Ecclesiastes 6: Is Life a Dead End Street

Ecclesiastes 6: Is Life a Dead End Street

●     Overview.

○      In this chapter, Solomon shows that having the right attitude about God can help us deal with the present injustices of this world.   Prosperity is not always good if we live to how we want, but if we live according to God’s will, we can be content.

○      Futility is defined as pointlessness or uselessness.

■      Solomon states futility as “vanity of vanities” and “chasing after the wind”.

■      Some sayings that we have heard that refer to futility are: “As futile  as”

●     “watering a post”, “plowing rocks”, “singing a song to a dead horse”, and “carrying water in a sieve”

○      Solomon will look at 3 of life’s mysteries: riches without enjoyment, labor without satisfaction, and questions without answers.

●     Verses.

○      Verses 6:1-6      Riches without Enjoyment

■      In verse 2, Solomon writes, “God does not enable him to enjoy them” probably suggests that this person has died.   Even if he had lived a long life, it is ultimately meaningless in itself because all that he has accumulated is left behind.   Everyone dies, both the rich and poor end up in the grave.   Many work hard to prolong life and improve their physical condition.   Yet, people don’t spend nearly as much time or effort on their spiritual health.   How short-sighted it is work hard to extend one’s life and to not take the steps God requires us to gain eternal life.

●     This verse could easily point to Solomon, which would make it more meaningful.   God did bless him with riches, wealth, and honor.   (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)

●     This could also be someone Solomon knew as well.

■      What a tragedy it is to have all the resources for a satisfying life and to not be able to enjoy them.   How many people have worked hard for their retirement to live comfortably, only to be left with a life threatening health issue?   Some seek peace in their retirement, but to only have it shaken by a family crisis.   Why do such things happen in life?   (Ecclesiastes 5:19, Ecclesiastes 3:13)

■      Solomon states a basic principle of life: Nobody can truly enjoy the gifts of God apart from the God who gives the gifts.   To enjoy these gifts without God is idolatry, which does not satisfy the human heart.   Enjoyment without God is entertainment.   Enjoyment with God in our life is enrichment, which brings true joy and satisfaction.

■      What prevents a person from enjoying life?   Could it be trouble at the home, an illness, or a death?   The person described in verse 2 had no heir, a complete stranger could acquire his wealth and enjoy it.   This seemed futile to Solomon.   (Proverbs 15:16-17, Proverbs 17:1)

■      Solomon writes, “Enjoy blessings of God now and thank him for all of them.   This could be restated as, “Don’t plan to live - start living.   Be satisfied with what God gives you and use it all for His glory.

■      Verses 3 through 6 deal with a hypothetical situation, since no one can live 2000 years and no monogamous marriage is likely to produce 100 children.   Solomon was exaggerating to make his point: No matter how much you possess, if you don’t have the power to enjoy it, you just as well had never been born.

●      Solomon’s son Rehoboam had 88 children through 18 wives and 60 concubines.   (2 Chronicles 11:18-21)

■      Here is a man with abundant resources and a large family, both would had indicated God’s favor in the Old Testament.   The problem is his family does not love him as indicated from the lack of mourning upon his death.   His relatives only stay around because of his money and they wondered when the old man would die.   (Ecclesiastes 5:11)   When he did finally die, his relatives would be eager to hear the reading of his will.

■      The rich mas was really poor in the things of life.   He may have had an illness, he did not enjoy his money, and the lack of love from his family.   They did not weep when he died.   Solomon concludes it would had been better for this man to not have been born.

■      During Jewish times, a stillborn baby was not always given a name.   This was thought to help the parents get over the sorrow much faster.   We often question God on how He could let this happen if the baby would not live.   Solomon questions God, if the rich man was blessed with wealth and a big family, why wouldn’t He allow the rich man to enjoy them.

■      In verse 6, “all go to the same place” means that everyone dies.

