Would you now take your Bibles and open them
to Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes chapter 2. We're
going to look at just three verses today, 24
through 26. And we are returning there after
a few Sundays away from this book. So just to
remind you what we've already seen. Ecclesiastes
chapter 2, we have seen Kohelet, which is the
Hebrew name for teacher or preacher or very literally
the assembler of people. He has been talking
about finding meaning in life and he has gone
through so many different avenues to try and
find such meaning and he's found that there is
so much, as he says, heathel, the word that's
used for vanity in your translations or futility.
He has found that everything is passing. But
what he's going to do for us today is to look
beyond those things, to look to the God who gives
the good gifts. And he's going to tell us to
enjoy those gifts, but to enjoy those gifts responsibly.
And so would you look at this with me, Ecclesiastes
chapter two, 24 through 26. For it reads, there's
nothing better for a person than that he should
eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.
This also I saw is from the hand of God. For
apart from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
For to the one who pleases him, God has given
wisdom and knowledge and joy. But to the sinner,
He has given the business of gathering and collecting
only to give to the one who pleases God. This
also is vanity and a striving after wind. This
is God's word. Let us pray. Father, we give you
thanks and praise for the book of Ecclesiastes,
but certainly as we look at it, we at times don't
understand. And so we need ears to hear and eyes
to see. I pray that you will grant us these things.
Give us discernment and understanding. We pray
now in Christ's name. Amen. He really had it
all when you think about it. He had money. He
had power. He could have had pretty much any
wife that he wanted. When you really think about
it, Moses had everything. And yet we know this
about Moses, that he gave up nearly everything
in order to follow after God. This is the point
of the book of Hebrews, or the point of chapter
11 of Hebrews, 24 to 26. By faith, Moses, when
he was grown up, refused to be called the son
of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be
mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy
the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered
the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the
treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the
reward. Moses forfeits temporary pleasures in
order to please God. And what this text shows
us and what the life of Moses shows us is that
pleasure is not wrong. Pleasure is not wrong,
but ignoring the source of pleasure is. It's
very much like what C .S. Lewis once said, a
famous quote. It would seem that our Lord finds
our desires not too strong, but too weak. We
are half -hearted creatures. fooling about with
drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy
is offered to us like an ignorant child who wants
to go on making mud pies in a slum because he
cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of
a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
Friends, in order to be pleased, in order to
really enjoy God's gifts, we must first enjoy
And that's what we see today in our text. I want
to see it in two different ways. First of all,
we're going to see what God gives to the believer,
and then we're going to see what God gives to
the unbeliever. Verse 24, go ahead and look there.
There are three possible interpretations to,
well, I'm going to combine two of them together.
There's two possible interpretations to verse
24. Let me read it again. There's nothing better
for a person than that he should eat and drink
and find enjoyment in his toil. And so what some
say as they look at this is to say, well, life
is meaningless. So just go ahead and eat and
drink and live it up. Live it up while you can
because it'll soon all be over. That's one interpretation.
I don't believe that it's correct. The correct
view is this. It's not with sarcasm. And it's
not with fatalism, but we are to recognize that
God gives good gifts to be enjoyed in Him. And
I think that you would all agree with me here,
for you're in this place. We are here for a very
good thing. We are worshiping, and we are to
worship the way that God tells us, but we're
also to enjoy the other things of God as He would
have us to do so. And yet, there are two dangers
to this, and I've used this analogy before. You're
on the road. And on one side is a ditch. And
on the other side is another ditch. These are
two dangers, okay, when it comes to our pleasures.
One, this side, we forget the giver and we abuse
the gifts. Meaning we elevate the gifts to a
status that they ought not have. But on the other
side, the other ditch, is that sometimes we forget
how to enjoy life altogether. Friends, you're
not more spiritual because you refuse to smile.
And you're not more spiritual because you refuse
to have a good time. No, this passage right here
commends enjoyment, which is one of the things
I think is wonderful about the book of Ecclesiastes.
I know how you've probably felt about chapters
one and two. I know, I get it, right? But actually
we see over and over again that Solomon within
Ecclesiastes He upholds joy. He tells us how
to have it, right? Firstly, he mentions here
eating and drinking. I think we could see this
as kind of a metaphor for all of joy in life,
right? We should understand that God does want
us to have joy in this life, and he does give
us these good gifts. But sometimes, As Kohelet
is here, we live in a life that is difficult,
that it's very trying, that it weighs us down.
Can we still have joy in the midst of all of
the hardships of this life? I would say absolutely.
I've already referenced Moses. Psalm 90, Moses
speaks about this. For he says in verses 14 and
15, satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast
love that we may rejoice and be glad all of our
days. Make us glad for as many days as you have
afflicted us and for as many years as we have
seen evil. This is Moses's prayer and if you
read the rest of it you would see his prayer
amidst hardship. that he's saying life is tough
but oh Lord please continue to make me joyful.
Help me to enjoy the good gifts that you give.
