THE OUTER LIMITS: ECCLESIASTES-Busy Christians
Busy Christians
Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8
It seemed like Solomon moved on, but we see it again in:
Ecclesiastes 12:8
8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
We’re back to the vanity; I thought we settled that, I thought we moved on. I thought that was just a dark angsty time, in his life - but here we are AGAIN!
Why has he come full circle? Why are we back to vanity?
If you remember he started off this book considering life and he said, I’ll figure out life under the sun. This was trying to understand all of life without a God. He kept concluding its all vanity without a God there is no point to life, and life demands a point.
Don't you think that's right? We as a people have a general since of right and wrong, and of justice, but why?
Salmon swim up river to the point of their spawning for mass spawning - but why?
Solomon took us on a ride stepping through life, and concluded that there must be a God, and so his quest has been about uncovering through this constant switch back and fourth to seeing life under the sun (and being frustrated by the pointlessness of it all) to seeing that there is a God OVER the sun, and being steadied and calmed in this frustrating life.
Since chapter 7 he’s been looking at the frustrating world, and then showing how living Godly character IN this frustrating life, is more satisfying and more freeing to peruse real joy.
So, why now in this final circle does he snap our heads BACK to a vexing frustrating under the sun view?
He’s going to get our attention because this is going go to be one big step, BIG.
This is going to encapsulate his conclusion that there is a God, so it’s NOT all vanity, and we should live full of joy; he’s going to step it out one step further because of one eventually reality for all of us, death.
SO lets go, one more step with Solomon.
We’re going to cover Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8 and save the rest of the book for next week - then we’re done! If you've been here you've studied every word of the book of Ecclesiastes together - and so stick around Romans and 1 & 2 Corinthians are next!
But we're going to jump ahead and look at chapter 12, because if 11:1-12:8 take a step this is the leap - so we’ll look here first then step in backwards:
Ecclesiastes 12:1
1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;
What are the approaching years that seem to universally move in towards us that step closer and closer, is it… old age?
2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain,
3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed,
The keepers of the house, the strong men, you know people like that, right? As long as they’re near you’re invincible. Maybe your dad, or someone else, you know these people their hands strength are trembling in this evil day that befalls ALL of us, their body which was strong and held up under their impenetrable might, that body is bent, the grinders… teeth - remember guys, this audience needed the body they didn't work through email and phone calls they went to work, they needed those teeth - they didn’t order Fixodent and glue in some fakes -, the body is breaking down, the eyes (windows) dim and vision becomes worse they had no 1-800-contacts for their special eyes, they squinted. They’re stepping towards the end.
4 and the doors on the street are shut—when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low—
Hearing fails and vocal ability fails. This breaking down of the body is laid out before us to consider because it’s a common lot.
We just wear out. For people who work hard, they know this.
5 they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets—
Death has come. We just wear out. You can take vitamins, blend plants, see your Dr. and swallow everything Merck comes up with; you're going to die.
Did you know that in 2016 the National center for Health Statistics published a study that showed Medical error to be the leading cause of death behind 1) Heart Disease, 2) Cancer and it beat out Respiratory Disease by just under 50%. Even trying to save your life - may end it!
But Solomon isn’t done stepping you through this concept yet, because you need to sink it in deeply:
6 before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,
When you live in the desert, you are aware of issues relating to access of water…
The light of life is out, the source of life (broken wheel for the well, broken bowl/pitcher) you cannot get water and live. I though about how fragile life really is a few years ago, when a contractor working on fire hydrants broke the water lines, and we had this massive city-wide boil warning. Then again with the Michigan water crisis, have you ever thought of how needful you are of the utilities that run to your house?
If tomorrow the water stopped working and the power went out, what would you do? I mean, we’d probably be cool for a few days, but I mean seriously, if the power went dark for a week, and wasn’t coming back, and the water didn’t run into your house what would you do?
7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
It is the end of life. Life, given by God, goes back to God.
Say what you want.
- In this life I determined that compared to others in this life, I was pretty good
- I think God understands me after all, He made me this way
Maybe you've figured out the infinite mind of the sovereign creator of all of the universe and life; Independently.