■      Some argue that existence is better than non-existence, a difficult life is better than none at all.    Solomon might agree with them based upon his conclusion later.   (Ecclesiastes 9:4)   Solomon faced the problem of whether there is any purpose behind the whole unseemingly unbalanced scheme of things rather than existence or life’s challenges.   He stated he “examined life under the sun”, he sees there is no reason for a man not to have the power to enjoy the riches he was given.

■      The ability to enjoy life comes from within.   IT is a matter of character and not circumstances.   (Philippians 4:10-14)

■      The 2000 year old man and the stillborn child faced the same destination - the grave.   Here, Solomon confronts the listener to the certainty of death and the futility of life without God.   He was preparing them for his final conclusion.   (Ecclesiastes 11:9-12:14).

○      Verses 6:7-9      Labor without Satisfaction

■      After speaking about the rich man, Solomon now looks at the poor man.   Whether rich or poor, people still labor to stay alive.   We must either earn money to buy food or we must be able to produce food.   The rich man can use his money while the poor man labors for food to feed his family.   Even after all his labor, the appetite of neither man was satisfied.

■      Why does a person eat?  So that he can add years to his life.   What good is it for us to add years to our life if we don’t add life to our years?   We are like the birds we can watch in our backyards.   They spend their waking hours either looking for food or escaping enemies.   The birds are not really living, but, only existing.   Yet the bird fulfills the purpose for which the Creator made them - and they sing about it.      

■      Solomon is not saying that it is wrong to either work or eat.  Most people enjoy doing both.   If life only consists in working and eating, people are being controlled by their own appetites.   We are then put on the same level as animals then, our nature turns to self-preservation as the first law of life.   We are made in the image of God and we must live for something higher.   John 12:20-28, Mark 8:34-38, 2 Corinthians 5:17)

■      Both questions being asked in verse 8 can be answered by saying “None.”     If all we live to do is satisfy our appetites, the wise man has no advantage over the fool and the poor man has no advantage trying to better his situation and learning to get along with the rich.   Solomon is not belittling education or self-improvement, he is saying that these things of themselves cannot make you richer.   We must have something greater for which to live.

■      Henry David Thoreau warned men were “devising means to unimproved ends.”   What can he say about today’s culture?

●     We can send messages around the world in seconds, but do we have anything significant to say?

●     We can transmit pictures from the moon, but our TV screens are stained with violence, cheap advertising, and sex.

■      In verse 9, “the roving of the appetite” refers to wasting time dreaming and wishing for what one doesn’t have.

●     This verse is similar to say ‘A bird in the hand is worth 2 in a bush.” The Greek biographer Plutarch wrote, “He is a fool who lets slip a bird in the hand for a bird in the bush.”   Solomon is stating, ‘It’s better to have a little and really enjoy it than to dream about much and never attain it.”   Dreams can become a nightmare if we don’t come to the grips of reality.

●     Solomon is not stating that it is wrong to dream great dreams or to have a burning ambitions to accomplish something in life.   We need to make sure our motivation be to the glory of God and not the praises of men.   We must want to serve others and not promote ourselves.   Our achievements will not bring us true satisfaction unless we do the will of God from the heart.   (Ephesians 6:5-8, John 4:34)

○      Verses 6:10-12      Questions without Answers

■      So far in Chapter 6, Solomon sees life is a dead end street for 2 kinds of people: those who have riches without enjoyment and those who labor without satisfaction.   He has tried to show that true happiness is not an automatic result of making a good living, it is blessed by the by-product of making a good life.   You should not devote your life only to the pursuit of happiness, which can make you feel miserable; however, if you devote your life to doing God’s will, you will find happiness.

●     In Jesus Christ we can find: something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.   These are the grand essentials to happiness in one’s lives.

■      Solomon looks at a third person who is living a dead-end life: the person who requires answers to all of life’s questions.   Solomon is not condemning honest inquiry as Ecclesiastes is Solomon’s own record of his investigation into the meaning of life.  Solomon is stating there are some questions about life that we cannot answer.   We should not be using ignorance as an excuse for skepticism or unbelief.   Instead, our ignorance should encourage us to have faith and trust God.   We do not live on explanations, we live on promises.

