Ecclesiastes4

1. How do these verses strike you at first sight?

2. Why should the day of death be better than the day of birth?

3. What is the effect of rightly thinking about death?

C. Comment :

Strange verses at first sight, verses that appear to have come out of the cynicism of straining to find meaning, and yet verses with an element of wisdom the more one considers them. First of all Solomon rejects the things we would say naturally are the better things: a birth day, a place of feasting, laughter.

In the place of these he suggests that the day of death, mourning and sorrow are better for us; they have a better effect upon the heart. Ah yes, that is at the back of his thinking, he is concerned with the state of the heart; that is wisdom, to be more concerned with the state of a person's heart than with outward happiness and festivities.

If we consider the fact that we must all eventually leave this planet and go into God's presence through the doorway of death, that helps bring a right perspective and sobriety to our thinking. Yes, pondering on death can be depressing, but it can also have some very healthy effects in our lives, and we should not shy away from thinking on it. In balance we should also say that God did not give us the variety of this planet for us to be constantly considering death, He gave us it to enjoy life in His daily presence, a good and enjoyable life!

D. Application?

1. For the Christian, death is the sure doorway into the eternal presence of

God, Hallelujah!

2. Don't be afraid of sober thinking.

Chapter: Eccles 7

Passage: Eccles 7:7-14

A. Find out :

1. What two things are to be avoided? v.7

2. What else is to be avoided? v.8

3. What further should we avoid? v.9

4. What temptation comes to us? v.10

5. Why is wisdom good? v.11,12

6. What has God done? v.14

B. Think :

1. How would you describe verses 7 to 9?

2. What do you think is the danger of constantly looking back?

3. In what are we to rest according to verses 13 & 14?

C. Comment :

In this chapter Solomon expresses his feelings in the form of short sharp quips, proverbs in some cases. In the first few verses of this passage he warns us against extortion, bribery, pride and hasty anger. These are some of the things that spoil life and make it far from what God intended it to be.

Then he warns about constantly looking back to better times. The danger here is that we cease to be content with the present if we do that, and besides, our memories of the past are distorted with time.

Then comes the extolling of wisdom which brings blessing, shelter and protection. Yes it enables us to walk in good ways, it helps us avoid the foolish actions of so many around us, and it therefore enables us to walk in ways that do not harm us.

Finally he encourages us to rest in the knowledge that God is sovereign over all. In the way He has made the world and allowed us to live, we encounter both good and bad times in life. For us as Christians we know that God will even take the bad and use is for our good (Romans 8:28 ) and therefore we may give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18 ) Yes, in these verses comes counsel and wisdom that we would do well to ponder. Read them again.

D. Application?

1. We choose how we will live, but God desires good for us.

2. Give thanks in all circumstances.

Chapter: Eccles 7

Passage: Eccles 7:15-22

A. Find out :

1. What had he seen? v.15

2. So what did he counsel? v.16,17

3. So what path should we take? v.18

4. What makes a man powerful? v.19

5. Yet what is true of every man? v.20

6. What should we avoid? v.21

B. Think :

1. What two extremes does Solomon counsel us to avoid?

2. What reasons are given for this counsel?

C. Comment :

Solomon has watched people and has seen righteous people dying early and unrighteous people living long years and rightly concludes that righteousness is not always the reason for length of life. He concludes (v.18) that if you fear God you will avoid all extremes.

Why? Well, first of all, the wicked are likely to destroy themselves with their foolishness, so don't go to the extremity of wickedness. But, secondly, the fact is that even the "righteous" are not totally righteous, even the "righteous" sometimes fail and sin. So, he concludes, don't go into wickedness for that is shear foolishness, but on the other hand don't strive to be perfect because you can't obtain it.

Within these verses we have truth which has now had an added dimension given to it. Yes, all men do fail, but the ground of OUR righteousness today is NOT our striving and trying to be good, but the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross for us.

When we believe in Him, God declares us righteous. Then He does say aim for perfection (Matthew 5:48) because He wants us to be constantly changing into the likeness of His own Son, Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18), so for us there is a reason to be aiming for ever increasing practical daily righteousness, even though we have been declared, in God's sight, eternally righteous.

D. Application?

1. We have been declared eternally righteous.

2. We can become practically more righteous.

Chapter: Eccles 7

Passage: Eccles 7:23-29

A. Find out :

1. What did he find about wisdom? v.23,24

2. What did he therefore do? v.25

3. What sort of woman did he find bitter? v.26

4. How successful had he been? v.27,28a

5. What had he not found? v.28

6. What had he found about mankind? v.29

B. Think :

1. To start what do we conclude about Solomon's own self estimation?

2. What do we observe about the fruits of his search?

3. How would you describe his attitude at the end of this search?

C. Comment :

Through these verses comes a sense of failure, which is quite strange! Solomon had given great consideration to many things and concluded that wisdom eluded him, and this from a man that the historical part of Scripture (1 Kings 4:29 -34) testifies to having been one of the wisest men in the East.

