All right, very good. Please take your copy of God Word out and turn to the book of Ecclesiastes.
Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes chapter 2.
We've had some technical challenges as of late around here, so I imagine there'll be some fluctuation in the sound of my voice.
A couple of weeks ago, the projector literally shook itself to death.
And in the midst of all that time, also a piece of our soundboard, which I don't understand, went out, and it has been shipped away.
And we are using a tiny little mini board back there right now, and I think the guys are all, there's a cluster trying to sort out what's happening with our sound this morning.
At some point, we may just can it, and I'll yell a lot this morning.
We're going to continue our study of Ecclesiastes today in chapter 2.
But before we get there, before I read the text for this morning, I just want to remind you that this book is, in a sense, a sermon.
In fact, the title Ecclesiastes is our Anglicanized version of the Latin Vulgate of the translation of the preacher.
Quoholeth from Hebrew is where we get this idea, this Ecclesiastes.
It's a sermon preached by the preacher.
Most presume that the preacher is Solomon, but we don't know that for a fact,
and so I'm going to maintain calling him the preacher throughout our study of this text.
And he begins his sermon in chapter 1, verses 2 and 3 by saying,
Vanity of vanities.
All is vanity.
What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun, that is, on the earth?
And then the preacher gives us a personal biography of his search for gain under the sun.
We see the beginning of this in verse 13 of chapter 1 and into 14.
And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven.
It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
I have seen everything that is done under the sun.
And behold, all this vanity or meaningless and a striving after wind.
He begins the story of his search with a number of self-indulgent pleasures.
These are his experiments in gain.
He looks at the things that men seem to find satisfaction in in the world.
And he picks up those things and he chases them out to their very end, only to find that they're all vain.
They're all a chasing after the wind, that none of them are ultimate gain.
And beloved, as we look at these things together, we need to recognize that there is no new thing.
New forms of the same old things.
And we need to let God's word speak to us about the things that we chase in this world to find pleasure and gain.
So I'm going to read to you the first 11 verses of chapter 2.
And this will be our text for some coming weeks.
I don't know how many it will be, but we're going to kind of take it a piece at a time.
So let me read to you chapter 2, beginning in verse 1.
I said in my heart,
Come now, I will test you with pleasure.
Enjoy yourself.
But behold, this was also vanity.
I said of laughter, it is mad.
And of pleasure, what use is it?
I searched my heart how to cheer my body with wine,
my heart still guiding me with wisdom,
and how to lay hold on folly
till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven
during the few days of their life.
I made great works.
I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
I made myself gardens and parks
and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.
I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.
I bought male and female slaves
and had slaves who were born in my house.
I had also great possessions of herds and flocks,
more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.
I also gathered for myself silver and gold
and the treasure of kings and provinces.
I got singers, both men and women,
and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.
So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem.
Also my wisdom remained with me,
and whatever my eye desired, I did not keep from them.
I kept my heart from no pleasure,
for my heart found pleasure in all my toil,
and this was my reward for all my toil.
Then I considered all that my hands had done
and the toil I had expended in doing it,
and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind,
and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
This is God's word to us.
It was written for His glory and our good,
and we would all do well to listen to it
in order to believe its promises
and obey its commands.
Now this morning my remarks on this text
are going to be brief.
For the sake of time, I've promised
you'll be able to get to the Life Chain event at 1215,
but also because I believe it's important
for us to take some considerable time
to consider this phrase in verse 2,
I said of laughter, it is mad.
We as American people have much time for leisure,
much time for frivolity.
We don't live in a place where we're concerned
that we may be bombed on our way home.
We don't live in a place where the ravages of disease run rampant.
We typically live in a place that's fairly comfortable.
And so for us to stop and consider
what place does laughter have in our lives,
I think it's important for us this morning.
This is the preacher's first experiment
and self-indulgent pleasure.
Laughter.
This word for laughter in Hebrew
has a very broad and varied meaning to it.
It means to play,
to act clumsy,
to joke,
mock,
deride,
to make a laughing stock
of an individual.
