“DEAD END AHEAD.” ECCL. 1: 13, 16-18; 2:1-8, 18-22.
ECCLESIASTES 1:13, 16-18; 2:1-3, 4-8, 18-22.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO ECCLESIASTES 1.
Our first lesson in September is taken from the Wisdom Literature: That portion of the biblical record that includes the Books of Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. The Wisdom writers were concerned to portray the contrast between the way of the “wise” and the way of the “fool.” As the portraits of the wise and the fool unfold in these Books the reader is challenged to choose between the two paths. The aim of Ecclesiastes is to answer some of life’s most challenging questions.
The wise individual reflects on his life choices and selects the path that leads to God, to His instructions, and to His enduring rewards.
In this series of lessons “Living with Purpose” we will look in Ecclesiastes at some dead ends in our search for purpose. Solomon was a wise man in many respects, but he really had a hard time finding purpose in his life. The Spirit led him to share his insights with us in Scripture.
In a general sense, the purpose for all people is to bring glory to God. Sadly we must acknowledge that statistics show that the majority of the people of this world fall short of fulfilling that purpose by failing to receive Jesus as their savior. On the other hand, Romans 8:28-29 shows us that God’s purpose for Christians is that we should “be conformed to the image of His Son.” We pray the Lord may speak to each of us through His word in these four lessons, making us more and more like His Son Jesus.
Someone has said that lives are like a merry-go-round. You get on and then you go ‘round and ‘round. When your ride is over, you get off where you got on. This pessimistic view of life holds that life and human striving are meaningless. The Bible never promises that life will be easy, but it does teach that life should have meaning and purpose.
The four studies for this month are designed to result in “Living with Purpose.” The first lesson, “Dead End Ahead,” is based on verses from Ecclesiastes 1and 2. It points to four ways of seeking purposes that are dead ends.
The overall Life Impact to today’s study is designed to help us discover our God-given purpose and live according to it by identifying and assessing dead-end paths people take in pursuit of life’s purpose, and determining whether they are willing to change from an inadequate path they are on.
Fame, power, intellectual achievement, and the acquisition of wealth: these are the standards by which we routinely judge success in one sense, these standards of success make sense. To achieve fame (as long as it does not come from doing evil) suggests that you are accomplished in your field, and people recognize what you have done.
Gaining power for its own sake is not laudable, but it is impossible to bring about change for the better in an institution or in society without power.
Surely no one thinks that ignorance is a good thing. And most people are unable to achieve happiness without some measure of material well being. Few can be blissful while starving.
Therefore, we might say that seeking to achieve fame, power, knowledge or wealth makes good sense. But that is what also makes them dangerous. Neither fame, nor power, nor wisdom, nor wealth, can of itself provide happiness. More than that, they are fleeting. Even in one’s lifetime all of these can slip away, and they disappear entirely at death. All our accomplishments turn to dust. How then can we achieve our purpose in life and truly be at peace?
Please look at Ecclesiastes 1: 13 with me. 1. TEACHER READ ECCL. 1: 13.
The Book of Ecclesiastes has the most negative opening of any book of the Bible. “Everything, according to vs. 2, is futile.” “Futile” is one of the most frequently used words in this Book. It occurs about 35 times. Various translations render this term as “vanity,” “meaningless,” “emptiness,” “nonsense,” “ and useless,” depending on the translation of the Bible you are reading.
The opening words of Ecclesiastes identify the author as “the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.” Because Solomon fits this description, he is considered by many Bible students to be the one who wrote this interesting and helpful personal testimony.
Solomon believed in God. He believed God had a purpose for his life, and he searched diligently to discover this purpose. The Book of Ecclesiastes is Solomon’s account of his quest for the personal satisfaction he ultimately found in knowing and doing God’s will: The search was for salvation, satisfaction, and significance. By coming to know the truth about the world, we hope to be able to master it and so overcome every obstacle.
