1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,640 We are back in our study in Ecclesiastes. 2 00:00:03,640 --> 00:00:05,480 It is the fifth of the series. 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:07,520 So if you have not heard the earlier ones, 4 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,760 be sure, check out our YouTube or sermon podcast page. 5 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:12,080 We're jumping right in. 6 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,680 Last time we covered perhaps the most famous passage 7 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:18,640 in Ecclesiastes, one of the most famous passages 8 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:24,000 in the whole entire Bible, a season or a time for everything. 9 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,400 And we concluded that our God does indeed 10 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:28,480 make everything beautiful in its time. 11 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:31,160 He alone seeks the most beautiful results, 12 00:00:31,160 --> 00:00:35,960 even if for a time it appears to be chaos. 13 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:38,800 And while our limited perspective of the times 14 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,840 makes it seem like everything is in a ruined rhythm, 15 00:00:41,840 --> 00:00:43,480 we should heed the wisdom of Solomon. 16 00:00:43,480 --> 00:00:46,880 And we should consider that even though the times ebb and flow, 17 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:51,040 there is great purpose from a sovereign creator. 18 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,880 Now today, we're continuing the second section of the book. 19 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:55,600 And the outline is up on the screen 20 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:57,520 of what we've covered so far. 21 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,080 The second section is the proof that all is vanity. 22 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,560 And today, we're going to unpack the third argument of Solomon 23 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,800 in this section, the harshness of life. 24 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:12,760 Now injustice, that is a fire starter of a term. 25 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:15,080 What is justice? 26 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,480 What comes to your mind when you hear the term? 27 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,240 When someone mentions justice, do you 28 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:25,680 think of earthly or heavenly justice first? 29 00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:28,880 Now so much could be said about justice in our day. 30 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,760 That term has been commandeered by political and social 31 00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:34,160 activists to fit personal agendas. 32 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:36,120 But that's nothing new. 33 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:38,000 Consider this statement. 34 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,920 In our culture, we're often more concerned with seeing justice 35 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,080 than actually having it. 36 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:48,040 I would say that I think we're often more focused on here 37 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:50,520 and now justice to make the wrongs right. 38 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:51,920 And we want that immediately. 39 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:55,480 And we don't like to wait for judgment. 40 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,000 To the average person, justice or judgment deferred 41 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,080 is no justice at all. 42 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,280 And that's what we need to be careful of. 43 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:05,360 Here's a comparison I would make similar 44 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:08,880 to that Calvinistic soteriology that so many of us 45 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:11,360 love that needs to be tempered. 46 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,320 Just like our eschatological view of justice 47 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:15,560 needs to be tempered. 48 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:16,800 And here's what I mean. 49 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,600 With a Calvinistic view of salvation, 50 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:21,320 it's often weaponized by those who 51 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,880 don't like what God's word says about who chooses salvation. 52 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:26,440 Here's the view in Calvinism, right? 53 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,520 It's not Calvinism, it's biblical theology. 54 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:30,840 With that view of salvation, God chooses 55 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:32,360 who is saved and not man. 56 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:36,320 And it's a weakness that people misapply the theology 57 00:02:36,320 --> 00:02:38,760 and get hyper focused on God's choosing. 58 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:40,840 We get so focused on God chooses, God chooses, 59 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:45,360 God chooses, so we say, what's my personal responsibility? 60 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:47,760 And we miss the other biblical imperatives 61 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:50,760 to bring the gospel to the lost. 62 00:02:50,760 --> 00:02:52,560 So we need to temper that theology. 63 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:55,160 Yes, God chooses. 64 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:59,280 He holds the pen that writes the names in the Lamb's Book 65 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,360 of Life, not us. 66 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,000 But he has not made us to be robots. 67 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:10,320 He graciously invites us to be co-laborers in his mission 68 00:03:10,320 --> 00:03:15,440 to bring glory to himself by redeeming his creatures. 69 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,720 So we don't neglect personal ministry 70 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:21,640 even while we affirm God's sovereignty and salvation. 71 00:03:21,640 --> 00:03:24,560 We hold those things in tension. 72 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:28,280 Now similarly, when it comes to eschatological justice, 73 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,200 that's end times justice, ultimate justice, 74 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,440 we can affirm on the one hand that one day God 75 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,720 will execute perfect justice. 76 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:41,720 And suffering will finally have an end. 77 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,080 Wickedness will have an end. 78 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:48,320 But we can't become so focused on God's eternal judgment 79 00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:52,000 that we miss our personal responsibilities here and now 80 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:57,720 to execute justice when we have the opportunity to do so. 81 00:03:57,720 --> 00:03:59,800 In other words, our understanding 82 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:01,960 of God's ultimate judgment of the wicked 83 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:05,360 should not encourage us just to wait and do nothing. 84 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,520 We shouldn't say, well, God will deal with that. 85 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:09,720 Therefore, I don't have to worry. 86 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,520 Instead, we should be patient. 87 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:15,280 We should wait for God's perfect justice. 88 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,320 But we should also be active in our personal pursuit 89 00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:22,520 of justice in the realms of life that God has given us, 90 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:24,000 in what he has given us. 91 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,760 And this is a great difficulty with our culture 92 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:28,480 today specifically. 93 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:33,400 You've heard the chant, no justice, no peace. 94 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,160 Threats that unless some personal understanding 95 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,080 of justice is pursued, then people 96 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:42,200 are going to riot and throw a grown up temper tantrum. 97 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,760 Do you not see it? 98 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:46,800 You can see the tension. 99 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:51,720 On the one hand, God himself is just, and he pursues justice. 100 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,040 But on the other hand, we are not 101 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:58,640 given perfect justice, this side of glory. 102 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:00,440 So we keep chasing it. 103 00:05:00,440 --> 00:05:04,480 And every generation has their pursuit of justice 104 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,840 because every generation has their perpetrators 105 00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:10,840 of injustice. 