●     Most explanations don’t solve problems or make people feel better.

○      Explaining an X-Ray to a patient does not bring healing, but it is an essential step toward recovery.

○      Job’s sufferings from God caused Job to argue with God and he also demanded an explanation, which did not provide his healing.   This illustrates that knowledge in hand does not guarantee the healing of the heart.   This healing only comes when we put faith in the promises of God.

■      In verse 10, we learn that God knows and directs everything that happens; He is in complete control of our lives even though at times it may not seem like it.   How foolish is it to contend with our Creator, who knows us completely and who can see the future.   (Jeremiah 18:5-10, Romans 9:14-24)

■      In verse 12, Solomon is stating the profound truth that we cannot predict what the future holds, the only one who knows what will happen after we are gone is God.   No human knows the future, so each day must be lived for its own value.   Solomon is arguing against the notion that human beings can take charge of their own destiny.   In all our plans, we should look up to God, not just ahead to the future.

■      Solomon touches upon 5 questions that people often ask.

●     (1)   Since “What’s going to be is going to be, why bother to make decisions?   Isn’t it predestined anyways?”   (Verse 6)

○      In the Jewish culture, giving a name to something was the same as fixing its character and stating.  From the beginning of creation, God has named things, names which have not changed over time.   (Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:19, Isaiah 5:20).

○      The fact that God has named everything doesn’t mean that we live in a prison, and we have no freedom to act.   God can accomplish his purpose without us and our cooperation.   We cooperate with God by accepting his names.   We lose touch with reality if we try to alter these things: sin is sin, truth is truth, and obedience is obedience.   This is the tendency of our culture today.

○      We are free to make choices, but those choices contain consequences that we cannot change.   If we chose the world’s illusions, we start living on substitutes, which do not provide true satisfaction.   (John 17:3, I John 5:20)

●     (2)   “Why disagree with God?   We can’t oppose Him and win, can we?”

○      Solomon appears to be saying in verse 10b, it doesn’t pay to fight or argue with God.   This is the way of life, so just accept it and let God have his own way.   You can’t win if you think you can win because you ultimately lose.

○      This is a negative view of God’s will.   This make it appear as God’s will is difficult and a painful thing that should be avoided.   What God wills for us, is best for us.  The will of God comes from the heart of God and it is an expression of God’s love.   (John 4:32-34, Psalm 33:11)

○      Why would anyone want to have his or her own way just for exercising freedom?   Insistency on your own way is not freedom, but eventually leads to bondage.   (Romans 1:24-28)

○      God is free to act as He sees best.   God is not a prisoner to his own attributes, His creation, or His eternal purposes.   We may not understand how God exercises His freedom, and it is not necessary for us to know all.   Our greatest freedom comes when we are lovingly lost in the will of God.   So long as we love God and want to please Him, God does not feel threatened when we question Him, debate Him, or even wrestle with him.

●     (3)   What do we accomplish with these words?   Does talking about it solve the problem?

○      In verse 11, it appears the more we discuss a subject, the less we really understand it.   Words do not always bring light, they can also cloud the issue.   This is where we need the Word of God and the wisdom He only can give us.   There are times where a discussion appears useless and produces “vanity”, but there are also other times where a conversation leads us closer to the truth of the Lord.

●     (4)   Who knows what is good for us?

○      In verse 12, Solomon states God does.   The wise person is the one who takes the time to listen to what God has to say.   Yes, life may seem to be fleeting on illusively like a soap bubble or a shadow, but God provides the answers.   (I John 2:15-17)

●     (5)   Does anybody know what's coming next?

○      In spite of what astrologers, fortune tellers, and prophets claim, nobody knows the future except God.   It is futile to speculate.   God gives us enough information to encourage us, but God does not cater to our curiosity.   One thing is sure: Death is coming and we need to make the best of our opportunities.

○      Life is God’s gift to us.   In order to live a life that is not worth living, a life of monotony, or the futility of wealth; all of which are life under the sun, we need to include God in our lives.    

