God is the Answer to Life, not Wisdom
Intro: Morning friends and visitors. My name is Matt Johnson and today we continue our study of Ecclesiastes – thinking about how we SEIZE THE DAY and make the most of our lives under the sun. So lets pray…
PRAYER: Well, what is the real VALUE OF WISDOM? There often comes a point in life – where we become thoroughly DISILLUSIONED in someone or something. We share a secret with a close friend and we find out they’ve gossiped behind our back. When this happens (and sadly it does happen) – we start thinking – if I can’t trust my friends – who can I trust? Anyone experienced this? I’m DISILLUSIONED…
Or perhaps we give the best years of our life to a particular COMPANY we think is genuinely doing good. We believe – we’ve thrown in our lot with an organization that has a product, principles and a vision that is commendable. So you give yourself wholeheartedly to this cause. But then, in a moment of leadership hypocrisy – you wake up one day feeling completely disillusioned. Why did I put all that time and energy into serving this company? Just like that (CLICK FINGERS) – the bubble bursts – and you find yourself disillusioned. Who has experienced this??
Well for other people disillusionment often comes in the form of A MID-LIFE CRISIS. We all have goals in life (that we think we’re going to accomplish before we die). But we wake up one day in our 40’s or 50’s and realise we haven’t got there (whatever there is) and we probably won’t? So we feel disillusioned. Did we chase a lemon? Did we waste our lives? I won’t ask who has been here – because its probably a little too close to home – for many of us…
But very often disillusionment in life comes because we’ve expected too much from certain people or certain things. The people or things themselves may be good. They’re simply not that good. They haven’t lived up to our expectations – so we feel let down…
Well in a great irony of wisdom literature – I think Solomon ended up feeling DISILLUSIONED about his own wisdom. It wasn’t as good as he thought. In some ways Ecclesiastes reads like Solomons mid-life crisis. Solomon is disillusioned and as we approach the end of Ecclesiastes – he becomes clear – that even wisdom does not really fix the problems of this world. At least not directly…
Point 1: Wisdom is Good, but it’s not the Answer to Life…
Show: Eccles.9:13-16 (READ)
Explain: Well as you can see Solomon tells a story of a poor wise man that greatly IMPRESSED him. An example of wisdom that IMPRESSED him. A small town is under attack. No one seems to have an ANSWER. They’re all going to die. However, at the 11th hour a poor wise man comes forward with some stroke of genius. We are not told what the wise man did. But his wisdom saves the entire village.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY is obvious. Be wise. Gain wisdom because one day you may save your entire town. YAY. We finally appear to have AN ANSWER in Ecclesiastes. THE BETTER OR BEST THING to pursue in life is NOT wealth, pleasure, fame or power. It’s wisdom. At a superficial level one might easily conclude that the message of Ecclesiastes is that instead of chasing the wind, chasing money or power, we should chase after wisdom. Pursue wisdom… BUT.
BUT is a really important word in this part of Ecclesiastes. Solomon keeps saying wisdom is better, but… You can have all the wisdom in the world; but (as we saw last week) it can’t save you from death. You can be the wisest person alive – but (as we saw last week) wisdom can’t save you from the times and chances of this world. IN A SIMILAR VEIN – Solomon again says “wisdom is great” – but no one remembers the poor wise man. There is NO ENDURING LEGACY for wisdom. I mean it did something good – but…
Books in the Bible like Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes are called wisdom literature. They talk about the importance of wisdom. And Ecclesiastes is written (most probably) by King Solomon the wisest King in Israels history, prior to Jesus. (Now most Christians know the story). Shortly after becoming King – God appears to Solomon in a vision and says “Ask for whatever you want me to give you and I’ll give it.” It’s a bit like THE GENIE IN THE BOTTLE and the three wishes.
Whatever you want (says God). But God grants King Solomon just one wish. What will he ask for? (PAUSE) What would you ask for if God granted you one wish?
