Before we begin, will you pray with me?
Father in heaven, we are people in need of wisdom, always.
! We understand in times of struggle and humility that we need your wisdom.
! And the times of pridefulness and hubris only proves that we need your wisdom.
We need your wisdom all the time.
Lord, we thank you that you are a wise God.
In fact, you hold this entire world together because you are the one who created it.
So you know how we ought to live and you have communicated that to us.
So Lord, as we enter into this new series in this book of Ecclesiastes, Lord,
please give us minds to really comprehend what you would have to speak to us about.
And we'd ask that you'd make us wise.
Wise to live this life in a godly way, but also wise unto salvation.
We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
In the last 300 plus years since the Industrial Revolution,
incredible advancements in healthcare and labor and automation, science and nutrition,
we have been allowed an incredible life.
A life that is so much more healthy and strong in many respects than our ancestors could have ever imagined.
We live longer, produce more efficiently.
We have healthier lives.
All of this allows us to pursue a wide range of interests and hobbies.
And really, you know, go back 500 years ago,
describe even a quarter of what our world is like to people that lived back then.
And it would seem inconceivable.
One example of how advanced we are in the life that it has allowed us to live is the washing machine.
Here's a quote from a book called Enlightenment Now by the renowned Canadian psychologist Stephen Pinker.
He says this, quote,
Now, whether that's the case or not,
that it is one of the better inventions from the Industrial Revolution.
I mean, the point is made clear.
We live in an incredible age that allows us to enjoy life and life to the full in many respects.
So the kind of the too-long-didn't-read of that book and really this idea of progress since the Industrial Revolution,
is that materialism is a huge, and I truly mean huge, positive force in many ways.
And to some degree, Stephen Pinker is right.
Who would want to go back to a life of poor nutrition?
And with poor nutrition comes, like, child mortality, right?
A huge, huge part of that.
Hard labor for little pay and shorter lifespans.
I mean, imagine this summer without air conditioning in your car or your house, right?
It was crazy hot this summer.
Nobody wants to go back to pre-air-conditioned days.
But one thing Stephen Pinker and other materialists and futurists and inventors and Enlightenment thinkers
often overlook when discussing this post-Enlightenment world that we live in
is that more stuff, more money, and the opportunities that they provide,
it does not give us what we truly desire and long for.
Meaning, legacy, genuine security in this life,
and life in the eternal life in the life to come.
It just cannot provide that.
So as we begin this 10-week series in Ecclesiastes,
this will take us almost to Advent, I think potentially right till Advent.
The central figure, the preacher or teacher or sage,
tradition has him as King Solomon.
That could very well be that King Solomon wrote this.
I think if we focus too much on King Solomon,
we might miss some wise tidbits.
So I'm just going to call him the sage throughout these 10 weeks.
The sage is brutally honest in his reflections on the nature of life.
He searches for answers to questions that we might find too provocative to ask,
or we might see a person who asks such questions as a pessimist.
At times he seems to have resigned himself to believing that every aspect of life is meaningless,
while at other times he appears to indulge in unchecked consumerism.
Eat, drink, live, be merry.
But the sage, he is not a nihilist, nor is he a hedonist,
nor is he a fatalist, that human agency matters not.
Instead, when we view the book as a whole,
Ecclesiastes uncovers a wisdom from above
that awakens us from a narrow, worldly, centered perspective on life.
What it does, it really shakes us both as individuals and collectively out of our malaise,
out of our consumption and how quickly we can become automatons.
We can shut our minds off.
We can become dull.
It rattles us.
It shakes us.
So in this opening section that Margaret read,
we'll find that the sage addresses something we cherish very much.
I mentioned this just, you know, a couple minutes ago.
What is the thing that we cherish very much?
Wealth and what it promises.
And what does it promise?
It promises meaning, legacy, and eternal life.
The very things it can't deliver.
And he argues that such a pursuit of achieving these ultimate things with wealth and work is pointless.
But for many in Ottawa and perhaps many of us here this morning,
if we're honest, right, we want to be honest and sober people as we come to God's word.
What kind of life is there really apart from the modern way of living?
Is work truly a waste of time?
Will the sage provide a better way to live?
Is there a better way to live?
So before we look to answer some of these questions,
we need to look at verse 2 and ask the question,
what does the sage mean when he talks about vanity?
Let me read verse 2.
Vanity of vanities, says the preacher.
Vanity of vanities.
All is vanity.
