Sermon Transcript May 14, Ecclesiastes: Getting the Most Out of Life. What is the Good Life? Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:9

Transcription

1 Sermon Transcript May 14, 2017 Ecclesiastes: Getting the Most Out of Life What is the Good Life? Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:9 This message from the Bible was addressed originally to the people of Wethersfield Evangelical Free Church on May 14, 2017 at 511 Maple Street, Wethersfield, CT, by Dr. Scott W. Solberg. This is a transcription that bears the strength and weaknesses of oral delivery. It is not meant to be a polished essay. An audio copy of the sermon on CD is available by request at (860) An audio version of this sermon may also be found on the church website at 1

2 Sermon Text Ecclesiasts 5: He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. 13 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. 15 As he came from his mother's womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. 18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. 19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. Ecclesiastes 6:1-9 1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. 5 Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good do not all go to the one place? 7 All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. 8 For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. 2

3 Introduction Hevel, hevel, says the Preacher, hevel, hevel! All is hevel. This is the opening assessment of life found in the book of Ecclesiastes. When we began our journey through this book, we noted that while the Hebrew word hevel is often translated as vanity or meaningless, it literally means vapor or smoke. And so this Preacher, known as Qohelet, is saying that life is like a vapor or a puff of smoke. This image speaks to the brevity of life. James, in the New Testament, picks up on this image when he reminds us that no one knows whether or not they have tomorrow. He says, What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. The older we get, the more keenly aware we are of the brevity of life. But in addition to the brevity of life, we have discovered that by calling life hevel this Qohelet is saying that life is somewhat of an enigma. Like with smoke, you can t really grab hold of it, nor can you control it. That is life. We are not in control of life. We can t slow it down or keep it from marching forward. Nor can we control what unfolds from day to day. It is hevel. So how do we live life in the midst of all this hevel? How do we find meaning and purpose in this life when nothing that we do seems to have any staying power? In fact, perhaps the most sobering of all his assessments on life comes when Qohelet reminds us that as with every generation, we will pass from this scene of life and we will be completely forgotten. He says in Ecclesiastes 2:16, For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Thus, he says that he hated life for all is vanity and a striving after wind. And yet, as Oohelet observes everything that happens under the sun he notices the different ways people try to find meaning and purpose in life. He observes the various ways people try in vain to grab hold of the wind. Some people try to find their meaning in seeking pleasure. They live for the weekend or the next vacation or the next romantic encounter or the next purchase. Others try to grab life through advancing in their career, or by gaining status, or by accumulating wealth. He even observes the limits there are in life to the gaining of knowledge. At the end of the book he says, Of making books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. And so Qohelet is looking at all these things people are chasing after to find meaning in life and at the end of the day, none of it lasts. He likens it to striving after wind. And that is not all he sees when he takes a look at life under the sun. While everyone is chasing after all of these things, he sees a broken world filled with injustice. Last week, we saw in Ecclesiastes 3 and 4 a list of five things he saw as he looked around and took in 3

