lie and slander and steal and kill. Those things were endowed to us by our creators.

But here is the truth: God made us upright. Perfect. We broke the world. We invented the ruin around us because we are determined to take a downward path to ruin and death.

But God, out of His love and grace, didn’t stop at being our Creator. He then went on to be our Savior and Redeemer and Advocate and Helper and Great Physician. And now, He invites us to join Him on the high road of heaven. The road that leads to life more abundantly. To joy and peace and purpose and satisfaction.

Today, we’re invited to walk with Him. We talked about those one in a thousand odds. The truth is you can be the one in a thousand the Teacher talked about in these verses, not by chance but by choice. You know the winning numbers. You can decide to be that person by believing God and walking with Him.

Have you seen the commercials where they have the old smokers who have to speak through that voice box hole in their throat? The point of those ads is simple: Don’t be like these people!

Here’s the Teacher saying, “My life is hevel. I’m totally dissatisfied and despondent. I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. Don’t be like me!” Instead, be one in a thousand. It’s not odds, it’s an opportunity God extends to every one of us. Have you taken Him up on it?

Dead Serious (Ecclesiastes 7:1-14)

What’s your idea of an ideal weekend? Maybe some relaxing, have a nice meal, go to a concert or movie, look through some old photos to reminisce on the good times you had back when you were first dating your spouse?

The Teacher has a different idea. He says, “You know what would be a really good use of our time? If we crashed a funeral or two. Maybe we could find a wise man to point out a bunch of things we’ve done wrong.”

Ecclesiastes wants you to think about life but especially through the lens of your certain, unstoppable, impending death.^[1] The Teacher’s words are often unpleasant, but remember: That’s the point. We talked about this in our first study but haven’t reminded ourselves recently: The Teacher’s message to us is supposed to be like a sharp goad – a cattle prod – to shepherd us toward God and the ultimate meaning and purpose He wants for our lives.

Tonight’s goads are: Consider adversity. Consider the fact that you’re going to die. Consider that your life is a part of the amazing, sovereign work of God. And through that consideration, we can put death and suffering and the wrinkles of life into proper perspective.

As chapter 6 closed, he asked a rhetorical question: Who knows what’s good? What is the advantage for human beings? Tonight, he’ll use the word “better” eight times in these verses. He’s answering his question with a series of proverbs.

In many ways, these verses are similar to many we would read one book to the left, also written by Solomon. But we’ll find that these proverbs feel very different. There is a gloom to them. The Teacher doesn’t talk about wisdom they way he does in Proverbs. That’s because in this book, he’s talking to us from the earthly perspective. He doesn’t weigh eternal life as he measures these things out. So when he speaks about ‘wisdom,’ he means earthly knowledge and ingenuity, not the heavenly wisdom of righteousness.

But even from the Teacher’s limited perspective, we are able to glean many helpful principles as we seek to live a life that matters and that makes a lasting difference.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 – A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.

At the time, perfume was more than a nicety, it was a royal treasure – a decadent luxury that few had access to.^[2] But the Teacher tells us character is of much more lasting value than cologne.

But, it takes a lot more time to distill a good name than it does a bottle of perfume. It takes a life of consistent, careful choices both small and large. These ingredients aren’t always easy to acquire.

Next, the Teacher says that your deathday is better than birthday. We know he’s in a very depressed frame of mind, but the truth is he’s right – at least when it comes to us Christians. The day we die is going to be much better than the day we were born. Paul said it outright: “To die is gain!”^[3] He said he longed to go and be with Christ. But, even though we look forward to that arrival, we know  that God has given us this life on earth on purpose, with purpose. We are to follow Him until it’s done.

Ecclesiastes 7:2 – ² It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.

Did you know that less than 47% of people want a funeral when they die.^[4] That’s not a good thing. It’s a bad trend for society. We need funerals. At funerals, we are confronted with the one reality that most people refuse to face – and that’s the fact that one day they will be buried.

If you’re a Christian, have a funeral service. Your family doesn’t need to go bankrupt putting one on. But that hour may be the most spiritually impactful event of your life. It is at that funeral that your faith, your testimony, your love for Christ is put on display for your family and friends and coworkers and community to see. None of them will try to shut you up or jeer you down. Instead, the Gospel can be directly preached to them as they stare their own deaths in the face.

And it’s good to attend funerals. They provide us an opportunity to calibrate and put what matters into perspective. To consider the work of God in a person’s life and His faithfulness to them.