So repeatedly in this one verse,
the sage uses the Hebrew word for habel,
or it can also be pronounced havel.
This word in Hebrew,
it conveys the image of a breath or a mist or a vapor,
something so fleeting that you see it,
but you can't grasp it.
And it's here for a moment and then it disappears.
I don't want to, you know, trigger anybody here,
but what your breath looks like on a cold, frigid January morning.
Think of that, okay?
We're far away from that.
We're still enjoying summer vibes, hopefully.
But that's the image, if that helps you.
A freezing cold day, you breathe out mist, vapor.
You see it disappear.
You can't grab it, but you see it.
It's here for a moment and then it is gone.
But what does this mean in Ecclesiastes?
Why is it translated as vanity?
There are several ways to interpret this
and it seems that the sage throughout Ecclesiastes
really explores the full nuance of the word.
And that's an important thing to think about.
We're not going to examine every last nuance.
But we'll look at just a few right now.
It could signify meaninglessness
as something without substance.
So like literally the vapor or the mist
that we breathe out in a cold Ottawa morning.
It might also describe the temporary nature of a thing.
Here today, gone tomorrow.
Like the grass in the field.
Over half of the other instances in the Old Testament
of this word relate to idol worship and idolatry.
And then the Greek translation of this word
in the Septuagint.
So the Septuagint is the Greek translation
of the Old Testament.
The Greek translation of the word havel or habel
is the same term used by the Apostle Paul
in Romans 1 and 8 to describe a futile way of thinking
or things that are subjected to futility.
For our section, I think the best translation
appears to be related to the idea
of pursuing something in vain.
In this context, it's the fruitlessness
that results from our fixation
on exploiting all of life for our benefit,
especially our work and labor.
We misuse our God-given abilities
to exploit God's good creation,
believing that we can achieve a God-like permanence
and satisfaction in this mortal life.
So, I mean, again, that's a lot.
There's a lot of different potential meanings.
It's a very pregnant word.
Funny enough, a commentator that I read said,
if you're really trying to explore
the full breadth of meaning of this word,
of vanities, it is a vain pursuit in and of itself.
But for us this morning,
Romans 1 seems to make a great deal of sense.
The Apostle Paul puts it this way
in Romans chapter 1, starting in verse 21.
For although they knew God,
he's talking about those people
that are living unrighteously.
For although they knew God,
they did not honor him as God
or give thanks to him,
but they became futile,
that's that word,
in their thinking,
and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Claiming to be wise,
they became fools
and exchanged the glory
of the immortal God
for images resembling mortal man
and birds and animals
and creeping things.
There's a connection here
to that idolatry bit.
Verse 24.
Therefore God gave them up
in the lusts of their hearts
to impurity,
to the dishonoring of their bodies
among themselves.
Verse 25.
Because they exchanged the truth
about God for a lie
and worshipped and served
the creature
rather than the creator
who is blessed forever.
Amen.
That's what that feudal thinking is.
That vain thinking is.
So, going back to Ecclesiastes.
When the sage says
that all is vanity,
he cannot be then referring
to all of creation
and the good gifts
that are God-given,
these things are not described
as futile,
even though he says
all is vanity.
How could he then affirm
that everything is a vapor,
which would have to include
truth itself,
if the very truth he claims
is vapor?
So, clearly he is not saying
all in a completely blanket sense.
Rather,
the only thing
that he is referring to,
which covers still
a great deal,
is anything
that is done
or achieved
or viewed
that is disconnected
from the creator.
Put another way,
only the triune God
can give real meaning
and substance to life,
for he is the author
and sustainer
of all life.
You remember
Colossians chapter 1,
the Apostle Paul
is talking about Jesus,
the pre-incarnate Christ,
which can be extended
to the entire Godhead
and he says of this
in verse 16,
for by him
all things were created
in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible,
whether thrones
or dominions
or rulers
or authorities,
all things were created
through him
and for him,
and he is before
all things
and in him
all things
hold together.
I mean,
that is a really
intense,
thick few verses,
but what I wanted
you to understand
and what it is
that the sage
is conveying
is that
to pursue
God's creation
apart from God
is the definition
of vanity,
is the definition
of trying to grab
something
for you to
find that it is
slipping right
out of your fingers.
What is vanity
in this context?
It is the pursuit
and effort
of our work
of achieving
material wealth
and everything
that's associated
with it
completely,
completely disconnected
from the one
true triune God.
If we are trying
to build a legacy,
find purpose,
seek meaning
and enjoyment
that satisfies
our longings
and desires
outside of God,
the sage is saying
it is a vain pursuit.
