The Book of Ecclesiastes - Part 5

Well, greetings again, brethren. Happy to see you. I want us to continue where we were in Ecclesiastes. Just pick right up. We have been examining the section in 3.16 through 4.16, where there are a lot of problems in this life. And with these problems comes questions about the sovereignty of God. And is He really guiding and directing what's happening if we see these terrible problems that are going on? It is a difficulty. And that's what this book is doing. It's a very important book. I mentioned it's a very deeply philosophical book. And it's wrestling with these hard questions that all of us deal with. Now, in the next section here, we're going to look at some new thoughts. Actually, it's quite a new way that the situation is dealt with in the book. If I can get my way over there. I've accidentally turned away from it in just a moment.

So I can find it again. Tucked away here after Proverbs.

If we... We've been following along, and a lot of what He's said is indirect. Like in the last section, you might recall that there were solutions that were implicit in the questions. You might remember one of the problems was these people are suffering these injustices and oppression, but there is no comforter. They have no comforter. And it's even repeated twice. They have no comforter. Well, clearly, the solution to that problem is that they have a comforter. They need a comforter. And there is one, brethren. God Almighty is that comforter, but people are cut off from God. But if they can bridge that gap and make contact and have a relationship with their Creator, then that comforter will be available to them. And He's available to all of us. And so the solution is implicit in what's written. And there's a few places we saw that in the last section, but there were really no direct commands of what we need to do. But that changes when we get here to chapter 5. In chapter 5 is the first time we're actually given directives about what to do. And I want to continue with that. He directly addresses the audience with several exhortations. By the way, I've titled this part of the section, verses 1 through 7, properly approaching God, starting with cautions about coming before God.

As has been pointed to already, the answers to the problems of the human condition lie with Him. But the Creator and Ruler of the universe must be treated with humble reverence and submission. So let's look at verses 1 through 7 in Ecclesiastes 5. It says, Walk prudently when you go to the house of God, and draw near to hear, rather than give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, let not your heart utter anything hastily before God, for God is in heaven, and you on earth, therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool's voice is known by His many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it, for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vowed better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error.

Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words, there's also vanity, but fear God. So it's a lot in this little section. By the way, this is why this is taking so long to go through this book. We read seven verses. Wow! Those seven verses say an enormous amount of stuff, and there's a lot to think about in just what was there. So let's go through this a little bit. The Tyndale commentary states about where we've been already that earth's vanity has been recognized. That was in chapters one and two, but then considered in the light of the life that God gives. That was at the end of chapter two.

And the assurance of his sovereignty, and that was the poems of the times of life, and going into the fact that God's in control of that in chapter three. Injustice, which we saw at the end of chapter three, and various forms of isolation, which we saw in chapter four, have been faced. We stand in need of an altogether greater companionship. You know, I mentioned how you needed a companion to deal with the problems of life, and a threefold cord isn't easily broken. You needed more companions. You needed more help, but really we need the biggest help of all. And that's what we're talking about here. The preacher earlier told of a God who gives a life of joy and pleasure. May he be approached. This question is now answered in terms of the house of God, obedience, sacrifice. We see in verse one prayer, verses two and three, vows, verse four. But there are dangers the commentary continues. If God is in heaven, the ruler, and judge, as we saw in chapter three, he cannot be approached casually. So a proverbial unit is inserted dealing with our approach to God.

It's noteworthy that, as commentator James Lindberg points out, Ecclesiastes 5 is the place in the book where the most concentrated statements about God are found, with a total of 10 occurrences of the word. You just don't find that this way going through until you get here, and it's hammering it.

So let's start looking at this. Verse one, the phrase, walk prudently, is literally, guard your feet, says in the NKJV study Bible. That is, watch your step. Watch your step. And the context is that of going to the house of God. Watch your step when you go to the house of God. In Solomon's time, that meant going to worship at the temple. Today, the house of God is the spiritual temple, made up of His people, the church. The mention of God being in heaven could perhaps signify that God's heavenly abode is intended, so that the meaning could apply generally to come before God anywhere, even in private prayer. Yet, the fact that we are then told to draw near to here, in verse one, would seem to indicate a place of instruction. Of course, people at that time did not have their own copies of the Scriptures, so they had to go somewhere to be instructed. Today, we still need to assemble to learn God's ways, as we do now, but we can also receive instruction from the Bible in private study.