Well – Solomon asks for wisdom. Solomon believes the best thing he can ask for is wisdom. Now that tells us something about Solomon. Solomon is (as he admits) impressed by wisdom. In his mind wisdom and knowledge is one of the best and most admirable things in life. (Perhaps in his childhood he saw the incident where the poor wise man saved the village and he thought aha. I want wisdom. Wisdom is best). Now of course wisdom is A GOOD THING to ask for. Whether it is the best thing for Solomon to request – is perhaps questionable? It may even be THE BIG QUESTION of Ecclesiastes. Did Solomon ask God for the best thing? Interestingly, Solomon reaches a different conclusion at the end of the book. Perhaps he should have said to God; Please help me to fear you and obey you all the days of my life.
But nonetheless – Solomon asks for wisdom and straightaway the Bible tells a story about TWO MUMS fighting over a child. One mum says it’s her child and the other mum says it’s her child. So Solomon truly understanding what makes mums tick – gives a ruling that quickly identifies the true mum. It’s like “Hallelujah – Solomon is a genius”. And in the following chapters all the rulers of the world come to hear Solomons wisdom. It all sounds good.
But like many good gifts from God, wisdom goes to Solomon’s head. SADLY, wisdom made Solomon so proud that he started disobeying God and proved himself a fool. Seriously! Solomon ended up pursuing the gift, rather than the giver. THREE or FOUR times in Ecclesiastes Solomon tells us he DEVOTED himself to gaining wisdom. He didn’t devote himself to God. He devoted himself to wisdom. So really Solomon’s giving himself to “an idol” that he has put in the place of God. AND I SUSPECT that Ecclesiastes is not so much A TRIBUTE to Solomon’s greatness as a CONFESSION of his idolatry.
King Solomon is a bit like the Garden of Eden 2.0. Just as 1) Satan tempted Eve with the knowledge of good and evil, so Solomon seems to be pursuing the knowledge of good and evil. I mean he straight out tells us in chapter 2 that I TESTED MYSELF with pleasure to determine what was good. That’s the lusts of the flesh (Eccles.2:1). He says I DENIED MYSELF nothing my eyes desired (Eccles.2:10) That’s the lust of the eyes… Ecclesiastes is a CONFESSION! Despite all his wisdom Solomon followed 1) the lusts of the flesh, 2) the lust of the eyes and 3) the pride of life – like the rest of us (1Jn.2:16). We know Solomon disobeyed God on many things. Instead of accepting what God says is good and evil; Solomon started experimenting to see for himself what is good and what is evil. He thought – perhaps having 700 wives is good?! (PAUSE) Mmmm. Does this make Solomon wise or a fool? What is true wisdom? In many ways – the story of Adam and Eve and the story of Solomon is the same story. One led to the fall of man. The other the fall of Israel.
Eve thought she was gaining wisdom by eating the forbidden fruit. Solomon thought he was growing in wisdom by tasting all that the world had to offer… But at some point in Solomon’s grand experiment of life – God started to humble him. Solomon started to see his own foolishness…
Point 2: Wisdom is Destroyed by Sin
Show: Eccles.9:17-10:1 (READ)
Explain: Was Solomon looking in the mirror – when he said “one sinner destroys much good?” Was he reflecting on self when he said “a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor?” Like I said – I suspect that Ecclesiastes may be more a confession of Solomons foolishness, than a tribute to his greatness and wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 10:1 speaks about perfume ruined by flies. I can’t be sure of this – but God made Israel to be fragrant offering. They were meant to be like PERFUME, a pleasing aroma to God. God gave them the promised land. God told them the fruits that were forbidden and the fruits that were ok. And God blessed them. It was like a return to the GARDEN OF EDEN 2.0. And Solomon asked for wisdom – to keep Gods people on the narrow path that leads to life. But sadly, with all the wisdom in the world – Solomon couldn’t even keep himself on the narrow path, let alone the people. SADLY, ONE SINNER (named Solomon) destroyed much good. So what is the value of wisdom?