It is vanity.
It is vapor.
It is mist.
It is pointless.
The sage
in verse 3 to 11
now turns to toil
and labor
and work
to help us see
how our efforts
are ultimately
in vain
when they are
self-serving.
Let me read verse 3.
I'll make a few comments
on it
and then we'll continue
on with the rest
of the section.
In verse 3,
what does man gain
by all the toil
at which he toils
under the sun?
The sage asks
a rhetorical question
about earthly toil.
What follows
in 4 to 11
really is him
unpacking
and explaining
verse 3.
but before we go on
if you can
either in the margin
or maybe even
on the actual
page
in your scripture
journals
mark under the sun.
Okay?
Because that's a term
that we'll be coming back
to throughout Ecclesiastes.
We're not going to do
a deep dive into it now
but really
for us this morning
it is
a term
that really describes
both the created world
and the lifespan
we have here on earth.
It also kind of
contrasts with
this under heaven
which refers
to a place
where God dwells
in eternity.
Again,
we'll explore more
of this in the coming weeks
but for now
it describes
this mortal life
under heaven.
So we ask the question
what does man
gain by all the toil
at which he toils
under the sun?
The answer rhetorically
is nothing.
But again,
can the answer
truly be just nothing?
Okay?
Again,
he's not
a nihilist.
He's not a fatalist.
It's hard to
kind of grasp this now
but he's not even
a pessimist.
So what is he talking about?
Can the answer
truly be nothing?
Does the work
of teachers,
designers,
system managers,
armed forces,
personnel,
trades,
people,
public servants,
nurses,
engineers,
entrepreneurs,
if I've missed
a category,
let me know.
It still applies
to you.
Does this work
amount to nothing?
So as we saw
with vanity,
the answer
isn't a simple
nothing.
But again,
it's linked
to verse 2
considering the vain
pursuit of work
and toil,
divorced from the
knowledge and love
of God.
Working for God's
glory.
Again,
it means that
work and toil
become vain
when they are
viewed solely
on a horizontal
level without
any consideration
for the vertical
perspective.
But surely,
surely,
even people
who do not know
the triune God
can produce work
that matters for
something.
I mean,
I go to the
hospital.
I don't go to
the hospital,
but if I go to
the hospital,
I don't care
if my doctor is
Hindu or an
atheist.
I don't care.
He's doing good
work.
I am benefiting
from it.
The person that
comes to do a
repair on my
home, I don't
before I let him
in say,
listen,
can you recite
the creed and
check mark before
you come in?
No, no, no.
He's going to
come in.
He's going to
benefit.
I'm going to
reap the benefits
of it.
So surely,
even people who
do not know
the triune God
can produce work
that matters for
something.
How can the
sage paint
all of creation,
all of the
world with
such a broad
brush?
He'll explain
in verses 4 to
7.
A generation
goes and a
generation comes,
but the earth
remains forever.
The sun rises
and the sun
goes down and
hastens to the
place where it
rises.
The wind, it
blows to the
south and goes
around to the
north.
Around and
around it goes,
the wind, and
on its circuits,
the wind returns.
All streams run
to the sea, but
the sea is not
full to the place
where the streams
flow.
There they
flow again.
Sages are
reminding us of
the transient nature
of human life.
So our
existence in
comparison with
the earth is
almost incomprehensible.
Incomprehensible.
You might
remember your
grandparents.
You might even
remember your
great-grandparents.
I would be
surprised if half
of us know our
great-grandparents'
names, let alone
our great-great-grandparents.
generations that
seem like in the
distant, distant,
distant past, they
are forgotten.
And really, their
lifespan was just a
blip in the
entirety of human
history.
The notion that we
possess a piece of
land or various
possessions in an
ultimate sense is
also a fallacy.
For such materials
existed long before
we were born and
will exist long
after we're gone.
We cannot control
the seasons,
weather, or the
natural flow of the
seas.
We think we've
mastered the world.
world.
Our entire economy
really is predicated
on ocean travel
and giant
container ships
bringing things
from the east to
the west and
back again.
But the oceans are
untamable.
We are along for
the ride.
We build bigger
and greater and
stronger vessels,
but we don't
stop the ocean's
tides from
crashing upon
us.
the sage is
saying that we
are finite.
We are here for a
moment.
In many respects,
we are along for
the ride.
The earth does
not belong to us.
It belongs to the
Lord.
