1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Meaningless, meaningless, says the teacher. 2 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:09,700 Utterly meaningless. 3 00:00:09,700 --> 00:00:11,900 What do people gain from all the work 4 00:00:11,900 --> 00:00:13,600 at which they toil under the sun? 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:17,700 Generations come and generations go, 6 00:00:17,700 --> 00:00:19,580 but the earth remains forever. 7 00:00:20,660 --> 00:00:23,720 The sun rises and the sun sets, 8 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:26,280 then it hurries back to where it began. 9 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:30,280 Wind blows to the south and then it blows to the north. 10 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,780 Round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 11 00:00:34,780 --> 00:00:39,780 All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. 12 00:00:40,020 --> 00:00:42,040 To the place the streams come from, 13 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:44,660 there they return again. 14 00:00:44,660 --> 00:00:46,820 All things are weirous. 15 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:50,820 More than one can say. 16 00:00:50,820 --> 00:00:53,180 The eye never has enough of seeing, 17 00:00:53,180 --> 00:00:56,300 the ear never its fill of hearing. 18 00:00:56,300 --> 00:00:57,900 What has been will be again 19 00:00:57,900 --> 00:01:01,400 and what has been done will be done again. 20 00:01:02,700 --> 00:01:04,480 Is there anything at which someone can say, 21 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:06,300 look, this is something new. 22 00:01:07,500 --> 00:01:10,220 It was here already, long ago. 23 00:01:10,220 --> 00:01:13,160 It was here before our time. 24 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:16,820 No one remembers the former generations. 25 00:01:16,820 --> 00:01:20,520 Even those yet to come will not be remembered 26 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,440 by those who follow them. 27 00:01:24,860 --> 00:01:28,480 So welcome to Ecclesiastes, where everything is meaningless. 28 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:33,480 Yeah, that's good intro, right? 29 00:01:33,780 --> 00:01:36,140 Everything is meaningless, right? 30 00:01:36,140 --> 00:01:38,940 I do have a strong connection to this book. 31 00:01:38,940 --> 00:01:41,580 I read it a lot in my junior year of college, 32 00:01:41,580 --> 00:01:44,740 particularly right after I hated in my first test 33 00:01:44,740 --> 00:01:47,380 in reinforced concrete design. 34 00:01:47,380 --> 00:01:49,820 I sat in the hallway waiting for a friend 35 00:01:49,820 --> 00:01:51,260 since I finished way too early. 36 00:01:51,260 --> 00:01:53,180 I had to have missed something, right? 37 00:01:53,180 --> 00:01:55,380 And I read what I could of Ecclesiastes. 38 00:01:55,380 --> 00:01:59,260 I read it again after I had ended in the final of that class 39 00:01:59,260 --> 00:02:02,940 and found out I received a 27% on that exam. 40 00:02:03,980 --> 00:02:05,940 It's okay, on the curve it was like 50%. 41 00:02:05,940 --> 00:02:08,380 So, you know. 42 00:02:08,380 --> 00:02:10,260 But there's Reddit, trying to convince myself 43 00:02:10,260 --> 00:02:13,220 this is meaningless, you know. 44 00:02:13,220 --> 00:02:16,300 In the book of Ecclesiastes, there are two characters, 45 00:02:16,300 --> 00:02:18,660 one author and one teacher. 46 00:02:18,660 --> 00:02:21,540 And the teacher is most commonly attributed to King Solomon, 47 00:02:21,540 --> 00:02:26,300 who after being crowned king, asked God for wisdom. 48 00:02:26,300 --> 00:02:30,280 Not riches or fame or peace, but for wisdom. 49 00:02:31,180 --> 00:02:33,460 And God granted him wisdom, not just wisdom, 50 00:02:33,460 --> 00:02:35,680 but peace and wealth as well. 51 00:02:36,660 --> 00:02:41,060 And so this book is also most commonly called 52 00:02:41,060 --> 00:02:44,140 a fictional autobiography, which means it's believed 53 00:02:44,140 --> 00:02:48,080 to have been written long after King Solomon had passed, 54 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:51,460 but still written in his kingly persona, right? 55 00:02:51,460 --> 00:02:54,940 The author, who is unknown, weaves himself 56 00:02:54,940 --> 00:02:57,420 in and out of this book. 57 00:02:57,420 --> 00:02:59,740 And so it's possible that these are some 58 00:02:59,740 --> 00:03:01,980 of Solomon's teachings, but at the very least, 59 00:03:01,980 --> 00:03:06,580 it was written in the same level of wisdom as King Solomon. 60 00:03:08,060 --> 00:03:10,820 Right, so the good thing about the author 61 00:03:10,820 --> 00:03:13,440 is that he provides a nice little summary 62 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,140 at the end of this book, in case the words 63 00:03:16,140 --> 00:03:18,460 of the teacher become overwhelming. 64 00:03:19,940 --> 00:03:22,280 The book is very similar to that introduction, 65 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:25,580 so if you are overwhelmed by that, there's more to come. 66 00:03:26,740 --> 00:03:27,620 There's more. 67 00:03:27,620 --> 00:03:31,020 The teacher doesn't hold back on his thoughts. 68 00:03:31,020 --> 00:03:32,500 Teacher doesn't hold back on his thoughts 69 00:03:32,500 --> 00:03:35,100 in the way that God created this world, 70 00:03:35,100 --> 00:03:37,180 the way that he has ordered and structured 71 00:03:37,180 --> 00:03:40,200 and interacts with this world, with his creation. 72 00:03:41,100 --> 00:03:42,980 And because of it, is in this book 73 00:03:42,980 --> 00:03:45,620 that the realities of life, both the highs 74 00:03:45,620 --> 00:03:47,220 and the lows, the immense blessing, 75 00:03:47,220 --> 00:03:50,780 and the gut-wrenching evil are questioned. 76 00:03:51,780 --> 00:03:54,740 And those questions are aimed directly at God. 77 00:03:56,380 --> 00:03:59,540 The words of this book can be like an affirmation 78 00:03:59,540 --> 00:04:02,460 of a close friend, while wrestling with the perplexing 79 00:04:02,460 --> 00:04:05,700 and disheartening experiences we have in life, 80 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:08,640 including college tests. 81 00:04:10,140 --> 00:04:12,260 So no, you're not alone in such questions. 82 00:04:12,260 --> 00:04:13,960 But for others, admittedly, reading this book 83 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,980 will bring confusion, misunderstanding, 84 00:04:17,980 --> 00:04:19,560 or just pure pessimism. 