4 life. Everywhere he looked he saw wickedness and oppression. He also noticed that envy was the driving force behind why we work. Someone told me last week that they saw a car commercial where the motive offered to buy the car was to make your neighbor jealous of you. While we may be taken back by such a brazen appeal, it does speak to the reality that lives in our hearts. This motive he says, leads to loneliness and isolation; not to living out the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. And then he observe the person who actually grabs the brass ring - the pinnacle of success, only to find out that along with everyone else, he too will be replaced someday. There is a wonderful amusement park in the heart of Pennsylvania, outside of a small town that is nestled in among the Appalachian Mountain Range. It is called Knoebel s Grove. It is a combination of the old style amusement park with all the new rides. You don't pay to get into the park. You just pay for the rides. Every summer we would go with our kids and our extended family for a day in the park. This park has an old fashioned carousel. What makes this merry-go-round so charming is the old wooden horses. When the gates would open for the next ride, everyone would rush in to get on the outer ring of horses. Once the carousel would begin to go around, a large mechanical arm would drop and at the end of the arm was a brass ring. As you passed by the mechanical arm you would reach out with your finger and try to grab the brass ring. Once the ring was grabbed, another would drop. And the goal was to grab more rings than anyone else before the ride stops. But when the ride stopped, before you got off, you had to throw the rings back and the next group would get on and play the game all over again. And so even if you grab in this life what it is you are chasing after, at some point the ride is going to stop and those rings will mean nothing and a whole new generation will come behind you and do the same thing. Round and round it goes. How do you live life in the midst of all this hevel? Qohelet is telling us that unless God is at the center of our lives, we won t be able to make sense of it all. In fact, many of these things that people are chasing after are not bad things in and of themselves. This morning we are going to talk about money and there are actually positive things Qohelet will say about money. It is the love of money that is his concern. But here is what we are discovering about how to live life in the midst of the hevel. When God is at the center of life, it allows us to embrace the simplicity of life and to live this life with joy. To this point, we have discovered that when God is at the center of life, it allows us to view each day as a gift and to receive it with gratitude. We can find joy in what we do and be content with what we have. And all of this is enriched when we pursue relationship and community. This simplicity to life is something we are going to explore deeper this morning in the context of dealing with the issue of money. 4

5 Before we look at our passage this morning, I want to point out something about the structure of our passage. Usually, when you write a paper, or give a speech, or preach a sermon, you begin with an introduction, make a few points and then conclude with the point you want everyone to take home with them. But sometimes, in Hebrew, the punchline of the passage is not found at the end, but right in the middle of the passage. In fact, the passage is arranged somewhat geometrically, with the first point at the beginning and the end of the passage. The second point is right inside the beginning and the end of the passage. And then the application is found right in the middle of the passage. So it is with our passage this morning. He is going to make two points about money and then in the middle of the passage he is going to share the main point of application we need to take home with us this morning. I think the question that emerges from this passage is, What really is the good life? Is the good life found in money? Or, is the good life found in God? Money Cannot Satisfy The first point he makes about money is found at the beginning and the end of the passage. The key word that is repeated at the beginning and the end of the passage is the word satisfied. He says in Ecclesiastes 5:10, He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income. Here the focus is clearly the love of money. This sounds similar to what Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:10 when he says For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Paul describes this love for money as a craving. The problem is that it is a craving that can t be satisfied. At the end of our passage this morning, this craving is likened to an appetite. He says in Ecclesiastes 6:7, All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. I read several articles this week that examined the question, Does money buy you happiness? There have been all kinds of studies done on this issue, and to be honest, a variety of conclusions have been drawn on this matter. For example, the pious answer often is that money doesn t buy you happiness, and yet at the same time, studies have shown that there is a correlation between having enough money to meet our needs and our general happiness in life. For example, there was a study done in 2010 by Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences where they analyzed the incomes and the lives of half a million randomly selected Americans. What they discovered was that there was a correlation between day to day happiness and money. But the happiness was found in having enough money to meet the basic needs of life. It is easy for us to take a pious attitude towards money as if to say money means nothing when it comes to our well being. And yet, according to this 5