106 00:05:10,840 --> 00:05:12,840 Some pursuits of justice are unique. 107 00:05:12,840 --> 00:05:15,720 Some are based on cultural movements and the time 108 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:16,480 that they exist. 109 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:19,720 And some are based on reform from wicked leaders. 110 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,400 Think of some of the modern wicked leaders that we've had. 111 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,920 Mao, Hitler, Pol Pot. 112 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:29,360 Some of you, if you don't know those names, you need to learn. 113 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:32,440 Even Wikipedia can help you out. 114 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,720 In the ancient world, what were some of the wicked leaders? 115 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,840 Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Jeff will love this one. 116 00:05:39,840 --> 00:05:44,960 Sargon II, Sennacherib, those are for you. 117 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:46,280 How about in Israel? 118 00:05:46,280 --> 00:05:48,160 Rehoboam? 119 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:50,040 Manasseh? 120 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,600 What if I even told you Solomon himself at times 121 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:56,560 was a wicked ruler? 122 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,080 All kinds of leaders and even all of us 123 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,160 are actually perpetrators of injustice. 124 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:03,160 We don't like to think about that. 125 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:07,080 Sometimes, something that will be brought to our attention 126 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:11,840 today is that power has a corrupting nature. 127 00:06:11,840 --> 00:06:17,360 Power in the hands of fallen man has a corrupting nature. 128 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,120 Some of you like those Batman movies 129 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:23,800 that came out a while ago, actually, believe it or not. 130 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:24,960 There's a character. 131 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:26,640 He's a politician at the time. 132 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:28,640 Through an accident, he'll see himself disfigured. 133 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,160 He'll become this anti-hero villain guy. 134 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:32,480 But he said this. 135 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:34,920 He said, you either die a hero or you 136 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:38,880 live long enough to see yourself become the villain. 137 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:41,720 There's a morbid truthfulness to that statement. 138 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:44,160 Part of that scene references Julius Caesar, 139 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:47,560 one who received power to protect others, 140 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,480 but ended up using it improperly. 141 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:52,440 And that's the point of the quote. 142 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:56,280 People are stuck in this cycle of not having justice, 143 00:06:56,280 --> 00:07:01,680 pursuing it, and then being perpetrators of injustice. 144 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,760 And all of that is strikingly similar to Solomon's 145 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:08,320 observations that the world and the events of the world, 146 00:07:08,320 --> 00:07:10,240 they cycle to and fro. 147 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:11,560 We talked about this last time. 148 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:15,320 The seasons keep changing, but they always keep coming. 149 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:19,200 The sun rises, and the sun sets, and the sun rises again. 150 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,200 People pursue greatness only to hand off their accomplishments 151 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:23,800 to others. 152 00:07:23,800 --> 00:07:26,600 And even the one who pursues justice 153 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,960 may find themselves the villain, perpetrating that 154 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,000 which they profess to hate. 155 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,680 And so Solomon says, vanity of vanities. 156 00:07:36,680 --> 00:07:39,080 All is vanity. 157 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,240 And while that may make this whole life seem 158 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:44,440 hopeless and pointless, let us remember, 159 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,080 this book was not written to discourage. 160 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:51,200 It was written as a wisdom book to wound us from behind, 161 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,480 to strike us when we're not ready, 162 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,480 when we're ill-prepared to handle the needed truth. 163 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:02,160 It's as much a reality check for the activist justice seeker 164 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:06,640 as it is for the overpatient eschatological sovereigntyist. 165 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,840 I made up that word. 166 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:14,560 Justice is and will be pursued by God. 167 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:18,920 All things one day will be made right. 168 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:23,120 Yet we're also to pursue the shadows of God's justice 169 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:28,320 here and now with the wisdom that God provides. 170 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,480 Now, as you consider such heavy themes, 171 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:33,720 a reasonable question that might be bubbling up in your heart 172 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,360 may be, well, so why does God tarry? 173 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:41,760 You might ask, why does he make us wait for perfect justice? 174 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:45,600 Why not fix everything right now? 175 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,080 Now, we'll address these questions and thoughts today, 176 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:49,760 but we need to look at the text so we 177 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:52,320 can begin working through the wisdom of God 178 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:53,000 through Solomon. 179 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:57,120 So open your Bibles to Ecclesiastes chapter 3. 180 00:08:57,120 --> 00:08:59,120 And please, stand for the reading of God's word. 181 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,040 As Jeff noted, we honor God's word 182 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:05,080 and we desire to learn from him. 183 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:06,880 We're picking up in verse 16, and you 184 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:09,480 can follow along as I read. 185 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:11,840 Furthermore, I've seen under the sun 186 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,360 that in the place of justice, there is wickedness. 187 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:17,280 And in the place of righteousness, 188 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:19,000 there is wickedness. 189 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,120 I said in my heart, God will judge both the righteous man 190 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:24,680 and the wicked man for a time for every matter 191 00:09:24,680 --> 00:09:26,680 and for every work is there. 192 00:09:26,680 --> 00:09:28,960 I said in my heart, concerning the sons of men, 193 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:31,560 God is testing them in order for them 194 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:34,680 to see that they are but beasts. 195 00:09:34,680 --> 00:09:37,880 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts 196 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:40,360 is the same fate for each of them. 197 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:45,400 As one dies, so the other, and they all have the same breath. 198 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:50,080 So there's no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. 199 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:51,920 All go to the same place. 200 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:55,360 All came from the dust and all return to the dust. 201 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:58,000 Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward 202 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:01,400 and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? 203 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,440 I've seen that nothing is better than that man 204 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:07,240 should be glad in his works, for that is his portion. 