85 00:04:21,700 --> 00:04:24,620 But Ecclesiastes, it does level such extremes. 86 00:04:24,620 --> 00:04:26,700 And not that they're not there, 87 00:04:26,700 --> 00:04:28,340 not ignoring these extremes, 88 00:04:28,340 --> 00:04:30,320 just the opposite that they are there, 89 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:34,340 both blessing and evil, both things we can understand 90 00:04:34,340 --> 00:04:37,080 and things that leave us with immense frustration. 91 00:04:38,820 --> 00:04:40,820 And this disparity is primarily formed 92 00:04:40,820 --> 00:04:43,220 around this one word, meaningless. 93 00:04:43,220 --> 00:04:45,660 Meaningless, meaningless, says the teacher, 94 00:04:45,660 --> 00:04:49,300 and is used 38 times throughout the 12 chapters. 95 00:04:49,300 --> 00:04:51,400 I think that's a lot, I think that's a lot. 96 00:04:52,700 --> 00:04:55,040 And as often is with translated languages, 97 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:58,300 the English word doesn't quite encompass 98 00:04:58,300 --> 00:05:00,380 what the Hebrew word used here. 99 00:05:00,380 --> 00:05:03,380 Meaningless is close, but the teacher isn't saying 100 00:05:03,380 --> 00:05:06,260 that life has no meaning. 101 00:05:06,260 --> 00:05:08,460 Other translations use vanity. 102 00:05:08,460 --> 00:05:10,580 But the teacher isn't saying that life 103 00:05:10,580 --> 00:05:15,100 should be self-centered, or that everything is worthless. 104 00:05:15,100 --> 00:05:17,580 Other translations still use fertility, 105 00:05:17,580 --> 00:05:21,500 but the teacher isn't saying life is without purpose. 106 00:05:21,500 --> 00:05:24,200 So the Hebrew word here is hevel. 107 00:05:25,620 --> 00:05:28,160 Literally, it means smoke or vapor. 108 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:32,980 Now, smoke is solid, right, but it's constantly moving. 109 00:05:32,980 --> 00:05:35,860 It's real, you can see it, but you try to grab onto it 110 00:05:35,860 --> 00:05:38,040 and it slips through your fingers. 111 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:42,760 And when surrounded by smoke, it can be disorienting. 112 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:48,680 Hevel, then, is a paradox, an enigma, a mysterious puzzle. 113 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:51,520 And it's not that everything is meaningless, 114 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,120 but the meaning is unclear, oftentimes. 115 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,580 It cannot be held. 116 00:05:56,580 --> 00:05:59,520 You think you understand it, but then it seems to change. 117 00:06:00,660 --> 00:06:02,200 See, Proverbs last week is an order 118 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:04,400 in which things are supposed to happen, right? 119 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:08,760 Most of Proverbs have a defined cause and effect relationship. 120 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,200 If you just flip to Proverbs, right, and read one, 121 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:12,720 a good person leaves an inheritance 122 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:13,960 for their children's children, 123 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,800 but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous. 124 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:20,420 Cause and effect, almost all of Proverbs is that way. 125 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,440 But Ecclesiastes acknowledges that it doesn't always happen 126 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:26,340 the way things are supposed to happen. 127 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:29,660 There are other factors in play. 128 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,320 And the teacher does identify these three factors 129 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:35,360 in particular. 130 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:37,020 Number one, the march of time. 131 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,880 And as I read before, generations come, generations go. 132 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,240 No one remembers the former generations. 133 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:45,380 There's nothing new under the sun. 134 00:06:45,380 --> 00:06:46,640 Time continues. 135 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:49,360 We are limited by the time that we are given 136 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,680 and the time in which we live. 137 00:06:51,680 --> 00:06:55,100 And it keeps on going with or without us, 138 00:06:55,100 --> 00:06:57,200 which brings us to number two, death. 139 00:06:58,280 --> 00:07:02,120 The teacher says the wise and the fool have the same fate. 140 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,720 Humans have the same fate as animals. 141 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:06,540 What benefit do we have? 142 00:07:06,540 --> 00:07:07,380 He asks. 143 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,800 One thing we can be sure of life is that it will end. 144 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,000 And the third thing is chance. 145 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:18,280 Chapter nine, verse 11 says, 146 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,400 "'The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, 147 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:23,880 "'nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliance 148 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:24,860 "'or favor to the learned, 149 00:07:24,860 --> 00:07:28,680 "'but time and chance happen to them all.'" 150 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:32,000 So time, death, and chance force the teacher 151 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,080 to ask, what is this all for? 152 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,160 If the outcome of my life is not in my control, 153 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,240 if all I do, why am I here? 154 00:07:43,040 --> 00:07:46,160 If everything is heve, where does that leave us? 155 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:48,340 Where does that leave you? 156 00:07:49,400 --> 00:07:53,040 Most often, it leaves us feeling empty. 157 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:56,300 And it leads us into despair. 