But sometimes we misplace those things or as
I said we elevate those things to a place that
they ought not be. Have you ever heard of something
called the World Happiness Report? Maybe some
of you saw that. I think it was released this
week, it was very recently, the World Happiness
Report. I wonder what you would guess would be
the happiest countries in the world. I'll tell
you it was Scandinavian countries for the most
part because I think they get to see the northern
lights. But the World Happiness Report, it sounds
like a useful thing until you look at the criteria
for happiness. The World Happiness Report, that
has Finland in the top spot, it points to money.
It points to social factors. It points to the
government. But the World Happiness Report misses
the source of happiness. It misses the source
of all joy. Where does joy really come from?
This text is clear. It comes from God. That's
not the only place. Let me take you to another
thing that Solomon wrote. Proverbs, or no, Solomon
didn't write this one. I'll get to Proverbs later.
Psalm 1, verses 1 and 2. Blessed is the man who
walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands
in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of
scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the
Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Some translations use the word happiness there
instead of blessedness. Either way, we see that
our delight is to be in the Lord. Now why is
that? How is that? Amidst everything that we
go through, can we really have such joy in God?
Absolutely. For one, the word says it. But two,
your joy comes from somebody who doesn't change.
In our lives, circumstances change, and sometimes
that changes our demeanor, who we are, right?
But we can have joy in one who is steadfast.
We can have joy in the immutable God who doesn't
change at all. Therefore, when the storm clouds
roll in, when we have a really bad day or we
go through something very, very difficult, we
can still have joy because it comes from God.
And it is true, God does give us good things,
and sometimes the best things are the most simple
things. The seasons. How many of you are delighting
in springtime, right? The azaleas are blooming
outside, the grass is green, right? It's beautiful.
This is one of God's gifts. Or maybe you're more
like me and you like the cold weather. What about
when the weather turns to autumn and the leaves
change, right? It's sweater weather. What about
the good gift of the smell of coffee in the morning?
What about the taste of a sweet, juicy apple
picked right from the tree? What about when you're
at the beach and the waves are just slowly crashing
against the shore? What about when you're in
the woods by a babbling brook, like a little
small creek we have in the woods behind this
church? Friends, these are God's good gifts.
They are to be enjoyed. And God has made us,
He has designed us for pleasure. Think about
the very garden of Eden and what that must have
been like, truly beautiful. What about the promised
land that God brought his people into, a land
flowing with milk and honey? What about the description
of the new heavens and the new earth? At the
end of Revelation, these all sound just glorious,
don't they? And very pleasing. God is the source
of all of that. But according to our text here,
he's not only the source of joy, he also gives
wisdom and knowledge there in verse 26. For to
the one who pleases him, God has given wisdom
and knowledge and joy. Yes, God is the source
of those things. Proverbs 1 -7, the fear of the
Lord is the beginning of all knowledge. And friends,
this is not something that we just put off till
later. This is not something just for eternity.
This is for something right now. You can have
real joy and real knowledge and real wisdom right
now. But friends, if you do not know God through
Christ, what does God give to you? Look at the
end of verse 26. This is probably a metaphor
for work, for labor, for toil. Those who toil
but don't know God cannot truly enjoy it. And
when it uses the word sinner here, this is quite
literally one who misses the mark. They miss
the purpose of labor. They fail to see that everything
that we do is to be done with God in mind, to
please God. A person who doesn't please God will
not be pleased by God. A person who doesn't please
God will not be pleased by God. And so verse
25 seems to ask this rhetorical question, apart
from him, who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
Can a person have real, true, lasting enjoyment
apart from God? The answer to that is emphatically
no. And friends, life is hard enough as it is.
Don't take God out of the equation. We need the
source of joy. And we need to recognize that
these joys may be given to people, but ultimately
for those who miss the mark, who are sinners,
who don't know God, they will be unable to please
God. And this text even shows us that those pleasures
will be given to those who please God. And so
yes, it is true that we look around and sometimes
we see that There are all kinds of people out
there who do not know Jesus Christ, they don't
know God, they don't submit to Him, they don't
respect Him, they don't honor Him, and it seems
like they're living their best life. But what
is communicated here is that they will not always
live their best life. That those pleasures will
be given to those who do know and please God.
And this isn't merit theology. This is not prosperity
gospel here. You don't earn God's favor. And
there's no guarantee of material blessing. But
we do see this time and time again in Scripture,
actually. If I can take you to another thing
that Solomon said here, Proverbs 13 22, this
illustrates perfectly what I'm saying. A good
man leaves an inheritance to his children's children.
but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.
Or even think about, think about some of the
stories from scripture, the unrighteous versus
the righteous. Think about in the book of Esther,
right? So you've got Mordecai and you've got
Haman, right? And Haman is working to destroy
Mordecai and ultimately the Jews, right? But
God has different plans in store. Haman thinks
that he is working his way up the ladder. He
is soon going to be clothed with the best crown
and the best robe and there's going to be parades
for him and all these things. But actually what
happens according to the book of Esther, those
things that Haman wanted, that he desired are
ultimately going to be placed upon Mordecai,
right? And what does Haman actually get? The
very gallows that he built. It's there in the
stories of Joshua with the Israelites in these
Canaanite cities. The Israelites did not build
these Canaanite cities, but they got to take
them over. Or maybe you remember the parable
of the 10 pounds or the minas in Luke 19. You
remember how there is a There is a master who
goes away for a time and he has servants and
he leaves his money with the servants and says,
do something with them. But when he comes back,
there is one servant who has done nothing with
his. And so he takes that money and he gives
it to the one who has invested much. Friends,
all this to say, don't miss the mark. People
coast through this life. Without thought to God,
without thought to his creation, without thought
to his word, without thought to what he promises,
people go through life convincing themselves
that nothing is wrong. But isn't that one of
the humongous points of Ecclesiastes? Friends,
something is wrong. And pleasures won't fix it.