205 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:11,200 For who will bring him to see what will occur after him? 206 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,160 Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression 207 00:10:14,160 --> 00:10:16,040 which are being done under the sun. 208 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:18,800 And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed 209 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,160 and that they had no one to comfort them. 210 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:23,120 And on the side of their oppressors was power, 211 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,880 but they had no one to comfort them. 212 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,840 So I lauded the dead who are already dead, 213 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:31,440 more than the living who are still living, 214 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:33,000 but better off than both of them 215 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:34,840 is the one who has never been, 216 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:37,240 who has never seen the evil work 217 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,080 that is done under the sun. 218 00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:41,080 You can take a seat. 219 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:47,400 You can tell there's a lot to unpack here. 220 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:50,000 We're gonna walk through this passage, 221 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,280 and I pray at the end that you will be encouraged 222 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:55,240 that even through this harshness of life, 223 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:57,000 God is still good. 224 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:01,280 He is doing good even when we don't see his goodness. 225 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:02,960 Now you probably noticed as we were reading 226 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:06,160 that I've grouped the first three verses of chapter four 227 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,200 with the conclusion of chapter three. 228 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,740 There are times when the chapter or verse breaks, 229 00:11:10,740 --> 00:11:12,200 they don't complete the unit of thought, 230 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,560 and I think this is one of those times. 231 00:11:14,560 --> 00:11:16,640 As you look at the theme of this section, 232 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:18,440 some big ones jump out. 233 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:22,120 Injustice, oppression, righteousness, 234 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:26,080 judgment, death, the afterlife. 235 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:28,200 Thinking through how Solomon has progressed 236 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:29,440 through his arguments so far, 237 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:31,400 I wanna draw you back to that outline. 238 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:32,920 So you can look on the screen 239 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:34,720 if you need to be reminded here. 240 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:35,720 We're picking up today, 241 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:37,880 having heard about the nature of time. 242 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,340 Even though time seems like a tyrant, 243 00:11:40,340 --> 00:11:43,200 God makes everything beautiful in its time. 244 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,480 And it's after this beautiful poetry 245 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:46,720 in verses one through eight, 246 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:48,440 and this very clear teaching 247 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:50,520 about God being sovereign over time, 248 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,560 that Solomon follows up in verse 16 249 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:56,400 with what about-ism? 250 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:59,400 What about injustice? 251 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:00,720 What about oppression? 252 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:02,420 Are those beautiful in their time? 253 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,680 What about us being no better off than the beast? 254 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,280 So chapter three opens by making the case 255 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:12,960 for trusting God and enjoying the simple pleasures, 256 00:12:12,960 --> 00:12:15,360 because life is given and received, 257 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:18,280 not to be grasped and manipulated. 258 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,680 But then in verse 16, he pivots, 259 00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:23,880 and he points out there's a harshness to this life as well. 260 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:27,200 And that continues through chapter four, verse three. 261 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:30,560 Even when good things, like justice, 262 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:33,760 are supposed to be here, they're not. 263 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:37,960 And that is vanity of vanities. 264 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:39,600 So looking at verse 16, 265 00:12:41,400 --> 00:12:43,840 he says, I've seen under the sun 266 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:47,440 that in the place of justice, there is wickedness. 267 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:49,520 Now, the translation is interesting here. 268 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:53,800 So a court of law is actually in view, a place of justice. 269 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,220 This is a physical location. 270 00:12:56,220 --> 00:12:57,480 It's under the sun. 271 00:12:57,480 --> 00:13:02,000 It's somewhere you expect justice to be, a court of law. 272 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,120 But justice isn't there. 273 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:06,720 Now, think back, actually. 274 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:08,160 We're gonna have to draw our minds back away 275 00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:09,440 from today's courts. 276 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:10,720 Don't get us started on that. 277 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:13,400 Maybe an Unshakable Series can talk about today's courts. 278 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,080 But let's think about the ancient Near East. 279 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:19,960 The courts were associated with the king. 280 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:23,440 The king would be responsible if there was no justice. 281 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:29,200 What a tragic circumstance when those who are innocent 282 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,320 are judged to be guilty 283 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:34,300 and the guilty judged innocent. 284 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:38,640 I'll let you ponder the implication of the gospel there. 285 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,860 Now, there is a clearer rendering of the poetry here. 286 00:13:44,240 --> 00:13:46,200 It's a statement that is interesting. 287 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:50,680 He says, the place of justice, injustice was there. 288 00:13:50,680 --> 00:13:53,640 The place of righteousness, wickedness is there. 289 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:58,040 He's saying the opposite thing that you expect is present. 290 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:00,580 Now, I think these also provide further evidence 291 00:14:00,580 --> 00:14:02,760 of Solomon's repentance and his humility. 292 00:14:03,820 --> 00:14:05,660 Do you remember how the queen of Sheba 293 00:14:05,660 --> 00:14:10,200 came to see Solomon early on as his reign was established? 294 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,800 She said this, blessed be Yahweh your God 295 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:17,360 who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel 296 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,960 because Yahweh loved Israel forever and get this part, 297 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:25,960 therefore he made you king to do justice and righteousness. 298 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,480 Do you see what Solomon was appointed to do? 299 00:14:32,460 --> 00:14:35,560 To do justice and righteousness. 300 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:37,280 That's why he was set as king. 301 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:38,880 But here in Ecclesiastes, 302 00:14:38,880 --> 00:14:41,960 Solomon has been king over Israel for decades. 303 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:45,280 He's fallen from favor, he let his heart stray away 304 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,520 from the good God who set him as king, 305 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:49,120 who gave him wisdom and riches 306 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,120 beyond any before him or after him. 307 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:56,360 And he writes in Ecclesiastes, looking back on his life, 308 00:14:56,360 --> 00:15:00,600 considering the wisdom that he abandoned in vain pursuits. 309 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:03,720 And he brings it back to his purpose as king. 310 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,100 He was supposed to ensure that justice 311 00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:08,320 and righteousness were accomplished. 312 00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:10,300 And yet what is his observation now? 313 00:15:10,300 --> 00:15:12,900 You see the contrast on the screen. 314 00:15:12,900 --> 00:15:16,900 He was supposed to do it, but it's not there. 315 00:15:17,900 --> 00:15:20,340 Now to be fair, this is my observation 316 00:15:20,340 --> 00:15:21,940 about Solomon's observation. 