158 00:07:58,420 --> 00:07:59,880 Despite these external factors, 159 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:03,560 the human condition seeks to gain some semblance of control 160 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:04,760 over these factors. 161 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:08,960 We try to gain control over these aspects of our lives, 162 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:10,960 but then we sink into this despair 163 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,560 when it doesn't turn out the way that we had planned. 164 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,160 And this is exactly where we find the teacher 165 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:19,160 in Ecclesiastes. 166 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:21,440 So if Proverbs is our optimistic friend, 167 00:08:21,440 --> 00:08:25,040 Ecclesiastes is definitely our pessimistic friend. 168 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,280 And while the book is sombering, and it's supposed to be, 169 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:31,720 for the Christian, for the Christian, 170 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:33,600 the message is also steeped in hope. 171 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:36,920 But to get there, right? 172 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:41,360 The teacher is gonna take us on his own journey of despair. 173 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:44,000 If you have a Bible, you are welcome to open it. 174 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,000 We're gonna speed through a couple of these chapters. 175 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:48,880 It might be beneficial. 176 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:53,400 So, book of Ecclesiastes, so while in chapter one, 177 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:57,560 as I read, everything is heve as it begins. 178 00:08:57,560 --> 00:09:02,560 This is more of a conclusion than the start of his journey, 179 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:05,960 which starts just after that, and it starts for wisdom. 180 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:11,160 And he found that wisdom cannot fix 181 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:12,840 the brokenness of humanity. 182 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:19,440 Cannot fix the brokenness of humanity. 183 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:22,240 But it also brings us sorrow for recognizing it. 184 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:26,520 So he said gaining wisdom is heve. 185 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:29,600 So now, wrecked with grief, 186 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,080 the teacher sets out to test pleasure, 187 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:33,280 find out what is good. 188 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:35,920 Says he denied himself nothing. 189 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:39,400 He built houses, built gardens, enjoyed the finest food, 190 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:42,440 gaining wealth and gold and livestock, entertainment. 191 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:44,600 It says all the delights of a man's heart. 192 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:47,400 And after a while, he looked back 193 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:48,600 and he surveyed what he had done, 194 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:52,640 and he said it was a chasing after the wind. 195 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,480 Nothing was gained under the sun. 196 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:58,000 He never achieved what he was looking for. 197 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,160 So he said seeking pleasure was heve. 198 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:04,960 So he moves back to wisdom, 199 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:07,560 but not just wisdom, but also folly. 200 00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:11,040 Chapter two, folly would be like living 201 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:13,600 for the weekend party, the last, the entertainment, 202 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:18,600 whatever it is, just to mask the sorrow in his heart. 203 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,000 This is the folly that he is pursuing, 204 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,000 but when the party is over, his emptiness returned. 205 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:30,680 And he admits here that wisdom is better than folly, right? 206 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:34,440 But again, he came to realize the same fate 207 00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,680 overtakes both the wise and the fool, namely death. 208 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:42,320 And neither are long remembered. 209 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,240 So he said wisdom and folly are both hevel. 210 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:50,680 And at this point, it says he began to hate life. 211 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,040 Questions of purpose and meaning nagged at him. 212 00:10:56,040 --> 00:10:58,520 He considered all of his works to gain wisdom, 213 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:00,400 to enjoy the pleasures of earth, 214 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:03,480 and to understand folly just to discover 215 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:05,800 that it is meaningless. 216 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:07,800 All things would be handed over to someone else, 217 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:10,760 and who knows if that person would act wisely 218 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:14,320 or foolishly, possibly undoing everything that he had done. 219 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:16,720 This is hevel. 