Moreover, the Hebrew word shema, that's used for here, means more than here. It means to attentively listen and heed, and is often translated obey. It's interesting, if you go through in the Old Testament and look up occurrences of obey, you'll find that there are this word shema, here. So here, it doesn't mean that you just, there's words floating in the air. They have an impact on you. They cause you to respond and do something.

Contrasted with hearing obediently is what we are not to do. Give the sacrifice of fools, it says here.

Note that what follows are warnings against being rash with the mouth, and to let our words be few.

So the rash, multitudinous words are evidently the foolish sacrifice. That is the sacrifice of fools.

Consider the opposite, and I'll just reference for you Hosea 14 and verse 2, which encourages words of repentance and offering, quote, the sacrifices of our lips. Actually, it says the calves of our lips. It's like you give calves and offering the calves of our lips. We're offering a sacrifice through our lips, and that's elsewhere referred to in Hebrews 13-15. It says the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, which we are to continually be offering. So that is the right kind of sacrifice of the lips. But here's the wrong kind. The warning, though, is not against lengthy prayers to God. You say, well, we can't say a bunch of stuff. We're supposed to let our words be few. It doesn't mean don't say a lot. So much as it is talking about being cautious, and sincere in what we say, and failing to realize that we should not be making commitments that we will not be able to fulfill. Notice Solomon says, for God is in heaven and you on earth, therefore let your words be few. Notice the construction. God is in heaven, you on earth, therefore let your words be few. The point is that God is the one in heaven with the supreme vantage point and control over earthly circumstances. We are not. The new American commentary notes on verses 1 through 7, it says this text is similar to Deuteronomy 23, 21 through 23, which is about keeping vows to God. But the emphasis in Ecclesiastes is on the limitations of human knowledge and the contingency of human existence. We should be careful about making great promises to God because we do not know if our circumstances tomorrow will be what they are today.

We may not be able to fulfill the vows that we make. Thus our promises before God would be shown to be no more than idle boats and we will fall under judgment. End of quote there. We do find similar warnings against swearing and making claims about what we will do tomorrow in the New Testament with the point made that we can't ensure things will happen as we profess. And I'll just give you a few references here that you can look up. In Matthew 5, 33 through 37, of course, that's where Jesus is telling us, you know, don't swear at all because if you swear, you need to keep that, but don't swear at all. He says because you can't make one hair white or black. In other words, you can't really control what's going to happen. It's not up to you. So you need to not do that. And also, we're told in James 13 through 16, and chapter 5 and verse 12, we're given the same admonition. And we're also told there in James that we're not just to say, well, tomorrow I'm going to do this or that. We need to be mindful in saying, if God wills, we'll do this or that because God is in charge of rugs. That means he can pull the rug out from under you. That's one thing I heard at college. I always remember. We don't control everything. You know, I thought about that when it was like we had made these plans to go to to Slitterbond, but it didn't happen because of what happened. And I, you know, who knows why that happened, but the fact is God allowed it to happen to let things be different and things be changed. And you have to change your plans because we don't control everything. So we need to be careful. Now, we are not able to fulfill all the vows we might make. Thus, our promises before God would be idle both. So, we have to be careful about that. Jesus told us also to address God in prayer as our Father in Heaven. That's how we approach God. We actually acknowledge our Father in Heaven. That means we are focusing on His sovereign position where He sits at the controls of the universe, as it were, and recognize that we are far below Him. He's up there. You are He is in Heaven. We are on Earth. Let our words be few. In that sense, we got to know who is really running the show.

We are not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, we're told in Romans 12.3.

The Expositor's Bible commentary states regarding Ecclesiastes 5, 1-2, in contrast to the power complexes of the previous chapter where we're showing this oppression going on and things like that, we are brought quietly into the presence of God.