●     Conclusion.

○      Is life a dead end street?   It may seem so at times.  There are times we don’t reach the goals we have set and times when we do not feel fulfilled when we do achieve a goal.

■      Men in the Bible who came discouraged with life:

●     Moses - Numbers 11:10-15

●     Elijah - 1 Kings 19:1-4

●     Job - Job 3:11-26, Job 7:11-16

●     Jeremiah - Jeremiah 15:10

●     Jonah- Jonah 4:1-3

●     Apostle Paul - 2 Corinthians 8-11

○      Our biggest problem in life is that we face many mysteries we cannot fathom or too many puzzles that we are unable to solve.   To be satisfied in life, it needs to make sense.   We get frustrated when life does not make sense.   People begin to question God and wonder if life is worthwhile if they go through deep suffering and they don’t see a purpose in their life.

○      There can be riches in enjoyment and labor with satisfaction in God’s will.   We need to accept God’s plan for our lives, receive his gifts gratefully, and to enjoy each day as He enables us.   (Psalm 16:11)

Ecclesiastes 5: Stop, Thief

●     Overview.

○      In this chapter, King Solomon shares his vast knowledge of money.   Much of this wisdom is also shared in the Book of Proverbs.   He also looks beyond the subject of money and he deals with the values of life, the things that really count.   There is more ways to be rich in life, and there are many ways to be poor.   In this chapter, Solomon issues 3 warnings.

●     Verses.

○      Verses 5:1-7       Don’t Rob the LORD

■      After Solomon’s visits to the courtyard, the marketplace, the highway, and the palace; he next visits the temple, the magnificent building whose construction he supervised.   Solomon observes the worshipers praising GOD, praying, sacrificing, and making vows.   He noticed many who were not sincere in the worship and leaving in a worsened spiritual condition than when they entered the temple.   He noticed these people were robbing GOD of the reverence and honor that were due because of the insecure and hypocritical worship they offered.

■      In verse 1, “Guard your step/Keep thy foot” means “be careful/watch your step”.   When you enter the house of GOD, we should have the attitude of being open and ready to listen to GOD, not to dictate to him what we think he should do.

●     During Solomon’s time, GOD dwelt in the temple.   As believers we should still worship with this attitude, as if GOD’s glorious presence existed as in the Temple.

●     Harboring unconfessed sin in public worship is to ask for GOD to rebuke his judgment.     (Isaiah 1:10-20, Amos 5, Psalm 50).

●     Because Jesus has fulfilled all the sacrifices in his death on the cross, people no longer have to offer animal sacrifices to the LORD as in the Old Testament.   Instead, we offer spiritual sacrifices: our bodies (Romans 12:1-2), people won to the Savior (Romans 15:16), money (Philemon 4-18), praise and good works (Hebrews 13:15-16), a broken heart (Psalm 51:17), and our prayers of faith (Psalm 141:1-2).

■      The most important part to worship is to be more ready to hear and to obey the Word of GOD.   Sacrifices are not a substitute for obedience (I Samuel 15:12-23).   Only a fool thinks he can deceive GOD with an offering without obedient faith.   

■       In verses 2 and 3, Solomon looks at careless praying.   Prayer is a serious business, similar to marriage, where it should be entered soberly, not lightly or carelessly, but in fear of GOD.

●     How many preparations would we made if we were to appear before the White House?   We would prepare our words carefully and we would exhibit a proper behavior.   How much more important is it when we appear before GOD in prayer.

●     Solomon warns about hasty and too many words in our prayers.  

●     We should prepare our hearts to help our make our prayers acceptable, because the mouth speaks what the heart contains.   (Matthew 12:34-37).   If we pray only to impress people, we will not get through to GOD.

●     John Bunyan, author of “Pilgrim’s Progress” stated: “In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.”

●     Verse 3 is an analogy or comparison.   Just as many dreams show that this person sleeping is a hard worker, so many words show that the person praying is a fool.   (Proverbs 29:20)

●     Charles Spurgeon said “It is not the length of our prayers, but the strength our prayers makes that differs.”