220 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:22,520 And so his frustrations are building and building, 221 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,440 and then something seems to change, a spark of hope. 222 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:32,240 Chapter two, 24 through 25, 223 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:36,280 a person can do nothing better than to eat, drink, 224 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:39,600 and find satisfaction in their own toil. 225 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,840 This too I see is from the hand of God, 226 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,560 for without him who can eat or find enjoyment? 227 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:48,080 To the person who pleases him, God gives him wisdom, 228 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:50,920 knowledge, and happiness, but to the sinner, 229 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:54,280 he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth 230 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,880 to hand it over to the one who pleases God. 231 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,280 This too is hevel, chasing after the wind. 232 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:06,240 So reading along, this kind of catches you off guard. 233 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,920 One second we're talking about everything is meaningless, 234 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:11,120 and now we're talking about the gift of God. 235 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,280 And though this inclusion appears enthusiastic, 236 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:17,400 and that's the way I wanna read it, it's like, yeah. 237 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:18,680 It's not, it's not. 238 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:21,840 These conclusions are more of a resignation, 239 00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:25,520 like it's not much, but this is all he's got to offer us. 240 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:29,000 He is still in the midst of despair, 241 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,360 searching for something. 242 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:34,800 So the teacher continues on his journey, 243 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,720 continues in chapter four and five to consider impression, 244 00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:42,520 toil, friendlessness, advancement, and wealth. 245 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:45,160 He saw the oppressed have no comforter, 246 00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:47,120 that all toil and achievement is rooted 247 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:50,720 in envy of one another, that working leads us 248 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:53,520 to a place where we have no friends to lean on. 249 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:55,360 And as you advance in status, 250 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:57,840 there's just more people to oppose you, 251 00:12:57,840 --> 00:12:59,440 and that riches don't satisfy. 252 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:01,040 It's never enough, and someone else 253 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,080 ends up enjoying it anyway. 254 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:04,560 That it's all hevel. 255 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:07,680 And it goes on like this, it keeps going. 256 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:11,160 And we're on chapter five of 12, guys, it keeps going. 257 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,760 Being surrounded by the smoke of despair, 258 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:16,920 considering all of these things. 259 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:21,440 Leaving little sparks of resigned hope, right? 260 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:24,600 But what is this all leading to? 261 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:26,960 What is this all leading to? 262 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,120 So if you would now open your Bibles to Ecclesiastes, 263 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:34,760 we are gonna jump to the end, chapter 12, verses nine 264 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:36,200 through 14. 265 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:37,920 There are Bibles on your table, as I said, 266 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:39,080 you can take those home if you need. 267 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,760 And we do have a tradition of standing 268 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:45,120 when we read the scriptures in context of a sermon, 269 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,120 if however you're, if you're willing and able to do that. 270 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:50,560 So if you would stand with me, 271 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:53,720 we're gonna read Ecclesiastes 12, nine through 14. 272 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,160 This is the author's conclusion 273 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,640 of what the teacher, the teacher's journey. 274 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:04,200 Not only was the teacher wise, 275 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:07,200 but he also imparted knowledge to the people. 276 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:08,680 He pondered and searched out 277 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:11,120 and set in order many proverbs. 278 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,120 The teacher searched to find just the right words. 279 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:17,720 And what he wrote was upright and true. 280 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,200 The words otherwise are like goats. 281 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,560 They're collected sayings like firmly embedded nails 282 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:25,520 given by one shepherd. 283 00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:31,040 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. 284 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,160 Of making many books, there is no end 285 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,000 and much study wearies the body. 286 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:38,560 Now all has been heard. 