Jesus may have had these verses in mind when He told the story of the two who went to the temple to pray. And I'll interject here to say, you know, one was a proud Pharisee who saw himself more righteous than others, and one was a tax collector who would not so much as look up to heaven, but he smote upon his breast, you know, and said, you know, be merciful to me, a sinner. We read that in Luke 18, 9-14. Luke 18. Here, continuing in Expositors, is a keen analysis of motives in prayer and worship. We come before God in humility, recognizing His majesty and His right to our lives. We seek His guidance and listen to His words. It's not about our words and pushing for all the things that we might say or proclaim or boast of. The preaching the word commentary notes this. It says, the creature-creator distinction has practical implications for what we say when we worship. We need to know our place, remembering both who God is and who we are. Isaiah said in one of his famous prophecies, and this is from Isaiah 55, 8-9, God said, My thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways, my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. You always have to remember that. The statement in Ecclesiastes 5.3, For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool's voice is known by his many words, is apparently a proverb, and it's paralleled by the statement in verse 7, For in the multitude of dreams and many words, there is also vanity. The meaning of both statements is debated. The New American commentary maintains that the word dreams refers not to literal dreams, whether as revelation sought by sleeping in a holy place or disturbed sleep of one who has many anxieties. I mean, that's the way some people interpret that. Instead, as this commentary says, the word is used metaphorically as in the English. He has big dreams. I think that actually makes a lot of sense here in this context. He has big dreams. Those who have many troubles may fantasize of performing great and noble acts, but their aspirations are meaningless, or they amount to nothing. They are vanity. Similarly, many words, which proceed from the speaker's presumption that he is wise, mark a person a fool. Verse 7 of the beginning could be translated, In excess dreaming, there is an abundance of both vanities and words. In context, these proverbs mean that fools seek to advance themselves before God with great vows and promises. So that makes a lot of sense here, if we now read that in context. These fools come before and give all this big profession of what they intend to do, or what their grand pronouncements of their faithfulness.

And it's just nonsense, because they can't make happen what they proclaim.

And that's the sacrifice of fools. All these many words that mean nothing.

And we should not be making rash and foolish vows before God, particularly in attempts to bribe or bargain with God. You know, a lot of people do that. Well, God, if you'll do this for me, I'll make sure to do this. I'll be at church every week or something like that. That's not the way it works.

In verses 4-6, they warn that if a person does vow, he should be sure to follow through.

David wrote earlier, and this is in Psalm 15, verse 4.

And I wouldn't have you turn to some of these, but we're going to be in ecclesiastes so much. We'll be turning too much, so I'm just going to read some of these to you. David said in Psalm 15, verse 4 in the NIV that God will receive the person, who keeps an oath even when it hurts and does not change their mind. So you make a vow, you stick to it, even if it's hard. Now, the messenger in Ecclesiastes 5-6 here that we see, it says, don't say before the messenger that it was an error, was most likely a priest or other person who was sent from the temple to confirm or collect the vow. Maybe they vowed that they were going to give something, and so somebody shows up at the door. The trouble is that some people tried to get out of their commitments, this is what the preaching the word commentary says, by coming up with all kinds of lame excuses. Vow? What vow? There must be some kind of mistake.

That's not good. Of course, we all have to face the ultimate messenger of God when the messenger is sent, Jesus Christ, in Romans 14.10. We're all going to appear before Him and have to give account. We all have to do that. Thankfully, Christ and the Father are merciful, and this is what the preaching the word commentary says. I think this is well put. Once again, we can only cast ourselves on the mercy of God. Pray that He will forgive us for everything we have failed to do and ask Him to accept us through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only one who ever kept all of His promises to God, including His own vow to offer a holy sacrifice, the sacrifice of His body for our sins. And by God's mercy through Christ, we're able to be forgiven for all of our failures upon repentance and faith. And we now have help to keep our commitments to God and to others. We are helped by, quote, a Savior who knows what it means to keep a commitment, who did everything He promised to the very death. Of course, we need to follow that example. That's what He said for us. But He's here to help us in that. Instead of lofty imaginings about ourselves, we need to get real. For as Ecclesiastes 5.7 says, the answer to vanity or frustration is to fear God. That is to be in humble awe and properly afraid to incur His disappointment and judgment, motivated to follow what He says, as we saw in chapter 3.15. Again, the very beginning of true wisdom, the fear of God, the very beginning of true wisdom. This is a preview of the conclusion of the whole book that we see at the end in chapter 12, verses 8 and 13, bringing together its grand themes of vanity apart from God and the need to fear and obey Him. That is where this is all headed. The next section here on verses 8 through 17, I've titled the right outlook on injustice and gain. The right outlook on injustice and gain. But I first want to focus on verses 8 through 9 because there's some confusion about them. If we look at verses 8 and 9, it says, if you see the oppression of the poor and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them. Moreover, the profit of the land is for all, and even the king is served from the field. And then it goes on to give some proverbs about wealth, which we'll talk about in a minute, but I'm going to focus here on this. Solomon turns here to matters previously raised that might seem to call into question God's sovereignty and power, distracting from the healthy fear and reverence of God that we must have. He starts in verse 8 with the issue of widespread injustice, which was brought up earlier in chapter 3 verse 16. The translation and point of these two verses here, 8 and 9, is highly disputed. One way to read verse 8 is as a corrective to systemic corruption.