Feasts are the opposite. Feasting isn’t bad in and of itself – the Teacher tells us to enjoy life, to enjoy meals, that these things are a gift from God – but feasting is meant to distract. It’s meant to keep us from serious thought. But life requires serious thought so that it doesn’t just happen to us. So that we are making the most of this incredible gift God has given to us for specific reasons.

Ecclesiastes 7:3-4 – ³ Grief is better than laughter, for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad. ⁴ The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

Busy with laughter and pleasure, the fool forgets to ask the question: What’s going to happen when time runs out? What’s going to happen when the good times stop rolling? When the money is gone? When the beauty fades? When my health breaks down? What is my life adding up to?

The party life is all about “You only live once,” right? That mindset ignores the hard stop at the end. All sense, no substance. The Teacher never lets us get far without reminding us, “Death is coming.”

Moses, in his Psalm (90), wrote this important line:

Psalm 90:12 – ¹² Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.

The average American will live a little more than 27,700 days. How many have you lived so far? Almost everyone in here has lived at least 5,000 days. I’ve lived 15,219. The Bible doesn’t present this to us to scare us – although some people need to have a little shock treatment. But your life matters. Your days matter. And the reality of this fallen world is that the outer man is perishing. We have an appointment with death. That is a very important appointment to prepare for.

Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 – ⁵ It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools, ⁶ for like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.

To the young party animal, the wise man is just a stuffed-shirt – a wet blanket. But the Teacher really is trying to help people not make the same mistakes he did. He speaks from a place of expert disappointment. His whole goal is that we avoid the dead ends he ran into again and again.

Think of all the pop songs about how tonight is the night! Oh, the things we’re going to experience! We’re going to feel so alive! The number one song on Billboard’s Top 100 right now is a song I’ve never heard of from a band I’ve never heard of. It’s called “A Bar Song,” and it’s all about how the singer should just drink till they pass out then wake up and drink some more. There’s no point in working. There’s no point in worrying about the problems of life. There’s a party downtown, let’s go and drink all night and that’s it. Number one song filling the airwaves.

The problem is, it’s just (as some translate it), “Nettles under the kettle.”^[5] The song doesn’t last. There’s no heat, just noise. It’s hevel.

It’s better to listen to a rebuke from a wise person. Rebuke means when someone points out to you that you’ve messed up.^[6] None of us like being rebuked, but it can be a very helpful thing. One commentary writes that a rebuke “heals and strengthens even while it wounds.”^[7]

Ecclesiastes 7:7 – ⁷ Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the mind.

So far we’ve seen, “Ok, this is better than that. Funeral better than party. Rebuke better than Top 40.” And we could think of it almost as shoppers looking at different products. But here there’s a new significance. Because this is not just about what we might choose, but who we are becoming.

In verse 7 we see a wise person turn into a fool. How? Well, because they went down the road of loving money and valuing a life of pleasure and ease, they become people who extort and bribe to get what they want. Their minds become corrupted by the hevel of the world, and now they are the fools singing and laughing and dragging down the world around them.

But is this person in verse 7 going to have a good name on the day of their death? They’ve got shelves full of perfume and party favors and other treasures, but in the end their life will be a miscarriage like the Teacher talked about last time. There’s a corruption of what should have been.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 – ⁸ The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.

We’ll hang in there with a book or movie with a lackluster beginning. But when an author messes up the final chapter? That’s unforgivable.

Christians are supposed to care about finishing well. Paul talked a lot about this. Acts 20. 1 Corinthians 9. Philippians 3. 2 Timothy 4. So many believers don’t finish the race in the way they wanted to when they first started.

Now, of course, it is God Who completes the work He began in us. It is God accomplishing His purposes through His power. But we are able to slow to a crawl, or get lost in the woods, or disqualify ourselves from certain prizes in our walk with the Lord.

According to this proverb in verse 8, one way for us to aim toward finishing well is valuing patience over pride. As David Hubbard puts it, we should care about length rather than height.^[8] It’s not about whether my Christianity leads to big numbers or great fame or fantastic feats of faith. Did I run the race the Lord gave me and did I finish well? Did I arrive at the destination He plotted?

Ecclesiastes 7:9 – ⁹ Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.

I like to think that my anger is justified – that it’s always righteous indignation just like Jesus had! But that’s almost never actually true. Instead, I should endeavor to be more conformed into the image of the Lord, Who is slow to anger and abounding in love. There’s a time to be angry, but it’s way less often than we like to think.