287 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:41,320 Here is the conclusion of the matter. 288 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:43,440 Fear God and keep his commandments 289 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:46,240 for this is the duty of all mankind. 290 00:14:46,240 --> 00:14:48,380 For God will bring every deed into judgment, 291 00:14:48,380 --> 00:14:52,460 including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. 292 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:57,080 Let's pray for them. 293 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:58,840 Father, we just thank you for this day. 294 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:02,040 And we pray that you would just move our hearts today 295 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:07,040 into understanding what this book means for us. 296 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:09,440 God, that you would give us the grace, 297 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:11,120 the patience to read it. 298 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:14,640 In your name we pray, amen. 299 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:15,480 Let me see. 300 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:28,800 The teacher has shown us his life, his journey, 301 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:33,800 that life is a frustrating and senseless act of God 302 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,100 who is responsible for all of this hevel in life. 303 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,720 And the author here does not hide that. 304 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:45,000 The author doesn't dispute the teacher and say, 305 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,900 quiet, you can't say such things about God. 306 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,040 No, God needs no such defense. 307 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:55,880 God is big enough for these questions. 308 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:59,320 And fearing God and keeping his commandments 309 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:03,040 does not come with a disclaimer that you can't ask questions, 310 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,920 especially when you're disoriented by the smoke around you. 311 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:11,820 There are those who live wisely. 312 00:16:12,660 --> 00:16:15,640 It's exercising goodness, righteousness, and maturity 313 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:17,580 and still experience tragedy. 314 00:16:18,900 --> 00:16:21,680 And there are those that live unwisely 315 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:26,000 and experience comfort and splendor. 316 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,880 Church, our hope must not be in these things. 317 00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,680 Our hope cannot be in the pleasures of this earth, 318 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:35,640 our wealth, our work, our accomplishments, 319 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:37,520 our status, or our knowledge. 320 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:40,120 It cannot be stored up. 321 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,160 And when these things become the satisfaction of our lives, 322 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:49,240 then we experience this despair of hevel 323 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:53,460 and to these things, there is no end. 324 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:57,720 Ecclesiastes 7.29 says as much. 325 00:16:57,720 --> 00:16:59,920 It says, God created man upright, 326 00:16:59,920 --> 00:17:03,720 but they have gone in search of many schemes. 327 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:05,760 All of these things we seek to store up 328 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:10,000 or control is a perpetuation of the very first sin, right? 329 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:11,500 Searching for something greater, 330 00:17:11,500 --> 00:17:14,900 trying to achieve godliness without God. 331 00:17:14,900 --> 00:17:19,500 This was Adam and Eve given life in the presence of God 332 00:17:20,380 --> 00:17:23,500 when they ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge 333 00:17:23,500 --> 00:17:26,940 of good and evil, seeking to be like God. 334 00:17:26,940 --> 00:17:29,740 It was Abraham given a promise from God 335 00:17:29,740 --> 00:17:34,000 that he would have descendants as numerous as the stars 336 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,220 when he had a son with his servant Hagar 337 00:17:36,220 --> 00:17:40,520 in an attempt to self-fulfill God's promise for an heir. 338 00:17:41,460 --> 00:17:43,240 It was King David, Solomon's father, 339 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,220 when he grew complacent, didn't go to war, 340 00:17:46,220 --> 00:17:48,700 took Bathsheba and had her husband killed 341 00:17:48,700 --> 00:17:51,160 in an attempt to avoid repentance. 342 00:17:52,420 --> 00:17:55,420 It was Peter attacking the soldiers, arresting Jesus 343 00:17:55,420 --> 00:17:57,660 because his understanding of salvation 344 00:17:57,660 --> 00:18:00,980 was so narrowly limited to governmental authorities. 345 00:18:02,700 --> 00:18:04,640 It was even King Solomon, 346 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:08,100 though credit with much the biblical wisdom literature 347 00:18:08,100 --> 00:18:10,180 became lost in the despair of hevel, 348 00:18:10,180 --> 00:18:13,740 just like the teacher in Ecclesiastes. 349 00:18:13,740 --> 00:18:16,700 1 King 11 tells us that he loved many foreign women, 350 00:18:16,700 --> 00:18:19,980 700 wives and 300 concubines. 