Wisdom, Folly & true happiness Ecclesiastes 1 & 2

Introduction… Name of the Book - “Ecclesiastes” A fascinating book Hebrew - Koheleth Means the “words of the preacher” - 1:1 A fascinating book A puzzling book A book of serious thoughts A book that is abused by those who deny the soul of man lives after death such as the JW’s Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Psalms 146:4 cf. Ecclesiastes 12:7

“The Preacher” Described Not specifically named in the book Evidence points to Solomon “The Preacher” described himself as… The son of David & King in Jerusalem - 1:1 One of great wisdom - 1:16 One of great wealth - 1:16; 2:7-9 One who was a great builder - 2:4-11 Called by some, the “wisdom writer”

Purpose of this Writing Stated in Ecclesiastes 1:13 & 2:3 “And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith” - 1:13 “...till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life” - 2:3

Final & Ultimate Conclusion “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Theme & Question “Vanity of vanities…all is vanity” - 1:2 In view of true wisdom, all is useless, futile, meaningless, empty The question posed - 1:3 “What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” He seeks to answer this question If our labor is meaningless concerning this life, what do we do?

The Prologue - 1:3-11 Man’s short life compared with the continued cycles of the nature - vs. 4 Life is short (vanity of life), but the earth & its cycles continue Illustrates there is “nothing new under the sun” - vs. 9 There is seemingly no change - vs. 4-7 Generations come and go - life continues one The sun follows it daily course The winds & rivers continue on an endless cycle There is a continued sameness

The Prologue - 1:3-11 There is no satisfaction in life - vs. 8 Desires are not quenched, the more one gets the more they want There is nothing new under the sun - vs. 9-10 The sameness continues Men live & die - the earth & universe continues Man will pass from the earth & be forgotten - vs. 11 Man’s influence is short lived Over time, future civilizations will forget what is done today & rediscover what is already known All will go the way of the grave - 2:16; 3:19

Futility of Human Wisdom - 1:12-13 Determines to use “wisdom” (human) - vs. 12-15 Searches all things done under heaven Tasks given by God to all men Solomon was equipped with Godly wisdom to do this His prayer for wisdom answered by God - 1 Kings 3:9-12 He summarizes his findings, after seeing all works under the sun - Concludes that this is like “grasping for the wind” “All is vanity” - 2:11

Chapter 2 Solomon Seeks Happiness & Meaning Searched based on human “wisdom” - Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 Using Godly wisdom to search out human “wisdom” Concluded human “wisdom” is futile Ecclesiastes 1:16-18 The source of much grief & sorrow - 1:18 This “wisdom” leaves one “grasping for the wind” God given wisdom is the only reliable wisdom Proverbs 2:1-15; 3:13-18; James 1:5

He Tested Things In Life He gives a summary of his test… Riches & pleasure are vanity - 2:1, 2 Laughter brings no true happiness Riches bring no lasting wealth He tells what he did…

He Explains What He Did He explored with wine & folly - 2:3 He sought to find what was truly good for people to do “under heaven all the days of their lives” He built many great things - 2:4-6 Houses, vineyards, gardens, orchards, water pools 1 Kings 7:1-12

He Explains What He Did He satisfied his every desire - 2:5-8 Servants, livestock, precious metals, treasures, singers & concubines - “delights of the sons of men” 1 King 9:28; 10:10, 14, 21, 27; 11:1-3 He became great, seemingly happy - 2:9-10 Was greater than any before him He enjoyed the fruits of his labors Yet he retained his wisdom - vs. 9

He Hated Life Reflects on wisdom, madness & folly & its merits - 2:12 Who could do more than he, the king? Realizes wisdom is better than folly - 2:13-14a As light is better than darkness Human “wisdom” is vanity - 2:14b-16 Both the “wise” and the fool die - 9:2 He hated life because all of his work done “under the sun” was… Grievous “Vanity and striving after the wind” - 2:17

He Reflects on His Wealth He relates why he hated his labor - 2:18-23 Because he would leave it to someone after him Did not know if they would be wise or a fool Someone would enjoy the fruit of his labor He thought this was “vanity and a great evil” - vs. 21 What benefit does he have from his labor? Days of sorrow Restless nights Grievous work resulting in vanity

He Accepts Life Concludes that man should enjoy the fruits of his labor 2:24-26; 3:12-13, 22, 5:18-19; 9:7-9 He is telling us to enjoy what God provides 1 Timothy 6:17; cf. Luke 12:19 This ability is a gift from God - 2:24b Cannot truly enjoy life apart from God - 2:25 The obedient are given wisdom, knowledge & joy - 2:26a To sinners God gives gathering & grievous labor - 2:26b Some sinners accumulate wealth, but it is vain 6:1-4

Wisdom, Folly & True Happiness Godly wisdom exceeds the “wisdom” of men Proverbs 2:6, 7; 1 Corinthians 1:21-25 Folly… Is like darkness as compared to light (wisdom) Ecclesiastes 2:13; 1 Peter 2:9 True happiness… Belongs only to those who seek to please God by fearing Him and keeping his commandments Ecclesiastes 2:26 Hebrews 11:6

The Final & Ultimate Conclusion “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

The Bible Plan of Salvation The Alien Sinner must… Hear - Romans 10:17 Believe the Gospel - Romans 10:14 Confess Christ - Romans 10:9 Repent of your sins - Acts 2:38 Be baptized into Christ - Acts 2:38 Erring child of God must… Repent and Pray - Acts 8:22-24