I think this is accentuated by the very fact
that as you read through the beginning of Ecclesiastes
in chapter one through, in chapter 114 through
about chapter two, verse 23, the very name of
God is absent. But what happens when you get
to 24? You have the name of God there. And then
you see it again in verses 26. You see it twice
in verse 26. Kohelet Solomon here is being reminded
that God is the one to be enjoyed and he is the
one who gives the gifts. Friends, God doesn't
want you to find your meaning in stuff. He doesn't.
Daniel Gibson says this, endless enjoyment does
not come in the box with your iPhone. If it did,
why have you been considering that upgrade? That's
a good question. Enjoyment is not automatically
part of sex, and it's not the key ring to your
dream house. It doesn't ride with you on the
passenger seat in your new car. We all know what
it's like to have tasted the best life has to
offer and still to be left wondering what comes
next. Recently, my children have turned me on
to a really good song. It's by an artist, a contemporary
artist named Josiah Queen, and his song is called
Dusty Bibles. He says this, we got dust on our
Bibles, brand new iPhones, no wonder why we feel
this way. We walk with our eyes closed, blind
leading blind folks, and I'm done with these
idols in Dusty Bibles. Friends, are you done
with idols? Are you done with elevating the pleasures
of this life above God? We live in a culture
that is just governed by pleasure. We live in
a culture that says live your best life while
we ignore the one who gives us life. We all know
this, I know it repeated a lot. Westminster Shorter
Catechism number one. Man's chief end is to glorify
God and to enjoy Him forever. We are to enjoy
Him. Do you enjoy God? Do you ever just sit in
quiet and ponder upon who God is? Philosopher
Blaise Pascal once said, all of humanity's problems
stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a
room. We want to be constantly bombarded with
pleasures and entertainment. And if I can show
you how this has been in my own life. Many of
you know I love music. If you ask me on a random
Tuesday, what are you thinking about? There's
probably a song going through my head and I'm
thinking about the lyrics. For many years I would
have music on nearly 24 -7. I would go to bed
listening to music and I would sometimes leave
it on all night and wake up to it. But somewhere
in there I realized it was crowding out prayer.
It was crowding out Bible study and Bible reading.
It was crowding out service to others. And I
had to learn to turn it off. And I wonder, in
your life, is there something that you just need
to turn off? Is there something that you just
need to put it away? And so ask these questions
about yourself and about your pleasures. Do your
pleasures come from God? Music, as I said, it's
not a bad thing, but there need to be restrictions
on these things, right? So, do your pleasures,
secondly, help you enjoy God more? And thirdly,
are your pleasures replacing family, church,
work, service, or your walk with Jesus? Friends,
our pleasures, they can be good things, but there
need to be limits on how we enjoy them. Sex,
for instance, is, as we know, to be enjoyed simply
within the confines of biblical marriage between
man and woman who love Jesus. There are limits
to this. Food. Food is to be enjoyed. We even
have a term for this, foodies. It's to be enjoyed,
but with self -control. Gluttony is sinful. We
ought to avoid overindulgence out of control,
eating, drink. Solomon has already talked about
this earlier in Chapter two about trying to find
enjoyment in meeting in life simply in strong
drink. Friends, he doesn't say that drinking
is wrong, but he certainly says it is wrong to
be drunk or to find your meaning in this. And
Paul affirms this later in the scriptures. All
that to say, you could probably do this with
any of these pleasures. They are to be enjoyed
the way God would have us to enjoy them. One
more example for you as I begin to close, and
I think this is a good example. We return to
Eden. We see this over and over again in Ecclesiastes,
this return to Genesis. In Eden, Adam and Eve,
they had it all. Really, they did. Even more
than Moses has, as I've already referenced him.
They had it all, including God himself, but unrestrained
pleasure led to the fall. Eve looked at that
fruit, she saw that it was a delight to the eyes,
and she decided her pleasure and the possibility
of what it might bring was more important to
her than obedience. And we can say the same thing
for Adam. Friends, the pleasures we enjoy should
lead us closer to God, not in rebellion. against
him. Can I give you one more concluding thought?
Would you like to know what Jesus's joy is? Hebrews
chapter 12, one and two. Therefore, since we
are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight and sin which
clings so closely And let us run with endurance
the race that is set before us looking to Jesus,
the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame and is seated at the right
hand of the throne of God. What is Jesus's joy?
It's accomplishing the Father's will to secure
redemption Jesus's joy is in his father and Jesus's
joy is in you and friends there is no vanity
no heathel in that because this what Jesus offers
for us is eternal let us pray