6 study, having enough to meet our needs does have an impact on our day to day happiness. But I think the greater discovery in this study is that once you get past the level of having enough to meet your basic needs, more money does not mean more happiness. Reflecting on this study, David McRaney writes, A person who makes on average $250,000 a year has no greater emotional wellbeing, no extra day-to-day happiness, than a person making $75,000 a year... The super wealthy may believe they are happier, and you may agree, but you both share a delusion. 1 And yet, we don t believe it. According to a 2011 study done by Cornell, when Americans were asked if they would rather have more money or more sleep, guess what they chose. The choice was between $80,000 a year with an eight hour work day and eight hours of sleep a night versus $140,000 a year, regular overtime and six hours of sleep a night. The majority of the people went with the cash. To which, McRaney writes, It is unfortunate, because although it looks good on paper and feels right in your gut, no matter how you turn it, the science says once your basic needs are taken care of, money and other rewards don t make you happier. 2 It is interesting what the text says comes along with wealth. It is not all that it is cracked up to be. With wealth comes certain realities that can complicate life. For example, in Ecclesiastes 5:11 he says, When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? The more you have, the more others are clamoring for your possessions. This could refer to higher taxes, to increased services that are being paid because of a higher standard of living, or it could also refer to people who just want to be around you because you have money. Another problem he identifies that comes with wealth is a lack of sleep. In verse 12 he says, Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. With increase money comes increased stresses in life. And then, at the end of our passage he contrasts the poor and the rich. He says in Ecclesiastes 6:8-9, And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind. Here, the poor have an advantage because they live by sight and not by appetite. In other words, they are satisfied with their daily bread, while the lover of money is never satisfied because his appetite is never satisfied. That is the problem with the love of money. It never satisfies because there is never enough. There is always someone who has more. It is interesting to read statistics of those who win it big in the lottery. Recently, when the jackpot was $338 million, tickets were being bought at a rate of 130,000 a minute. What does that tell you about where 6

7 Americans think you find happiness? Jessie O Neill has diagnosed the spiritual problem many of us have. She says many of us are sick with affluenza. She says it is a spiritual problem and it is an unhealthy relationship with money or the pursuit of wealth. 3 Study after study has shown that winning the lottery does not bring the happiness everyone thinks it does. In fact one study concluded that the winner ended up no happier than those who played and didn t win. One of the reasons for this is often happiness depends on how we feel relative to our friends. This new affluence may put you in a new neighborhood, but you quickly find out that your new peers have more than you. 4 That is the problem with the love of money. It will not satisfy. It is important to recognize that this problem lives in all of us. In preparation for this message, I came across a blog that exposed how the love of money can easily have a hold of our hearts. The title of this article was, Three Red Flags You May Be Deceived By Wealth. 1. You believe that will make you happy. Fill in the blank. New car, new house, new phone, new body, new vacation...the list is endless. And yet, none of this will fulfill you. They are all temporary. 2. Your lifestyle corresponds to your income. This is the American Dream. Do you make more money so you can have more stuff? Instead, we ought to live simply, so others can simply live. 3. You use your net-worth to determine your self worth. The author asks us to imagine standing in an elevator and on the next floor in walks a housekeeper followed by Bill Gates. And there you are, standing between the two of them. As you stand between the two of them, which one makes you feel better about your status in life and which one makes you feel that you haven t really accomplished much in life? The point is that wealth tends to be the biggest measuring rod we use to determine success. Towards the one with more, we look with envy and towards the other we feel a measure of pride. 4 The love of money has nothing to do with the amount of money you have. Rather, how you view money is the issue. Do you see it as your source for happiness? Do you use it simply for yourself? Do you use it to measure yourself against others? It is something we all struggle with and we need to constantly be reminded that money is not the definition of the good life. It does not and cannot satisfy. A Grievous Evil: Wasted Riches The second point that is made about money in this passage is described as an evil. That 7

8 is the word that is repeated in this section of the passage. In Ecclesiastes 5:13 he says, There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And then he says at the beginning of chapter 6, There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. These verses combine to make one point. It is considered a grievous evil to not enjoy the daily gifts God gives to us. In the first passage, starting in Ecclesiastes 5:13, the reason riches were not enjoyed is because they were hoarded. It says, they were kept by their owner to his hurt. And then something tragic happened and he lost it all. Consequently, those who depended on him suffered along with him. And then in verse 17 you find him eating in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger. In other words, he is now all alone and he is resentful over what he has lost. Sidney Greidanus says that the word grievous evil can be translated sickening evil. 5 What is it about this picture that is sickening and such a grievous evil? Because this person was so caught up in the need to have more, he was never able to enjoy what God had given him. When he lost it all, he was unable to use what he had to bless those closest to him. This indicates that with the blessing of wealth, comes the opportunity to share with others and when that opportunity is squandered, it is a sickening evil. We are all familiar with the adage, it is better to give than to receive. According to a study done by the University of British Columbia psychology department, Those who spend money on other people or charities are the happiest, regardless on how much a person earned, those who spent money on others reported greater happiness. 6 The problem is not with the treasure. Rather, the problem is with what we treasure. With the resources God has given us, we are to lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. It is a grievous evil when we hoard what we have and keep it for ourselves. The second evil we see in this passage is somewhat interesting. Here in Ecclesiastes 6:2 is a man who has wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires and yet he still can t find enjoyment in life. At the end of verse 2 we read that this is a grievous evil. Again, it is a sickening evil. Why is this so sickening? It is a sickening evil because at the end of the day, as James tells us, every good gift and every perfect gift is from above. But this person is not able to see the good hand of God in their life. And so even if they were to have a hundred children and live a long life, they 8

