Lessons From Ecclesiastes – Lesson 4

I briefly touched on this last week but I need to clarify and make sure you understand. How can you tell when Solomon was looking thru the lens of the there is no God world view of the Atheists and the evolutionist?

The way you could tell is that Solomon uses the words vanity and vexation of spirit in connection with there being no mention of God or Eternity in that section of scripture. Also what Solomon was seeing thru that lens goes against a bunch of other scripture.

All of that together is how you tell. What Solomon was doing was accurately showing what things look like thru that world view.

You cannot take the word vanity alone and make that your determining factor that Solomon is talking about that world view. You have to use all of it, the word vanity and no God mentioned, no eternity mentioned and the overall section is going against other scripture.

We know that words do not have meaning singular. Words have meanings plural. Dictionaries will have meaning 1, 2, 3 and so on. The word light is a good example. I can say my back pack is light and I am talking about weight. I can say I need more light meaning it is too dark. I can say my burden is light talking about stress and responsibly.

And words can be used in different ways. Solomon will at times from chapter 5 to the end use the word vanity but in a different context. A context that shows that he is not looking thru the lens of the false world view of the Atheist.

Just wanted to take a minute and make sure we are all clear on that.

Solomon started with saying he wrote the book and then immediately jumped into a look at what the world looks like if there is no God and no Eternity.

He then jumps right into a look at things thru the lens of truth that there is a God and there is an Eternity. And the beginning of that look is in Ecc 2:24-26

Ecc 2:24 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

Ecc 2:25 For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?

Ecc 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy:

This book is written in a style of the organization of thought.

So we had the thought of the vanity and vexation of spirit of the no God world view.

Then that was contrasted with the truth that there is a God and an Eternity. Those were first set side by side for dramatic contrast and to set the tone of what the book is about, which is the meaning of life.

And when Solomon started the overall look at the correct world view he started that being able to enjoy the good in his Labor is from the hand of God.

And God gives to man that is good in his sight wisdom and knowledge and joy. Wisdom and knowledge.

So after Solomon finished the first look at there is a God, he is now going to back to what he started that view with and dive deeper into that.

God gives wisdom and knowledge.

Solomon had prayed and asked for wisdom and God answered and gave it to him. So Solomon has personally experienced this. And he is now going to share some of that wisdom.

The first section of this could be titled Fear God

Ecc 5:1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

Be more ready to hear. I have seen more than once someone who comes to church and do all the right things, say the right things, dress just so, talk to the right people, and make sure they are seen putting their offering envelope in.

But when the preaching and teaching time comes they are checking their email on their cell phones or worse.

They had the same type of problem in Solomon’s day. Some would come to the temple and offer their sacrifice, but they were doing it for the wrong reasons and they did not want to hear the teaching or to learn.

God calls this the sacrifice of fools and God says that they consider not that they do evil.

Going thru the motions for the wrong reasons and not wanting to hear from God’s Word is not a good thing. God is after the heart. They can even fool some but they can’t fool God who looks at the heart and the thoughts of man.

Those that have wisdom go to hear God’s word and learn so they can learn more about Him and walk closer to Him and live more for Him. Wisdom says come ready to hear and learn.

Next the wisdom of watching the mouth.

Ecc 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Ecc 5:3 For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.

Next the wisdom of keeping your word to God.

Ecc 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.

Ecc 5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.

Those that have wisdom will follow thru and do whatever they told God that they would do.

And don’t use the excuse well what I told God I would do is an error.

Ecc 5:6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

Ecc 5:7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

God is not mocked a man will reap what he sows. That is an absolute truth. Part of the proper fear of the Lord is knowing that God will absolutely make me reap what I sow.

Therefore wisdom says and the proper fear of the Lord says then sow right. Sow good instead of sowing bad so that I don’t have to reap bad.

The next section is about how even if you believe there is a God it is vanity to put money above God. Some call this section the Vanity of Wealth and Honor

If someone chooses the there is no God world view everything is vanity and vexation of spirit.

If someone chooses the truth of the correct world view that there is a God and an Eternity and that everything is remembered and there purpose, then are you exempt from partaking in something that is vanity?

Of course not. People do believe in the Lord and get saved and then still choose to pursue something that is vanity. Understanding that principal is very important to understanding the conclusion to the book.

Saved people who know they are going to Heaven and they know they will get rewards or suffer lack of eternal rewards based on how they live for Jesus can still mess up and get neck deep in something vain.

They can still put something in their life and make it more important to them than their relationship with God.

For some it is the vanity of wealth and/or honor which is what Solomon goes into next.

Ecc 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.

Ecc 5:9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.

Ecc 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

We are not in a section where Solomon is looking thru the lens of the world view of no God. We are in a section where Solomon is giving examples of the wisdom and knowledge that God gives.

And loving money can be done by the lost and by the saved. And anyone who loves money shall not be satisfied with money. Looking for satisfaction in money is vanity for anyone who goes that way.

Ecc 5:11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?

Ecc 5:12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

Poor men and even middle class men who work sleep well. There can be exceptions and I think it is implied here that he is talking about someone who is not looking for money to satisfy his soul.

But contrasted to that is the abundance of the rich which does not let him sleep well. Contrary to what some think too much money brings its own stress and problems.

It comes with the fear of losing it. Of it not performing well. It comes with all of those that want to take advantage of you and use you. Many people that win the lottery all of the sudden have a whole bunch of relatives being their best friend who they never heard from before.

Too much money comes with problems.

Ecc 5:13 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.

And even when they see that all that money is causing them hurt from many different directions, they still cling to it, they still seek satisfaction from money which can never give the satisfaction their soul needs.

Money can never fill the place that was built for God to fill.

We are not going to take the time to go thru every verse here. Go to verse 18.

We have been looking at money thru the context of loving money and seeking satisfaction in money and that is vanity.

But money itself is not evil. It is only the love of money that is the problem. God does give extra money to some and they don’t love it or hoard it and do not look to it to satisfy their soul.

And that is fine and what we see next.

Ecc 5:18 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

Ecc 5:19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

Ecc 5:20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.

If the man keeps his heart on God and uses the money well. For example he helps the fatherless and the widow and the poor and uses it for what God wants him to. Like getting God’s word out. This can bring joy to the man’s heart.

Contrasted to this now is the man who God gives riches to and he does not use them right and so God takes them away from him.

Ecc 6:1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

Ecc 6:2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

I believe it is implied here that the man does not use the money that God gave the way God wanted. Commons sense says that if he used it well then God would not take it away and give it to a stranger.