351 00:18:19,980 --> 00:18:21,780 And as Solomon grew old, 352 00:18:21,780 --> 00:18:26,780 his wives turned his heart away from God and to other gods. 353 00:18:28,660 --> 00:18:33,060 So much so that Solomon built and sacrificed on altars 354 00:18:33,060 --> 00:18:34,220 to these foreign gods. 355 00:18:34,220 --> 00:18:40,620 This is the man who built the temple of God. 356 00:18:40,620 --> 00:18:43,860 Over and over again, the people of God have made 357 00:18:43,860 --> 00:18:46,660 and continue to make decisions that are based 358 00:18:46,660 --> 00:18:50,420 on the wisdom of the world rather than the wisdom of God. 359 00:18:50,420 --> 00:18:52,340 This is us. 360 00:18:52,340 --> 00:18:54,460 It's not just the evildoers, the unchurched, 361 00:18:54,460 --> 00:18:58,800 the people at our workplaces or people we see on TV, 362 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:00,520 the people of God making decisions 363 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:02,420 based off of what makes sense to us, 364 00:19:02,420 --> 00:19:05,760 grasping at that control rather than God's way. 365 00:19:07,140 --> 00:19:09,960 Rather than God's way. 366 00:19:12,420 --> 00:19:16,480 One of the first memories I have of Sunday school, 367 00:19:17,700 --> 00:19:20,660 must have been in the second grade maybe, 368 00:19:20,660 --> 00:19:24,020 teacher had brought in a bag of candy, like many Snickers, 369 00:19:24,020 --> 00:19:26,460 and she had us hold out our hands 370 00:19:26,460 --> 00:19:29,780 to come around and give us each piece of candy. 371 00:19:29,780 --> 00:19:31,100 So what do you think a seven-year-old does 372 00:19:31,100 --> 00:19:34,340 when a piece of candy gets put in their hand? 373 00:19:34,340 --> 00:19:37,580 Yep, probably the same thing most adults do, right? 374 00:19:37,580 --> 00:19:39,060 Clench our fists. 375 00:19:39,060 --> 00:19:40,460 Take hold of what was given to us. 376 00:19:40,460 --> 00:19:43,440 It's mine, you gave it to me, and I'm gonna keep it. 377 00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:45,660 So you can imagine one by one, these seven-year-olds 378 00:19:45,660 --> 00:19:49,140 taking hold of what was given in their hands. 379 00:19:49,140 --> 00:19:50,340 Remember, this was Sunday school, 380 00:19:50,340 --> 00:19:53,660 so candy wasn't handed out without meaning. 381 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:56,740 So the rule was, which was told after 382 00:19:56,740 --> 00:20:00,540 that candy was given out, if your hand was closed, 383 00:20:00,540 --> 00:20:02,060 you had to give your piece of candy 384 00:20:02,060 --> 00:20:04,480 to someone whose hand was open. 385 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:07,580 How do you think those kids felt? 386 00:20:07,580 --> 00:20:08,860 They were pretty bummed out, all right? 387 00:20:08,860 --> 00:20:11,860 They thought they scored just by coming to church that day. 388 00:20:15,320 --> 00:20:17,500 What about the few kids, the very few kids 389 00:20:17,500 --> 00:20:19,460 that still had their hands open? 390 00:20:19,460 --> 00:20:20,360 How did they feel? 391 00:20:21,400 --> 00:20:23,220 What did they do now that they had more candy 392 00:20:23,220 --> 00:20:25,220 than they could even fit in their hand? 393 00:20:28,100 --> 00:20:29,100 They gave them back. 394 00:20:29,100 --> 00:20:30,880 They gave them back. 395 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:34,960 This is a simple metaphor for how we live our lives 396 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,200 and how we ought to live our lives. 397 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:41,480 This is the lesson of Hevel. 398 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:43,780 When something good comes our way, we grasp at it. 399 00:20:43,780 --> 00:20:45,480 We take hold on it, right? 400 00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:48,600 We hold onto it to not let it leave. 401 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:51,200 So when it goes away, it really bums us out, 402 00:20:52,200 --> 00:20:53,640 because the attachment was created 403 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,720 with the little good that fit in our hand 404 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,320 rather than the one who gave it. 405 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:02,960 But in those times that we're able to hold our hands open, 406 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:07,960 allowing the good and the bad to be given and taken away, 407 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:11,680 Hevel becomes the gift that allows us to enjoy life. 408 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,280 Consider these things that the teacher has looked at today. 409 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:21,400 Consider wisdom, the insight we gain, 410 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:24,520 and the knowledge that you have, right? 411 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:26,440 We hold onto that tightly. 412 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,520 Some weaponize it against those without it, right? 413 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:31,280 Just to puff up their own image 414 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:33,600 or just to tear the other person down. 415 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:35,460 But even when it is used well, 416 00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:38,480 it isn't enough to fix the brokenness. 417 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:40,080 That's Hevel. 418 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:41,040 Consider the pleasures. 419 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:42,920 When we're enjoying the good in life, 420 00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:44,160 we don't want it to leave. 421 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,280 We're so desperately grasping at the good, 422 00:21:47,280 --> 00:21:48,620 we stress about it. 423 00:21:49,820 --> 00:21:51,960 Family vacations, anyone? 424 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:52,840 Right? 425 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,280 We're so busy pursuing pleasure, 426 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:57,320 we never reach it. 427 00:21:57,320 --> 00:21:59,540 We never stop and enjoy it. 428 00:21:59,540 --> 00:22:00,380 That's Hevel. 429 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:04,460 Consider toil and advancement and riches. 430 00:22:04,460 --> 00:22:07,880 We overwork, employed, at home, hobbies, 431 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:08,800 whatever we do, right? 432 00:22:08,800 --> 00:22:10,560 What is it all for? 433 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:12,960 Again, Ecclesiastes isn't saying 434 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:14,760 it's without meaning or purpose, right? 