Maybe you're wrong - Solomon is stepping YOU toward a conclusion, you’re going to die, and then, you’ll be before God, what happens then?
Hard to say from under the sun, isn’t it, but don’t worry this is his conclusion; we’ll step back for the answer.
8 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.
Now we’re back to the meaninglessness of it all, if life just grinds out; the vapor and temporary nature of all of life then is all vanity.
BUT here is what leads into this, Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 shows something that we studied last week; we don’t know what’s coming. We cannot predict the weather, we don’t know the future if you’re the person that has God figured out, he's reminding you; if you cannot even know the simplest things about what happens under the sun, how do you report to understand the one over it's creation?
So what does Solomon determine?
V2 Diversify because you never know
V6 You never know what will work (crops or work), so stay diligent
V5 You don’t know about life, like you think you do
Is this just financial advice, does it stop there? Is it just a wise approach to finances or more?
Because you don’t know these 3 things, because you’ll never fully understand God, you don’t give up, when you recognize him, and for us, oh for us, when we're redeemed to him in Christ who said, it's finished you live aggressively - for God and His purposes - and His kingdom you're really free to life - that's what Solomon is stepping us into, LIFE.
Ecclesiastes 11:6 (ESV)
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
Maybe you go to work in the day, then you're off. Why, to watch Maury Povich or CNN or Fox and tell everyone how they're wrong and your way is right?
WHY DON’T YOU SERVE GOD’S KINGDOM? Get out of the armchair and be a Christian!
God’s business is the yield; your business is to be busy.
What will God do with the time you put into serving Him, *shrug - so serve Him!
What takes your “free time”? What makes you less productive for the kingdom of God?
Don't think I'm brow beating you, but what if I didn't encourage you - what if I put a spoon of Bible in your face every Sunday and never encouraged you to use your legs; it’d be a disservice! I love you far too much; I want us all functioning and serving and giving here and being the church God calls out of the world to confound it.
When we function that way we WILL confound the world.
When do you serve God? He mentions working hard and yielding in the context of how to live life. Why?
For riches?
Ecclesiastes 11:1-4 (ESV)
Cast Your Bread upon the Waters
1 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
What in the world? Float bread on the water and it will come back to you?
He’s talking about a VERY lucrative, yet VERY dangerous line of work the shipping trade. Ever seen the show, Deadliest Catch? Think like that.
Ecclesiastes 11:3
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
Opportunity is there for us to take advantage of what will be, we're to be ready for God to move and we're to be busy.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
However, maybe we’ll be lazy and safe instead of living aggressively, so that we can be generous.
Ecclesiastes 11:2
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight,
for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
Give perfectly 7 then give more, imagine the freedom if you were giving more, more aggressive in your work to give, how many of us are generous?
How many of us give here, so that we can see God do huge things here? Do we believe He will, or are we OK with now?
Want to see how we spend here; it’s on the table back there on that sheet; see all that God does with our small giving, imagine if we lived so that we could give more? I’m with you, I give here, and I want to see God do huge things!
Jesus generosity was aggressive, he took His righteousness and extended it to us as a free gift: His life and extended it to us as a free gift and so we… what do we do, do we live for God, to we give to His purposes, do we give perfectly and give more are we content with CNN/Fox news and, work emails, and work stress, and Maury Povich?
We’re to be joyful, enjoying life, giving and honoring God with our lives!
Jesus, when he came and lived in this life - was accused as being a glutton and drunkard, why?
HE ENJOYED LIFE
He lived well, though poor.
He gave deeply of himself.
He lived aggressively - what about you?
How are we do this, we’re to remember God, fear God, enjoy God and his gifts - how do I know and do that NOW, aggressively!
How do I know?
Before the cord is snapped, before the bowl is broken, before the pitcher is shattered, before the wheel is broken, before the dust returns to God who gave it; because without God, without enjoyment, without worship it’s all meaningless, but church, Get this this is important to knowing all of Ecclesiastes, enjoy your life and be worshipful.