Share the Burden and the Blessing

Ch. 3 - two ways of looking at time - under the sun or in light of God’s eternity; last week, guarantees from God about time, work, judgment, and death.

Today, elaborates on what he said in chapter 3 - even where there’s supposed to be justice, he sees oppression.

Intro

Ladder - from oppression to the throne, but still alone.

Solomon sees that we need another, we need each other, but more importantly, need God.

Is it so bad to be alone?

Illust?

Org: 3 scenes that demonstrate why it is not good for us to be alone.

I. The Sorrow of Suffering Alone (vv1-3)

EXPLAIN:

<<READ 1-3>>

This is uncomfortable. Human nature is to turn away, to ignore what you can’t fix. But he says stop and look at the tears.

Notice how he repeats the statement, “no one to comfort them,” but right between them, he says,

“On the side of their oppressors there was power” - The judges and kings are the power, and the oppressors are their friends.

ILLUST: Oppression is another word for injustice. The Scriptures especially name widows and orphans as vulnerable to oppression for the reason mentioned here - they're alone - but at times the whole nation of Israel suffered oppression from Egypt, the Philistines, Babylon, Rome.

Orphans and widows are vulnerable for the reason mentioned here - they're alone.

But the only necessary element for oppression is that there’s someone else who wants to oppress.

So picture this for a moment: A man takes his wife and sons to another country in a famine, and settles down, his sons get married. Then the father and the sons die. The widow mother and one of her widowed daughters-in-law return to the mother’s home country. It’s a scene ripe for oppression. The widowed daughter-in-law is a foreigner, so poor she’s gathering leftover grain from the fields behind the workers to take home to her mother-in-law. She’s a beggar in every way. But this young widow, named Ruth, had a mother-in-law to help her navigate the culture, and happened by God’s providence into the field of a kind, godly man named Boaz who made sure she was protected and supplied. Solomon was undoubtedly deeply aware of this story, the story of his own great-great grandmother.

But Solomon has seen others who fell not into the hands of the kind and godly, but the wicked and cruel, all alone.

And considering these ones, he says something shocking:

The sorrow of suffering alone is so great that he thinks they’re more fortunate who have already died than those whose tears are still rolling down their faces.

And even better is not to be born yet. Verse 3 does not say that nonexistence is better than living. Behold, the tears of the oppressed and uncomforted - he says - the not yet are better off. We can easily see why: They have not yet seen the evil deeds done under the sun. And perhaps they never will, perhaps they won’t be oppressed, perhaps they will be born in a time of dancing and joy rather than weeping and mourning.

Regarding the time of the Great Tribulation, Jesus said this in:

Matthew 24:15–22 ESV

15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Have you ever thanked God that you were born in the 20th or 21st century? I know I have. This week, I’ve been thinking what a blessing it is to live in a time of air conditioning. But I’ve also wondered if my own kids have been born into a more difficult world than the one I entered.

I can imagine wishing my kids were born into a world with less hostility to Biblical truth, or a world with more godliness.

And I can imagine a Christian in Afghanistan today wishing that his infant child could have been born twenty years earlier, or later. That’s what Solomon says here in verse 3.

Remember that this is just after Solomon spoke of the guarantee of God’s judgment in chapter 3. That guarantee is a source of hope, but it does not take away the reality that some suffer alone.

And that opens up a moment of tension in Ecclesiastes.

APPLY:

Remember what we’ve already seen in the book: There’s life under the sun, and then there’s life with God. What if the oppressed didn’t have to be alone?

<<PAUSE>> But we’ll come back to that. Look at verses 4-12 and the second point

II. The Vanity of Toiling Alone (vv4-12)

<<READ 4-6>>

EXPLAIN:

Envy sabotages work and spoils companionship.

The word “neighbor” in verse 4 is the same one used in Leviticus 19 -

Leviticus 19:13 ESV

13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

And Lev 19:18

Leviticus 19:18 ESV

18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

But it can also mean friend or companion, especially if the word is paired up with sons and brothers. And that’s exactly what we see in verse 8.

But envy makes a neighbor a rival instead of a friend. And envy-driven success is just chasing the wind, but it’ll slip through your fingers. Why? Because this envy is precisely the thing that God commands against in the last of the Ten Commandments:

Exodus 20:17 ESV

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Envy is destructive, it’s sinful, a lie, an illusion. And it leaves us alone.

And in verses 5-6, we have two proverbs intended to help us see where the problem lies:

The first one is a bit like what we find in Prov 6 -

Proverbs 6:6–11 ESV

6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. 7 Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, 8 she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.

But here, Solomon gives us the short version - The fool puts two hands together and starves.

The solution to the problem of envious toil is not two hands of foolish laziness, or two hands full of toil.

He says, better is one handful of quietness.

Someone with a handful of quietness understands what work is for. Like Ecc 3:12-13

Ecclesiastes 3:12–13 ESV

12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

But that’s not what happens to the person in verses 7-8. Here’s a man with two hands full of toil and chasing the wind: <<READ 7-8>>

He’s one man with no number two. And this isn’t a man being oppressed and forced to labor - he’s toiling for riches, and they never fill up his eyes.

Verse 8 says he’s depriving his soul of pleasure, just like the fool deprives his flesh. He’s spiritually starving himself.

The tragedy of toiling alone is that it doesn’t have to be that way. Solomon gives us another way in verses 9-12 - instead of looking out for number one without a number two, he says,

<<vv9-12>>

Imagine how different things could have been for the oppressed with no one to comfort them if they’d had another. They were suffering alone with no choice in the matter. And here, a man deprives himself of the same things for what? For envy. With no brother or son, if he has turned his neighbors into rivals, he’s cut himself off.

