2. Understanding About Life

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Hymns: 335 Keep On Believing 252 The Old Book and the Old Faith 256 The Bible Stands

Study of the Book of Ecclesiastes

(Remember Now Thy Creator)

– Understanding About Life

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. 16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

 

OUTLINE

  • CREDENTIALS BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION (v12)
    1. Preacher (v12a)
    2. King (v12b)
    3. Over Israel in Jerusalem (v12c)
  • CHARACTER OF LIFE UNDER THE SUN (v13-15)
    1. Sore Travail (v13)
    2. Vanity (v14a)
    3. Vexation of Spirit (v14b)
    4. Crooked (v15a)
    5. Wanting (v15b)
  • CONSEQUENCES BY EXPERIENCE (v16-18)
    1. Vexation of Spirit (v17)
    2. Grief (v18a)
    3. Sorrow (v18b)

 

INTRODUCTION

The book of Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon in the evening years of his life as a personal testimony to all posterity to teach the futility of worldly ambitions and desires in life apart from God. The only way to find true satisfaction and meaning in life is through a relationship with the living God. He says at the conclusion of his life “l was hurt, and I am sharing with you, my journey of grief seeking the things of this world.”

He tells us that he has tried it all it, it is not worth treading the same path that I have tread. Learn from my experience so that it serves as a warning to you if you are going the same way as me.

The word “Ecclesiastes” means “Preacher,” one who had gathered wisdom to speak about life.

 

(1) CREDENTIAL BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION

  • Preacher [v12a)
  • King {v12b)
  • Over Israel in Jerusalem (v12c)

Verse 12 is our introduction giving to us the credentials of Solomon why is his message worthy of our attention.

He testified that God has given him the opportunity to experience it all, being king in Jerusalem during the golden age of Israel, he had at his disposal great resources to experiment, pursue and see this worldly life which he called life “under the sun.” He had God’s Word with him. As a king, he was to write out a copy of the Scriptures and to study and use it for the rest of his life.

The instruction to the kings of Israel is that they are to spend time in the diligent study time of God’s Word and not be distracted that God’s fear may continually be in their hearts, and he may be humble to carry out the instructions of God’s Word for the spiritual prosperity of the nation – Deuteronomy 17:18-20 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel. 

God has endowed him also with special wisdom to discern justice and righteousness. The Queen of Sheba came to see for herself, and she was convinced in her heart concerning the magnificence of Solomon’s kingdom. 1 Kings 10:6-9 “And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, ‘to do judgment and justice’.”

We also know that Solomon inherited from his father King David a sin nature, as David had said in the Psalms, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me“. It’s the way of the flesh, that fallenness in him that caused him to fall as he yields himself to it – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

 

(2) CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE UNDER THE SUN

– By observation and exploration (v13-15)

(a) Sore Travail (v13)

(b) Vanity (v14a)

(c) Vexation of Spirit (v1ab)

(d) Crooked (v15a)

(e) Wanting (v15b)

In this section from verses 13-18, Solomon tells us the vanity of worldly wisdom. Solomon uses his God-given wisdom to examine this world’s wisdom and knowledge and gives his assessment of the inadequacies of it. He tells us of its character or nature in verse verses 13-15 that he sees and observes and in verses 16-18 he tells us by his experience and experiments its effect or impact on life – the consequence.

13 I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore (evil) travail (task, job, occupation) hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith (to be occupied, busied with).

 He says in verse 13 that he purposed in his heart to diligently seek and explore what man “under heaven” can do. The phrase “under heaven”, describes men in his activity apart from God, activity with no heavenly perspective but is earthly and earth-centred, good for this present life.

He examined the works of men. He testified. “I applied my mind to seek and search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven.” With great curiosity, he observed and explored, by his special endowment as king he was able to garner resources to make such an exploration.

He saw the “sons of men” struggling in this life living by their wisdom. He calls the exercise such wisdom as sore travail – an evil business. This is the first characteristic.

The word for “men” is the word “Adam”, the sons of Adam. The Man whom God created out of the dust of the ground, the man who by his disobedience partook of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil that broke the happy union he had with his Creator God in the Garden of Eden. He wanted to be as gods, knowing good and evil. It brought death to him and his posterity as a result of his disobedience.

The creation was cursed by God as a result of the Adam’s fall. God says to Adam and Eve “in sorrow shall thou eat all the days of thy life, thorns and thistles shall be brought forth from the ground and in the sweat of thy brow thou shall eat bread till thou return to the ground for out of it was thou taken for dust thou art and dust shalt thou return.”

The “lot” of men in this life as a result of the curse is a sad one. He will face eventual physical death which is the curse of sin. And eternal judgment in hell fire.

14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

I have seen all the works of men, and he says that it is vanity: emptiness and meaningless, it does not satisfy. It is vexation of spirit! It is a frustrating and distressing effort. It is not only weariness to the flesh, but it gives pain and distress to the mind. A vexation of the spirit was his conclusion.

This word “vanity” means “vapour” or “breath.” This world’s ambitions and desires and pursuits Solomon concluded give no real satisfaction to the soul for when we take our last breath, that’s it, we leave behind the fruits of all our labour, cannot bring with us. Hence, he is teaching this concept that anything that is of real value must be eternal. What is of value must be able to last.

The truth is that this worldly life and its pursuits, like a vapour, like a morning dew, evaporate in no time when the sun is up telling us concerning the brevity of life. This he described is life “under the sun”.