435 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:18,440 But the pursuit of financial security and achievement 436 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,480 threaten to be the defining characteristic of who we are. 437 00:22:22,420 --> 00:22:24,780 Go, go, go, more, more, more, climb the ladder, 438 00:22:24,780 --> 00:22:27,400 make more, be more. 439 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:28,240 And then it ends. 440 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:30,560 That's Hevel. 441 00:22:31,520 --> 00:22:35,000 And our desire for control ends up controlling us. 442 00:22:36,300 --> 00:22:38,460 The hope of Hevel, the hope we have, 443 00:22:38,460 --> 00:22:41,740 is in our God who is coming to judge all people, 444 00:22:41,740 --> 00:22:44,480 every deed, good and evil. 445 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:50,260 And if this thought causes anxiety or fear, right, 446 00:22:50,260 --> 00:22:52,120 you may be close fisting something 447 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:55,360 you're not meant to control. 448 00:22:55,360 --> 00:22:57,720 Because Ecclesiastes exposes the brokenness, 449 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:00,280 not just in our world, but if you let it, 450 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:02,380 the sin in your heart. 451 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:07,080 But believers, church, this is our hope. 452 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:08,000 This is our hope. 453 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,200 This is what we've been looking forward to, 454 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:13,000 that God will make all things right. 455 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:16,480 That the mess in our lives will be cleaned up 456 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,800 through the forgiveness of our sins. 457 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,000 That He will judge the righteousness in our lives. 458 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,600 That exists independent of the circumstances 459 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:26,620 in which we live. 460 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:29,920 That He will judge the evil in our lives 461 00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:32,420 and of those around us. 462 00:23:32,420 --> 00:23:35,000 Things will finally be set right. 463 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,800 The righteous will finally get what the righteous deserve 464 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:40,760 every time and the wicked will get what the wicked deserve 465 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:41,680 every time. 466 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:46,160 The beauty of Hevel is that life is not ours control 467 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:48,180 and it's not meant to be. 468 00:23:48,180 --> 00:23:51,660 And I think history has proven this to be a good thing. 469 00:23:53,140 --> 00:23:55,460 So while Ecclesiastes exposes the reality 470 00:23:55,460 --> 00:23:58,660 that we're not in control of the outcomes of life, 471 00:23:58,660 --> 00:24:02,220 it also provides the hope and direction 472 00:24:03,380 --> 00:24:05,980 that we are in control of how we approach 473 00:24:05,980 --> 00:24:07,920 and respond to life. 474 00:24:09,260 --> 00:24:12,420 Hevel instead of despair is a gift 475 00:24:12,420 --> 00:24:17,300 that enhances our life rather than diminishes it. 476 00:24:18,180 --> 00:24:21,940 Because it leads us to fear the Lord. 477 00:24:21,940 --> 00:24:24,220 To fear the God who is in control, 478 00:24:24,220 --> 00:24:27,000 who does give and take away. 479 00:24:27,940 --> 00:24:31,060 And there we are back at the introduction of Proverbs. 480 00:24:31,980 --> 00:24:34,420 1 7, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge 481 00:24:34,420 --> 00:24:38,000 but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 482 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:43,000 So I'd like to read one other verse from Ecclesiastes 483 00:24:44,980 --> 00:24:47,860 to those one of those sparks of hope 484 00:24:47,860 --> 00:24:50,540 that we talked about earlier just to ground 485 00:24:50,540 --> 00:24:52,060 and this hope of Hevel. 486 00:24:52,940 --> 00:24:57,240 It's found in three, chapter three, verse 10 through 14. 487 00:24:58,980 --> 00:25:02,460 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 488 00:25:02,460 --> 00:25:05,620 He has made everything beautiful in its time. 489 00:25:05,620 --> 00:25:08,220 He has also set eternity into the human heart 490 00:25:08,220 --> 00:25:10,460 yet no one can fathom what God has done 491 00:25:10,460 --> 00:25:12,160 from beginning to end. 492 00:25:13,060 --> 00:25:15,260 I know that there's nothing better for people 493 00:25:15,260 --> 00:25:18,280 than to be happy to do good while they live. 494 00:25:19,180 --> 00:25:21,460 That each of them may eat and drink 495 00:25:21,460 --> 00:25:23,380 and find satisfaction in their toil. 496 00:25:23,380 --> 00:25:26,040 This is the gift of God. 497 00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,660 I know that everything God does will endure forever. 498 00:25:29,660 --> 00:25:33,500 Nothing can be added to it and nothing taking away from it. 499 00:25:33,500 --> 00:25:36,260 God does it so that people will fear Him. 500 00:25:39,980 --> 00:25:43,180 Eternity is set in the human heart. 501 00:25:43,180 --> 00:25:48,180 The desire to live righteously forever is in your heart. 502 00:25:49,940 --> 00:25:54,020 The desire to know God is ingrained in you. 503 00:25:54,020 --> 00:25:56,380 It is ingrained in this church. 504 00:25:56,380 --> 00:25:59,940 It is ingrained in your neighbor that doesn't know Jesus yet 505 00:25:59,940 --> 00:26:03,700 but his heart is searching for him. 506 00:26:03,700 --> 00:26:07,460 His creation wants to be with God 507 00:26:07,460 --> 00:26:11,160 and our continual grasping at these good things in life 508 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:14,620 is our meaningless attempt to get there. 509 00:26:14,620 --> 00:26:17,180 We see the gift, we see the God 510 00:26:17,180 --> 00:26:19,580 and the gifts of knowledge and wisdom, 511 00:26:19,580 --> 00:26:21,300 enjoyment of work, the food we love, 512 00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:23,100 the cool breeze on your face, 513 00:26:23,100 --> 00:26:26,520 the security of wealth, achievement, success. 