That's to say everyone is answerable to somebody higher up, but some, however, see the tears of authority here as further oppression going up the chain. So it's otherwise like, well, don't marvel because this guy's oppressed by somebody else and this guy's oppressed by somebody over him.

It's like what it's saying, maybe. Others believe that watches over here should be watches out for, that that's the way to translate this, meaning that government officials are protecting one another, preventing corruption from being rooted out. In other words, to say, well, don't marvel because this guy's watching out for this guy and this guy's watching out for this guy, so there's nothing you can do about it. So it's a kind of a whole different way of looking at the verse. It's a little bit confusing as to what it's actually saying. Verse 9, which may be a proverb, could be read to say that all the officials are unjustly taking from the land and its produce all the way up to the king as a summary of the corruption leaving the matter unresolved.

That is to say, you know, moreover, the profit of the land is for all. That is, all these that were just mentioned, these corrupt people, even the king is served from the field, meaning even he takes it. They all take it. That's one interpretation of this. However, others render the verse to say it something completely different. This is the way the NASB renders this verse. That on the whole, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land. I'll read that again because it's kind of quite different.

A king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land. In other words, there's all this corruption, but that would seem to mean that a good king is the answer to all of that injustice. Others take the rendering to mean, though, that government, even with its corruption, is better than anarchy. So in other words, the idea is that it's saying all these people are corrupt, but on the whole, it's better to have a king to cultivate the field than not a king because that would be even worse. A note in the New American commentary says, in an anarchic society, no boundaries or property rights can be maintained.

Access to wells and other common resources cannot be fairly regulated. Aqueducts and dikes will not be kept in good repair, and no organized resistance to ravaging armies can be offered. In short, the agricultural economy will collapse. Government may be evil, but it is a necessary evil. That's possible as to what this means. And God does make the necessity of human government plain in Romans 13. He says that they're God's minister to you for good. There's a purpose for that. But this may not be the point of the passage here at all, though.

Consider again that verse 8 that we just saw could mean that there's always someone higher up in authority to deal with the one practicing injustice. In other words, where it says higher officials are watching over them and higher officials are watching over them could mean that they're always answerable to somebody higher. As one commentator notes, and this is from Daniel Hill. Ecclesiastes is an Old Testament study. He says, there is a chain of command, and this means there is a chain of responsibility.

In it we may have abusers of authority, but they too are under authority and on and on up the chain of command all the way to the very throne room of God. So that is possible. Dr. Kaiser says, the highest judge of all is the one who will evaluate every judgment ever made. But God is not directly mentioned here.

That may not really be the meaning, but it could be the meaning. It is possible that he's referred to by implication in verse 9 since everybody is dependent on agricultural produce. Produce that is from his hand, which he can withhold in judgment against corruption. One author, Tommy Nelson, in his book A Life Well Lived about Ecclesiastes writes, the blessing of the Lord is for all. Even a king needs the blessing of God upon the field. A king is not sovereign.

He looks to God to bless the land. These wicked men that were just mentioned must deal with those above them who must deal ultimately with a sovereign God. Walter Kaiser says, ruler and people are happiest when they both realize that they are served by the farm fields. But should human governments also fail, there is still redress from God. One commentator, Robert Gordes, translates the end of verse 9, even the king is subject to the soil. So there's yet another way to translate this verse.

Of course, this may not require God's direct judgment. If a king is corrupt or allowing corruption, then proper cultivation in agriculture and all the other economic fundamentals in society will suffer, as will everyone all the way up to the king himself. The consequences are thus automatic.

One thing I want to stress about this is all of these are right principles. It's just a matter of knowing exactly what these verses are saying. But all of these things that we just went through are true. Maybe it's put this way in a way that we can think about all these various aspects.