It could be thought of as
the pleasure of comedy.
If there's a noun given to this pursuit
that he goes into,
the pleasure of comedy,
or we could think of it as just general silliness.
So it's an experiment with this type of thing
that he picks up
and he takes a look at
and he runs it out
and considers,
is this a thing to be gained
under the sun?
Comedy is often
an entertainment
that many people use
to make it through life.
It could take the form of
jokes that mask insecurities,
the abuse of others
for the sake of one's own esteem,
countless wasted hours
to numb boredom,
and the making light of grievous sin
in order to justify it.
After all,
something laughed at
can't be something serious,
can it?
It is this type of laughter
that the preacher calls mad.
Mad in Hebrew
does not refer
to being out of one's mind.
The late Old Testament theologian
Derek Kidner says
that it indicates
moral perversity
rather than mental oddity.
He's saying that this is a thing
not fitting to one
who follows God.
God.
This makes no sense
for the godly.
So,
it is improper
or misplaced
laughter.
Now, as children,
we all had,
and probably
even still have,
some form of acquaintance
that are always
misplacing
inappropriate jokes.
Being silly
at the wrong times.
they just don't seem
to know
when to stop.
In fact,
I would define maturity
just for the average individual.
Not Christian maturity,
but just maturity.
Not somebody who
no longer has fun,
but they know
when it's right and proper
to have fun
and when it's not
okay to have fun.
Some of you may be thinking
of those people
now in your own mind.
You may be
that person.
But as the people of God,
are we meant
to laugh?
We've already laughed
some together
this morning.
Here,
in Ecclesiastes,
he seems to be very
point blank about it though.
Laughter is
madness.
So, we need to
understand rightly.
It's of course okay
for us to laugh,
but we need to do
a bit of work
to suss out
what he means
by this.
What is the place?
What is the proper use
and proper place
of laughter
in our lives?
After all,
the preacher goes on
to say in Ecclesiastes 3,
4,
that there is a time
to laugh.
In Proverbs 31,
25,
it is said
of the excellent wife
that she laughs
at the time
to come.
You have likely
heard the folk wisdom
that laughter
is the best medicine
or maybe heard a story
of someone
who laughed
themselves back
to hell.
I am incredibly
thankful
for my family
for the laughter
they bring
to my life.
I tend to be
a bit of a dark cloud
and they are
rays of sunshine
in my day.
Apart from my wife
and my two children,
my home is a really
dreary place.
I don't need to be
left there by myself
for very long
because they are
constantly filling
our home
with laughter.
This is one of the
great blessings
of children.
Judah now is a little
over three and a half
months
and maybe six,
six to eight months
ago,
we learned that he
knows how to cross
his eyes and nobody
taught him how to do
that.
He calls them crazy
eyes.
Judah, will you do
crazy eyes for everybody?
Will you stand up
and do it?
Stand up and do it.
Will you?
Okay.
Going to be shy
this morning?
We discovered this
at dinner one night
where he said,
look, crazy eyes.
He crosses his eyes
and he opens his mouth
really wide.
It's really,
really cute.
And we laughed
and laughed
as he did it
over and over
until we became
concerned that they
would stick that way
and we made him
stop.
It was so precious.
I still can think
about it.
It just brings me joy.
Try to get him to do
it for you individually
later on.
But healthy laughter
is a timely laughter
put in its proper place.
Ecclesiastes 3, 4
I'll reference again.
Healthy laughter
has its source
in the goodness of God.
Proverbs 31, 25
Healthy laughter
does not have
as its source
coarse joking.
There's so much comedy
in our day
that is entirely inappropriate.
Have you ever watched a show
and found yourself
laughing at something?
You're going,
I shouldn't be laughing at that.
Stop watching such things.
Stop laughing at such things.
Ephesians 5, 4 says
let there be no filthiness
nor foolish talk
nor crude joking.
We ought not joke
in that way
and we ought not laugh
at those who drew.
But the trouble
with laughter
the madness of it
is when we try
to find our gain in it.
When we look to frivolity
for ultimate satisfaction
we will come up lacking.