514 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,960 But it's when we hold on to these things, 515 00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:31,920 not wanting them to disappear, 516 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:36,800 we can't even understand these things. 517 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:37,640 It's Heavile. 518 00:26:38,680 --> 00:26:41,720 It's meant to point us to something bigger, something better, 519 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:44,560 even if that something is outside of our comprehension. 520 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:49,800 Verse 14 says, God does it so that people will fear Him. 521 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:52,520 And he's referring to the finality of God's way 522 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:54,640 that He endures forever. 523 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:58,000 But nothing can be added or taken away. 524 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,240 And this too is good news. 525 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:04,040 But there is no pleasure or wisdom or plan or achievement 526 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:07,640 or wealth or good deed or happiness 527 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:10,720 that can add to who God is. 528 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:12,280 Our God is. 529 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:15,200 And that can be a sharp truth. 530 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,200 We want our accomplishments on this earth 531 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:20,780 to have some impact beyond ourselves. 532 00:27:21,940 --> 00:27:23,840 We naturally want to defend ourselves saying, 533 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,840 look what I do for God. 534 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:29,300 Look what I believe it's right. 535 00:27:31,220 --> 00:27:34,520 But also consider that there's no dissatisfaction 536 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:39,520 or folly or mistake or toil or sin or sadness or evil 537 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:44,060 that takes away from who God is, our God is. 538 00:27:45,360 --> 00:27:47,640 There's nothing good or bad, right or wrong, 539 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:51,720 mature or immature that adds or detracts from who our God is. 540 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:55,160 What is really incomprehensible 541 00:27:56,320 --> 00:28:00,200 is that we have an invitation from God to join Him, 542 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,240 to participate with Him. 543 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:08,800 These wisdom books like Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Job 544 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:13,240 are all written and read before Jesus's birth. 545 00:28:14,400 --> 00:28:16,640 The wisdom that was attained by, 546 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:18,200 this wisdom was attained by studying 547 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:21,800 the Old Testament scriptures. 548 00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:27,800 Wisdom in a larger context is discernment of God's ways. 549 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:30,880 It fills in the gaps of the law 550 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,120 by forming principles to live by 551 00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:36,200 that would accomplish the intent of the law. 552 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:42,040 And wisdom is rarely pleasant in the moment. 553 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,800 Wisdom is the sharp, firmly embedded nail 554 00:28:44,800 --> 00:28:47,120 at the end of the stick that our shepherd uses 555 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,320 to guide and correct it hurts. 556 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,000 But with firmly embedded nails, it does not falter or fail. 557 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,680 It's rarely the easiest or simplest decision, 558 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:01,240 but it is consistent and true. 559 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:05,580 And Jesus came to fill full those gaps. 560 00:29:05,580 --> 00:29:08,120 Jesus showed us that wisdom 561 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:10,040 in what we call the Sermon on the Mount 562 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,320 found in Matthew five and seven. 563 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:17,320 And Jesus lived in fear of God keeping His commandments. 564 00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:21,440 And in doing so, I believe enjoyed life. 565 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:25,920 The suffering servant as Isaiah calls him 566 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:30,920 was not overcome with the despair of Heavil, 567 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:33,440 but rested in the hope of Heavil. 568 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,560 And when you can face the absurdities of life, 569 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:39,960 instead of desperately trying to figure it out, 570 00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:43,880 choose to trust God to make it make sense. 571 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:46,160 Ask the questions. 572 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:50,560 Because wisdom is not an elevated state of knowledge 573 00:29:50,560 --> 00:29:53,520 or something that you can achieve. 574 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:56,640 It's a process of discernment and activity. 575 00:29:56,640 --> 00:30:00,160 Wisdom is taking what you know and what you experience 576 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,760 and participating in a way that pleases the Lord. 577 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:08,760 So let's participate now in sharing of the body and blood 578 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:31,760 of our Savior who is patient with us.