■      In verses 4 through 7, Solomon looks at making vows to the LORD.

●     GOD does not require his people to make vows in order to be accepted, but GOD gave the opportunities for them to express their devotion if they felt led to.   (Numbers 30, Deuteronomy 23:21-23, Acts 18:18)

●     Solomon warns us about making foolish vows or promises to GOD.   In the Israelite culture, making vows was a serious matter.   Vows were voluntary, but once made, they were unbreakable. (Deuteronomy 23:21-23)   It is foolish to make a vow you cannot keep or to play games with    GOD by only partially fulfilling your vows.   (Proverbs 20:25)   It is better to not vow than to make a vow to GOD and break it.   It is better still to make a vow and keep it.

○      Solomon warns about 2 sins: the first was making a vow with no intentions of keeping it and the second sin was making the vow but delaying to keep it - hoping you could get out of it or lying to GOD.  When the priest (angel = messenger) comes to collect the sacrifice or gift, the person would ask that the vow would be forgotten.

●     GOD holds us accountable for what we say and promise.   GOD can dismiss a vow.   If the providence prevents us from fulfilling a vow, GOD can release us.   If we make a vow to impress others, GOD can make us pay for our careless words.

●     People can make an empty vow because they live in a religious dream world, they think that words are the same as deeds as mentioned in verse 7.   Their worship is not dependable, so their words are not dependable.   They enjoy the good feelings that come when promises to GOD, but these do more harm than good.   They dream about fulfilling their vows, but they never get around to it.   They practice make-believe religion that does not glorify GOD or builds Christian character.   (Psalm 66:13-14, John 4:24)

○      Verses 5:8-9      Don’t Rob Others

■      Solomon next travels to City Hall where he once again witnesses corrupt politicians oppressing the poor.   The government officials violated the law by using their authority to help themselves and to not serve others.   (Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 24:17).

■      Solomon, remarkably, was not surprised by any of what he saw.   He did not approve of their unlawful practices, but he knew enough about the human heart and how it could interfere in the complicated bureaucracy of Israel.

■      Matters of the poor were tied up in the red tape of bureaucracy.   The various officials pocketed the money that should have gone to the innocent poor man.

■      Solomon concludes it is better to have an organized government with a king, even though it could be corrupted, than to have an anarchy.   A few dishonest people may profit from corrupt practices, but everybody benefits from an organized authority.

●     The idea is to have a government that is both honest and efficient, but with man’s heart being what it is, the temptation to dishonest gain will always be there.

●     Lord Anton wrote to Bishop Mandell Creighton in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

○      Verses 5:10-20  Don’t Rob Yourself

■      Here Solomon demolishes the several myths that people hold about wealth.   Because people can hold to these illusions, they rob themselves of the blessings GOD has for them.

●     Wealth brings satisfaction.   (Verse 10)

○      Some people treat money as a god: they love it, make sacrifices for it, and they think it can do anything.   These thoughts can fill their minds, their lives are controlled by getting it and guarding it, and they experience a sense of security.

○      The person who loves money is never satisfied.   (Luke 12:15)

■      This person first loves money and then he next loves more money.   This begins the disappointing pursuit that can lead to other problems.   (I Timothy 6:10)

●     Money solves every problem.   (Verse 11)

○      Money is needed in this world to live.   The thing to remember is that money is not a “cure-all” for every problem.   Solomon observed that once a person acquires wealth, relatives and friends start showing up to enjoy the wealth, only to find it slowly eaten up.

○      John Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist Church stated - “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”

●     Wealth brings peace of mind.   (Verse 12)

○      Joe Louis the boxer said - “I don’t like money actually, but it quiets my nerves.”

○      Solomon concludes that possessing wealth is no guarantee that your nerves will be calmed and your sleep will be sound.   Solomon concludes the common laborer sleeps better than the rich man.