Others maintain that there's a textual problem in verse 9 and have advocating reading the same Hebrew consonants without the later vowel pointing with the words divided a little bit differently. This is from the Anchor Bible. It says, without changing the consonants of the Hebrew text, one may read in verse 9, the advantage of land is in its yield. That is, if the field is cultivated for its yield. Again, that's quite different. I read this way. The verse makes the point that the land ought not to be accumulated for its own sake, but to be cultivated for what it produces, its yield. But there's no mention of a king in this case. The wording could still, though, serve as a metaphor for society in that it needs to be cared for properly to flourish against the injustice that we saw in the previous verse. But the translation is questionable, particularly since it can make sense without changing the vowel pointing and the word division. So again, I just throw that out as a point to think about something you may want to study sometime. It's difficult. There are many difficulties in some of these Old Testament texts, more than we'll find in the New Testament, because there's a lot more testimony to what words mean when we get to the Greek. Some of the times we find only these few words in the Old Testament, and it's a matter of trying to determine what they mean.

Verses 10 through 17, now, I'd like us to look at going on. It says, "...he who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with increase.

This also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them. So what profit have the owners except to see them with their eyes? The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. There is a severe evil which I've seen under the sun. Riches kept for their owner to his own hurt, but those riches perish through misfortune. When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother's womb, naked evil return to go as he came, and he shall take nothing from his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a severe evil. Exactly as he came, so shall he go.

And what profit, what benefit, has he who has labored for the wind? All his days he also eats in darkness and has much sorrow and sickness and anger. This is a terrible situation that we're reading about here all through. So we see here some of the problems with wealth, starting with what may be, again, a few proverbs. The passage could be part of the corrective for the corruption in verse 8 and possibly of verse 9, if that's referring to officials unjustly taking all the prophets of the field. Those who are all about patting their own pockets will end up with these problems of wealth accumulation. You think, oh, these guys are taking everything. Well, then they've got this stuff to deal with. Of course, these problems exist even if the warning, well, even if the accumulation was not achieved unjustly. It may be that these problems with wealth are here as a warning to those who respond to injustice in society by just trying to get what they can, focusing on self-reliance rather than relying on a God who continues to let bad things happen. We can't rely on God. I'm here to get what I can. But then these things happen, these problems that you see. Money is no substitute for God. And while it can be a help in life, it can also present serious burdens and difficulties. As part of the right approach and outlook, all of us should guard against setting the accumulation of wealth as life's goal, though we do need to strive to obtain adequate income in balance with meeting spiritual needs. That's the correct principle. But just trying to get what you can and relying on that, that's going to lead to these problems. In verse 10, the New King James study Bible says, the topic of an insatiable appetite is addressed. We saw that with this miser back in chapter 4 verse 8. It says here, desire always outruns possessions no matter how vast acquisitions may grow. Doesn't matter what you have, you always want more. However much one has, it's never enough. So as the New American commentary says, wealth is both addictive and unsatisfactory. So is every drug, by the way. If you think about that, you want it so bad, but it isn't enough. You're not sustained. You keep having to go that way. Another problem with having money, though, is that people will take it. That's here in verse 11.

And we just saw, when goods increase, they increase who eat them.

So what profit are those just to see them? The preaching the word commentary notes the phrase, they increase who eat them, refers in some sense to people who consume our wealth. It might be the oppressive government described in verses 8 and 9, which takes away our money through higher taxes. It might be our children or other dependents, the hungry mouths around our table.

Or it might be the people who come begging for us to give them something, the spongers, the freeloaders, and the hangers-on. But no matter who they are, the more we have, the more other people try to get it. No one knew this better than King Solomon. He was the richest man in the world, but given the many thousands of people he had to feed, as it mentions in 1 Kings 4, he almost needed to be. Tyndale comments on verse 11, increased wealth brings increased taxation in more than one sense, for riches have a knack of disappearing down a drain of increased responsibilities, and extended family will extend a bit further with each increment. The wage earner will see the goods, but no more. So their only benefit is they get to see what they get, for it's gone. Very sad situation. A further problem with money, Solomon calls it a severe evil, or as this may be rendered a sickening calamity or a terrible tragedy, is that it can do its owner harm. See in verse 13, a person who is not wise and careful in the use of wealth can suffer horribly.