317 00:15:21,940 --> 00:15:23,980 It's not the application of the passage, 318 00:15:23,980 --> 00:15:25,580 but it's something I noticed 319 00:15:25,580 --> 00:15:27,900 and I think is important for us. 320 00:15:27,900 --> 00:15:31,220 So many modern scholars reject Solomonic authorship. 321 00:15:31,220 --> 00:15:33,460 They reject Solomon being coheel it. 322 00:15:33,460 --> 00:15:36,900 But I think there's a point here that we need to heed. 323 00:15:36,900 --> 00:15:38,620 I mentioned that in the ancient Near East, 324 00:15:38,620 --> 00:15:41,020 the courts were associated with the king. 325 00:15:41,020 --> 00:15:43,260 And as many of you know, the kings in that day 326 00:15:43,260 --> 00:15:47,380 were often viewed as deities or extensions of deities. 327 00:15:47,380 --> 00:15:49,460 The king could do no wrong. 328 00:15:49,460 --> 00:15:51,940 You remember how Pharaoh was viewed as a god 329 00:15:51,940 --> 00:15:53,260 by the Egyptians? 330 00:15:54,140 --> 00:15:56,700 Don't forget that our God put him in his place. 331 00:15:56,700 --> 00:16:01,460 Now, do you also remember how Ahasuerus, king over Esther, 332 00:16:01,460 --> 00:16:04,860 was tricked by wicked Haman to make a law 333 00:16:04,860 --> 00:16:06,740 allowing for the slaughter of the Jews 334 00:16:06,740 --> 00:16:08,060 throughout his empire? 335 00:16:08,060 --> 00:16:12,220 And the only way to correct that law was not to delete it 336 00:16:12,220 --> 00:16:14,420 because once the king writes it down, 337 00:16:14,420 --> 00:16:15,580 he can't get rid of it. 338 00:16:16,500 --> 00:16:19,900 They had to write a new law. 339 00:16:19,900 --> 00:16:22,860 No king could be wrong to even make the claim 340 00:16:22,860 --> 00:16:26,220 that the courts, the courts over which the king presides, 341 00:16:26,220 --> 00:16:28,940 are deeply flawed, corrupt even, 342 00:16:28,940 --> 00:16:31,220 would be to undermine the entire monarchy. 343 00:16:32,220 --> 00:16:36,020 So if Solomon, the greatest king the world had seen, 344 00:16:36,020 --> 00:16:38,500 penned this letter in his own name 345 00:16:38,500 --> 00:16:41,740 and made such observations about the imperfection 346 00:16:41,740 --> 00:16:45,020 of what people were indoctrinated to believe were perfect, 347 00:16:45,020 --> 00:16:46,860 he would have undermined and cast into doubt 348 00:16:46,860 --> 00:16:49,700 the whole system of monarchies and rulers 349 00:16:49,700 --> 00:16:52,460 and it would have promoted anarchy and chaos. 350 00:16:54,020 --> 00:16:55,540 So he wrote under a pseudonym. 351 00:16:56,660 --> 00:16:59,500 He's still casting doubt on the imperfections 352 00:16:59,500 --> 00:17:03,020 of a broken world, but he has more finesse. 353 00:17:03,020 --> 00:17:05,540 Instead of coming at this issue with an uppercase, 354 00:17:05,540 --> 00:17:08,460 he approaches with a jab and a body shot. 355 00:17:09,460 --> 00:17:14,060 The way he writes in 316 gives the impression of shock. 356 00:17:14,060 --> 00:17:16,860 Things shouldn't be this way. 357 00:17:16,860 --> 00:17:19,260 What backwardsness is this? 358 00:17:21,660 --> 00:17:26,180 In 317, he continues, he knows how to answer that question 359 00:17:26,180 --> 00:17:30,380 before it escapes his lips because it's in his heart. 360 00:17:30,380 --> 00:17:32,940 He knows that no one will escape judgment 361 00:17:32,940 --> 00:17:36,260 and we read that in the call to worship today out of Psalm 10. 362 00:17:36,260 --> 00:17:39,180 No one gets one over on God. 363 00:17:39,180 --> 00:17:40,860 People may think that there's no one 364 00:17:40,860 --> 00:17:42,740 to hold them accountable for their actions, 365 00:17:42,740 --> 00:17:44,580 but they are sorely mistaken. 366 00:17:44,580 --> 00:17:46,620 God will judge both the righteous 367 00:17:46,620 --> 00:17:49,260 and the wicked man at the right time. 368 00:17:50,340 --> 00:17:53,260 Using the same language as the earlier half of the chapter, 369 00:17:53,260 --> 00:17:56,180 Solomon reminds the reader that there will be a time 370 00:17:56,180 --> 00:17:58,820 for judgment, a time for fairness, 371 00:17:58,820 --> 00:18:01,340 a time for proper retribution, 372 00:18:01,340 --> 00:18:04,660 but that time is not now. 373 00:18:04,660 --> 00:18:06,180 It is yet in the future. 374 00:18:06,180 --> 00:18:07,500 God will. 375 00:18:08,820 --> 00:18:11,140 So just like the times and the seasons, 376 00:18:11,140 --> 00:18:14,820 injustice and wickedness will have an end. 377 00:18:14,820 --> 00:18:16,980 They won't last forever. 378 00:18:16,980 --> 00:18:19,660 They'll end temporally just as the seasons change 379 00:18:19,660 --> 00:18:24,660 and there are ages of prosperity and ages of despondency, 380 00:18:24,660 --> 00:18:28,140 but eternally, God will bring everything into judgment. 381 00:18:28,140 --> 00:18:31,460 So we still ask our question, why does God delay? 382 00:18:31,460 --> 00:18:33,060 Why does he yet tarry? 383 00:18:34,860 --> 00:18:36,900 And I think verse 18 answers. 384 00:18:37,940 --> 00:18:41,540 It's an uncomfortable truth for us, but he says this. 385 00:18:41,540 --> 00:18:45,540 God is testing them in order for them to see 386 00:18:45,540 --> 00:18:48,540 that they are but beasts. 387 00:18:50,460 --> 00:18:52,340 I don't think many of us like that answer. 388 00:18:53,700 --> 00:18:54,540 Think about it. 389 00:18:54,540 --> 00:18:56,740 In our most painful and vulnerable moments, 390 00:18:56,740 --> 00:19:00,740 we weep and we wail, we mourn at our sufferings, 391 00:19:00,740 --> 00:19:03,340 we scream and we cry out to the Almighty 392 00:19:03,340 --> 00:19:06,540 expecting to make sense of this chaos. 393 00:19:06,540 --> 00:19:08,860 And when we look at his word and we try to make sense 394 00:19:08,860 --> 00:19:10,980 of all of this, when everything's backwards 395 00:19:10,980 --> 00:19:12,780 and it's not as it ought to be, 396 00:19:12,780 --> 00:19:16,060 we're struck with laser precision by God's wisdom. 397 00:19:17,140 --> 00:19:20,060 God is testing us in order for us to see 398 00:19:20,060 --> 00:19:23,020 that we are but beasts. 399 00:19:23,020 --> 00:19:26,140 There are several ways to transform our lives. 400 00:19:26,140 --> 00:19:27,980 There are several ways to translate this verse. 401 00:19:27,980 --> 00:19:30,780 I appreciate the CSB for utilizing the phrase 402 00:19:30,780 --> 00:19:32,820 children of Adam. 403 00:19:32,820 --> 00:19:34,300 It's a direct transliteration. 404 00:19:34,300 --> 00:19:35,860 There's nothing wrong with the other versions 405 00:19:35,860 --> 00:19:37,020 using children of man. 406 00:19:37,020 --> 00:19:39,420 I just appreciate the call back to the garden, 407 00:19:39,420 --> 00:19:41,100 the fall of man into sin. 408 00:19:41,100 --> 00:19:43,900 And I think that's in view here. 409 00:19:43,900 --> 00:19:45,780 Remember the issue of Adam and Eve being kicked 410 00:19:45,780 --> 00:19:46,620 out of the garden. 411 00:19:46,620 --> 00:19:47,940 We talked about this last time. 412 00:19:47,940 --> 00:19:50,780 It was their attempt at equality with God. 413 00:19:51,780 --> 00:19:52,700 The serpent knew this. 414 00:19:52,700 --> 00:19:54,620 You remember what he said. 415 00:19:54,620 --> 00:19:57,180 For God knows that in the day you eat of it, 416 00:19:57,180 --> 00:20:01,340 your eyes will be opened and you will be like God. 417 00:20:03,740 --> 00:20:07,620 He tempts them with wanting to be like God, 418 00:20:07,620 --> 00:20:09,380 but they already were. 419 00:20:10,860 --> 00:20:13,420 They alone were created in his image. 420 00:20:13,420 --> 00:20:17,260 They alone had privilege over the entire animal kingdom 421 00:20:17,260 --> 00:20:20,220 and they abandoned blessing for burden. 422 00:20:20,220 --> 00:20:24,820 They wanted to be like God, but in improper ways. 423 00:20:24,820 --> 00:20:26,780 And so how does God respond? 424 00:20:26,780 --> 00:20:30,100 In Genesis three verses 22 through 23, 425 00:20:30,100 --> 00:20:31,100 you see it on the screen, 426 00:20:31,100 --> 00:20:33,220 but I'm gonna highlight just one part. 427 00:20:33,220 --> 00:20:36,460 God said, behold, the man has become like one of us. 428 00:20:36,460 --> 00:20:38,660 And that was not a compliment. 429 00:20:40,420 --> 00:20:41,540 It was an accusation. 430 00:20:43,740 --> 00:20:46,020 They attempted equality with God 431 00:20:46,020 --> 00:20:48,420 and that's the essence of a sinful heart. 432 00:20:48,420 --> 00:20:51,500 We want to be God's, do we not? 433 00:20:51,500 --> 00:20:52,980 We want authority. 434 00:20:53,940 --> 00:20:55,420 We want everything to happen our way. 435 00:20:55,420 --> 00:20:56,260 Who doesn't? 436 00:20:57,420 --> 00:20:59,260 We want to rule and reign. 437 00:20:59,260 --> 00:21:01,020 We want to get whatever we want 438 00:21:01,020 --> 00:21:04,940 and not one human escapes that innermost desire. 439 00:21:04,940 --> 00:21:06,900 Have you ever met a toddler? 440 00:21:08,900 --> 00:21:12,100 It is in us from the youngest of ages 441 00:21:12,100 --> 00:21:13,940 to get what we want. 442 00:21:13,940 --> 00:21:18,060 Get what we want, only by God's grace 443 00:21:18,060 --> 00:21:22,380 can we even conceive that we are but beasts. 444 00:21:23,340 --> 00:21:27,380 We are creatures, not the creator. 445 00:21:27,380 --> 00:21:29,980 Bearing witness to the brokenness of this world, 446 00:21:29,980 --> 00:21:32,660 enduring the suffering of those who pursue wickedness, 447 00:21:32,660 --> 00:21:36,780 that is our lot because we brought condemnation 448 00:21:36,780 --> 00:21:38,260 to this world. 449 00:21:39,100 --> 00:21:40,340 We did. 450 00:21:40,340 --> 00:21:43,500 Do you believe Romans five, verses 17 and 18? 451 00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:45,380 I'll put it on the screen. 452 00:21:45,380 --> 00:21:48,020 Specifically, you can look at verse 18. 453 00:21:49,740 --> 00:21:51,940 As through one transgression, 454 00:21:51,940 --> 00:21:56,180 there resulted condemnation to all men. 455 00:21:57,060 --> 00:22:02,060 But the good news, even so, through one act of righteousness, 456 00:22:02,780 --> 00:22:07,740 there resulted justification of life to all men. 457 00:22:07,740 --> 00:22:10,580 In that first man, and we sang about it this morning, 458 00:22:10,580 --> 00:22:12,500 death and destruction came. 459 00:22:12,500 --> 00:22:17,500 In the best man came life and justification and salvation. 