○      John Rockefeller, at the age of 53, was the world’s only billionaire, earning about a million dollars a week.   Even though he was a sick man who craved crackers and milk, he could not sleep because of his worry.   When he started to give his money away, his health changed drastically and he lived to celebrate his 98th birthday.

○      It is good to have the things that money can buy provided you don’t lose the things money can’t buy.

●     Wealth provides security.   (Verse 13 - 17)

○      These verses paint a picture of 2 rich men.

○      The first man who hoards all of his wealth and ruined himself by becoming a miser.

○      The other man made sound investments, he lost his wealth and he went right back to where he started from, and he had no estate to leave to his son.   He spent the rest of his days in the darkness of discouragement and defeat.   Thus he did not enjoy life.  Like us, he brought nothing into this life and he took nothing out of this world at his death.   (Job 1:21, Psalm 49:17, I Timothy 6:7)

○      The Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:113-21).

■      This man thought all of his problems disappeared when he became rich.   He was immediately faced with the problem of providing bigger barns for his wealth (profits).   He thought he would be safe and secure for many years, but he died that very moment.   His money provided no security at all.

○      Solomon was not advocating poverty or riches, because they both have their problems.   (Proverbs 30:7-9)

■      In verses 10 and 11, we always want more than we have.   Solomon observed that those who have money and seek it obsessively never find the happiness it promises.   Wealth also attracts freeloaders and thieves, causes selfishness and fear, and ultimately ends in loss because it must be left behind.   (Mark 10:23-25, Luke 12:16-21)   No matter how much we learn, if you try to create happiness by accumulating wealth, you will never have enough.   Money in itself is not wrong, but loving money leads to all sorts of sin.  Whatever financial situation we are in, don’t depend upon money to make you happy.   Instead use what you have left for the LORD.

■      Solomon warns against the love of money and the delusion that wealth can bring.   We need to accept our station in life and enjoying the blessings that GOD gives to us.   The thing that is good and fitting is to labor faithfully, enjoy the good things of life, and to accept it all as the gracious gift of GOD.   (Ecclesiastes 2:24, 3:12-13, 3:22)

■      There are 3 ways to gain wealth: we can work for it, we can steal it, or we can receive it as a gift.   (Ephesians 4:28)   Solomon sees the blessings of life as GOD’s gift to those who work hard and who accept work as a favor to GOD.  

■      Solomon also concludes that the ability to enjoy life's blessings is also a gift from GOD.   Solomon expands upon this thought in Chapter 6.   The unhappiness of people who possesses wealth, but are not able to enjoy it.   We can thank GOD for the food we eat, but we should also thank him for the taste buds which allow us to enjoy flavors and a healthy digestive system that functions properly.

■      In verses 19 and 20, God wants us to view what we have, whether it is much or little, with the right perspective, as our possessions are a gift from GOD.   Although our possessions are not our source of joy, they are a reason to rejoice since every good thing comes from GOD.   We should focus more on the giver then the gift.   We can be content with what we have when we realize that with GOD we have everything we need.

■      Verse 20 suggests that the person who rejoices in GOD’s daily blessings will never have regrets.   The time to start storing happy memories is now.   (Psalm 90:12)

●     This verse also could suggest that the believer who gratefully accepts GOD’s gifts today may not fret to worry about how long they will live.

●     The people who have the most birthdays live the longest, but those who complain about birthdays will have very little to enjoy

●     Taking each day as it comes and using it to serve the LORD.

●     Conclusion.

○      Do we truly know the fear of the LORD when we approach him in our prayers?

○      Solomon concludes his discussion of the futility of wealth in happiness in Chapter 6.   (Matthew 6:33).

○      The important thing in life is to love the LORD, accept the lot he assigns us, and to enjoy the blessings he graciously bestows upon us.

○      Idolatry - Focusing on the gifts instead of the giver.

■      If we accept GOD’s gifts but we complain about them, we are guilty of ingratitude.

■      If we hoard GOD’s gifts and not share them with others, we are guilty of indulgence.

■      If we yield to GOD’s will and use what he gives us for his glory, then we can enjoy life and be satisfied.