ECCLESIASTES 3:16-22

Ecclesiates 3:16-22 is definitely something to think on.  I am going to post all of it because I want it to sink in to your heart.  We can see our day even in Ecclesiastes.  A reminder that there is 'nothing new under the sun'.

6 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Solomon looked under the sun and in the 'place of judgement' there was wickedness and even in the 'place of righteousness' he saw iniquity.  Wickedness and iniquity in places that should represent justice and holiness. How disappointing! Not only disappointing for Solomon to see, but disappointing to know that this is also the case in our own day.  We must never forget that God is watching.  He sees it all and one day he will righteously judge every man's works.

How many times as a Child of God have you said in your heart about a friend, a loved one, or just people in the world, 'Lord, show them that they can see what they are doing.  Open their eyes to see the truth. Solomon did that too.  It is recorded in verse eighteen. Our heart's without God are wicked. Solomon compares the sons of men to beasts and goes on to explain that just like the beast, we all end the same, with death. So, from an 'under the sun' view man is no different than the beast of the field.  But we know from God's word that our spirit man does not end with death. 'Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.  Wherefore we labor, that to be present or absent, we may be accepted of him.' (2 Corinthians 5:6-9) 

I love how the Bible Study, Ecclesiastes Wisdom for Living Well, concludes this lesson.  "Little girls dream of prince charming whisking them away, on a white horse, to live happily ever after. Dreams do come true!"  We read about it in Revelation 19:

11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.

13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King Of Kings, And Lord Of Lords.

ECCLESIASTES 2:12-26

Solomon is troubled in his spirit in these verses because he finds that even though it is better to be wise than foolish, in the end the wise and the foolish die. In verse 16, he is seems distraught at the thought of not being remembered. After all, he has built, labored, and known, he doesn't want to be forgotten. The truth, no matter how great you may be in this life, after a few generations, we will all be forgotten. In most cases, no matter what was gained in our lifespan, will soon be gone after being divided among heirs on down the road. There may be things recorded in history books or even memorials made, but after those are gone who really knew us, the real 'us' will no longer be remembered. 

After allowing those thoughts to trouble him, Solomon decides in verse 18 that he hated all the labor he had taken 'under the sun.' Not only is it all temporary, but he can't even take it with him. We read in the Bible that the pleasures of sin last but for a season. In Ecclesiastes we find that the pleasures (things that in and of themselves are not sin) found in this world only last a season as well.

Finally, in verses 24-26, we see Solomon begin to look ABOVE the sun.

“There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” 

Love that glimmer of hope. Perspective is introduced here.

"It is the simple things. Eating, drinking, and working, those come from the hand of God. These are good things. These are daily mercies that should bring us pleasure. We do not go chasing every rainbow! We can come around the dinner table with family or friends and be refreshed. We can relax in the evening after a hard day of honest work and be content. Enjoyment comes from the hand of God." - Ecclesiastes Wisdom for Living Well

ECCLESIASTES 2:1-11

The thing that stood out to me right off in verses 1-11, was how many times Solomon uses 'I', 'my', and 'me'. I counted the word 'I' twenty times in verses 1-11 alone. He turned to himself. His own thoughts and abilities. He didn't try to learn from someone else's walk. It seems like learning from his Dad, David, would have been a great start. He didn't look to the Lord for direction. He searched for fulfillment on his own. He tried to find fulfillment in mirth, laughter, wine, folly, works, wisdom, labor, houses, vineyards, orchards, pools, having servants and maidens, cattle, silver, gold, singers, and instruments. Solomon was 'great, and increased more than all that were before' him in Jerusalem. (vs 9) Verse 10 says, 'And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my labor.' After looking at all the works of his own hands, he was still empty and concluded that 'there was no profit under the sun.' (vs 11)

Take some time to write down on a piece of paper the things that fill your life. Look over it really good and then think on it throughout the day. Have you found fulfillment in those things alone? In your quiet moments of reflection, do you still feel empty? If God is not our foundation, everything else is useless. We were not made to just find pleasure in the gifts God gives us, but rather in the giver of the gifts.