This is the meaning of the word “vanity” that is used so many times throughout the book. He used it to describe the futility of worldly ambitions, desires and pursuits without God in the equation. Hence the second characteristic of this world’s wisdom – vain, empty, transient disappoints.

 15 That which is crooked (false, bending or perverting justice and righteousness) cannot be made straight (right, truth – Eccles. 12:9-10): and that which is wanting (to lack) cannot be numbered.

 The third characteristic of this world’s wisdom is that it is crooked and cannot be made straight. A sad proposition for all who will pursue it, this word here has the sense of being false and deceiving as opposed to God’s wisdom which is perfect, pure, and never fails.

The fourth characteristic is that it is wanting or lacking, and the areas in which it is lacking cannot be numbered. So many defects, do not know where to start fixing or can it ever be fixed.

Having given us the nature/character of this world’s wisdom, he observes in his observation, he now tells us of its consequence or the outcome of those who pursues it!

 

(3) CONSEQUENCES by experience (v16-18)

(a) Vexation of Spirit (v17)

(b) Grief (v18a)

(c) Sorrow [vl8b)

16 I communed with mine own heart saying, Lo, I am came to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience (seen, completed action) of wisdom and knowledge.

Verse 16: I said to myself saying I have made great and increased wisdom surpassing all who were before me over Jerusalem, and my mind has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

 Solomon’s wisdom was so great. He wrote 3000 proverbs and 1005 songs. One Song that we know today is the Song of Solomon. 513 of his proverbs are recorded in the Book of Proverbs.

17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly (stupidity): I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

The knowledge of folly will help him to discern wisdom. One such experience is in his marriage life. The Bible says “But King Solomon loved many strange women.”

But, did he not write in Proverbs 2, 5, 7 and 9 warning us of the strange women? We know that Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The Bible says that when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David, his father. For Solomon went after the goddess of the Zidonians and after Milcom, the goddess of the Ammonites.

He sought “love” of his concoction. By his own wisdom, he made political alliances by marrying for example the daughter of Pharaoh. This is typical worldly wisdom. Since I have the Pharaoh’s daughter as “my hostage”, he will not dare to do anything untoward my people and me! He shifted his trust from God to his political alliances through such marriages. With these came the infiltration of idolatry to Israel. The people suffered heavily from taxes to finance the building of these many palaces for his wives and concubines and face the wrath of God as the commandments were broken one after another without recourse.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

This is his conclusion of this world’s wisdom – it is grief and sorrow.

I share with my testimony. It was there during my university time in NTU that I was confronted with true wisdom and saw the light of the gospel that ]esus is the living and true God through the witness of a lecturer. It was that I came to know my dear wife, and she brought me to church 26 years ago.

I was then an agnostic. I was very enthralled with this man called Bertrand Russell, the son of a pastor with turned apostate. Unless you can show me evidence, I will sit on the fence. He wrote the book “Why I am not a Christian?” which I used by his wisdom to refute Christian friends until the Lord opened my spiritual eyes to the truth.

Bertrand Russell analysed that the only way out for mankind was to form a world government. This is the epitome of wisdom under heaven. He was the foremost British philosopher of the 20th century. I remembered using his words to debate with a Christian that the only way out for the woes of mankind is to form a world government.

On hindsight having the knowledge of the truth from God’s Word, I realized that I was an advocate for the kingdom of the Anti-Christ. I shudder at that thought. If the Lord had not opened my spiritual eyes, I would be another digit fighting for the kingdom of the Anti-Christ, thinking that this is the way out for man’s woes by man’s wisdom. Dear friends, as a Christian with God’s truth, we realise that we are living very near to the Lord Jesus’ return, He will not return as a Lamb but as a Lion to judge the world. May we be on His side so that when He comes, we would be prepared to meet Him as Saviour and not as Judge. As a faithful servant and not a wayward child!

In short, Solomon is telling us that such a godless life doesn’t satisfy the human soul. This is the warning that the greater the Solomon, our Lord Jesus, who is fully man and yet fully God but without the nature of sin that Solomon had who says to us lovingly, in Mark 8:36-37 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?“

Jesus warned against such a life – Luke 12:16-21 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Engaging in this world’s wisdom is an evil business in God’s sight It is vain, empty, transient and disappoints because this world’s wisdom is not true wisdom – it is crooked and cannot be made straight, and it is inadequate, deficient. AII who delve in it will bring to themselves endless frustration and misery the words that Solomon used are grief and sorrow. Eternal regret and misery!

May I quote the words of our late Principal Rev Timothy Tow on this passage of scripture:

By way of application, all who are outside Christ be they great politicians or simple folks whatever they do comes to zero in the sight of God. Great men might have contributed to the good of their country. But if they reject the Saviour Jesus Christ in their lifetime it would profit them nothing.

 

CONCLUSION

Solomon tells us the vanity of worldly wisdom, a life apart from God. How did he know? It was his experience (v12, 13a, 16-17). He was in a good position to give an authoritative answer – being king (v12). He has experienced it himself – He sought, He searched (v13a). He has acquired great wisdom and knowledge (v16-17). Why did he know? He was being hurt (v13b, 14, 15,17b, 18). Worldly wisdom, life without God, is sore travail – evil (misery, painful task) (v13b). Worldly wisdom is vanity and vexation of spirit – meaningless, valueless (v14, 17b). Its character – crooked and cannot be made straight and it is also lacking, false and therefore lacking (v15). The consequence of those who pursue life to this end brings grief and sorrow (v18).