OUTLINE I. THE INTRODUCTORY AFFIRMATION 1:1-11 A. Title, theme and Author 1:1-2 B. The futility of all human endeavor 1:3-11 II. THE FUTILITY OF WORK

Transcription

1

2 OUTLINE I. THE INTRODUCTORY AFFIRMATION 1:1-11 A. Title, theme and Author 1:1-2 B. The futility of all human endeavor 1:3-11 II. THE FUTILITY OF WORK AND HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT 1:12-6:9 A. Personal observations on the futility of human achievement 1:12-2:26 B. Divine Providence and the order of events 3:1-8 C. The role and value of labor in light of Divine Providence 3:9-13 D. Problems with the plan: Theodicy 3:16-4:16 E. The perishable fruits of labor 5:1-6:9

3 Verse gives us Solomon s recommendation: He repeats his former counsel: He again recommends the present enjoyment of life (2:24) to be happy (5:18, 8:15) and to do good (3:12) NOTE: Solomon is not saying don t worry be happy or If it feels good do it Rather he is promoting the enjoyment of life while living by godly principles in light of future judgment. Verse 3:13 Solomon reiterates that the ability to enjoy life comes as a gift of God (2:25)

4 Ecc 3:11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. Appropriate : Strong's Concordance Yapheh Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-feh') fair, beautiful, excellent

5 is the wise providence of a loving father who does all things well and promises to make everything work together for good (Romans 8: 28) Wiersbe: Bible exposition commentary p. 494 Stated another way: God has made all the events and relationships in life beautiful Everything as it came from the hand of the creator in Genesis 1 was very good. Even the activities of verses two eight, which in themselves may not appear beautiful, have a beauty when they are seen as constituent parts of the whole work of God. Kaiser page 66, Ecc. Total Life

6 Verse 11 cont: He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. Man has a deep-seated desire, a compulsive drive to appreciate the beauty of creation to know the character, composition and meaning of the world (on an academic and philosophical level); and to discern its purpose and destiny (on a theological level).man has an inborn inquisitiveness and capacity to learn how everything in his experience can be integrated to make a whole (Kaiser page 66)

7 Verse Gods eternal plan is complete and perfect as is and it is not in need of any modification. From a human perspective we are looking at the underside of the divine tapestry and should not draw hasty conclusions about the beauty of the final pattern. Matthew Henry: There is nothing in Gods plan... that is unnecessary, or that can be spared. As the word of God, so the works of God are every one of them perfect in its kind, and it is presumption for us either to add to them or to diminish from them. It is therefore as much our interest, as our duty, to bring our wills into conformity with the will of God.

8 D. Problems with the plan; Solomon s Theodicy: 3:16-4:16 Theodicy: the vindication/defense of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil. 1. The problem of injustice in this life (3:16 17) 2. Men die just like the animals (3:18 21) 3. The problem of oppression in this life (4:1 3) 4. The problem of rivalry and envy among men (4:4 6) 5. The problem of Man s isolation (4:7 12)

9

10 D. Problems with the plan; Solomon s Theodicy: 3:16-4:16 Theodicy: the vindication/defense of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil. 1. The problem of injustice in this life (3:16 17) 2. Men die just like the animals (3:18 21) 3. The problem of oppression in this life (4:1 3) 4. The problem of rivalry and envy among men (4:4 6) 5. The problem of Man s isolation (4:7 12) 6. The fleeting nature of popularity (4:13 6)

11 A word about explanations: We can t explain every aspect of life; God has not seen fit to share all knowledge with us. Nevertheless we must experience life, either enduring it or enjoying it as a gift of God. Faith learns to live with seeming inconsistencies and absurdities, for we live by promises and not by explanations.

12 OUTLINE I. THE INTRODUCTORY AFFIRMATION 1:1-11 A. Title, theme and Author 1:1-2 B. The futility of all human endeavor 1:3-11 II. THE FUTILITY OF WORK AND HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT 1:12-6:9 A. Personal observations on the futility of human achievement 1:12-2:26 B. Divine Providence and the order of events 3:1-8 C. The role and value of labor in light of Divine Providence 3:9-13 D. Problems with the plan: Theodicy 3:16-4:16 E. The perishable fruits of labor 5:1-6:9

13 E. The perishable fruits of labor 5:1 6:9 Emphasizes the folly of trying to find ultimate satisfaction in the fruits of one s work: money, fame, pleasure

14 These verses (1 7) are often wrongly interpreted as an interlude in Solomon s argument. They are assumed to give advice on proper worship. In reality however this is an important part of Solomon s argument warning against the folly of rash vows which could cause a person to lose the fruits of his labor Bible Knowledge Commentary

15 Verse 5: 1 3 the point seems to be about the proper attitude and practice of prayer: Be thoughtful and reverent rather than hasty or impulsive in bringing matters before God Prayer must not be entered into lightly or carelessly Because "Fruitful and acceptable worship begins before it begins." (Maclaren) Let your words be few. Perhaps a reference to pretense, hypocrisy, and superficial religiosity as in Matthew 6:7: "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

16 bad investment in verse 14 is probably better understood as misfortune. Strong's H the word is `inyan Most often translated as travail The same expression in 1:13 is translated a heavy burden and in 4:8 as a miserable business

17 Verse 18 20: Conclusion He is consistent in repeating his counsel stated elsewhere: (2:24, 3:12-13, 8:15) He advises the present enjoyment of life as a gift of God. To be happy and to do good. To enjoy labor s fruits as God enables. To find satisfaction in his labor. Man s wealth and possessions and the ability to enjoy them and be happy in his work are gifts of God. Life is fleeting.