460 00:22:18,660 --> 00:22:21,780 If we believe this basic tenet of the gospel, 461 00:22:21,780 --> 00:22:24,460 that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, 462 00:22:24,460 --> 00:22:27,420 that sin is inherited, it is bred into us 463 00:22:27,420 --> 00:22:29,420 from the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden, 464 00:22:29,420 --> 00:22:31,820 and that in spite of our sin, God has made a way 465 00:22:31,820 --> 00:22:33,700 for redemption, in spite of our sin, 466 00:22:33,700 --> 00:22:35,340 God has made a way for us to be forgiven. 467 00:22:35,340 --> 00:22:37,700 If we believe all of this, 468 00:22:37,700 --> 00:22:40,580 we also need to believe Ecclesiastes 3, 18. 469 00:22:40,580 --> 00:22:42,900 We're but beasts. 470 00:22:42,900 --> 00:22:47,060 Our enduring of suffering is due to our ushering in 471 00:22:47,060 --> 00:22:48,620 of a broken world. 472 00:22:48,620 --> 00:22:50,700 We brought the broken world in. 473 00:22:50,700 --> 00:22:52,300 The transgression of the one 474 00:22:52,300 --> 00:22:54,380 was the transgression of us all. 475 00:22:54,380 --> 00:22:55,220 Was it not? 476 00:22:57,100 --> 00:23:00,540 Yet, even as we are similar to beasts, 477 00:23:00,540 --> 00:23:03,260 we are also special and distinct 478 00:23:04,700 --> 00:23:07,060 because we all try to usurp God's authority. 479 00:23:07,060 --> 00:23:09,660 So without God's particular grace, 480 00:23:09,660 --> 00:23:12,780 we are but beasts, like the ones that Adam 481 00:23:12,780 --> 00:23:16,380 was supposed to name and looked after in the garden. 482 00:23:16,380 --> 00:23:18,740 So enduring this harshness of life 483 00:23:18,740 --> 00:23:22,020 exposes us for what we are, counterfeit gods. 484 00:23:23,260 --> 00:23:25,020 We act like we're in control. 485 00:23:25,020 --> 00:23:28,140 We act like we make our lives to be this or that. 486 00:23:28,140 --> 00:23:31,580 We act like we're in the driver's seat of our destiny, 487 00:23:31,580 --> 00:23:34,260 and our American dream mentality doesn't help us 488 00:23:34,260 --> 00:23:35,580 in this modern age. 489 00:23:35,580 --> 00:23:38,900 Like we could manifest our destiny, can we? 490 00:23:41,300 --> 00:23:42,780 We're no gods. 491 00:23:42,780 --> 00:23:45,060 We are beasts. 492 00:23:46,420 --> 00:23:49,100 Ecclesiastes 3, 19 makes it clear 493 00:23:49,100 --> 00:23:51,100 that death is our equalizer. 494 00:23:52,420 --> 00:23:55,580 Death is what draws our comparison to the beasts 495 00:23:55,580 --> 00:23:58,660 of the earth that we were intended to care for. 496 00:23:58,660 --> 00:24:01,100 Now surely we're not the same as beasts, 497 00:24:01,100 --> 00:24:03,180 but in comparison to the Almighty, 498 00:24:03,180 --> 00:24:05,180 we're not the same as beasts. 499 00:24:05,180 --> 00:24:06,020 We are the same. 500 00:24:06,020 --> 00:24:08,820 We have a lot more in common with fellow creatures 501 00:24:08,820 --> 00:24:10,060 than with the Creator. 502 00:24:11,380 --> 00:24:13,300 Everything under the sun that breathes 503 00:24:13,300 --> 00:24:15,780 will one day cease to breathe. 504 00:24:15,780 --> 00:24:17,540 That is how we are similar. 505 00:24:17,540 --> 00:24:19,380 And while that word for breath 506 00:24:19,380 --> 00:24:21,020 is sometimes translated as spirit, 507 00:24:21,020 --> 00:24:22,900 your Bible may say spirit, 508 00:24:22,900 --> 00:24:25,180 Ecclesiastes translates as wind. 509 00:24:25,180 --> 00:24:27,220 Animals and humans don't have the same spirit. 510 00:24:27,220 --> 00:24:28,620 It's important to note that. 511 00:24:28,620 --> 00:24:30,900 We can compassionately care for pets and sweet animals. 512 00:24:30,900 --> 00:24:33,060 Maybe this is an episode for Unshakable 513 00:24:33,060 --> 00:24:35,780 down the line as well for another time. 514 00:24:35,780 --> 00:24:37,860 But in Ecclesiastes, 515 00:24:37,860 --> 00:24:40,980 throughout the first three chapters of the book, 516 00:24:40,980 --> 00:24:44,020 there's multiple usage of that word, ruchach. 517 00:24:44,020 --> 00:24:45,020 If you wanna speak in Hebrew, 518 00:24:45,020 --> 00:24:47,740 you gotta get your phlegm going. 519 00:24:47,740 --> 00:24:49,900 And it's rendered as wind. 520 00:24:49,900 --> 00:24:51,900 Prior to this verse, it's wind. 521 00:24:51,900 --> 00:24:55,460 Not one time in Ecclesiastes is it spirit. 522 00:24:55,460 --> 00:24:56,820 Not here. 523 00:24:56,820 --> 00:24:59,860 In most cases, it's used to emphasize the vanity, 524 00:24:59,860 --> 00:25:04,860 the vapor, the soap bubbles that we all chase in this life. 525 00:25:05,140 --> 00:25:06,460 And here's the thing. 526 00:25:06,460 --> 00:25:08,420 Given the nature of comprehension 527 00:25:08,420 --> 00:25:09,940 given to mankind over beasts, 528 00:25:09,940 --> 00:25:12,900 I don't think beasts need to be reminded like we do. 529 00:25:14,740 --> 00:25:17,620 I've seen some incredibly intelligent creatures. 530 00:25:17,620 --> 00:25:20,660 Apes that paint and practice sign language. 531 00:25:20,660 --> 00:25:22,700 I don't know how they do that. 532 00:25:22,700 --> 00:25:25,180 Dolphins that remember and strategize. 533 00:25:26,140 --> 00:25:28,660 Octopus and squirrels that overcome 534 00:25:28,660 --> 00:25:30,060 some of the most complex challenges. 535 00:25:30,060 --> 00:25:33,020 Thank you to Mark Rober in YouTube for showing us that. 536 00:25:34,300 --> 00:25:39,300 But never have I seen other creatures build a tower 537 00:25:39,420 --> 00:25:43,100 to reach to the heavens to declare their own glory. 538 00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:48,660 I've never seen other creatures build and craft idols 539 00:25:48,660 --> 00:25:50,540 and statues for worship. 540 00:25:52,020 --> 00:25:54,940 And I've never seen beasts crown kings 541 00:25:54,940 --> 00:25:58,860 and create laws for good and evil. 542 00:25:58,860 --> 00:26:01,940 These are just some of our distinctions. 543 00:26:01,940 --> 00:26:05,980 We have such great capacities over our fellow beasts. 544 00:26:05,980 --> 00:26:09,780 And yet, we have no advantage over them. 545 00:26:09,780 --> 00:26:11,980 At least not for that materialistic mind. 546 00:26:11,980 --> 00:26:13,460 We'll come back to this in a minute. 547 00:26:13,460 --> 00:26:15,540 Just remember that vanity is for the person 548 00:26:15,540 --> 00:26:19,060 who has no hope, no God, and no savior. 549 00:26:19,060 --> 00:26:22,340 For the unbeliever, there's no advantage over the beast. 550 00:26:23,260 --> 00:26:24,300 Listen to that. 551 00:26:24,300 --> 00:26:28,220 For the unbeliever, there is no advantage over the beast. 552 00:26:28,220 --> 00:26:30,020 All will die. 553 00:26:30,020 --> 00:26:32,580 All is vanity for the unbeliever. 554 00:26:32,580 --> 00:26:35,180 But the beasts don't need to be reminded 555 00:26:35,180 --> 00:26:37,780 of their beastly station. 556 00:26:37,780 --> 00:26:39,220 We do. 557 00:26:39,220 --> 00:26:41,260 We need to be reminded. 558 00:26:41,260 --> 00:26:44,060 And so verse 20 reminds us. 559 00:26:44,060 --> 00:26:46,660 All go to the same place. 560 00:26:46,660 --> 00:26:51,660 All came from the dust and all return to the dust. 561 00:26:51,660 --> 00:26:54,940 This is another reminder of Genesis 3. 562 00:26:54,940 --> 00:26:57,340 We read it when we were considering the sons of Adam, 563 00:26:57,340 --> 00:27:02,340 how great our sin is when we try to be God when we're not. 564 00:27:03,940 --> 00:27:06,020 There's a couple of verses that harken back here 565 00:27:06,020 --> 00:27:06,860 that are on the screen. 566 00:27:06,860 --> 00:27:07,700 You can read them. 567 00:27:07,700 --> 00:27:09,500 We were taken from the dust. 568 00:27:09,500 --> 00:27:13,780 In creation, Yahweh God formed man of the dust of the ground. 569 00:27:14,940 --> 00:27:16,780 It's interesting that to be a living creature, 570 00:27:16,780 --> 00:27:19,260 man received God's breath. 571 00:27:19,260 --> 00:27:21,860 Another translation there of the word breath. 572 00:27:22,980 --> 00:27:25,380 But when we die, our breath goes somewhere else. 573 00:27:26,900 --> 00:27:30,940 From the dust we came and back to the dust we will go. 574 00:27:30,940 --> 00:27:32,500 But death wasn't the goal. 575 00:27:33,460 --> 00:27:35,300 Death is what came due to sin. 576 00:27:36,220 --> 00:27:38,300 In Genesis 2, everything was good. 577 00:27:38,300 --> 00:27:40,060 Man had received the breath of life 578 00:27:40,060 --> 00:27:41,740 and death was not present. 579 00:27:41,740 --> 00:27:45,340 It is our sin and our disobedience, our love for ourselves, 580 00:27:45,340 --> 00:27:49,620 our desire to be like God and distort the goodness 581 00:27:49,620 --> 00:27:52,140 of creation that brings about our exile 582 00:27:52,140 --> 00:27:55,300 from God's perfect presence. 583 00:27:55,300 --> 00:27:59,460 That's why he says, until you return to the ground, 584 00:27:59,460 --> 00:28:03,340 because from it you were taken, for you are dust. 585 00:28:03,340 --> 00:28:05,340 And to dust you shall return. 586 00:28:06,180 --> 00:28:07,980 One scholar put it this way. 587 00:28:07,980 --> 00:28:11,020 He said, Ecclesiastes 3.20 confronts us 588 00:28:11,020 --> 00:28:13,620 with the reality of the fall and the irony 589 00:28:13,620 --> 00:28:18,220 that we die like cattle because we fancied ourselves as gods. 590 00:28:20,900 --> 00:28:24,900 Now for a time, we go back to dust, everyone. 591 00:28:25,900 --> 00:28:27,740 But in God's brilliant and gracious plan, 592 00:28:27,740 --> 00:28:29,620 as we read in Romans 5 earlier, 593 00:28:29,620 --> 00:28:32,900 as we heard in the call to worship in Psalm 10, 594 00:28:32,900 --> 00:28:36,340 the forever King will one day make things good again. 595 00:28:36,340 --> 00:28:37,300 He will. 596 00:28:37,300 --> 00:28:39,020 That brokenness will be fixed. 597 00:28:39,020 --> 00:28:40,260 It will be restored. 598 00:28:40,260 --> 00:28:41,820 Creation will be renewed. 599 00:28:41,820 --> 00:28:44,740 The breath of life will finally and fully be given, 600 00:28:44,740 --> 00:28:48,300 not taken away, to be enjoyed from everlasting 601 00:28:48,300 --> 00:28:49,460 to everlasting. 602 00:28:50,380 --> 00:28:52,260 Even though we don't deserve it, 603 00:28:52,260 --> 00:28:55,300 even though we are actually the wicked, 604 00:28:55,300 --> 00:28:57,780 he'll be gracious and give us his righteousness. 605 00:28:58,820 --> 00:29:01,260 He'll give us his mercy and kindness. 606 00:29:01,260 --> 00:29:05,540 And a response will give him the praise due his great name. 607 00:29:05,540 --> 00:29:08,860 Ecclesiastes 3.21 poses a question 608 00:29:08,860 --> 00:29:11,340 that makes it seem like Solomon is unaware 609 00:29:11,340 --> 00:29:15,620 of the distinctness between man and beast. 