We will say with the preacher
laughter is meaningless.
The preacher talks more
in the book of Ecclesiastes
about laughter.
Turn with me
a few pages over
to Ecclesiastes chapter 7.
Beginning in verse 2.
It is better
to go to the house
of mourning
than to go to the house
of feasting.
For this is the end
of all mankind
and the living
will lay it
to heart.
Sorrow
is better
than laughter.
For by sadness
of face
the heart
is made glad.
The heart
of the wise
is in the house
of mourning
but the heart
of fools
is in the house
of mirth.
It is better
for a man
to hear
the rebuke
of the wise
than to hear
the song
of fools.
For as the
crackling
of thorns
under a pot
so is the laughter
of the fools.
This
is also
vanity.
It's sobering words
that he's saying
to us here.
It's better
to mourn
than to laugh.
It's better
to be around
people who
are mourning.
The house
of mourning
as was the
constant
and likely
habit of visiting
one who had
somebody die
in a household
they would gather
there at the house
to pay their respects.
This is the house
of mourning
a home in which
someone has died.
It's better
to be there
than to go
to the place
where feasting
is taking place.
It's better
to have sorrow
than laughter.
He says
by sadness
of face
the heart
is made
glad.
Why?
What is he
talking about
here?
What he's saying
is that for us
to be around
the reality
of this life
this once
Eden
the place
in which we live
that has been
corrupted by sin
and the major
corruption
the final
corruptive work
is death.
To be around
that and to be
reminded
that this is
a place
of lesser
joy.
That the house
of mourning
teaches us
to be wise
in the way
we live
and in the way
we prepare
to die.
If you go to
the house
of feasting
you go to
a birthday
party
people never
talk about
the serious
things.
You never
at a birthday
party
celebrate
somebody's
birth
and also
mourn
their coming
death.
It's a reality
that still exists
but we don't
talk about
these things.
It's light
and it's
jovial.
Rather than
being in a
place where
people say
this is
the reality
of life
someday
like a
vapor
passes
I will
pass
and do I
live my
life wisely
now for
the kingdom
of God
preparing
myself
for the
coming
day
when I
will die.
Recall the
preacher's
conclusion
in Ecclesiastes
12
verse 13
fear God
understand
who he
is
and his
created
order
understand
your place
in that
created
order
see yourself
rightly
as his
creation
made
to worship
him
and the
proper
response
of that
is then
the keeping
of his
commandments
to recognize
this
the house
of mourning
is a benefit
to us
in that
sorrow
the sorrow
of the heart
that looks
at this
world
and says
it is
broken
serves us
in this
way
so what
do we do
with the
joy of
the scripture
because it's
everywhere
in the
scripture
one fantastic
example
psalm
34
8
says
oh
taste
and see
that the
lord
is
good
blessed
which is
to say
happy
truly
and
lastingly
happy
is the
man
who
takes
refuge
in
him
there's
much
language
in the
scripture
about this
I came
across a
fun article
this week
that asked
the question
what was
Jonathan
Edwards
favorite
word
and this
man
had done
quite a
bit of
studying
to realize
that it
was
the word
joy
or some
variation
of it
to rightly
see
that the
response
of the
Christian
to the
gospel
of Jesus
Christ
is joy
so we've
got to
make some
reconciliation
of all
of this
let me
read to
you the
quote
that's
on the
front of
your
bulletin
this
morning
by
Edwards
he says
God
is the
highest
good
of the
reasonable
creature
the
enjoyment
of him
is our
proper
and is
the only
happiness
with which
our souls
can be
satisfied
to go
to heaven
fully
to enjoy
God
is infinitely
better
than the
most pleasant