18 Psalm 39:4 Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain

19

20 STRONG S HEBREW LEXICON cheleq pronounced khā'lek KJV Translation Count Total usage: 66x 63x as portion, part, inheritance, never as reward Outline of Biblical Usage (Blue Letter Bible.org) I. portion, share, part, territory A.portion, share B.portion, tract, parcel (of land) C.one's portion, one's possession D.(chosen) portion E.portion, award (from God)

21 Ecc 5:19 KJV Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, AND hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. NKJV As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, AND given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor this is the gift of God. YLT Every man also to whom God hath given wealth and riches, AND hath given him power to eat of it, and to accept his portion, and to rejoice in his labour, this is a gift of God.

22 In the ancient world people recognized that the person who named someone or something was sovereign over it. Thus God called what He had made day, heaven, man, etc. Adam named woman, the animals, etc. Solomon s point in verse 10 is that God has sovereignly decreed the nature and essence of everything that exists. -Constables notes on Ecclesiastes In the Jewish mind giving a name to something was the same as fixing its character and stating what it really is.

23 Verse 6:10 12 Fitting conclusion of the entire first half of the book on the futility of all human endeavor under the sun. Human achievement Human wisdom Human knowledge Pursuit of pleasure Materialism Wealth Labor

24 HUMAN ENDEAVOR Unable to exceed the limitations of a fallen intellect. Unable to exceed the limitations of human wisdom. Unable to affect man s ultimate destiny. Unable to answer the existential questions WHY? And what is truth? Unable to understand the whole. Unable to predict what the future holds. Unable to adequately guide us on our journey thru life. Unable to bring ultimate and lasting satisfaction. Unable to accomplish anything of permanent value. Unable to define true meaning and purpose.

25 There is a divinely established CONNECTION between creator and creature, between God and man. Man was created in the image of God, and DESIGNED to live in fellowship and harmony with his creator IN AN INTEGRATED WAY. There is also a divinely established DISCONNECTION between earthly things and ultimate satisfaction and meaning and this DISCONNECTION IS ALSO INTEGRATED into man s very being. Man cannot overcome this DISCONNECTION apart from knowing and becoming INTEGRATED with God, a process which God has made possible by His graceful provision to eliminate that which separates us from Him. Man was not designed to live apart from God any more than a fish was designed to live out of water. In other words, we are DESIGNED FOR INTEGRATION. It s just part of the program.

26 Joseph Addison ( ) The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do Solomon: rejoice in one s labor, enjoy life, fear God, keep His commandments someone to love Solomon: points out the folly of isolation 4:9-12 and something to hope for Solomon: ultimate righteous judgment. The glorious hope of the believer. There is nothing new under the sun. Man seems to arrive at the same conclusions over and over again

27 I. THE INTRODUCTORY AFFIRMATION 1:1-11 A. Title, theme and Author 1:1-2 B. The futility of all human endeavor 1:3-11 II. THE FUTILITY OF WORK AND HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT 1:12-6:9 A. Personal observations on the futility of human achievement as it relates to human wisdom and the pursuit of pleasure 1:12-2:26 B. Divine Providence and the order of events 3:1-8 C. The role and value of labor in light of Divine Providence 3:9-13 D. Problems with the plan: Theodicy 3:16-4:16 E. The perishable fruits of labor 5:1-6:9 III. COUNSEL FOR LIVING 7:1-12:8 A. Chapter 7: Miscellaneous general advice B. Chapter 8: What about the wicked? Four general themes C. Chapter 9:1-10: Return to the theme of Death D. Chapter 9:11-10:11: Human Wisdom is Subject To Life s Unpredictability E. Chapter 10:12-15 Foolish talkers /Foolish leaders F. Chapter 11:1-12:7: Wise Behavior in Light of Future Uncertainties IV. CONCLUSION 12:8 14:

28 I walked a mile with Pleasure; She chattered all the way, But left me none the wiser For all she had to say I walked a mile with Sorrow, And not a word said she; But, oh! The things I learned from her, When Sorrow walked with me! Robert Browning Hamilton

29 Hebrew verb chayah The Piel stem used here usually expresses an "intensive" or "intentional" action revealing a richer meaning than just preserves to preserve alive, let live to give life to quicken, revive, refresh to restore to life to cause to grow to restore to revive Outline of Biblical Usage (blb.org)

30 Castellino points out that the verb to be wise is in the Hebrew hithpael form and therefore must be rendered reflexively as to think oneself to be furnished with wisdom. This is consistent with Proverbs 3:7 (be not wise in your own eyes). The resulting understanding would be: Verse 16: Do not multiply (think yourself overly) righteousness and do not be overly wise (in your own eyes). Why destroy yourself? Verse 17: Do not multiply (your own) wickedness and do not be fool. Why should you die before your time?

31 The minister ought to have one blind eye and one deaf ear: You cannot stop people s tongues, and therefore the best thing to do is to stop your own ears, never mind what is spoken. There is a world of idle chitchat abroad Charles Spurgeon to his pastoral students