610 00:29:15,620 --> 00:29:19,380 However, the nature of him describing upward and downward 611 00:29:19,380 --> 00:29:21,900 denotes that he has some idea. 612 00:29:21,900 --> 00:29:23,780 Now I think Solomon is causing 613 00:29:23,780 --> 00:29:26,260 that materialistically minded person, 614 00:29:26,260 --> 00:29:28,140 that person who focuses on here and now 615 00:29:28,140 --> 00:29:29,820 to question what they know. 616 00:29:29,820 --> 00:29:30,940 He's almost asking the reader, 617 00:29:30,940 --> 00:29:33,140 do you know what comes next? 618 00:29:33,140 --> 00:29:35,740 He says, I do. 619 00:29:35,740 --> 00:29:38,180 I know that God brings everything into judgment. 620 00:29:38,180 --> 00:29:39,220 I know my frame. 621 00:29:39,220 --> 00:29:40,820 I know my failures. 622 00:29:40,820 --> 00:29:42,260 Do you? 623 00:29:42,260 --> 00:29:44,660 Have you considered what is to come? 624 00:29:45,460 --> 00:29:47,460 I mentioned earlier that some translations 625 00:29:47,460 --> 00:29:49,060 refer to breath as spirit, 626 00:29:49,060 --> 00:29:50,940 and they're the similar sense. 627 00:29:50,940 --> 00:29:52,540 I just prefer the word breath 628 00:29:52,540 --> 00:29:55,220 because it's more on point with the drawback to creation 629 00:29:55,220 --> 00:29:57,100 and what God provided. 630 00:29:57,100 --> 00:29:59,300 But what comes after we die? 631 00:29:59,300 --> 00:30:01,660 Do we know what comes after we die? 632 00:30:01,660 --> 00:30:06,660 Do we ascend to the heavens and do beasts to sheol? 633 00:30:08,260 --> 00:30:13,260 Now Psalm 49 provides clarity to this question. 634 00:30:13,260 --> 00:30:15,860 I'll put a portion on the screen in a moment. 635 00:30:15,860 --> 00:30:16,700 You can study it later. 636 00:30:16,700 --> 00:30:17,940 It's a great Psalm. 637 00:30:17,940 --> 00:30:19,740 Don't give Jeff a hard time for not covering it. 638 00:30:19,740 --> 00:30:21,940 He's done a ton already, 639 00:30:21,940 --> 00:30:24,700 and he's giving us breadth and depth throughout the Psalms. 640 00:30:24,700 --> 00:30:26,620 And he's still probably gonna finish the Psalms 641 00:30:26,620 --> 00:30:27,940 before I finish Ecclesiastes. 642 00:30:27,940 --> 00:30:30,020 So be gracious with him. 643 00:30:30,020 --> 00:30:32,100 Now as you look at Psalm 49, 644 00:30:32,100 --> 00:30:33,260 I'll show you on the screen here. 645 00:30:33,260 --> 00:30:35,220 I'm sorry, it's very small. 646 00:30:35,220 --> 00:30:37,020 If you wanna look it up in your Bible, go for it. 647 00:30:37,020 --> 00:30:39,820 But I wanted you to see a few key things. 648 00:30:39,820 --> 00:30:41,300 You'll note at the top in your Bibles, 649 00:30:41,300 --> 00:30:44,500 it says a Psalm from the sons of Korah. 650 00:30:44,500 --> 00:30:47,540 Now there's a wild history of this priestly line. 651 00:30:47,540 --> 00:30:49,300 At this time in Psalm 49, 652 00:30:49,300 --> 00:30:53,740 they're the choir and orchestral masters in David's court, 653 00:30:53,740 --> 00:30:56,060 King David's court. 654 00:30:56,060 --> 00:30:59,380 David, who is Solomon's father, 655 00:30:59,380 --> 00:31:01,980 the sons of Korah instructed the people 656 00:31:01,980 --> 00:31:04,060 through song during David's reign. 657 00:31:04,060 --> 00:31:06,060 Solomon would have had a front row seat 658 00:31:06,060 --> 00:31:09,420 while he was growing up to all of these songs. 659 00:31:10,820 --> 00:31:14,100 And I'll say that many of you may not realize the blessing 660 00:31:14,100 --> 00:31:16,660 of sitting under the musical leading of Grant 661 00:31:16,660 --> 00:31:18,220 here at Oak Hill. 662 00:31:18,220 --> 00:31:20,420 Even as we're about to hear about Solomon 663 00:31:20,420 --> 00:31:22,460 quoting the songs he heard decades before 664 00:31:22,460 --> 00:31:24,060 he penned Ecclesiastes, 665 00:31:24,060 --> 00:31:26,180 think how blessed we are by the leading of Grant 666 00:31:26,180 --> 00:31:28,540 when he ushers us toward Christ through song. 667 00:31:28,540 --> 00:31:31,140 Not just Grant, but we're thankful for everyone 668 00:31:31,140 --> 00:31:33,580 who serves on the worship and praise team, 669 00:31:33,580 --> 00:31:37,060 helping us to worship well through song. 670 00:31:37,060 --> 00:31:41,060 It's important these truths get cemented into our hearts. 671 00:31:41,060 --> 00:31:42,700 Now as you look at the screen, 672 00:31:42,700 --> 00:31:45,700 Psalm 49 is up there, just some selected verses. 673 00:31:45,700 --> 00:31:49,300 But really take note of verses 10 through 15. 674 00:31:49,300 --> 00:31:53,020 In verse 10, the sons of Korah are instructing the people 675 00:31:53,020 --> 00:31:54,860 that both the wise and the foolish die. 676 00:31:54,860 --> 00:31:56,900 And that's something Solomon's already started. 677 00:31:56,900 --> 00:31:59,740 Ecclesiastes 2, 14, and 15. 678 00:31:59,740 --> 00:32:01,980 There are actually quite a few parallels here 679 00:32:01,980 --> 00:32:04,860 with the first few chapters of Ecclesiastes. 680 00:32:04,860 --> 00:32:07,180 In my estimation, this is yet another reason 681 00:32:07,180 --> 00:32:10,540 to identify Solomon as the author of Ecclesiastes. 682 00:32:10,540 --> 00:32:12,860 And what an encouragement that would be to us. 683 00:32:12,860 --> 00:32:16,380 That the same man who sat at the feet of those choir masters 684 00:32:16,380 --> 00:32:19,260 in his father David's court as a young man 685 00:32:19,260 --> 00:32:21,820 has finally come to his senses 686 00:32:21,820 --> 00:32:24,460 and remembered the wisdom that had been on display 687 00:32:24,460 --> 00:32:27,060 for him since he was a child. 688 00:32:27,060 --> 00:32:31,020 Verse 11 points out the absurdity of humans thinking 689 00:32:31,020 --> 00:32:34,820 that the little kingdoms we build will last forever. 690 00:32:34,820 --> 00:32:37,980 But then verse 12, we see that man is not esteemed, 691 00:32:37,980 --> 00:32:41,620 is not honored in his death because he's like a what? 692 00:32:41,620 --> 00:32:43,860 An animal, a beast. 693 00:32:44,860 --> 00:32:46,900 And then in verse 13 and following, 694 00:32:46,900 --> 00:32:50,100 we get more clarity for where we are here in Ecclesiastes. 695 00:32:50,100 --> 00:32:51,860 The one who is like an animal, 696 00:32:51,860 --> 00:32:55,500 is the foolish one, they're like the beast. 697 00:32:55,500 --> 00:32:58,300 Because they trust in themselves, their wealth, 698 00:32:58,300 --> 00:33:01,740 their possessions, their land, and trusting wrongly, 699 00:33:01,740 --> 00:33:03,500 who do they get shepherded by? 700 00:33:04,700 --> 00:33:05,540 Death. 701 00:33:06,500 --> 00:33:08,820 They get shepherded by death. 702 00:33:11,020 --> 00:33:14,980 But God, for those who are upright, 703 00:33:14,980 --> 00:33:18,060 redemption is possible, but it's costly. 704 00:33:18,060 --> 00:33:19,820 And that's why I put the first two chapters 705 00:33:19,820 --> 00:33:22,180 on the screen, you see there's a question, 706 00:33:22,180 --> 00:33:24,300 who can ransom his brother? 707 00:33:24,300 --> 00:33:26,660 It's at great cost. 708 00:33:28,380 --> 00:33:31,580 Now those who are upright, that word upright 709 00:33:31,580 --> 00:33:33,860 means those who practice two things, 710 00:33:34,780 --> 00:33:38,500 justice and righteousness. 711 00:33:38,500 --> 00:33:41,260 The same two things that Solomon was supposed to practice 712 00:33:41,260 --> 00:33:43,620 as the king and the same two things 713 00:33:43,620 --> 00:33:46,100 that are not present in his kingdom. 714 00:33:46,100 --> 00:33:49,260 For such a person to be ransomed as an upright person, 715 00:33:49,260 --> 00:33:51,580 and as you see in verses seven and eight, 716 00:33:51,580 --> 00:33:53,580 God has to work mightily. 717 00:33:54,700 --> 00:33:58,140 None are upright by themselves, we know that. 718 00:33:58,140 --> 00:34:00,460 But according to verse 15, God can redeem 719 00:34:00,460 --> 00:34:03,020 and receive such a person. 720 00:34:03,020 --> 00:34:04,740 If you were to continue reading this passage, 721 00:34:04,740 --> 00:34:07,540 you'd see it closes with this line in verse 20. 722 00:34:07,540 --> 00:34:11,300 Man in his honor, but who does not understand, 723 00:34:11,300 --> 00:34:12,740 and who does not know, 724 00:34:12,740 --> 00:34:16,380 man in his honor, but who does not understand, 725 00:34:16,380 --> 00:34:19,860 is like the animals that perish. 726 00:34:21,260 --> 00:34:25,380 The whole point here is that riches and wealth and legacy, 727 00:34:25,380 --> 00:34:26,820 they're not what endures. 728 00:34:26,820 --> 00:34:29,860 Death comes and the one who's not trusting in God, 729 00:34:29,860 --> 00:34:32,780 but trusting in self will be woefully disappointed 730 00:34:32,780 --> 00:34:34,740 at what comes after death. 731 00:34:34,740 --> 00:34:38,260 For that person, all is vanity. 732 00:34:38,260 --> 00:34:42,860 So we do know who ascends upward and who downward, 733 00:34:42,860 --> 00:34:43,700 but do you? 734 00:34:45,060 --> 00:34:46,860 That's what Solomon's asking. 735 00:34:46,860 --> 00:34:49,220 It's meant to jolt you awake, 736 00:34:49,220 --> 00:34:52,860 to make sure that you're not sleeping on life, 737 00:34:52,860 --> 00:34:56,180 to make sure that you don't just waddle through this life, 738 00:34:56,180 --> 00:34:59,420 making mediocre decisions that don't mean anything. 739 00:35:00,700 --> 00:35:02,500 He's saying, wake up. 740 00:35:02,500 --> 00:35:05,180 Do you know that you only gather for a time? 741 00:35:05,180 --> 00:35:07,580 Do you know where you are going in the end? 742 00:35:10,900 --> 00:35:14,780 He offers a salve for the materialistically-minded person 743 00:35:14,780 --> 00:35:19,780 in verse 22, for the person pondering that question, 744 00:35:20,100 --> 00:35:22,620 who doesn't know what's gonna happen, 745 00:35:22,620 --> 00:35:25,580 who wonders where they'll go after they die. 746 00:35:25,580 --> 00:35:27,820 Solomon gives a temporary solution. 747 00:35:27,820 --> 00:35:30,460 He says, be glad in your works. 748 00:35:30,460 --> 00:35:31,980 That's your lot. 749 00:35:31,980 --> 00:35:33,300 Be glad in your works. 750 00:35:33,300 --> 00:35:36,620 Be glad in your works, if you have no eternal hope, 751 00:35:36,620 --> 00:35:40,340 if you have no everlasting rest to look forward to, 752 00:35:40,340 --> 00:35:43,180 then enjoy the rat race while you're here, 753 00:35:43,180 --> 00:35:46,900 because what comes next will offer no respite. 754 00:35:47,860 --> 00:35:51,860 For such a person, you should live your best life now. 755 00:35:51,860 --> 00:35:55,220 Yolo, Carpe Diem, why? 756 00:35:55,220 --> 00:35:56,740 Because death is coming. 