accommodations
here
better than
fathers
and mothers
husbands
wives
or children
or the
company
of any
or all
earthly
friends
these
are but
shadows
but the
enjoyment
of God
is the
substance
these
are but
scattered
beams
but God
is the
sun
these
are but
streams
but God
is the
fountain
these
are but
drops
but God
is the
ocean
so recognize
we look at
psalm 34
8 and
then hear
what
Edwards
has to
say about
the high
good of
enjoyment
in God
is that
for us
as we
walk in
this
world
and we're
sorrowful
in it
we see
the broken
nature
of it
we see
this
once
eaten
place
in which
we live
that we
can be
blessed
we can
be happy
truly
and
lastingly
happy
because
we take
refuge
in
God
because
we take
refuge
in the
promises
of God
to us
in Christ
that
happy
person
the
one
who
laughs
out
of
joy
because
of
their
happiness
does
so
because
of
the
goodness
of
God
in
Christ
we
rest
from
our
sorrow
in
him
most
of
you
are
probably
familiar
with
Jesus
title
the
man
of
sorrows
and this
comes from
Isaiah
53
3
which
reads
he
was
despised
and
rejected
by
men
a
man
of
sorrows
and
acquainted
with
grief
and
as
one
from
whom
men
hide
their
faces
he
was
despised
and
we
esteemed
him
not
and
then
verse
4
says
surely
he
has
borne
our
griefs
and
carried
our
sorrows
yet
we
esteemed
him
stricken
smitten
by
God
and
afflicted
John
Calvin
wrote
verse
4
Christ
has
put
on
our
feelings
along
with
our
flesh
and
as
people
made
aware
of
the
state
of
this
once
eaten
in
which
we
live
we
are
apt
to
be
sorrowful
rightly
but
we
can
err
toward
hopelessness
as
we
are
people
of
the
cross
and
we
consider
the
cross
the
darkest
moment
in
all
of
history
we
can
be
apt
to
that
we
can
err
in
that
way
to
be
hopeless
to
see
the
brokenness
of
the
world
and
to
see
the
great
high
climax
of
the
brokenness
of
the
world
the
death
of
the
Savior
Jesus
Christ
we
can
be
hopeless
if
we
fail
to
look
beyond
the
cross
if
we
fail
to
remember
on
the
third
day
Jesus
rose
from
the
grave
an
old
Latin
phrase
says
post
tenebrous
lux
which
means
after
darkness
light
if
we
fail
to
remember
the
light
of the
resurrection
the
death
of
the
cross
leaves
us
with
no
hope
at
all
John
says
of
Jesus
Christ
in
John
1
5
the
light
shines
in
the
darkness
and
the
darkness
has
not
overcome
it
so
as
followers
of
Jesus
Christ
we
need
to
recognize
that
this
broken
world
in
which
we
walk
will
rightly
bring
us
sorrow
we
know
what
this
world
was
meant
to
be
we
have
had
this
restored
ability
to
love
and
to
worship
God
and
be
brought
into
relationship
with
him
and
everything
around
us
is
spiraling
down
to
rightly
bring
us
sorrow
but
we
have
great
reason
for
great
joy
beyond
it
in
the
goodness
of
God
to
us
in
Christ
so
we
must
walk
wisely
we
must
consider
how
we
are
to
spend
our
time
are
we
a
people
entertained
by the
frivolity
of the
world
or are
we
a
people
who
fear
God
and keep
his
commandments
are we
a
people
who
live
for
today
in the
momentary
fleeting
joy
of
today
or are
we
a
people
who
live
for
eternity
and in the
coming weeks
I'm going to read
to you
probably a
fair amount
from a book
called
the pilgrim's
progress
I hope
as I say
that title
you're very
familiar
with this
I want
you
as a
person
of Christ
to read
the word
of Christ
more than
anything
else
absolutely
wear the
pages of
your scripture
thin
if you're
going to
read another
book
this is the
one
I think
you should
read
I know
many of
you are
not
readers
read
these
two
well
reading
Bunyan
and reading
this story
which is an
allegory
of the
journey
of a
character
called
Christian
to the
celestial
city
is much
like
reading
the
scripture
as it
is just
full
and full
of
quotes
from it
as we
look at
chapter 2
I'm going
to drive
you to