It appears that Solomon started out with God and gradually drifted away from Him (1 Kings 11:1-6). Having started out with the gift (from God) of wisdom he knew its source and was aware of his own limitations. Having becoming rich and powerful he had time on his hands and sought to become wise in his own sight. The more he sought the more he realised his own shortcomings in this matter.

In it all, his experience with the women of his life (see the 1 Kings 11 reading again) left him feeling jaded towards women and his search generally left him feeling that although God had made mankind good originally, mankind had drifted away from the Lord to their own plans and ideas. Again we find here a combination of the truth blended in with the jaded cynicism we now find in Solomon after all his strivings on the earth. Meaning comes from heaven!

D. Application?

1. Do we start with something good from God and drift off into our own

ways?

2. We all fall short of God's glory.

Chapter: Eccles 8

Passage: Eccles 8:1-8

A. Find out :

1. What effect does wisdom have upon a man? v.1

2. What reasons are given for obeying the king? v.2-4

3. What will the wise know? v.5

4. What may he have to go through first? v.6

5. What 3 things doesn't a man know? v.7,8

6. What power does wickedness have? v.8

B. Think :

1. How does wisdom help a man according to this passage?

2. Why do you think Solomon speaks about kings here?

3. How do verses 7 & 8 flow with what has gone before?

C. Comment :

"Who knows the explanation of things?" asks Solomon, and all that follows is really an expansion of that. Look, he says, when you have to deal with authority (the king) watch how you act and speak for he is all powerful. It will be the wise who knows how to act before the king and know when to speak and act rightly without incurring his wrath. (See Nehemiah 2:1-8)

Who knows about the future? Who knows about the wind? Who knows the day of death? Who knows how to break away from a wicked life style? These are all questions that perplex man and make man aware of his need for wisdom.

But there is more to it than that. There is also behind this the sense that there are many things over which we have no control. The best we can hope for is a measure of wisdom, but basically we are bound by so many things in life. Here there is a partial truth for indeed there is much that we do not have power over but to meekly submit is stoicism.

As Christians we can refer all things to our heavenly Father who actually is the ruler over all things. When we know Him we can have a divine sense of purpose which is very different from accepting a mechanistic universe.

D. Application?

1. Our words and actions DO affect what happens to us, even though we

may not affect all things.

2. God is the Lord over all things.

Chapter: Eccles 8

Passage: Eccles 8:9-17

A. Find out :

1. What two people upset Solomon? v.9,10

2. What temptation do the latter create? v.11

3. Where does he see God in all this? v.12,13

4. What other meaningless thing does he see? v.14

5. So what is his conclusion? v.15

6. What is his overall conclusion? v.17

B. Think :

1. How can injustice be a source of irritation in our lives?

2. Why not use length of life as a measure of God's justice?

3. What is Solomon advocating in this passage?

C. Comment :

Solomon, we said yesterday, has been saying there are some things you cannot fathom and which you just have to accept. He continues that theme now with some warnings added.

There are people who lord it over others, and there are wicked people who seem to get away with it and even receive the praise of others while they do it. The danger here is that righteous people will be tempted to take the law into their own hands, but they must learn to rest in God and leave it to Him to end the wrongs.

When we observe life we will see the righteous going through apparently bad times and the wicked going through apparently good times, so again, we must learn to rest in daily living, at rest with God, because humanly it is impossible to work out why everything is happening, from the viewpoint of justice.

We need to rest in the fact that God does oversee all things and that in eternity He WILL bring judgement upon all wickedness. Those who live close to the Lord MAY have greater understanding as to what is happening, but even they will go through times when all they can do is righteously trust the Lord (see Job 1 & 2 and Habakkuk 3:17,18).

D. Application?

1. It is impossible to work out the "why"s of every thing that happens on

the earth.

2. The Lord knows so simply rest in His love and wisdom.

RECAP - "What is Wisdom" - Ecclesiastes 7 & 8

SUMMARY :

In these 6 studies we have seen Solomon :

  - saying that considering death helps keep life in perspective.

  - warning about the sinful acts of men that spoil life as God

   wanted it to be .

  - declaring that wisdom brings life and consists of resting in

   God's provision.

  - proclaiming that no man is righteous.

  - having a sense of being locked into life.

  - declaring that we need to rest in God's justice when we view

   the injustices of the world.

COMMENT :

It is easy to live for the moment with a frivolous attitude, or resort to self centred contemplation, but true wisdom comes in recognising that God alone is good and in control over events. Man is out of control and frequently unrighteous and much wickedness means much injustice, but in the end God will deal with it all. In the mean time we must learn to rest in God's provision both for now and for the future.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

Take time to take stock of your life. Take time out to be still before the Lord and let Him shine truth on your life. Don't let yourself be caught up in self-centredness, living just for the moment. Check yourself; are you in a whirlwind of striving to get more, work harder and harder, to achieve less and less in real terms. Appreciate your family, those close to you while you can.

PRAY :

Ask the Lord to help you keep everything in true perspective, enjoying what you have - now!

PART 5 : " Destiny, Wisdom & Foolishness "

In this next Part, in the face of a common destiny, death, Solomon considers the tragedy of wisdom that is overwhelmed by foolishness. Watch for the important lessons here concerning fools.