Solomon says it’s vanity to toil alone. “An unhappy business.” That could be the title of a podcast about the Rich and Miserable.

Solomon has us envision partnership, friendship, companionship, fellowship. Brotherhood. <<even better - 3fold cord>>

Have you ever noticed that when Jesus sent the disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom, he sent them out in twos? And in Paul’s missionary journeys, he goes with Barnabas, or Luke, or Mark, or Timothy, or Titus, or some combination of them?

The unpredictability of falls, a sudden drop in the temperature, or a highwayman stepping out of the woods to rob a traveler - these are trials that turn “solo” into “stranded.” And they illustrate the vanity of toiling alone.

Let’s look at the end of the passage:

III. The Tragedy of Ruling Alone

<<READ 13-16>>

Now, we’ve climbed the ladder from oppressed alone, to toiling alone, to ruling alone.

The foolish king gets ousted, and the wise youth sits in his place. And he rules over an enormous multitude. But verse 16 says that one day he’ll be gone, and there’ll be another king, and the people who come later on won’t rejoice in the rags-to-riches king.

Because one day, he’ll either get dethroned or die. If all he lived for was to scrape and shove and climb; to go from suffering alone in prison to toiling alone, to ruling alone, then he’s lost the thing that made him different.

Solomon says “better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice.” But if it happened to the old king, it could happen to the youth.

Wisdom outshines wealth. As:

Proverbs 12:15 ESV

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Solomon gives us the setup, but he doesn’t tell us what happens. Does the wise young man stay wise, or does he become foolish, like the old man?

The tragedy of the foolish old king is that he has chosen to rule alone, while those who suffer alone had no choice.

So look again at the whole chapter, and think about this.

Will the wise young man look back at those suffering alone and be the power on their side? Or will the power still be on the side of the oppressors?

Will he look at the toil and skill of his neighbors and listen to their advice, or be filled with envy? It would not take much, under the sun, to imagine that poor, wise youth born into oppression, and becoming an oppressor, would it?

But Solomon tells us about a better way.

Better is a handful of quietness. A hand dedicated to the kind of rest God intended us to enjoy in His world.

Two are better than one. It was not good for the man to be alone, so God made a helper suitable for him.

Better a poor and wise youth. Poor, but listening.

Because that poor youth, if he was truly wise, began where all wisdom begins: with the fear of the LORD.

As Solomon’s father David said,

Psalm 16:7–8 ESV

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

And in Psalm 1:1-2, the psalmist says,

Psalm 1:1–2 ESV

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Earlier, I asked the question: What if the oppressed didn’t have to be alone?

And this is where we turn to our final point:

IV. The Blessing of Friendship with Christ

In Genesis 37-50, we learn the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob. He’s the one with the fancy coat. His brothers are full of envy toward him, and it turns Joseph from a brother to an enemy.

took robe, threw in pit, helpless to get out, sold into slavery // Egypt - unjustly imprisoned //

That could have been the end of Joseph, but he was not suffering alone in prison.

Genesis 39:21 ESV

21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

And though he wasn’t made king, he was elevated to the King of Egypt’s Number Two.

And even though his brothers’ envy had cost him so much, Joseph saw God’s hand in it. He did not resort to envy, and his brothers were restored to him.

Their envy sabotaged the family, but God sabotaged their sabotage with healing.

And if Joseph had not known the LORD, he would have been alone and without comfort in prison, like the oppressed in verses 1-3.

And when his brothers came to him after all was said and done, afraid that he would take revenge on them,

Genesis 50:20–21 ESV

20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

So Joseph’s story is shaped by redemption, rather than vanity and envy.

And yet, Joseph was forgotten, too.

Exodus 1:8 ESV

8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

See, even the legacy of the greatest ruler is a shadow, here today and gone tomorrow.

But Jesus tells us there’s something better. Something Joseph had a glimpse of, something Solomon knew from a distance.

The cross of Jesus Christ brings sinners back to God and back together.

There is only one message in all the world that gives peace with God, and it is the same message that makes true peace with others possible.

Ephesians 2:12–16 ESV

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

And when a sinner, alienated from God is rescued by the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit in salvation, and experiences peace with God through repentance and faith in Christ, convinced that friendship with God is better than gaining the whole world without Him, then even if he’s poor, oppressed, and his only friend is God, yet he will begin to see the truth of Christ’s words:

Matthew 5:3–9 ESV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Solomon looked out and saw the sorrow of suffering alone, but Christ suffered alone in order to redeem us from the oppression of our sins and comfort us with His own comfort. To call us out of vain toil that starves the soul, to find rest for our souls in Him.

And now, we have comfort to give to those who suffer alone, and more. Like Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan, we have a calling to throw our weight on the side of those who suffer; and all the more if God blesses you with power or might.

The Gospel teaches us, as we look at Christ, to combat envy with a new kind of ambition -

Romans 12:9–13 ESV

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

To outdo one another in showing honor does require competition. But it’s rooted in a desire to spur one another on, not to step on others and squash them.

Philippians 2:3 ESV

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

But

Romans 15:17–20 ESV

17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. 18 For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, 19 by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; 20 and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,

And this is Paul’s reason to desire to go to Rome, and then to Spain. To run as fast as he can for Jesus, through Jesus.

It’s not ambition, but envy, that sabotages work and divides people.

What has God set before you to do? Do you consider yourself driven? To what?

Are your hands laid lazily in your lap, or vainly locked in a death grip around your work?

Instead of either, hold out your hand to the LORD, to share His rest, and His burden. And trade solo for God’s family.

Acts 2:44–47 ESV

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

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