Lesson 5

Ecclesiastes

The Things That Don't Work!

1:14-15 His conclusion related to human achievement in life: i.e. apart from God!

Solomon based this verdict on his observations which had shown him that human achievements leave much to be desired.

1:14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity (hebel - futility - emptiness) and striving after wind.

- He paints a very graphic picture here of effort expended with no results gained - since no one can catch the wind.

The good and profit that any part of this world has to offer is emptiness, worthless and is chasing after the wind.

1:15 Is a proverb which helps define the context of his conclusion of vs:13 that all done under heaven is a grievous task and of vs:14 that all is vanity and chasing after the wind.

What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.

In Dan 5:27 speaking of Belshazzar God told him you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.

Human efforts and actions cannot remedy man's position in Adam, his state of being spiritually dead and all the consequences.

All under the sun solutions cannot solve them ONLY God who is above the sun has the power and ability to solve them thru His grace provision.

1:16-17 Almost as if he is reintroducing himself and his qualifications to us.

1:16 I said to myself, "Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge."

- here it would emphasize the knowledge gained from all his experiences. Speaks of having done something - observed the results - and learned from it.

1:17 And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly;

- He says, I've done it all, I stopped at nothing, I've been there, I gave it my best shot, and my conclusion?

I realized that this also is striving after wind.

He uses another proverb to explain his conclusions.

1:18 Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.

All this human vpt wisdom puts us in touch with more things to worry about, to fret about - more and more issues with no apparent solutions at hand.

Wisdom and intellectual pursuits apart from the wisdom that comes from the fear of God does not bring the resolution of the question, the thesis of vs:3, What advantage, What's left after I've gained all this wisdom?

If intellectualism was the major key to purpose and fulfillment in life, our campuses would be "Camelot's" of peace. People would flock to those campuses, finding there the fulfillment of their dreams.

If we remove Jesus Christ from the center of an intellectual pursuit we're headed for ultimate disaster. As we are going to learn from Solomon, the only way to find satisfaction is through a relationship with the Living God.

OBSERVATIONS

1. IF there is NOTHING but NOTHING under the sun then our only HOPE must be above it.

2. If after pursuing everything that is material or visible to satisfy his soul's longing and he didn't find it THEN it must INVISIBLE.

- Rom 8:24-25 we hope (elpij) for what we do not see ; 1 Pet 1:8; Jn 20:29

- So few have their priorities straight and are pursuing the invisible, a relationship with Jesus Christ, and are tuned into what's important.

3. The only light at the end of the tunnel is Jesus Christ and CWOL.

- need to be cautious lest we through the many legitimate pursuits of life put Christ on the back burner - low priority in life and fall into the same soul despair that Solomon did.

CHAPTER TWO - IF IT FEELS GOOD DO IT!!

Having employed experiments in the area of learning and knowledge and made his conclusions - all is vanity - emptiness and chasing after the wind he now turns to some other means to find something satisfying and permanent in life.

2:1 I said to myself, (speaks of inner resolve) "Come now, I will test you,

with pleasure (simchah - mirth, joy, gladness) in today's terms whatever one thinks will make him/her feel good, just do it and forget the consequences.

The satisfaction with this pursuit was so fleeting that he quickly pronounced the result of the test.

And behold, it too was futility. (hebel) -- It was just another empty experience

2:2 I said of laughter, "It is madness,"

- A SENSE OF HUMOR IS IMPORTANT but you must realize that you can't face the tests - the CHP's of life or the crisis your about to face on the basis of the last good laugh you had.

and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?"

*** Let's understand that Solomon is not attacking a healthy sense of humor or periodic times of enjoyable God honoring pleasure.

OBSERVATIONS

1. Our souls are designed to respond to God first.

2. Our individual OSN responses may differ (differing trends - lusts) but not the soul

3. Amplification on pleasure:

Pleasure as a pursuit of life has become the god of many today. Seeking the ultimate experience - that ultimate good feeling.

This is living life on the existential level where the experience rules where there are no absolutes to intrude only the interpretation of the moment, the situation, based on one's feelings - emotions.

I find it extremely interesting that this same hedonistic viewpoint was listed as one of the 5 main causes of bringing down the Roman Empire:

(Edward Gibbon - The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 3 vols)

#1. - Rapid increase in divorce - the breakdown of the family unit

#2. - soaring taxes

#3. - mad craze for pleasure - entertainment

#4. - a gigantic arms build-up

#5. - the decay of religion

With this we have the verification of what Solomon said back in 1:9b So there is nothing new under the sun.

- all adds up to man thinking that he is self-sufficient