I'm going
to pull
you into
a bit
of the
story
where
Christian
and his
travel mate
at the
time
faithful
into a
place
called
Vanity
Fair
where
all of
the
things
the
world
has
to
offer
is
there
being
sold
but before
we get
that I want
to read
you a
story
when
Christian
goes to
the
house
of
interpreter
it's
very
early
in
his
Christian
journey
and
there
he's
taught
many
of
the
basic
things
of
Christian
faith
and
there's
this
wonderful
little
interchange
as they're
in this
house
of the
interpreter
looking
at
scenes
and
the
interpreter
is
interpreting
for him
what
these
things
mean
and so
I read
then I
saw in
my dream
that the
interpreter
took
Christian
by the
hand
and led
him
into a
place
where
was
a
fire
burning
against
a
wall
that is
not the
right
page
I'm
so
sorry
that is
also
a
really
good
part
of the
interpreter
singing
I
bookmarked
it
and I
missed my
bookmark
by a
page
all right
I
saw
moreover
in my
dream
that the
interpreter
took him
by the
hand
and had
him
into a
little
room
where sat
two
children
each
one
in
his
chair
the
name
of
the
eldest
was
passion
and the
name
of
the
other
patience
passion
seemed
to be
much
discontented
but
patience
was
very
quiet
then
Christian
asked
what is
the
reason
of
the
discontent
of
passion
interpreter
says
the
governor
of
them
would
have
him
stay
for
his
best
things
till
the
beginning
of
next
year
but
he
will
have
all
now
but
patience
is
willing
to
wait
then
I
saw
that
one
came
to
passion
and
brought
him
a
bag
of
treasure
and
poured
it
down
at
his
feet
the
which
he
took
up
and
rejoiced
therein
!
and
withal
laughed
patience
to
scorn
but
I
beheld
but
a
while
and
he
had
lavished
all
away
and
had
nothing
left
him
but
rags
and
Christian
says
expound
this
matter
more
fully
to
me
interpreter
responds
these
two
lads
are
figures
passion
of
the
men
of
this
world
and
patience
of
the
men
of
that
which
is
to
come
as
here
thou
seest
passion
will
have
all
now
this
year
that
is
to
say
in
this
world
so
are
the
men
of
this
world
they
must
have
all
their
good
things
now
they
cannot
stay
till
the
next
year
that
is
until
the
next
world
for
their
portion
of
good
that
proverb
a
bird
in
the
hand
is
worth
two
in
the
bush
is
of
more
authority
with
them
than
all
the
divine
testimonies
of
the
good
of
the
world
to
come
but
as
thou
sawst
that
he
had
quickly
lavished
all
away
and
had
presently
left
him
nothing
but
rags
so
will
it
be
with
all
such
men
at
the
end
of
this
world
Christian
says
now I
see
that
patience
has
the
best
wisdom
and
that
upon
many
accounts
first
because
he
stays
for
the
best
things
and
second
also
because
he
will
have
the
glory
of
his
when
the
other
has
nothing
but
rags
interpreter
says
nay
you
may
add
another
to
wit
the
glory
of
the
next
world
will
never
wear
out
but
these
are
suddenly
gone
therefore
passion
had
not
so
much
a
reason
to
laugh
at
patience
because
he
had
his
good
things
first
as
patience
will
have
to
laugh
at
passion
because
he
had
his
best
things
last
for
first
must
give
place
to
last
because
last
must
have
his
time
to
come
but
last
gives
place
to
nothing
for
there
is
not
another
to
succeed
he
therefore
that
half
his
portion
first
need
to
have
to
spend
it
but
he
that
hath
his
portion
last
must
have
it
lastingly
I love
that
sentence
therefore
it is
said
of him
in thy
lifetime
receivest
thy
good
things
and
likewise
Lazarus
evil
things
but
now
he
is
comforted
and
thou
art
tormented
!
Christian
says
then
I
perceive
!
it is
not
best
to
covet
things
that
are
now
but
to
wait
for
things
to
come
interpreter
responds
you
say
truth
for
the
things
that
are
seen
are
temporal
but
the
things
that
are
not
seen
are
eternal
let's
pray
together
let's