We often see such stories about young Hollywood actors and musicians getting caught up in drugs or other wrong habits supported by their suddenly deep pockets. They don't know how to properly use what they have. Indeed, Solomon himself was the premier example of one's wealth funding personal destruction. Despite his earthly wisdom, which no doubt gave him tremendous financial acumen, he allowed himself to pursue many vain and immoral ventures, which he would obviously not have been able to do to the degree he did if he had not been so healthy. You think about that? It's because he was so rich that he was so messed up because he did so many things with what he had.

Tommy Nelson asks, have you ever considered that one of God's greatest mercies toward you is that he restricts the amount of money you make? We can compare that with Proverbs 30 verses 7 through 9, where it says, Lord, don't give me too little that I go out and steal, but don't give me too much that I forget you. I go off into total hedonism and wrong. It's also hurtful for a person with wealth to come to rely on it. For even if one is wise and proper in using money, oh, you can be really wise. You can do everything so diligently, but it can still be lost. The word translated misfortune here in verse 14 says, riches perish through misfortune. It literally refers to a worthless task. That's the way it's translated in chapter 3 verse 10, the same word. It might be a bad business venture or investment or maybe even a seemingly valid decision that proves catastrophic.

It was a bad business, not because you would have known that, just because of how it turned out.

The problem is compounded here with the mention of a man losing it all and then having a son and not being able to adequately provide for him or to leave an inheritance to him.

The reality is that money can be here today, gone tomorrow. We see that in Proverbs 23, 4 through 5. Proverbs 23, 4 through 5 talks about money makes itself wings, flies away.

Again, it's all part of the vanity of this life. Jesus warned against trusting in earthly treasure.

He said this in Matthew 6, 19 through 21, not to trust. This world's treasures, which can decay, can be consumed or destroyed or stolen. Where Moth comes in and is free, he talks about this. These things are not to be relied on. It's certainly no secure basis for happiness. Moreover, everyone parts with accumulated wealth at death. The words of verse 15 recall those of Job. In verse 15, as he came from his mother's womb, it says here, naked, he would return. And we see that in Job. Job chapter 1 verse 21 says, naked, I came from my mother's womb, and naked, I will return there. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. And Paul would later affirm what we see here at the end of verse 15, to go as he gave me, shall take nothing away from his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. Paul said in 1 Timothy 6, 7, for we brought nothing into this world, and it's certain we can carry nothing out. It comes right here. It's here in Ecclesiastes. It says the same thing. As the expression goes, you can't take it with you. Or put another way, this is what the preaching the word commentary quotes, the more you have, the more you'll leave behind. Solomon labels this another severe evil or terrible tragedy.

Tomi Nelson writes, how much will a rich man leave?

Everything. Every single dime. The only time in the Bible that God personally calls a man a fool is in Luke 12, 19 through 20. And I, it says, a rich man will say to my soul, soul, you have many goods, and have laid up for many years to come. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, you fool, this very night your soul is required of you, and now who will own what you have prepared? And Nelson says, if you're a person who lives for accruing wealth, thinking that it will give you status, significance, and happiness, it will actually be a blessing if God halts your progress. That's going to be much preferred. Such pursuit will only make for a wasted life, having labored for the wind, as we see in verse 16. Yet some still spin themselves for this empty goal. The darkness in which the miser eats, you see in verse 17, is really isolation and joylessness, is what that's talking about, the new American commentary notes. Eating would normally be done in fellowship with others, but not here. Though eating could refer in a broader sense to living life, as it is in Amos 7.12, just eating is part of experiencing, in other words. Yet here it's alone by themselves. Tyndale notes on Ecclesiastes 5.17, preoccupation with wealth led to a gloomy life. Sickness points to the physical strain.

Vexation, or sorrow it is here in the NKJV, indicates the cares and frustrations that tore at his mind and heart. Wrath, or anger, tells of the times he was enraged over thwarted ambitions and schemes. The miser will end up, as preaching the word says, a bitter old man. For who's ever heard of a happy miser? It's not the way it is. Here's another awful way that wealth is kept, the ones on hurt, as mentioned in verse 13. But we find the remedy in what follows, brethren.

We find the remedy. Let's look at verses 18 through 20.