Hubbard again writes, “Anger, which we all feel at times…will rarely improve our circumstances. It can, however, ruin our chance at any joy a can rain on the parades of everyone around us.”^[9]

What about injustice? What about wickedness? What about all the wrongs going on around us? Yes, that’s real. We’re not supposed to just ignore it. But “the wise man is neither naive nor cynical and embittered.”^[10]

Ecclesiastes 7:10 – ¹⁰ Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” since it is not wise of you to ask this.

This is a very interesting proverb. There’s always an idea that we could return to a better time in our past or our society’s past and regain the good life. That’s what nostalgia is.

Were the golden days better? Sure. Maybe. Sometimes in some ways. In other ways, not so much. We usually dismiss those parts from memory. But even if they were better, it doesn’t matter. Because you’re here and now. And sometimes nostalgia lies to us in very dangerous ways.

There were the Israelites wandering in the wilderness. “If only we could go back to the good old days in Egypt!” …You mean where you were slaves?

Or the Jews with Ezra and Nehemiah. “If only this temple were as nice as the last temple.” You mean when the kings of Israel and Judah were destroying the land with idolatry and immorality?

As Christians, we should know the past, learn from the past, even value much of the past, but we can’t live in the past. Instead, we should always remind ourselves the best is yet to come!^[11] Not in this life, but in the next. Heaven is coming. Eternity is coming. Freedom from sickness and sin and difficulty and death and sorrow and disappointments, it’s all coming. It’s wise for us to think on that.

Instead of living in the past, “How then should we live?” 1 Thessalonians 4 gives us principles for living as we hopefully await our coming future: To live in sanctification and holiness as the Lord shapes our lives. To love the brothers and sisters around you. To live a quiet life, working hard. And looking forward, not back.

Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 – ¹¹ Wisdom is as good as an inheritance and an advantage to those who see the sun, ¹² because wisdom is protection as silver is protection; but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

Remember, when the Teacher talks about wisdom, he doesn’t mean heaven’s eternal wisdom. He means human wisdom.^[12] We see the hint there: “Those who see the sun.” So, he’s talking about human know-how.

And human wisdom isn’t always bad. In fact, it can really help out sometimes. Don’t touch a downed power line. That human wisdom might preserve your life!

Human wisdom can be an advantage on a limited level, just like money can help out. But they cannot guarantee you anything. In fact, as we’ve seen, wealth might actually cost you your life. But, as you live, it’s good to be thoughtful and rational and knowledgable. It’s generally going to help. But it can’t guarantee you satisfaction or eternal life. We need over-the-sun wisdom for that.

Proverbs 12:28 – ²⁸ There is life in the path of righteousness, and in its path there is no death.

Ecclesiastes 7:13 – ¹³ Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?

“Crooked” here is not referring to moral crookedness.^[13] Rather, the Teacher means when we look at  life and it seems tangled – awkward – rough sailing. We get so wrapped up in ironing out our lives and trying to fix things that aren’t to our liking. The Teacher invites us to stop and consider whether what is going on is actually the work of God in our lives.

What is God doing in your life right now? If we think, “I don’t think He’s really doing anything in my life right now.” The Teacher would say, “Oh yes He is!” Maybe we’re distracted from seeing His work because we’re trying to cut a path when He wants us to turn along His road.

James Smith writes, “Man should concentrate on reflecting on God’s will and how he may bring his life into conformity with that divine will.”^[14] The Teacher would agree with that.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 – ¹⁴ In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that no one can discover anything that will come after him.

An overall theme of the last two passages has been: Prosperity isn’t always good and adversity isn’t always bad.^[15] They are both aspects of life that serve God’s purposes as He accomplishes His plan in and through our lives. As we walk with God, we’re going to encounter the full spectrum of experience in life. Rather than resist it, we should react as Christians who understand what’s really going on in the world, what’s really going on in history, and what God really wants for our lives.

We would be wise to consider, rather than constantly try to distract ourselves from things we’d rather not do or think about or confront ourselves with. That doesn’t mean we’re not allowed to have fun or embrace the lighter side of life. The Teacher is in a deep gloom in these chapters, but remember he commands us six times to enjoy life as a gift from God. But tonight the message is: Life is going to end. When it’s over, what will our lives have been? We should give it serious thought because life is too precious and too important to waste.

