Lesson 17
Ecclesiastes
The Things That Don't
Work!
A LOOK BACK - REVIEW
In Ch - 1 we saw that
Solomon was unhappy - he protested against what he had observed as the
meaninglessness of life.
In ch - 2 he explored
all the desires of his eyes - extensive pursuit of pleasure - winning and womanizing to
his hearts discontent. He also poured his energies into massive building
projects only to discover that too didn't fulfill his soul's needs.
In ch - 3 we see him
running into the reality that God has a plan - He is in control of history, He
has established order in the world. (seen in the
cycles of life)
Solomon's frustration is further compounded by
the fact that he will have to give an account of his actions someday. (
In ch - 4 he shifts
gears so to speak from fighting against God and therefore the disintegration of
his vertical relationship with God manifests itself in the horizontal
relationships of life. He observed this breakdown in oppression of others,
greed manifested in climbing up the corporate ladder, the loneliness that results from being workaholics.
4:13-16 Fame and prestige are only temporary or
today's hero is often tomorrows bum!!
- You see
its not just the little fellow - the small fish that
Solomon speaks of in the 1st part of Ch4 who suffer oppression.
We
see here the picture of a man who has been at the top and felt the adoration of
the crowds and heard the praises of the masses.
But he's been perched so long at the top of the totem pole that he no
longer knows how to take instruction.
- The
occupational hazard of 'doing it on your
own' is an unwillingness to remember the people who helped them on the way up
and to no longer listen to good counsel.
Principle:
Mt
The ultimate irony is now stated in vs:16
There
is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who
will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving
after wind.
- Even
the young successor will only momentarily hold the reigns of power. His support was great when he
ascended the throne, 'no end to all the people' praising him. Those who come later will make him the object
of jeers instead of cheers. Goes from hero to bum.
Solomon makes some very strong observations
here:
It
is better to be poor and have wisdom then to have prestige, position, power and
be arrogant. (
Prestige
and advancement as ones motivation is just like the greed of the workaholic -
the end is futility - meaninglessness and chasing after the wind.
Some lessons from ch -
4
#1 - Oppression is a fact of life - especially where there
is competition.
- There will always be someone who wants our
jobs. We can expect it.
#2 - God hears and comforts the oppressed
believer.
- He hears our prayers
supplies us with His Word. (rem
2 Cor 1:3-4
#3 - Two or three together are better than being
alone.
- When we're hurting, we need to learn to do the
unnatural thing and reach out for someone else, and receive the comfort and encouragement that God
will provide thru that means.
#4 - We should be willing to except the counsel
of others.
- We need to go beyond just sharing your
troubles with someone. We
need to listen carefully to the advice that is offered,
considering it thoughtfully and prayerfully.
Chapter Five
Introduction:
In this section Solomon is going to give us some
very helpful insights into Worship - the attitudes and actions that we should
have towards God.
He will also give us some warnings related to
our worship - our vertical relationship with God - Some areas of importance
that should be adhered to.
The contrasts here are between correct worship
and empty worship or as he labels it the sacrifice of fools.
We must not let the pressures of our daily lives
take us away from consistent assembly or we will quickly become a casualty.
- You
cannot cut yourself off from the source, 1st in your soul and then physically by not assembling and expect to
realize God's power and mercy to be
operational in your life at that point.
What is Worship?
1.
Worship is based on an understanding of the worth of God!
Which comes from
understanding His character/nature! Only found in the Bible.
- the English word comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word weorthscipe,
changed to worthship then to worship as we
have it today.
- To worship God is to ascribe to Him supreme
worth, for He alone is worthy.
Ps
96:7-8;
* There must be an understanding of the worth and value of God or there
is no worship! That will only come from
knowing the Word!
* True worship by its very nature then
is theo-centric!
(most so called
worship today is man centered; an attempt to please or impress man; fill seats,
or to fill offering plates.)
- Best
definition: William Temple, late Archbishop of Canterbury, "To worship is to quicken the conscience
by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the
imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to
devote the will to the purpose of God."
2. Worship is a
positive response to revealed truth about God.
- First revealed truth is understood; that
truth is interacted with; hopefully a positive response; if it is positive, result = worship.
- Worship really is the end result; not the
beginning.
Examples:
Psalm 33 vs:1-3 are a
call to worship; the cmd to praise. Then with vs:4-5 we
find the cause for worship; the reason we ought to do it.
Psalm 135 vs:1-4 are the call to worship; vs:5
begins the reason for it.
Even the Great God of the Universe does
not ask for praise without giving us a rational reason why!
If we don't respond with our mind, from
our understanding, what is left? Our emotion.
True Worship then is a response to
revealed truth, what we know about God from His word;
whether
its His faithful character; whether its His dependability based on His word;
whether its His mercy and compassion; His
power; His Sov;
whatever aspect of God that we know, that's in our thinking that prompts
us to respond in praise to God in appreciation for who He is and what He has
done, when that happens we then have true worship!