9 still wouldn t see the goodness of God in their lives. In biblical times many children and long life was the symbol of God s blessing. And so here in verse 6 the absurd notion is that even if they were given 2000 years of life, they still would fail to enjoy the good gifts God gives to them. This is a grievous evil. This lack of gratitude is no small thing. It really lies at the heart of our rejection of God. In Romans 1, when Paul is describing the depravity of man he says that it all begins when we fail to honor God as God or give thanks to him. This is the great American sin. When it comes to average income, compared to other countries in the world, we are head and shoulders above the rest of the world. As of 2011, 56% of Americans, compared to the rest of the world would be considered high income, living on more than $50 a day. In addition to that, 36% would be considered upper-middle class. That means nine of out ten Americans, compared to global standards, live above the middle class standard of the world. 7 As a country, we are that person described in Ecclesiastes 6:1-6. We have all these resources given to us by God. And yet for all the wealth God has given to us, there seems to be a lot of dissatisfaction and much unhappiness and great anxiety. This is a grievous evil for we have been given much by God. Enjoy God s Gifts This leads us right to the main point found in the middle of the passage. How should we live in light of all this hevel? Obviously, we are not to chase after money as though it can satisfy the desires of our heart. And yet, at the same time, it is a grievous evil to not enjoy the gifts God gives to us. And so we find in Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 instruction for how we are to approach life. What he is about to tell us he says is good and fitting. Contrast that to the two paragraphs that surround these three verses where we read of what is evil. So what is good and fitting for us to do? Again, his point comes with two statements that mean the same thing. In verse 18 he says, Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. We have seen this instruction all throughout Ecclesiastes to this point. Instead of trying to make your life about chasing after money, we are instructed to take each day as it comes and receive it for what it is; a gift from God. I have really found this to be helpful for me. I have made it a habit at the beginning of my day to thank God for the day and to receive it with gratitude. It really does impact how I spend the day and how I respond to the challenges of the day. 9

10 Conclusion But then, notice the second statement in verse 19. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil this is the gift of God. The same instruction applies to the rich as it does to the poor. The rich are to see their wealth as a gift from God, and this too is to be enjoyed. It is not to be hoarded. Nor, is this gift to be rejected. Rather, it too is to be enjoyed as a gift from God. Leland Ryken makes the distinction here between the person who has God at the center of his life versus the one who is chasing after money. He says, The person who recognizes God as the center of life is free to enjoy life as a gift precisely because he has not given his heart to something less than God. 8 There is a verse many of you know, This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. This verse is found in Psalm 118 and it is part of a collection of psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent. These were the fifteen psalms that the Jewish worshiper would sing as they made their way up to Jerusalem to celebrate the annual feasts. This verse spoke of a special day when God s salvation would come to his people. In fact, this is the song they sang on Palm Sunday, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. The very next verse in Psalm 118 is, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And yet, while that day, no doubt, was a special day to give thanks to God; every day is a day to apply this verse to our lives. This is the day the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. The more I study Ecclesiastes, the more I am convinced that this is the answer to how we are to live life in the midst of the hevel of life. Whether we are rich or poor, young or old, king or subject at the end of the day, it does not matter. The secret to life is to receive each day with gratitude as a gift from God. Look what happens in verse 20 as a result. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart. Do you know that that means? When you remember that each day is a gift from God and to be enjoyed and received as such, God will fill you with joy. Even when you encounter difficult days, which no doubt, you will, you will still find joy because you will see the day as an incredible gift from God. Don t worry about tomorrow. Seek first the kingdom of God. Sidney Greidanus sums it up well when he says, The Teacher s message is clear: we have a choice between two ways of life. We can spend our life pursuing wealth, but it never satisfies and in the end leads to disaster. Or we can focus on enjoying God s gifts every day. Instead of pursuing wealth, the Teacher encourages us to enjoy God s daily gifts. 9 This is the simplicity of life. This is the good life! 10