757 00:35:57,660 --> 00:35:59,940 And so you see that the person who does not know 758 00:35:59,940 --> 00:36:03,940 God is king must live that way. 759 00:36:06,620 --> 00:36:08,940 Now, the final question of this chapter 760 00:36:08,940 --> 00:36:10,820 should bid a person to pause. 761 00:36:11,940 --> 00:36:15,820 He asks, who knows what will occur after death? 762 00:36:17,380 --> 00:36:18,380 What do you know? 763 00:36:19,780 --> 00:36:20,740 How do you know? 764 00:36:22,420 --> 00:36:25,700 In Solomon's day, there was less surety, 765 00:36:25,700 --> 00:36:30,700 but we do know one who has come back from death into life. 766 00:36:31,940 --> 00:36:34,060 Now, according to Psalm 49, 767 00:36:34,060 --> 00:36:36,060 even Old Testament saints had an understanding 768 00:36:36,060 --> 00:36:38,580 of eternal life for those who are ransomed by God. 769 00:36:38,580 --> 00:36:41,820 They appealed to this teaching whenever earthly suffering 770 00:36:41,820 --> 00:36:43,780 proved to be too overwhelming. 771 00:36:43,780 --> 00:36:45,860 But here's the problem, like us, 772 00:36:45,860 --> 00:36:48,060 it took suffering to be sobered. 773 00:36:49,100 --> 00:36:52,820 Suffering sobers us to the reality that we are creatures. 774 00:36:52,820 --> 00:36:54,260 We are beasts. 775 00:36:54,260 --> 00:36:57,860 We are beasts and God is creator. 776 00:36:57,860 --> 00:37:00,340 God is king. 777 00:37:00,340 --> 00:37:02,100 And our great struggle is humans. 778 00:37:02,100 --> 00:37:06,260 Every generation, your parents, your grandparents, 779 00:37:06,260 --> 00:37:09,020 your kids, your grandkids, your extended relatives, 780 00:37:09,020 --> 00:37:14,020 every generation forgets God and doesn't live rightly. 781 00:37:18,060 --> 00:37:20,620 We all live as if we're gonna be here forever. 782 00:37:20,620 --> 00:37:22,860 We make decisions that seem so important 783 00:37:22,860 --> 00:37:24,460 to us here and now. 784 00:37:24,460 --> 00:37:27,420 And yet one day, our life is gonna prove to be 785 00:37:27,420 --> 00:37:29,700 nothing more than just the grains of sand 786 00:37:30,900 --> 00:37:32,020 and the sands of time. 787 00:37:32,940 --> 00:37:33,780 That's it. 788 00:37:34,740 --> 00:37:36,660 But we don't lose hope 789 00:37:36,660 --> 00:37:38,940 because those in Christ have great hope. 790 00:37:38,940 --> 00:37:40,140 We're gonna close with that in a moment, 791 00:37:40,140 --> 00:37:41,740 but we need to finish the thought 792 00:37:41,740 --> 00:37:44,340 that Solomon gives us here to jolt us awake. 793 00:37:44,340 --> 00:37:47,020 And he continues in chapter four, verse one. 794 00:37:48,820 --> 00:37:50,500 He looks at these acts of oppression 795 00:37:50,500 --> 00:37:53,340 and in looking at oppression, at injustice, 796 00:37:53,340 --> 00:37:56,820 Solomon says there is no comfort under the sun, 797 00:37:56,820 --> 00:37:59,460 no comfort for the one who's being oppressed 798 00:37:59,460 --> 00:38:03,900 and no comfort for the oppressor, 799 00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:07,340 even if the oppressor has power for a time. 800 00:38:07,340 --> 00:38:11,340 This is why reform never truly lasts. 801 00:38:11,340 --> 00:38:15,220 Have you ever wondered why don't things get better? 802 00:38:15,220 --> 00:38:16,620 This is why. 803 00:38:16,620 --> 00:38:18,820 The reformer wields more and more power 804 00:38:18,820 --> 00:38:21,060 trying to fix what is broken, 805 00:38:21,060 --> 00:38:24,460 but as they get more power, what happens? 806 00:38:24,460 --> 00:38:26,300 They become a tyrant. 807 00:38:27,780 --> 00:38:30,060 And the cycle continues. 808 00:38:30,060 --> 00:38:33,380 They become the very thing that they hated. 809 00:38:33,380 --> 00:38:36,020 Do we not see that in our political systems? 810 00:38:36,020 --> 00:38:39,020 Do we not see that across the countries of this world 811 00:38:39,020 --> 00:38:42,620 in this age, much less in ages past? 812 00:38:42,620 --> 00:38:48,100 Wash, rinse, repeat. 813 00:38:48,100 --> 00:38:49,300 Do you find it interesting 814 00:38:49,300 --> 00:38:52,300 that Solomon puts the oppressor and the oppressed 815 00:38:52,300 --> 00:38:55,740 in the same camp, both devoid of comfort 816 00:38:55,740 --> 00:38:57,140 and yet desiring it? 817 00:38:58,540 --> 00:39:02,820 Under the sun, without a savior, no one is comforted, 818 00:39:02,820 --> 00:39:04,380 whether they're being sinned against 819 00:39:04,380 --> 00:39:06,020 or sinning against others. 820 00:39:06,020 --> 00:39:09,900 The reality is that everyone needs a comforter, 821 00:39:09,900 --> 00:39:13,340 but Solomon knew who brings comfort. 822 00:39:13,340 --> 00:39:18,340 His dad penned Psalm 23 and Psalm 86. 823 00:39:19,340 --> 00:39:23,260 David boldly professed, not just at the end of his life, 824 00:39:23,260 --> 00:39:25,460 in the early years of his life, 825 00:39:26,460 --> 00:39:31,460 that amidst the valley of death, God alone brings comfort. 826 00:39:33,060 --> 00:39:38,060 David knew that in times of trouble, God was his comfort. 827 00:39:38,060 --> 00:39:41,300 Do you think that David passed that on to his son as well? 828 00:39:42,740 --> 00:39:46,420 Do you think Solomon was blind to who brings comfort? 829 00:39:46,420 --> 00:39:48,420 Do you think that he was asking the question 830 00:39:48,420 --> 00:39:50,580 as if he didn't know the answer? 831 00:39:52,220 --> 00:39:55,460 Solomon knows who brings comfort. 832 00:39:55,460 --> 00:39:59,780 He's asking us, the reader, to pay attention. 833 00:39:59,780 --> 00:40:02,980 It's like he's saying, do you see that those afflicted 834 00:40:02,980 --> 00:40:05,860 and those doing the afflicting both have a need? 835 00:40:05,860 --> 00:40:09,180 Even if the oppressor appears to be in power for a time, 836 00:40:09,180 --> 00:40:11,980 he is in no better position. 837 00:40:11,980 --> 00:40:14,780 And so it's like Solomon is saying this to the reader, 838 00:40:14,780 --> 00:40:16,700 where does your comfort come from? 839 00:40:17,580 --> 00:40:19,700 Is your comfort in your situation? 840 00:40:20,660 --> 00:40:23,020 Is your comfort in your power? 841 00:40:24,020 --> 00:40:26,940 If so, you have no comfort at all. 842 00:40:28,860 --> 00:40:32,700 But if your comfort is in the living God, 843 00:40:32,700 --> 00:40:37,700 if your comfort is in the living God, as David's was, 844 00:40:37,700 --> 00:40:41,060 you have true and lasting comfort, 845 00:40:41,060 --> 00:40:43,740 comfort that rescues, comfort that redeems, 846 00:40:43,740 --> 00:40:46,300 comfort that ransoms your soul. 847 00:40:46,300 --> 00:40:49,380 We read about it, we sang about it. 848 00:40:50,700 --> 00:40:52,980 But if you don't have this comfort, 849 00:40:52,980 --> 00:40:55,820 then the next two verses are meant to rock you 850 00:40:55,820 --> 00:40:57,980 as you think about this life. 851 00:40:57,980 --> 00:41:00,460 Verses two and three of chapter four, 852 00:41:00,460 --> 00:41:03,780 they're the saddest part of this whole entire book. 853 00:41:04,700 --> 00:41:07,020 They're in response to verse one. 854 00:41:09,620 --> 00:41:11,820 We already read this. 855 00:41:11,820 --> 00:41:14,380 Have you ever wished that you had never been born? 856 00:41:16,020 --> 00:41:18,940 Have you ever wanted your life to end 857 00:41:18,940 --> 00:41:21,180 so that all your troubles would be over? 858 00:41:22,860 --> 00:41:25,660 Have you ever responded to severe trouble 859 00:41:25,660 --> 00:41:28,220 like Jeremiah or Elijah, 860 00:41:28,220 --> 00:41:30,620 despairing life itself? 861 00:41:31,900 --> 00:41:33,740 One commentator restated this point. 862 00:41:33,740 --> 00:41:38,580 He said, if the question is to be or not to be, 863 00:41:38,580 --> 00:41:40,540 then maybe it's better not to be. 864 00:41:43,740 --> 00:41:46,980 But that outlook is for the materialistic mind, 865 00:41:48,060 --> 00:41:50,540 for the person who lives according to the flesh, 866 00:41:50,540 --> 00:41:54,380 for the person who doesn't look beyond present sufferings, 867 00:41:54,380 --> 00:41:56,980 for the person who doesn't live with Christ 868 00:41:56,980 --> 00:42:01,980 as their king, for that person, all is vanity. 869 00:42:02,180 --> 00:42:04,820 And Solomon is not encouraging the reader 870 00:42:04,820 --> 00:42:06,900 to focus their thinking this way. 871 00:42:06,900 --> 00:42:10,220 He is lamenting the wickedness of this world, 872 00:42:10,220 --> 00:42:13,260 and he is acknowledging that there is a particular pain 873 00:42:13,260 --> 00:42:17,180 for those who endure the evil work under the sun. 874 00:42:17,180 --> 00:42:19,500 He's not saying that there's no point in life, 875 00:42:19,500 --> 00:42:22,580 and he's not advocating for God to take his life. 876 00:42:23,500 --> 00:42:26,260 You remember that when Elijah and Jonah had wished death, 877 00:42:26,260 --> 00:42:30,060 they were both rebuked by God for such an attitude. 878 00:42:32,660 --> 00:42:34,140 This acknowledgement from Solomon 879 00:42:34,140 --> 00:42:37,660 is more like the lament from Jeremiah 20, 880 00:42:37,660 --> 00:42:39,780 or chapter 20, verse 18. 881 00:42:39,780 --> 00:42:41,980 He said, why did I ever come forth from the womb 882 00:42:41,980 --> 00:42:44,220 to look on such trouble and sorrow? 883 00:42:45,140 --> 00:42:46,860 He laments. 884 00:42:46,860 --> 00:42:50,580 In Job 3, Job says, let the day perish on which I was born. 885 00:42:50,580 --> 00:42:56,300 He laments because of the hardship of this life. 886 00:42:56,300 --> 00:42:58,820 And you see that similar tone of lament 887 00:42:58,820 --> 00:43:01,780 here with Solomon in chapter 4. 888 00:43:01,780 --> 00:43:04,460 This response from Solomon when he lauds, 889 00:43:04,460 --> 00:43:05,300 or we don't use that word, 890 00:43:05,300 --> 00:43:08,780 when he commends the dead as more fortunate than the living, 891 00:43:08,780 --> 00:43:11,540 it's a lament over the harshness of life, 892 00:43:11,540 --> 00:43:16,100 because where justice is supposed to be, there is none. 893 00:43:16,100 --> 00:43:18,620 Humans are but beasts. 894 00:43:18,620 --> 00:43:21,580 Death comes to every breathing creature. 895 00:43:21,580 --> 00:43:23,820 The oppressed have no comfort, 896 00:43:23,820 --> 00:43:25,980 and those oppressing have no comfort. 