We make money, we
purchase land and
the things that come
with it, but the
value of earthly
ownership, it must
always remain
relative to the
acknowledgement that
all of it belongs
to God.
And therefore, we
do not have an
ultimate claim.
So this section
here, it really
deconstructs human
pride.
It deconstructs
human pride.
It deconstructs
the human desire
for a permanent
profit, a
permanent spot
achieved through
earthly means.
The pharaohs no
longer own Egypt.
Like, just, it's
unbelievable.
There is no Roman
emperor anymore who
rules and owns the
conceivable world.
Even the greatest
among us, even King
Solomon, if he truly
wrote Ecclesiastes,
Israel's most richest
and wisest king, he
is gone.
And what did he
leave?
He left a kingdom
that was just ready
and rife to be
split and destroyed
and to be torn
apart.
This section helps
us to understand
this, that we are
finite.
And how we cannot
alter the nature of
this world one bit,
we simply inhabit it
and we are subject
to its cycles.
again, going back to
verse 3, we live
an under the sun
type of existence.
And it's not a very
long one at that.
From a very
materialistic
perspective, this is a
difficult thing to
accept.
Because if it's true,
it suggests that life
really, truly is
without ultimate
meaning or
satisfaction beyond
self, beyond
just a fleeting
self-fulfillment.
We can enjoy the
things for a
moment, but they
will not be enjoyed
for eternity.
The sage, he is
shooting a shot
across the bow of
our post-secular,
post-
our post-modern
secular age.
sage.
So, if the gifts
you are pursuing
are elevated above
the gift giver,
the sage is really
telling us that we
will not experience
God-given joy,
but rather we will
experience a God-given
disappointment.
Because we are using
his creation in a
way that was never
intended for it to
be used.
Again, we are
separating the gift
from the giver,
and to confuse the
gift from the giver
will result in
constant disappointment
and fruitless toil.
Look with me at
verses 8 to 11.
All things are
full of weariness.
A man cannot
utter it.
The eye is not
satisfied with
seeing, nor the
ear filled with
hearing.
What has been is
what will be, and
what has been done
is what will be
done.
And there is
nothing new under
the sun.
Is there a thing
of which it is
said, see, this is
new?
It has been already
in the ages before
us.
There is no
remembrance of
former things, nor
will there be any
remembrance of
latter things, yet
to be among those
who come after.
other.
I'm telling you, if
you're honest, if
you're kind of
sitting in the
heaviness of these
verses, if you're
not quick to push
them away, or to
fill your mind with
something else, a
distraction, the
things you need to
do when you go home
after this, do you
not want freedom
from this empty
pursuit, this
vapor, this
vanity, to
avoid working
in vain, to
stop constantly
consuming without
ever being
satisfied, to
enjoy life without
constantly looking
for the next
hit, the next
trip, the next
experience, the
next toy, to
find fulfillment
and purpose in
our work and in
our life during
our time under
the sun.
This takes us to
our final section
and I'll just say
this before we get
into this final
section.
It would take you
about 45 minutes
or so to read
this out loud,
maybe a lot
shorter if you're
a speed reader.
It's meant to be
read kind of
continually.
So we're reading
verses, chapter
1, verses 1 to
11, and without
reading the entirety
of Ecclesiastes,
this can just be
heavy and really
depressing.
There is hope
that the sage
will bring to
us.
And I don't want
to be too quick
to go there.
He's building
tension in the
book.
He's not saying
this is a problem,
here's a solution.
He's saying I'm
going to
deconstruct your
faulty thinking.
So there is hope,
it's a bit later on.
Read ahead, please,
by all means.
But I'll just say
this when it comes
to vain work.
Christ affirms
the work of the
sage.
Christ discusses
money and wealth
and material things
quite frequently in
the Gospels.
However, like the
sage, he does not
condemn them
outright.
Instead, he focuses
on the issues of
the heart, the
motivations behind
our labors and
toil.
Let me read a few
passages from the
Gospels to illustrate
my point.
And again, these are
just a couple
examples, actually
three examples.
Jesus has much
more in the Gospels
where he's talking
about money and
work and motivation.
The first one,
Matthew chapter 6
in verse 19.
Do not lay up for
yourselves treasures
on earth where moth
and rust destroy and
where thieves break in
and steal.
But lay up for
yourselves treasures
in heaven.
where neither moth
nor rust destroys
and where thieves
do not break in
and steal.
For where your
treasure is, there
your heart will be
also.