11 Consider this prayer by John Baillie: O Lord, it is you who have given me the gift of this day s life. Give me also, I pray, the spirit to use it as I should. May I not stain the brightness of the morning with any evil thought of darken the afternoon with any shameful action. Today, let your Holy Spirit breathe into my heart clean and true desires worthy of your reign. May your truth inspire my mind. May your justice and goodness make a throne within me and direct my wayward will. May Christ be formed in me and let me learn from him how to be humble in heart, gentle in bearing, modest in speech, helpful in action, and prompt at carrying out my Father s will. O Lord, you encompass the whole earth with your compassionate love, and it is against your will that any of your children should be lost or die. Grant your blessing today to all who are striving to make a better world. I pray, O God, especially For all who are working for laws to be more just, humane and transparent; For all who are working for peace between the nations; For all who are working to heal and prevent disease; For all who are helping to relieve poverty; For all who are helping the betrayed and abused; For all who are working toward the restoration of the broken unity of your holy Church; For all who preach the gospel; For all who bear witness to Christ in every land and culture Break down, O Lord, all the forces of violence, cruelty and evil. Defeat all selfish and power-driven schemes and bless everything that is planned in the spirit of Christ and carried out to the honor of his blessed name. Amen! 10 1 Dave McRaney The Fascinating Scientific Reason Why Money Doesn t Buy You Happiness. January 25, Ibid 3 Jessie O Neill The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence (Center City, MN: Hazelden, 1996) 4 Wesley Wiley Three Red Flags You May Be Deceived By Wealth 5 Sidney Greidanus Preaching Christ From Ecclesiastes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010) Ibid., 155, fn 49 7 Rakesh Kochhar How Americans Compare with the Global Middle Class July 9, 2015, 8 Leland Ryken The Literature of the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974) Greidanus, John Baillie A Diary of Private Prayer (New York: Scribner) 26th Day, Morning by Dr. Scott Solberg - All rights reserved 11

12 Sermon Title: What is the Good Life? Sermon Text: Ecclesiastes 5:10-6:9 Sermon Date: May 14, 2017 Getting To Know Me Questions 1. What comes to your mind when you think about money? 2. The Bible says that the love of money is the root of all evil. How do you wrestle with this temptation? 3. Share something from the sermon that stood out to you or caught your attention. Diving Into The Word 4. Read Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 and 6:.7-9. What comes with a lot of money? Why do you think the desire for money is a desire that cannot be satisfied? 5. Which of the three Red Flags on pg. 7 do you wrestle with the most and why? 6. Read Ecclesiastes 5:12-17 and 6:1-6. Describe the grievous evil of these two passages. Why is it such an evil? How do we tend to display this evil in our own lives? 7. Read Ecclesiastes 5: What is the lesson of this passage? Why do you think the lesson of this passage is the key to experiencing joy in life? 8. Read Luke 12:15 and John 6:27. What insights do these words from Jesus add to your understanding of the issue of money? Taking It Home 9. What practical steps can you take to apply the principle of this passage in Ecclesiastes? 10. When it comes to your daily attitude, what is one thing you would like others to pray about for you. 12