Verses 18 through 20, here is what I have seen. It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life, which God gives him. For it is his heritage. For every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, it's not enough to have the riches, but also the power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor. This is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

This is an awesome passage. So at last we return to the refrain of Ecclesiastes, encouraging us to eat and drink, enjoy the good of one's labor as the gift of God. We saw that back in 224. We saw it in chapter 3, 12 through 13, and verse 22. As the conclusion here of the book's second major section that began in chapter 3 verse 1. In chapter 3 verse 1, we were introduced to everything. There is a time and a season to every purpose under heaven. It gives us that awesome poem about the times of life that we know from the song. And that we finally get to this now as a conclusion to all that. We saw the problems of the human condition that can seem contrary to God's sovereignty over life in chapters 3 and 4. And now in chapter 5 verses 1 through 17, we've seen cautions about a proper approach and outlook without which one will lose sight of God's overarching care and suffer worse problems. So in other words, if you don't do this right, you're going to be worse off even than you would have been. With the section conclusion, we see the viable alternative to the problems presented thus far. As Tyndale notes on verse 18, there is another life equally outward, real, observable. I have seen it, says the preacher. It is enjoyable in toil, not in its absence.

It is a God-given provision in a brief life. To eat and drink is expressive of companionship, joy, and satisfaction, including religious celebration, as we see in Deuteronomy 14.26, about rejoicing in this eating and drinking. Here it is the symbol of a contented and happy life.

And verse 19 of Ecclesiastes 5 again informs us that not only what we enjoy, but the ability to enjoy it comes from God. Preaching the word commentary puts it well. I think it says, some scholars find these verses so completely contrary to what the preacher has already said they might think it's weirdly negative, that they think he must be speaking sarcastically, or at least stoically, that is, impessimistically telling us to enjoy small pleasures amid dreariness and soon-coming death. You know, you better just that's all you get.

When the preacher calls life the gift of God, he is giving it the highest praise. This is not stoicism or sarcasm, but godly gratitude. The preacher can say this because he believes in the God of joy. Earlier in this passage, when he was talking about the vanity of money, the preacher hardly mentioned God at all, but in verses 18 through 20, he mentions him repeatedly.

Whatever enjoyment he finds is God-centered. Without God, life is meaningless and miserable, especially if we are living for money. But when we know the God of joy, even money can be a blessing.

To understand this, we need to pay attention to the phrasing of verse 19.

Look at it. As every man whom God has given riches and wealth has given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor, this is the gift of God.

Back to this commentary. Earlier, the preacher said, some of the many reasons why accumulating money is vanity, yet here he tells us explicitly that if we are wealthy, we should enjoy it.

It almost sounds like a contradiction, but notice where the power of enjoyment comes from. It comes from God. Both having things and enjoying things are gifts from God. End of quote.

As pointed out before, some consider this call to enjoy material blessings as selfish. You're just being selfish. You're just going to enjoy these gifts you have. But it certainly is not.

The Expositor's Bible commentary notes in its introduction to Ecclesiastes. Interestingly, it says, the book makes no suggestion of living a life of self-sacrifice so as to spur the reader on to a life of philanthropy or self-deprivation. Kowlath, the preacher, would most likely identify self-sacrifice as meaningless if it's motivated by any degree of self-satisfaction. We need to remember that the author is not trying to describe the life of faith or what our faith responsibilities are. I would interject, except that he will conclude by telling us to fear God and keep his commandments. We certainly have those responsibilities. Rather, it says here, he is contrasting a self-centered lifestyle with a God-centered one in regard to how we respond to life's quandaries.

By what the book does tell us, we can be assured that if we spit ourselves and all of our resources in trying to help all humanity and right all the wrongs, we would still find that what is crooked cannot be made straight. It says in chapter 1, verse 15, indeed we ourselves would become a burden to others if we spent all that we have to help others.

Nevertheless, the book does encourage us to be good before God and to respond appropriately to life's circumstances. Obviously, this includes helping others in need as we are able, in a position, to reasonably do so. Moreover, the commendation of the simple pleasures of life is not about the hedonistic pursuit already shown to fail. It doesn't mean, goes blow all your money on just doing a bunch of fun stuff. That's not to say you don't do some of that, but it doesn't mean that you're just to become a hedonist, because we already saw where that leads in this book. Neither is it about self-focus, where the refrains speak of eating and drinking.