No one can serve
two masters, for
either he will hate
the one and love
the other, or he
will be devoted to
the one and despise
the other.
You cannot serve
God and money.
Matthew chapter 16,
starting in verse
24.
Then Jesus told
his disciples,
quote,
If anyone would
come after me,
let him deny
himself and take
up his cross and
follow me.
For whoever would
save his life will
lose it.
But whoever loses
his life for my
sake will find it.
For what will it
profit a man if he
gains the whole
world and forfeits
his soul?
Or what shall a man
give in return for
his soul?
And Luke chapter
12, starting in the
16th verse, and for
whatever reason, this
hit hard in my
studies.
Verse 16,
And Jesus told them
a parable, saying,
The land of a rich
man produced
plentifully.
And he thought to
himself, What shall I
do?
For I have nowhere to
store my crops.
And he said, I will
do this.
I will tear down my
barns and build
larger ones.
And there I will
store all my grain
and my goods.
And I will say to
my soul, Soul, you
have ample goods
laid up for many
years.
Relax, eat, drink,
be merry.
Verse 20, But God
said to him, God
said to him, Fool,
this night your soul
is required of you.
And the things you
have prepared, whose
will they be?
What do we notice
about these teachings
of Jesus?
They highlight that
work and treasures
on earth lack
lasting or eternal
value when they are
self-serving.
However, when we are
united with Christ,
we are connected to
the one who is not
bound by the earth's
cycles because he
created the earth
from nothing with
his word.
He is not beholden
to the powers of
the seas.
Why?
Because he spoke to
the seas.
What did he say?
Be still.
And the seas obeyed
him.
The wind and the
waves ceased.
He is not limited
by mortal life, for
although he became
fully man and lived
and died, Jesus did
not stay dead, only
to be forgotten, but
he rose again to new
life and still reigns
on high.
Everything he did
was completely not
in vain.
And by faith, when
we are united to
Christ, we are
united to the only
one who has not
experienced vanity,
vanity, all his
vanities.
This has huge
implications for us.
When we are united
to him, our ultimate
meaning and value are
found in him.
We don't need to
chase after the
gain, verse 3, that
the world promises or
we think we will get.
As we work in vain,
day in and day out,
instead we rest in
Christ's finished work
and eternal work on
the cross.
And we join in him,
in his ongoing work
of building the
eternal kingdom here
on earth.
And this is one of
the beautiful things
of the New Testament.
It says that
everybody can live a
life, including their
work, that brings
glory to God.
You do not have to
be a minister standing
in front of a
congregation preaching
to have work worthy
of the Lord.
It's like as if my job
is good but you guys
are all engaged in
vanity.
No, no, no, no, no.
But a life that is
turned towards God and
about his kingdom,
using our resources to
obey him, taking care of
our family, proclaiming
the good news, living
holy lives, relying upon
him for our bread.
Even though we can
certainly go by it at
any time, but he is the
one truly is giving us
what we have.
This transforms our
work so that it is no
longer vain, but it is
eternal.
No longer is it a vapor,
but something that is
tangible, that will last
from this life into the
next.
Christ.
So you see that Christ
completely transforms our
labor, our work, our
toil.
He infuses it with eternal
significance, something that
we could never do.
For when done to the glory
and praise of God, what we
do will endure forever.
I'll close with this.
John chapter 6, verse 27.
Again, the words of
Christ.
Do not work for the food
that perishes, but for the
food that endures to
eternal life, which the Son
of Man will give to you.
For on him, God the Father
has set his seal.
And that seal is upon us if
we have our faith in
Christ.
Let us pray.
Father in heaven, we thank
you that you love us enough
to show us the futility of
our ways.
That you love us enough to
shake us out of our
slumber and to deconstruct
bad thinking.
To open our eyes to the
futility of a life that we
think will give us ultimate
meaning that is so self-
centered and about us.
Lord, help us to be people
that look to the only one who
did not live a vain life.
Not even 1% of his life was
in vain.
Not one of it was devoted
to self, but for your
glory.
Lord, we pray for these
next few weeks in
Ecclesiastes that you would
make us wise.
Wise with how we work.
Wise with how we live.
Wise with how we spend our
money.
Wise with how we spend our
leisure time.
Wise with our families, our
friends, every part of our
life, Lord.
We pray that the wisdom
that you give us, we will
by your spirit put it to
good work and that we will
continually live for the
kingdom that is to come.
Not just for this life under
the sun.
We pray all this in Jesus'
name.
Amen.
Thank you.