The course of Ecclesiastes shows Solomons diminishing confidence in wisdom. Look at how the book BEGINS (Slide 5; Eccles.1:16-17). At the beginning Solomon is confident that he can lead and perhaps even redeem Israel with wisdom. He thinks WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE can triumph over the effects of the fall. But by the time we get to THE MIDDLE of the book – Solomons confidence in wisdom is fading fast. In chapter 7 – he says (Slide 6; Eccles. 7:23-24). And by the time we get to chapters 8, 9 & 10 Solomon is beginning to throw in the towel. In Ecclesiastes 8 – Solomon writes (Slide 7; Eccles. 8:17). Notice the disillusionment. Solomon comes to see that the problem in our world is not a lack of wisdom or education, but sin. As Solomon confesses one sinner (like me) destroys much good.
Apply: Now there is MUCH WE CAN LEARN from today’s passage. But a key thing to learn – is that man’s fundamental problem in life is not a lack of wisdom, or money, or power or fame. Its a lack of righteousness. OUR PROBLEM is always sin. That’s why Ecclesiastes finishes with this statement in chapter 12. (Slide 8; Eccles.12:13-14). But this is the very thing everyone struggles to do…
Like Solomon, we follow A) the lusts of our flesh, B) the lust of our eyes and C) we give in to pride of life. These days we even celebrate our pride and rejection of God. But all this is sin. WHEN WE SIN, we disobey Gods command’s and we start to feel guilty. So, we run from God and start denying Gods existence because we fear His punishment. But the more we run from God and deny His existence, the more empty we feel. Then, the more empty it ALL FEELS – the more we do foolish, sinful things.
Sound familiar? Maybe, like Solomon you’ve conducted your own grand experiment in life (that’s not so grand). If that is you – please understand that your real problem is sin. You need to think about this? There is such a thing as good and evil – determined by God. You know this is true. There is such a thing as morality. It’s part of creation. So if you start 1) calling RIGHT wrong and 2) start living like WRONG is right – life starts to lose all meaning. And welcome to Gen Z. But sadly, as we disobey Gods moral order – we not only bring futility to our lives, we also bring ourselves under Gods judgment and condemnation. This is not only life destroying, but soul destroying…
So in His great love for us – God sent another King (superior to Solomon) to save Israel and the world. (GOSPEL) Jesus was the perfect King. He always obeyed God. Jesus always demonstrated true wisdom. But then Jesus willingly went to the cross to pay for our sin. THE PENALTY FOR SIN IS DEATH. But as Jesus died on the cross he took the penalty for all our sins so that we could be forgiven. So that we could come back into a proper relationship with God
Now if that is true – (and your sins are ALL paid for) it means you can come back into a relationship with God. The answer to life is not wisdom or money or power or even conducting some grand experiment. The real answer to life is Jesus who brings us back into a proper relationship with God and helps us keep His commandments.
Point 3: Wisdom Comes from a Relationship with God (it does not produce…)
Show: Eccles.10:2-3 (READ)
Explain: Well obviously this is A POLITICAL STATEMENT. Wise people lean to the right in politics and foolish people lean to the left in politics. SERIOUSLY. I mean it’s right there in the Bible. (PAUSE). But all joking aside – this is a statement about our hearts, not our politics. THROUGHOUT SCRIPTURE Gods RIGHT HAND is the hand of blessing. In Psalm 110 – the Messiah sits at Gods right hand in heaven. In Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats – the sheep stand at Jesus right hand, while the goats stand at Jesus left hand. Even in Genesis 48 as Jacob blesses Ephraim instead Manasseh – his RIGHT HAND crosses over to come to rest on the younger child and his left hand rests on the older child. Throughout Scripture the right hand is the place of God’s blessing…
So what is the state of your heart. 1) The heart of the wise inclines or leans towards Gods right hand (of blessing), but 2) the heart of the fool inclines or leans to the left away from God’s blessing. And here we get to the heart of the matter. As sinners our hearts tend to incline towards what is second best. We focus on A) the good things of the world, rather than B) the good Creator of the world. (PAUSE) Its very easy to confuse the giver and the gift OR as Solomon did put the emphasis on the gift, rather than the Giver.
