Lesson 21

Ecclesiastes

The Things That Don't Work!

Review:

The picture we noted last time is that of two rich men. One hoarded all his wealth and ruined himself by becoming a miser.

The other man made some unsound investments and lost his wealth. He was right back where he started from and had no estate to leave to his son.

Now tonight we pick up with the next part of this saga!

We’ll see that this one spent the rest of his days in the darkness of discouragement and defeat, and he did not enjoy life.

Like all of us, he brought nothing into the world at birth, and he took nothing out of the world at death (see Job 1:21; Ps. 49:17; 1 Tim. 6:7).

5:15 As he had come naked from his mother's womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.

So what have we been shown by Solomon? -- have several different scenarios depicted here.

#1 - A man who hoarded what he had and then lost it all through a bad investment.

#2 - Another man fights and wins his way to the top, only to have the bottom drop out of his life as the stock market plunges.

#3 - Or another individual who spends his life in a maddening pursuit of some illusive financial goal only to drop dead of a heart attack as he is about to attain it.

Have you ever had the opportunity to attend a dinner party where everything is not just first class but truly opulent.

Such a place is described in Proverbs 23.

Check out vs:1-2

Next he gives a warning in vs:4-5.

5:17 Throughout his life he also eats in darkness with great vexation, sickness and anger.

- darkness refers to his spiritual condition - UnBEL - living under the sun.

- vexation = self induced misery that accompanies living outside the will of God

- sickness = MA worries, to be under great mental strain (chabal) which often leads to physical problems

- anger - results from his bitterness about life

Solomon tells us straight out that under the sun living - without Christ is empty, unsatisfying, tragic dead-end street called the grave.

5:18-20 Final Thoughts

5:18 Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting (opp. of evil): to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. (portion, share, allotment)

5:19 Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

Did you catch what the gift is??

- The usual condition for those with great wealth is that they are under the power and control of that wealth instead of it being under their power.

- The usual condition for those with great wealth is that they are under the power and control of that wealth instead of it being under their power.

5:20 For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.

- Not brooding over the shortness of life since he is occupied with the life giver and has an eternal perspective.

Key is to concentrate on your vertical relationship with Him and the horizontal experiences of life and relationships will fall into place.

Chapter Six

INTRO: His point here is that prosperity in life is not always or necessarily good for man.

Solomon here is reporting on some of the areas that bothered him, things that he encountered as a materialist.

6:1 There is an evil (ra'ah - misfortune, adversity) which I have seen under the sun (clue to what vpt is being used when these conclusions are valid - or will be true in one’s life) and it is prevalent among men--

Description of the evil, the misfortune that Solomon has in view!

6:2 a man to whom God has given (kal impf - natan > !t;n" word for grace giving) riches and wealth and honor (an honored place in society) so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; (prosperity of the wicked) yet God has not empowered him (lo + hiphil imper shalat jl;v' - to exercise power, to dominate, to have mastery over - he's not going to master or rule what he has; they are going to master and rule him) to eat from them, (to enjoy what he has - direct contrast to 5:18-20) for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity (hebel) and a severe affliction. (choli' ra' - evil sickness - a malignant disease)

There is an old saying, "Never judge a book by its cover".

A man may possess wealth, position in the community, numerous children (sign of prosperity of the day), have long life, and virtually everything he desires, every outward good thing that anyone could possibly imagine: yet he can still be a very broken, dissatisfied and unhappy person.

Observations:

1. The prosperity of the wicked has always been a test for the Believer especially the experientially righteous Believer who is w/o a great deal materially. Ps 73:1-7

2. Have an example of God granting the desires and blessing the people and it became a curse to them.

- Ps 106:13-15 (Numb 11) - Exodus generation is in view here - gen of Bel's

- The rejection is first in their soul; a failure to trust God; believe His word; and apply it in the situations faced.

- He had been faithful to them over and over and they rejected Him and His provision and they suffered the consequences.

3. God is concerned with man's ultimate state – his ending.

- He removes the joy from the possession of things that we think will produce happiness and contentment apart from Him and he does so to wake us up to the spiritual realities of life.

- Jesus gave us His perspective re: material things in Lk 12:15 - its a warning

Next Solomon gives some strong examples in vs:3-6