ECCLESIASTES 1

The Hebrew word for vanity is 'hebel', which means emptiness. I pulled out my Webster dictionary and also found the following meanings: want of substance to satisfy desire; uncertainty; fruitless endeavor, vain pursuit. Solomon starts in verse 2 with 'Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.' Not exactly what you want to hear about the efforts you may be putting forth in life, right? 

The next phrase of interest in this book comes at the end of verse 3, 'under the sun'. The author of the Bible Study I am reading notes that the phrase is used 29 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. That is a lot of repetition. It has to be a very important point. Solomon is giving perspective on the location of everything that is meaningless, everything that has left him empty. I can envision him standing face to face with us, hands on our shoulders, direct eye contact, doing his best to make sure we get it. 'I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.' (vs 14) Solomon is saying that he has found that everything under the sun leaves him empty and troubles his spirit.

We know from learning about Solomon that he was the wisest that has ever been. In verses 16-18 we learn that is wasn't just Godly wisdom, it was also man's knowledge. He was a very educated man. Wisdom in itself proved to only be troubling to his spirit as well. 'The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.' (vs 8) Everything that is accomplished(honor, reputation), gained(riches, power), or learned(knowledge, man's wisdom) 'under the sun' will never be enough. Fleshly desires accomplished leave you wanting more, never satisfied. 

This first chapter is the introduction of the truth that our purpose in life, our hope, our direction, our happiness, fulfillment will not be found looking below the sun.

ECCLESIASTES- What is your story?

Our lives tell a story, our story. Solomon's story begins with his parents, David and Bathsheba. After losing a son because of sin, David found a place of repentance. David and Bathsheba conceived another child after that child's death. His name was Solomon. 2 Samuel 12:24 says ...'he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him.' Solomon means Shalom in Hebrew, which means peace. David had found peace with God.

Our stories may include bad choices, wrong directions, hurt, death, etc. Those things do not have to be the end of your story. You can find peace through Jesus Christ and your story can change. He makes all things new.

In the first 2 chapters of 1 Kings, we read about Solomon being anointed King. Some of David's last words to Solomon: 

'I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man; keep charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his commandments, and his judgements, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:' -1 Kings 2:2-3

After David died, the Lord visited Solomon in a dream saying 'Ask what I shall give thee.'   (1 Kings 3:5) Solomon tells the Lord he is still a child and has no idea how to rule God's people. So he asks the Lord for an understanding heart to judge the people. What do you think you would have asked for at a young age?

God was pleased and added even more blessings to Solomon's request. Solomon became the greatest. He had it all. He built the temple in Jerusalem which ended up being God's dwelling place among his people for 400 years. His time of reign was full of peace, prosperity, and security. People came from all over to hear his wisdom.

After all of the greatness, Solomon still fell short when it came to wealth and women. He was still flesh, human, we all fall short. Deuteronomy 17 holds laws for the king. Verse 16 gives commands for not multiplying horses to himself or cause the people to return to Egypt because he had said not to go that way any more. Verse 17 tells him not to multiply wives, so that his heart is not turned away, and not to multiply silver and gold to himself. 1 Kings 10:25-28 tells us of the splendor of Solomon. Verse 27 tells us that silver was like stones in Jerusalem. Then we read in 1 Kings 11:3 that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. The temptation proved to be to great and his heart turned away from the Lord (1 Kings 11:9). He ended up going after other gods. As a result, Israel would be divided after Solomon's death.

This gives us a look at Solomon's story. What is your story?

It is believed that Ecclesiastes was written toward the end of Solomon's reign. A time of reflection on all of his accomplishments and failures and what he learned from it all. Staring Monday, we will soak in his reflection recorded in Ecclesiastes and hide it in our hearts for our own journey.