897 00:43:27,060 --> 00:43:28,540 Living this life is hard. 898 00:43:29,460 --> 00:43:32,140 And those who have not yet experienced it, 899 00:43:32,140 --> 00:43:34,300 those who've been released from it through death 900 00:43:34,300 --> 00:43:38,260 are better off than those who are still stuck in it. 901 00:43:39,780 --> 00:43:41,260 So we strive after wind. 902 00:43:42,100 --> 00:43:45,980 We chase what we think will bring us lasting satisfaction 903 00:43:45,980 --> 00:43:49,300 and happiness, only to find that the wind 904 00:43:49,300 --> 00:43:52,860 we should have been chasing is the breath of the living God, 905 00:43:54,060 --> 00:43:57,020 the one who gives, the one who creates, 906 00:43:57,020 --> 00:44:00,860 the one who redeems from his very words. 907 00:44:00,860 --> 00:44:03,860 So this lament of Solomon should jar us awake. 908 00:44:03,860 --> 00:44:07,660 If you've been living with that YOLO, Carpe Diem attitude, 909 00:44:07,660 --> 00:44:10,380 and you've been forgetting that your life is not your own, 910 00:44:10,380 --> 00:44:12,100 that you've been bought for a price, 911 00:44:12,100 --> 00:44:16,140 then stop, stop in your tracks and take stock of your life. 912 00:44:16,140 --> 00:44:18,820 This life is not the best that there is. 913 00:44:18,820 --> 00:44:21,940 If this is the best that it is, then it's pointless, 914 00:44:21,940 --> 00:44:24,620 and we should wish for death over life. 915 00:44:24,620 --> 00:44:26,740 That is the natural response for a person 916 00:44:26,740 --> 00:44:29,820 focused on the wrong things. 917 00:44:29,820 --> 00:44:34,820 But if you fear God, if you are loved by his son, Jesus, 918 00:44:34,860 --> 00:44:36,740 then you love him in return, 919 00:44:36,740 --> 00:44:39,220 and you have a new and living hope. 920 00:44:39,220 --> 00:44:40,780 All is not lost. 921 00:44:40,780 --> 00:44:44,460 As harsh as this life is, this momentary suffering 922 00:44:44,460 --> 00:44:48,140 pales when compared to eternal glory. 923 00:44:51,060 --> 00:44:53,420 Friends, these are heavy things. 924 00:44:53,420 --> 00:44:57,500 We have to reconcile that oppression is going to occur, 925 00:44:57,500 --> 00:45:00,540 but we can't be filled with fear, 926 00:45:00,540 --> 00:45:02,900 nor can we try to act as if we're gods 927 00:45:02,900 --> 00:45:05,140 and try to fix everything. 928 00:45:05,140 --> 00:45:07,380 Instead, we need wisdom from above. 929 00:45:07,380 --> 00:45:09,860 We need to pray for our leaders. 930 00:45:09,860 --> 00:45:12,700 We need to act wisely before God. 931 00:45:14,260 --> 00:45:19,020 We need to remember there are many who are just beasts, 932 00:45:19,020 --> 00:45:22,660 who are gonna be shepherded to Sheol by death, 933 00:45:22,660 --> 00:45:25,900 but that there are also those who are going to be ransomed, 934 00:45:25,900 --> 00:45:28,060 those who deserved punishment, 935 00:45:28,940 --> 00:45:31,420 who acted unjustly, 936 00:45:33,060 --> 00:45:37,020 and yet receive grace because of God. 937 00:45:37,020 --> 00:45:38,860 That's our privilege, 938 00:45:38,860 --> 00:45:42,860 to walk in the newness of life that God has created for us. 939 00:45:43,620 --> 00:45:45,820 A thousand years after Solomon, 940 00:45:45,820 --> 00:45:48,580 Paul was writing to his disciple Timothy. 941 00:45:48,580 --> 00:45:50,540 He gave instructions that you see on the screen 942 00:45:50,540 --> 00:45:52,300 in 1 Timothy chapter two. 943 00:45:53,260 --> 00:45:55,180 I find it incredibly practical, 944 00:45:55,180 --> 00:45:57,020 but I also think of the irony, 945 00:45:57,020 --> 00:45:59,740 because Paul references kingly authority, 946 00:45:59,740 --> 00:46:03,100 which we've seen on display throughout Ecclesiastes. 947 00:46:03,100 --> 00:46:06,300 Solomon as king needed these instructions. 948 00:46:06,300 --> 00:46:08,220 King needed these kinds of prayers. 949 00:46:09,700 --> 00:46:13,300 But look at what great an advocate we have in Christ. 950 00:46:14,180 --> 00:46:16,620 Jesus is the one promise from the Old Testament, 951 00:46:16,620 --> 00:46:20,860 even in Psalm 49, to ransom us from our sin. 952 00:46:21,740 --> 00:46:26,500 God of very God, coming to this life under this son, 953 00:46:26,500 --> 00:46:30,900 to redeem us as sons at the proper time. 954 00:46:32,060 --> 00:46:34,580 In the fullness of time, he will come again. 955 00:46:34,580 --> 00:46:37,420 He will repay everyone for what they have done. 956 00:46:37,420 --> 00:46:39,980 Don't be fooled, God is not mocked. 957 00:46:39,980 --> 00:46:42,260 So let us pray for mercy. 958 00:46:42,260 --> 00:46:44,820 Let us ask God to help us pursue justice 959 00:46:44,820 --> 00:46:47,100 and righteousness for his namesake, 960 00:46:47,100 --> 00:46:50,500 that we would honor him for the life that he's given. 961 00:46:51,860 --> 00:46:53,980 I wanted to close today with a quote 962 00:46:53,980 --> 00:46:55,420 from one of the books that I've enjoyed. 963 00:46:55,420 --> 00:46:56,900 I've quoted it before. 964 00:46:56,900 --> 00:46:58,940 It's called, Recovering Eden, 965 00:46:58,940 --> 00:47:03,140 the gospel according to Ecclesiastes by Zach S. Wine. 966 00:47:03,140 --> 00:47:05,820 And he's writing about the connection of Jesus 967 00:47:05,820 --> 00:47:08,340 with this sense of hopelessness that we feel 968 00:47:08,340 --> 00:47:09,700 when all is not right. 969 00:47:10,660 --> 00:47:14,100 When the difficulties that we face seem to overwhelm us. 970 00:47:14,100 --> 00:47:16,220 He writes about the nature of the gospel, 971 00:47:16,220 --> 00:47:17,300 and he says this, 972 00:47:18,580 --> 00:47:22,540 we long for empathy, and it's often in short supply. 973 00:47:22,540 --> 00:47:24,780 And the whole picture given in the Bible 974 00:47:24,780 --> 00:47:26,980 is that God has entered life under the son 975 00:47:26,980 --> 00:47:29,820 and in Jesus, taken it all. 976 00:47:29,820 --> 00:47:33,660 So when you're sitting sad in your chair, in your living room, 977 00:47:33,660 --> 00:47:36,820 the message for you is that Jesus knew the times. 978 00:47:36,820 --> 00:47:38,980 He too cried as you cry. 979 00:47:38,980 --> 00:47:40,700 He too has been abandoned, 980 00:47:40,700 --> 00:47:42,900 the same way some of you have been abandoned. 981 00:47:42,900 --> 00:47:46,260 He too has overcome the way many of you have overcome. 982 00:47:46,260 --> 00:47:48,660 He too has sung with poetry 983 00:47:48,660 --> 00:47:51,700 and the brokenness of betrayal like some of you. 984 00:47:51,700 --> 00:47:54,700 He too has died as we all will. 985 00:47:54,700 --> 00:47:58,580 But in him, the sting of death has died. 986 00:47:58,580 --> 00:48:01,100 And to that, I say amen. 987 00:48:01,100 --> 00:48:05,460 Indeed, through Christ, the sting of death has died. 988 00:48:07,020 --> 00:48:08,380 I'm gonna leave you with a moment here 989 00:48:08,380 --> 00:48:10,660 to consider these things. 990 00:48:12,100 --> 00:48:13,980 And I would encourage you, 991 00:48:13,980 --> 00:48:15,820 think about the harshness of life. 992 00:48:16,900 --> 00:48:18,100 And think about our Savior 993 00:48:18,100 --> 00:48:20,700 who takes on the harshest consequences 994 00:48:20,700 --> 00:48:22,940 of a sin-soaked world, 995 00:48:22,940 --> 00:48:26,940 ransoming lives at the greatest personal cost. 996 00:48:26,940 --> 00:48:28,580 After you consider these for a moment, 997 00:48:28,580 --> 00:48:30,580 I'll close us in prayer. 998 00:48:36,540 --> 00:48:37,980 God, we need your help. 999 00:48:39,260 --> 00:48:43,260 We need your help to think rightly about justice, 1000 00:48:43,260 --> 00:48:45,300 to think rightly about death, 1001 00:48:46,180 --> 00:48:49,500 about judgment, about oppression. 1002 00:48:51,860 --> 00:48:54,900 We need you to help convict us of our wrong thinking. 1003 00:48:54,900 --> 00:48:56,980 Especially when we don't understand 1004 00:48:56,980 --> 00:48:59,100 the nature of suffering under the sun. 1005 00:49:01,220 --> 00:49:05,420 God, we especially ask and need you to be our comfort. 1006 00:49:07,140 --> 00:49:10,340 May we not find comfort in our situations 1007 00:49:10,340 --> 00:49:13,940 or our perception of our personal power, influence, 1008 00:49:13,940 --> 00:49:14,780 in anything. 1009 00:49:15,940 --> 00:49:17,740 But may you be our comfort. 1010 00:49:18,540 --> 00:49:21,300 May our hope in Christ be our comfort. 1011 00:49:21,300 --> 00:49:24,540 And for any who doesn't have comfort this morning, 1012 00:49:24,540 --> 00:49:26,660 may they turn to you to find it. 1013 00:49:28,820 --> 00:49:31,660 God, we ask you to help us to be thankful 1014 00:49:31,660 --> 00:49:33,460 for the life that we have. 1015 00:49:34,700 --> 00:49:36,980 Help us to do justice. 1016 00:49:36,980 --> 00:49:39,380 Help us to do righteousness. 1017 00:49:39,380 --> 00:49:41,580 Help us to walk humbly with you. 1018 00:49:43,220 --> 00:49:45,780 We need your grace to better understand 1019 00:49:45,780 --> 00:49:48,860 the harshness of life under the sun. 1020 00:49:48,860 --> 00:49:51,460 But we also need your grace to help us enjoy 1021 00:49:51,460 --> 00:49:53,300 the work that you've given to us. 1022 00:49:55,300 --> 00:49:58,540 Still, may we remember that one day 1023 00:49:58,540 --> 00:50:02,020 you will bring everything into judgment. 1024 00:50:02,020 --> 00:50:04,140 But may we not fear that day. 1025 00:50:05,260 --> 00:50:08,220 May we worship you for ransoming believers 1026 00:50:08,220 --> 00:50:10,660 with the life of Christ. 1027 00:50:10,660 --> 00:50:14,660 The worthiest price paid for the leader of the world. 1028 00:50:14,660 --> 00:50:17,140 May we not be afraid of the world. 1029 00:50:17,140 --> 00:50:20,300 The most price paid for the least worthy of all. 1030 00:50:21,980 --> 00:50:24,940 May we see that to die in Christ 1031 00:50:24,940 --> 00:50:29,100 is to receive abundant life, finally and fully. 1032 00:50:31,260 --> 00:50:35,020 Help us be patient as we wait for your perfect timing. 1033 00:50:36,180 --> 00:50:38,740 That in the fullness of our time, 1034 00:50:38,740 --> 00:50:42,460 you would call us home to be with Jesus, 1035 00:50:42,460 --> 00:50:47,460 the perfect, just and righteous King. 1036 00:50:48,460 --> 00:50:52,660 So we ask you, help to lift our hearts towards you 1037 00:50:53,660 --> 00:50:55,540 as we continue to worship through song 1038 00:50:55,540 --> 00:50:59,100 in the same tradition that David and the sons of Korah 1039 00:50:59,100 --> 00:51:01,780 and Solomon himself worshiped. 1040 00:51:02,660 --> 00:51:04,460 May we continue to worship, 1041 00:51:05,660 --> 00:51:09,860 singing and proclaiming truth unto your great name, 1042 00:51:09,860 --> 00:51:14,540 because you alone are worthy of our praise. 1043 00:51:14,540 --> 00:51:18,940 We pray this in the name and the work of Jesus Christ. 1044 00:51:18,940 --> 00:51:40,740 Amen.