Low On Life (Ecclesiastes 6:1-12)

“I suppose it’ve been better if I’d never been born at all.” That was George Bailey’s conclusion at the pivotal moment in It’s A Wonderful Life. He was so despondent he was ready to jump off a bridge. But, after being distracted from his suicide, he goes on to see why his life was worth living.

If the Teacher of Ecclesiastes had been there instead of George Bailey, the movie might have had a very different ending. At least if we were dealing with the Teacher of chapter 6 – one of the darkest in all the Bible.^[1]

Clarence the angel might have said, “What about your family? What about all the great achievements of your life?” In this chapter, the Teacher would respond, “Yeah, what about them? I’m still unhappy and I have no guarantee for happiness or peace of mind in the future. From my vantage point, life isn’t worth living.”

What makes life worth living? How can we find happiness in life? That’s what America was all about from the beginning, right? “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” The Wall Street Journal once said, “We may have life and liberty. But the pursuit of happiness isn’t going so well.”^[2]

This passage brings us to the end of the first half of the book. For a few weeks, the Teacher seemed like he was finally figuring things out. Tonight it’s going to feel like he has regressed into that depressed obsessive he was a few chapters ago. And that’s because he has. Remember: this whole book is the travel journal of a man on a quest for satisfaction – a quest for meaning – a quest for ultimate happiness and well-being. In the last few sections, he took a quick detour to share with us a discovery or two he had made. But now he’s got to get back out into the field. Back on the hunt. These questions gnaw at him and each day they remain unanswered, he feels like his life is wasted.

As we read his travel journal, we will discover (as one commentator says), “[The Teacher] is left with no absolute values to live for; not even any practical certainties to plan for.”^[3]

Ecclesiastes 6:1 – Here is a tragedy I have observed under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity:

When reading Ecclesiastes, always remember what “under the sun” is the scope of the Teacher’s research. He means life on earth, disconnected from a personal relationship with God. He’s speaking from a secular humanist perspective.^[4] And that’s why he can’t find what he’s looking for.

In his travels, the Teacher discovered a tragedy – a terrible sickness. Something evil. Something that is happening all the time.^[5] What is it?

Ecclesiastes 6:2 – ² God gives a person riches, wealth, and honor so that he lacks nothing of all he desires for himself, but God does not allow him to enjoy them. Instead, a stranger will enjoy them. This is futile and a sickening tragedy.

That’s the tragedy? That rich people are unhappy? It’s more than that. It’s what that reveals about our world. You see, this person with riches and wealth and honor possesses all the things the world has to offer. But having them is not the same as enjoying them.

Remember what we learned back in chapter 2: We can’t enjoy life apart from God. And that’s exactly what the Teacher and the people he’s describing in our text tonight are trying to do.

If you list the overall wealth of all nations of the world, the United States sits at the top. Per capita we’re still 3rd place out of 195.^[6] Meanwhile we have the highest suicide rate of all wealthy nations.^[7]

Now, is the Teacher saying that every rich person is depressed and suicidal? No. He’s speaking generally. But, we all know the feeling of finally getting some thing we wanted so bad – something we pined for and stared at and obsessed over. And then we finally get it on Christmas morning or when we’ve finally saved up enough. And, maybe a year later, maybe a few hours later, we find our heart is no longer thumping for that thing anymore. The thing doesn’t bring satisfaction.

When a man in the crowd wanted Jesus to decide an inheritance dispute, Jesus said, “Friend…one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”^[8] It’s the wrong focus. It’s the wrong answer.

Notice the wording: this fellow in verse 2 lacks nothing he could possibly want…for himself. He is looking for personal pleasure. It’s all about him and his feelings and his wants. They want to always feel the feelings of happiness, never bothered or inconvenienced by life, never encumbered by your needs because, after all, theirs are the ones that matter. But he’s left totally unsatisfied.

The Teacher blames this problem on God. “God does not allow him to enjoy these things.” But why should God allow it? God owes us absolutely nothing but wrath and judgment. Why should God participate with this person’s selfish enslavement to a temporal way of life? When Adam sinned, God said, “We can’t let him eat of the tree of life and stay in this position. We can’t allow that.”

Ecclesiastes 6:3-4 – ³ A man may father a hundred children and live many years. No matter how long he lives, if he is not satisfied by good things and does not even have a proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. ⁴ For he comes in futility and he goes in darkness, and his name is shrouded in darkness.