This is a quote from Tim Heg in an article, Colette and Saccote at Tor Resource. He says, where it speaks of eating and drinking, it is clear that what Colette means by this is time spent with family and friends around a common table. It is not the profound and expansive accomplishments of mankind that bring meaning and joy, but the unpretentious, everyday routine of eating together, sitting with family and friends to eat after a day's labor, laughing and enjoying the friendship around the table, finding a moment of cheer together, enjoying the companionship of one's spouse. These are all the small, yet profound moments in which we recognize an even greater truth.

We were created for relationship, and it is in relationship with others and God that we find true meaning and joy. So that's what we're really talking about here. Given the repeated exhortation to enjoyment in everyday life, it is astonishing that Ecclesiastes was a motivation for the austere monasticism of the Roman Catholicism. Martin Luther, who was the father of the Protestant Reformation, spoke in the preface to his commentaries on Ecclesiastes of, quote, this is Martin Luther, said, "...many of the saintly and illustrious theologians in the church who thought that in Ecclesiastes Solomon was teaching what they call the contempt of the world, that is contempt of things that have been created and established by God. Among these is Saint Jerome, who by writing a commentary on this book urged Blacilla, this lady, to accept the monastic life. From this source there arose and spread over the entire church, like a flood, that theology of the religious order of monasteries. It was taught that to be a Christian meant to forsake the household, the political order, to flee to the desert, to isolate oneself from human society, to live in stillness and silence, for it was impossible to serve God in the world." That's what they concluded from Ecclesiastes.

But as Luther rightly pointed out, the book actually teaches against this. It's just the opposite.

God Himself wants us to enjoy the ongoing blessings He gives us. He designed us to experience them, and they help us to endure life. Verse 20 adds a new remarkable concept for the person finding joy in everyday living. Read it, verse 20. For He will not dwell unduly on the days of His life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of His heart. This recalls the poem of the times of life at the beginning of the section in chapter three. Trying to gain a handle on it or make sense of it all is worrisome and futile, though we all try. We want to understand it. And one big point of contemplation here is a recognition of one's own mortality. We're all decaying toward death. Yet the difficulties and the brevity of life do not overly preoccupy the minds of those who find enjoyment in life through God. In fact, Solomon, right after the poem that he gave, back in chapter three, gave the prescription of enjoying everyday life along with properly fearing God. That was back in chapter three, verses 12 through 15. He already gave the answer as a preview. The Tyndale commentary notes on this verse, verse 20, secular man may live a life of drudgery, but for the God-centered man it will be otherwise.

Life will be so occupied with jubilation that the vanity of life will be well-nigh forgotten. It's not entirely forgotten, though, for the word much or unduly here, he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, implies that life's brevity will be kept in mind. It's not that you won't dwell on it at all. It just means you won't dwell on it much. We see that in Psalm 90, verse 12, teaches to count our days. But not so as to give the sleepless nights of chapter two, verse 23.

The Hebrew of keeps him occupied or busy with is linked in the term business as it occurred throughout Ecclesiastes. There is a business that vexes and frustrates the life given to man to live within a vain world with its kinks and gaps. The preacher repeats the remedy of a God-given life of faith and joy, which is even more preoccupying. It's even more preoccupying this joy that he gives.

And Martin Luther commented that this section, verses 18 through 20, gives the clue to understanding the book as a whole. And I agree with that. He said, this statement is the interpreter of the entire book. Solomon intends to forbid or help us be rid of vain anxieties so that we may happily enjoy the things that are present and care not at all about the things that are in the future, lest we permit the present moment, our moment, to slip away. We're put here now. We need to enjoy what we have while God gives it. Commentator Lindberg summarizes the book as a call to avoid anxiety, to embrace joy in the everyday present where we live, and to leave the future in God's hands. The teacher counsels living fully each day of one's life, one day at a time, enjoying God's gifts and enjoying one's work, the labor even that he gives us to do. And let us consider, brethren, that the ultimate fulfillment of joy forever awaits those who live life in service to God through Christ. We're told that in Psalm 1611. You know, at his right hand, our pleasure is forevermore. John 1511, Christ talked about the peace in life that we have. And Acts 2, 28 assures us of the same thing. They will at last, as it says in Matthew 25, 21 through 23, enter into the joy of their Lord. Yet, and this is what I'll leave you with today, abundant, joyful living, as it mentions in John 10, 10, need not, it must not, wait until then, until the time of the kingdom. It is a gift for today as well. And we'll continue next time.