Ecclesiastes: "Life under the sun"
.
1. VAPOUR
Ecc. 1: 1:11
Will Rubie
Ecclesiastes: literature based on wisdom:
it probes, it poses enigmatic riddles.
◘ “Life is meaningless.”
i.e.: Life is pointless?
No, life is fleeting; like breath or mist.
◘ Two gentle warnings:
- Don’t be deceived by apparent progress …
all of life’s activity (human life; finite creature),
despite all of our toil, labour, activity,
fundamentally, the world is stillthe same
- We attempt to ‘sculpture the mist’,
to manipulate the mist (life) into something more permanent
How can we avoid it? In seeking novelty & meaning, we start to believe
‘well, then we'd able to break out of the ordinariness & the repetitive...’
The warning: * Don’t let novelty distract you from reality
◘ Creation is indeed wonderful;
intricate, intimate; vast & expansive however:
1:9 ‘There is nothing new under the sun’
- this search for novelty is nothing new;
- “new” methods are just the same revisited concepts & searches.
Ecclesiastes is about learning how to live now,
That in order to live rightly, we have to face reality,
accept our fleetingness & live in the light of the fact of mortality.
* Ps. 90: “Teach us to number our days that we might have a heart of wisdom.”
......
◘ Are things any different after Jesus with the “new creation”?
James 4:4 - “ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ”
- as Christians, this teaching helps to keep us rooted in reality.
The Teacher’s conclusion (12:13) : “fear God”
i.e.: * Acknowledge that the LORD is God
Rather than reaching a point of despair, we find liberation
~ not grasping at life but grateful for it.
Likewise, (Ecc. 5,6,8 & 9) to enjoy life - to enjoy the Lord:
This is the best thing in life - to know Him & to enjoy the things He has given us.
The first thing to say is: thank you.
“The Lord giveth & taketh away.”
Receive [this gift of life] with thankfulness.
_______________________________
.
2. PLEASURE
Ecc. 3:1-22 (WR)
◘ In Solomon’s work & in his success, wisdom stayed with him (Ecc 2:9) ... Desire to recreate Heaven on earth in re-building the temple (God’s dwelling)
◘ Projects & pleasure are also equally fleeting, like the mist. ~ None of this deals with nor consoles fundamental problem: of our own death & morality, (v.19) “the same fate awaits them”
- just as Tolstoy references re: the meaning of life: ‘What is the meaning of my life’ - ‘ None’ Or, ‘What will come of my life?’ - ‘Nothing.’ Or, ‘Why does everything which exits exist, and why do I exist?’ - ‘Because it exists.'
◘ Life as burdensome, full of angst:
Ecc. 2:17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun
was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
◘ A shaft of light ...
an alternative to striving for gain: enjoying grace (v.24)
- God’s good gifts to all: indiscriminate & lavish;
encompassing food, drink, sex, work.
- The ability to enjoy good gifts also comes from the hand of God
- In Ecclesiastes, those who “fear him”.
i.e.: * Know him rightly and are in relationship with him
- The frustration of living life under the sun without him limits our enjoyment as no real way of accessing these good gifts.
The fabric of salvation = made from the same cloth as the fabric of creation. Our enjoyment of creation as we enjoy the gifts of God. It doesn’t take away the mist but in the Lord Jesus, we’re able to have joy in the mist. This frees us from striving for gain.
Receive with thankfulness,
What we have received is a gift that has been given & can be enjoyed.
_________________________________________________
3. WEALTH
Ecc. 5:8 - 6:12
Empty promise: the promise of ‘more’ as the solution to our problems.
More of what?
v.10 - 15) Wealth or income → more dissatisfaction;
idolatry → danger, stress;
Destructive tendencies as hope & trust become misplaced.
Desire will always outrun acquisition.
◘ Why do you want more?
◘ What do you want more of?
5:19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil-this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.
◘ Will we be content with gifts or crave for gain?
What we have is not there by chance or circumstance, we’re to recognise that.
Be content with gifts. - one’s own “lot” & portion
Of course the striving for more, the pursuit of more overlooks this. If we’re always pursuing more, we take for granted what we have & we miss the gifts that God has given us. We’re unable to enjoy the gifts we have now because we’re always wanting to enjoy what He’s going to give us in the future.
The teacher exhorts: Recognise the hand of God in all things.
Rest.
Stop.
Be content.
Rather than striving for more, be content - realise that life is fleeting - be thankful.
1 Tim 6 - Paul: “Godliness with contentment is great gain”
Christ, ‘the great leveller’ ~ as we trust in Jesus, our hope; as we hope in him, as we settle in him & settle our hearts in Him, we find that godliness - trusting in him for his great gifts - is great gain.
If the Lord gives you those things, recognise that which you have received as gifts … say thank you for them & be content in what you have. If we don't receive things, consider it be no great loss as we have everything in the Lord Jesus already.