In the culture of the time, a successful life was measured by if you were wealthy, had a large family, and lived to an old age.^[9] The Teacher uses extremes: Fabulous wealth. 100 kids. Fantastically long life. His point is: Money can’t buy you love. And having 100 kids doesn’t guarantee that this person won’t be hated and left unclaimed at the morgue one day. Life is about more than numbers.

“But I did the thing. I had the kids. I attained what the world said was the goal. So where’s the promise of relational fulfillment and family honor and a monument to my greatness after I die?”

Well, one problem is that he was still worried about himself more than others. “If he is not satisfied by good things…” His pursuit is self-satisfaction based on worldly acquisitions.

It’s at this point that the Teacher has his George Bailey moment: It would’ve been better if I’d never been born.

Ecclesiastes 6:5 – ⁵ Though a stillborn child does not see the sun and is not conscious, it has more rest than he.

He wants rest. To be at peace. To have a heart that is untroubled. But we live in a difficult, troubled world, and the Teacher can’t escape it. So he envies the child who dies before birth.

Is the Bible saying that it’s better to be stillborn? Well, again, consider the scope of this study. The Teacher is not speaking as a Believer. He’s not considering eternity. As far as he’s concerned, life ends in the grave. He is not talking about what happens to human souls after death.^[10]

From this vantage point, he’s saying, “Well if you can do all the ‘right’ things and work yourself to the bone only to have all your riches taken and your family relationships broken, and you end up with some debilitating disease that kills you with terrible suffering, what’s the point?” In that case – if that’s all there is to life – it would be much easier to be the stillborn baby.

With that said, note that Solomon considered this stillborn baby to be a person as much as the rich man with 100 children. Their experience was different but their essence was the same.

Ecclesiastes 6:6 – ⁶ And if a person lives a thousand years twice, but does not experience happiness, do not both go to the same place?

Let’s say someone lives twice as long as the oldest person ever, death is still going to get them in the end. And living a long time doesn’t guarantee a happy life. In fact, more often the longer you live the more opportunity you have to suffer under the sun.

The Teacher doesn’t want to die, but he also doesn’t see what the point of living is. It’s very sad. So, after failing at finding satisfaction in the big three pursuits – wealth, large family, long life – he turns to smaller pursuits. How about day-to-day things like really killing it at work and getting run-of-the-mill satisfactions that make the body feel good, or becoming the smartest guy in the room?

Ecclesiastes 6:7 – ⁷ All of a person’s labor is for his stomach, yet the appetite is never satisfied.

Focusing on day-to-day pleasure didn’t fare any better than his whole-life plans. The poor Teacher is going the wrong way. Your stomach will always become hungry again. Your eyes will never finish seeing. The urge you satisfy for today will return tomorrow, demanding more. This is what ethicists call the hedonistic paradox. “The more people pursue pleasure, the more elusive the goal becomes.”^[11]

Ecclesiastes 6:8 – ⁸ What advantage then does the wise person have over the fool? What advantage is there for the poor person who knows how to conduct himself before others?

Whether it’s wealth, fame, intellect, or experiences, satisfaction is sold separately. The wisdom of this world cannot bring peace to your heart because there is eternity in your heart. You can’t scratch that itch with anything the world has to offer.

And so, the Teacher turns from one pursuit to another, each time left more frustrated than before. Michael Eaton writes, “The Teacher is slamming every door except the door of faith.”^[12]

Ecclesiastes 6:9 –  ⁹ Better what the eyes see than wandering desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

The New Living Translation helps clear up this verse:

Ecclesiastes 6:9 (NLT) – ⁹ Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

Some dreams need to be left behind. We’ve got to give up chasing the wind. Instead of cultivating desire for what we don’t have, we should cultivate thankfulness for what we do have. Remember: Godliness with contentment is great gain.^[13] That’s what the Teacher is after, right? Profit. Advantage. Lasting abundance in the heart? God says, “Here’s how to have it.” When we walk with God, He gives us life more abundantly in the now and the not yet. He gives joy for the temporal and regenerates us with the eternal.

Verse 9 is the close of the first half of the book. Verses 10 through 12 help us bridge to the second half. As we toward part 2, we see the Teacher is still pretty pessimistic.

Ecclesiastes 6:10 – ¹⁰ Whatever exists was given its name long ago, and it is known what mankind is. But he is not able to contend with the one stronger than he.

