Lesson 26

Ecclesiastes

The Things That Don't Work!

INTRO: 7:25-29

- There are many wise by the standards of men but few are those who discover true wisdom – the wisdom of God – which he freely gives for the asking!!

- Must be careful as we deal with this section - some have been quick to jump on Solomon as a chauvinistic type or even a misogynist.

- He is far from that as seen in Prov 12:4; 18:22; 19:14

7:25 I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.

- What he discovers and confirms is that human wisdom has its limitations.

- His objective he states is to know - understand how stupid and insane it is to pursue wickedness and folly as a pattern of life.

7:26 Some results of his investigation

7:26 And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.

- The first thing we must do is to define who or what is the woman here and in the next two verses. Just what is Solomon referring to?

There was a second error in that these women came from the nations that surrounded Israel, people that they were forbidden to even associate with them, let alone marry them (11:2)

He is not implying in any way that all women are floozies who work their many charms to entrap men and lead them astray. Not what is in view at all.

Rather, Solomon is personifying human view point wisdom as a fast, loose woman, a prostitute, the adulterous woman. Something he does many times in Proverbs especially in ch 1-9.

If we base our beliefs - our world view on the foundation of the secular instead of the wisdom from God, it is as if we have succumbed to the lure of a tawdry seductive woman. There is no wisdom in that Solomon says only much foolishness.

In verse 26 here Solomon said that he had made several discoveries in his investigation.

- #1 - that pursuing lady folly - the wisdom of the world in any of its many facets ultimately is worse than death.

- #2 - Why? You will become enslaved if you succumb to her snares and traps. - he defines the one who responds to her as the sinner.

- #3 - Only the person who pleases God - fears God and obeys His cmd's (a doer of the word not just a hearer)

7:27-28 "Behold, I have discovered this," says the Preacher, "adding one thing to another to find an explanation, which I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.

- Solomon uses hyperbole to show that there is very few of these to be found.

- In the parallelism of the last phrase Solomon is not saying that there is never a woman who pleases God!! NOT AT ALL.

- One out of a 1000 says very few are operating on DVPT wisdom and therefore pleasing to God.

And out of those few who are pleasing to God, NONE are operating on human vpt wisdom, whatever is the fad world view of the day.

7:29 "Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they (both men & women) have sought out many devices."

- But man by his own choices soon altered his status in the fall. The consequences of that choice will run throughout human history.

- devices - !AbV'xi (µishsh¹bôn) schemes, inventions, devices all the production of the sin nature seeking a way, any way but God's.

Observations:

1. Through the fall man has found many alternatives to the POG.

2. Our basic problems are not above us; they're within us.

3. Man-made devices don't bring us back to God. (cannot attain +R thru any works system)

4. Some questions we should ask ourselves at this point. Self – examination.

Chapter Eight

WISDOM THAT COMES FROM GOD SOLVES MANY ENIGMAS OF LIFE

8:1 Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter?

8:1b A man's wisdom illumines him and causes his stern face to beam.

OBSERVATIONS

1. The one who possesses this wisdom - true wisdom - possesses God's grace in their life. -- fulfills the greatest commandment.

2. This wisdom marks and lifts up this one before others and makes them serviceable to others. -- fulfills the 2nd greatest commandment.

3. Because the individual has wisdom they are able to give wise counsel concerning what ought to be done. 1 Chron. 12:32

4. Such wisdom changes the stern, hard look on the face, the z[o (±œz) to a warm expression which is not cranked up or phony in any way.

5. With this wisdom you will know where your going and how to get there.

6. WISDOM puts the light in one’s life and turns the tests of life - the CHP's into meaningful activity.

Wisdom is demonstrated in obedience to authority 8:2-4

8:2 I say, "Keep the command of the king because of the oath before God.