1. VAPOUR
Ecc. 1: 1:11
Will Rubie
Ecclesiastes: literature based on wisdom:
it probes, it poses enigmatic riddles.
◘ “Life is meaningless.”
i.e.: Life is pointless?
No, life is fleeting; like breath or mist.
◘ Two gentle warnings:
- Don’t be deceived by apparent progress …
all of life’s activity (human life; finite creature),
despite all of our toil, labour, activity,
fundamentally, the world is stillthe same
- We attempt to ‘sculpture the mist’,
to manipulate the mist (life) into something more permanent
How can we avoid it? In seeking novelty & meaning, we start to believe
‘well, then we'd able to break out of the ordinariness & the repetitive...’
The warning: * Don’t let novelty distract you from reality
◘ Creation is indeed wonderful;
intricate, intimate; vast & expansive however:
1:9 ‘There is nothing new under the sun’
- this search for novelty is nothing new;
- “new” methods are just the same revisited concepts & searches.
Ecclesiastes is about learning how to live now,
That in order to live rightly, we have to face reality,
accept our fleetingness & live in the light of the fact of mortality.
* Ps. 90: “Teach us to number our days that we might have a heart of wisdom.”
......
◘ Are things any different after Jesus with the “new creation”?
James 4:4 - “ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ”
- as Christians, this teaching helps to keep us rooted in reality.
The Teacher’s conclusion (12:13) : “fear God”
i.e.: * Acknowledge that the LORD is God
Rather than reaching a point of despair, we find liberation
~ not grasping at life but grateful for it.
Likewise, (Ecc. 5,6,8 & 9) to enjoy life - to enjoy the Lord:
This is the best thing in life - to know Him & to enjoy the things He has given us.
The first thing to say is: thank you.
“The Lord giveth & taketh away.”
Receive [this gift of life] with thankfulness.
_______________________________
.
2. PLEASURE
Ecc. 3:1-22 (WR)
◘ In Solomon’s work & in his success, wisdom stayed with him (Ecc 2:9) ... Desire to recreate Heaven on earth in re-building the temple (God’s dwelling)
◘ Projects & pleasure are also equally fleeting, like the mist. ~ None of this deals with nor consoles fundamental problem: of our own death & morality, (v.19) “the same fate awaits them”
- just as Tolstoy references re: the meaning of life: ‘What is the meaning of my life’ - ‘ None’ Or, ‘What will come of my life?’ - ‘Nothing.’ Or, ‘Why does everything which exits exist, and why do I exist?’ - ‘Because it exists.'
◘ Life as burdensome, full of angst:
Ecc. 2:17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun
was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
◘ A shaft of light ...
an alternative to striving for gain: enjoying grace (v.24)
- God’s good gifts to all: indiscriminate & lavish;
encompassing food, drink, sex, work.
- The ability to enjoy good gifts also comes from the hand of God
- In Ecclesiastes, those who “fear him”.
i.e.: * Know him rightly and are in relationship with him
- The frustration of living life under the sun without him limits our enjoyment as no real way of accessing these good gifts.
The fabric of salvation = made from the same cloth as the fabric of creation. Our enjoyment of creation as we enjoy the gifts of God. It doesn’t take away the mist but in the Lord Jesus, we’re able to have joy in the mist. This frees us from striving for gain.
Receive with thankfulness,
What we have received is a gift that has been given & can be enjoyed.
_________________________________________________
3. WEALTH
Ecc. 5:8 - 6:12
Empty promise: the promise of ‘more’ as the solution to our problems.
More of what?
v.10 - 15) Wealth or income → more dissatisfaction;
idolatry → danger, stress;
Destructive tendencies as hope & trust become misplaced.
Desire will always outrun acquisition.
◘ Why do you want more?
◘ What do you want more of?
5:19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil-this is a gift of God. They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.
◘ Will we be content with gifts or crave for gain?
What we have is not there by chance or circumstance, we’re to recognise that.
Be content with gifts. - one’s own “lot” & portion
Of course the striving for more, the pursuit of more overlooks this. If we’re always pursuing more, we take for granted what we have & we miss the gifts that God has given us. We’re unable to enjoy the gifts we have now because we’re always wanting to enjoy what He’s going to give us in the future.
The teacher exhorts: Recognise the hand of God in all things.
Rest.
Stop.
Be content.
Rather than striving for more, be content - realise that life is fleeting - be thankful.
1 Tim 6 - Paul: “Godliness with contentment is great gain”
Christ, ‘the great leveller’ ~ as we trust in Jesus, our hope; as we hope in him, as we settle in him & settle our hearts in Him, we find that godliness - trusting in him for his great gifts - is great gain.
If the Lord gives you those things, recognise that which you have received as gifts … say thank you for them & be content in what you have. If we don't receive things, consider it be no great loss as we have everything in the Lord Jesus already.