The Teacher spent this chapter complaining. He’s offended that he can’t find happiness for himself. But he’s wise enough to realize that it will do no good arguing these complaints with God. Job had complaints for God and, for a while said, “I’d like to talk to God about this stuff and prove that my complaint is just!” If he and the Teacher were talking, the Teacher would say, “Yeah, that’s not an argument you can win.”

But scholars also point out that, in this verse, the Teacher is making specific references to Adam in the opening chapters of Genesis.^[14] The problems of life, of fulfillment, of peace and rest in the heart, are nothing new. They have existed since the fall of man. It is a result of sin and the broken relationship between God and man.

Duane Garrett writes, “No sage, however brilliant or daring, has substantially added to Adam’s discovery…Adam has already shown us what we are.”^[15]

If we want to know why things are the way they are – why people have such struggles and difficulty in life, look to the word of God that lays it all out and lays out the path of escape. The Bible shows what mankind is. That we are mistake-makers. That we are easily distracted and deceived. That when the chips are down, we’d rather help ourselves than others. That we need to be rescued from ourselves and from this fallen world under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 6:11 – ¹¹ For when there are many words, they increase futility. What is the advantage for mankind?

The Teacher wants out. The more he finds, the less he likes what he finds.

Ecclesiastes 6:12 – ¹² For who knows what is good for anyone in life, in the few days of his futile life that he spends like a shadow? Who can tell anyone what will happen after him under the sun?

He asks a few rhetorical questions here, but they are questions that need answering. Where does good come from? What can make a life full of struggle, chance, futility, and ultimately death worth living? Can the world answer these questions and offer what I need? It claims it can.

But the Gospel tells us the truth. The world can’t offer you a meaningful life. It can’t offer you lasting peace. It can offer you wealth, but as we saw in an earlier passage and see through living examples all around us, wealth often destroys life. It can offer you temporal pleasures, but they will not satisfy.

But, God can give you what you really need. He alone can make life enjoyable, and can make life worth living. He can make your life more than worthwhile. He makes it eternal.

The Teacher was desperate for peace and rest. Here’s what Jesus said:

John 14:27 – ²⁷ “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Don’t let your heart be troubled or fearful.”

Christ came that we might have what the Teacher is looking for. Purpose and meaning and enjoyment and contentment and joy. An abundant life worth living.

John put it very plainly:

1 John 5:12 – ¹² The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The Teacher leaves the first half of his book broken-hearted. In this terribly tragic moment, he looks on the stillborn child and realizes, “My whole life has been a miscarriage.” But how could that happen? He was so rich. He was so smart. He was so successful. He was so important. He was so famous. He was so everything. But satisfaction is sold separately.^[16]

He forgot what he himself said back in chapter 2. You can’t have lasting purpose and you can’t enjoy life unless you have a personal relationship with God, Who is the Giver of life and purpose and satisfaction and every good gift. You can’t have joy unless you please Him.^[17] How do we please God? Very simple: We please God by having faith in Him. By believing Him. Not just believing in Him, that He exists and maybe did some things in the past. The Teacher even had that level of belief. But by believing Him now, actively.  Believing His prescriptions. Believing His directions. Believing He has a plan for our lives, and following Him to discover it.

A life of purpose, joy, satisfaction, and rest is ours to receive from the Lord, whether that includes material prosperity or not. Because material prosperity does not give us those things. The Lord does. And He is ready to give you temporal fulfillment and eternal purpose if you will believe Him, walk with Him, and be born again into this new life He’s offering.

Footnotes[+]

Footnotes

↑1	Philip Ryken   Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters
↑2	Jonathan Clements   No Satisfaction: Why What You Have Is Never Enough
↑3	Derek Kidner   A Time To Mourn & A Time To Dance
↑4	Kidner
↑5, ↑16	Ryken
↑6	https://www.forbes.com/sites/katharinabuchholz/2024/03/14/which-countries-are-really-the-richest-infographic/
↑7	https://www.commonwealthfund.org/press-release/2020/new-international-report-health-care-us-suicide-rate-highest-among-wealthy
↑8	Luke 12:15
↑9	Duane A. Garrett   The New American Commentary: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs
↑10	CSB Study Bible Notes
↑11	James Smith   The Wisdom Literature And Psalms
↑12	Michael Eaton   Ecclesiastes: An Introduction And Commentary
↑13	1 Timothy 6:6
↑14	NAC
↑15	Garrett
↑17	Ecclesiastes 2:24-26