So God the Father’s ultimate gift to us is God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is the giver and God is the gift. And when God gives us Himself he is giving us wisdom. The apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1 (Slide 10; 1Cor.1:30). Jesus embodies a truly wise life in Gods world – in a way that Solomon never did.
And Jesus’ wise life is CREDITED to our account when we believe in him. So as Christians we don’t really look to Solomon for wisdom anymore. We look to Jesus for wisdom. And as we do so – the Holy Spirit who is also wisdom empowers us to be wise… In Ephesians 1, the apostle Paul says (Slide 11-Eph.1:17). When we accept Jesus as Lord and receive the Holy Spirit – Gods Spirit then helps us to be wise. IT’S NOT WISDOM that leads to LIFE. It’s true life with God the Father, through God the Son and in God the Spirit that leads to true wisdom.
Solomon gradually sees that true, meaningful life is NOT found in pursuing wisdom, but walking humbly with God. So as Solomon finishes Ecclesiastes 10 (and prepares for his conclusion) – he reminds us of some basic well-known principles of wisdom.
In verse 3 – Solomon reminds us wisdom and foolishness is ultimately about our WALK with or without God. In Galatians 6 – Paul tells us keep in step with Gods Spirit and we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. This is the outworking of true wisdom…
In verse 4 – Solomon says if a ruler gets angry with you remain calm. Another key concept in biblical wisdom is learning self-control which is not surprisingly one of the fruits of the Spirit.
In verses 5-7, Solomon admits sometimes stupid kings ELEVATE the foolish and DEMOTE the wise. But wisdom knows this is an error. Putting fools in positions of leadership only begets more foolishness. So when the apostles were choosing 7 deacons to help lead the distribution of food in Jerusalem – they instructed the people to pick 7 men full of the Holy Spirit and WISDOM (Acts 6:3)
In verses 8-11 – Solomon is saying do your job to the best of your ability. Yes, there may be risks in your employment. Yes, you may NOT have the right tools for the job (the axe may be blunt). But nonetheless do your job to the best of your ability. Because laziness in some jobs – (like snake charming) means being bitten by a cobra and not receiving your payment. A simple principle of biblical wisdom is work hard (don’t be lazy) because your ultimately working for God, not man.
Verses 12-14 reminds us that WISE PEOPLE are gracious and few in words, WHILE FOOLS are egotistical and full of madness.
Verses 15 & 18 again – pick up the key theme of work. Don’t be so lazy that you don’t know the way to the shops. Don’t be so lazy that you let your house go to ruins. This is Solomons version of stop being a pot smoking hippy AND get a job – if you are capable of it.
Verses 16, 17 & 19 – is again about understanding there is a time for everything. Breakfast is not the time for beer and wine. A party is not the time for wailing, but laughter. Wisdom is about knowing Gods good purposes for everything…
And finally; in verse 20 – Solomon gives us the very common wisdom principle – of watch your tongue. If you are a gossip and a slander – it will always, eventually find you out. A bird on the wing will repeat what you said AND your words will come home to roost. As James says in the New Testament – the tongue is a world of evil in the parts of the body. When you gossip and slander people behind their back, they always tend to find out and you get what you deserve. But you shouldn’t control your tongue to avoid the negative consequences. You should be wise and control your loose tongue because gossip is evil and a direct violation of God’s commands. But the wise person knows this and restrains their tongue because they fear God.
Apply: Friends, the wise life is the intrinsically good, God honoring life. And as such the wise life often does yield a return here and now under Gods right hand. It is the best way to live. But the wise person does not live a wise life for what it returns. A wise person lives a wise life – because they have a relationship with God, where God has inclined their hearts towards his right hand so that they may have the blessing of walking in true wisdom.