Solomon used the word futile to communicate the sense of emptiness he found in his personal search for meaning in life. At times the Teacher assumed he could achieve his goal apart from God. We find a summary statement of the end result of all his searching in these sad words given at both the beginning (Eccl. 1:2) and end of this book (Eccl. 12:8). “Absolute futility, says the Teacher. ‘Absolute futility….everything is futile.”
Solomon did not mean all intellectual pursuits, physical pleasures, accumulated possessions, or personal achievements were valueless. However, he discovered they were inadequate for life’s ultimate purpose and meaning.
Human labor, according to vs. 3, accomplishes nothing. Of course, Solomon was not unaware of the fact that people could build great monuments and structures: after all, he built the Jerusalem temple. But seen against the ageless motion of the sun around the earth and the constant motions of wind and water, the puny efforts of humans at achieving lasting significance are of no avail.
Even the works of the greatest among us soon fall before the passage of time. In Solomon’s day, great works of Egyptian pharaohs had begun to be buried by the sands or looted by grave robbers.
What are we to make of this? Ecclesiastes is not saying that we should give up on life and become lazy cynics. The book does challenge us to come to grips with our own mortality, however. Nothing we accomplish or possess in this world is eternal, and none of it will give the significance of life that we crave. To try to fulfill our deepest needs through accomplishments or possessions is folly: it is a dead end.
The Life Question addressed in this lesson is, “What dead ends should I avoid in my search for purpose in life?”
The first part of vs. 13 expresses the Teacher’s personal commitment to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven. This was an ambitious venture. He was undertaking the task of understanding not only himself but also everything. This was a heavy load to place on one man’s wisdom. Insight into life’s meaning was the desired outcome of his wisdom.
The Bible defines wisdom as more than knowledge. Wisdom includes insight into the purpose of the things about which one knows certain facts. The Teacher’s commitment to find meaning in everything eventually narrowed down to finding meaning for his own life.
The first reference to God, Elohim, in vs. 13 is the general word for God. In Eccl., Solomon used this word rather than the covenant name for God, Yahweh, translated Lord—the covenant name of personal relationship. In doing so, he seems to have acknowledged the reality of God, whom he credited with giving people the miserable task of seeking to make sense out of life. We know God never intends for life to be a miserable experience. His plan calls for an abundant, satisfying life. However, as Solomon discovered, when anyone fails to call on God as the source of truth, life can take on a sense of purposeless misery.
Certain truths about living come only by God’s revelation. As we study the Bible, God’s Spirit teaches us what we need to know about His purpose. The Spirit’s instruction is a powerful motive for believers diligently studying the Scriptures.
Vs. 13 also shows how strongly implanted in humans is the driving objective of finding meaning in life, and not just any meaning, but ultimate meaning. The search for such meaning is universal, and many fail to find it because they follow roads that are suppose to lead to meaning but prove to be dead ends. All of us have had this experience: You are in an unfamiliar neighborhood looking for an address; You turn down a road that seems to be it, only to read a sign that reads, “Dead End.”
2. PLEASE READ ECCLESIASTES 1: 16-18.
The Preacher/Teacher clearly stated the futility of the search for meaning in vs. 14-15. Even when a person finds the problem, he often cannot change it. What is crooked cannot be made straight and what is straight cannot be made crooked.
Vs.
16 reflects the initial optimism with which he began his search. It
is a statement of intellectual superiority over others. He said that
he had more wisdom than any of his predecessors.
This is what he
said to himself. He said proudly, “My mind has thoroughly grasped
wisdom and knowledge.” Solomon was wiser than others, but he had
forgotten that his wisdom was God’s gift, not a personal
achievement. 1 Kings 4: 29-31 says, “And
God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding---and Solomon’s wisdom
exceeded the wisdom of all the Children of the east country, and all
the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men.”
Another biblical writer (possibly Ezra) in 2 Chronicles 9:22
confirmed this claim about Solomon: “King
Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and Wisdom.”
But all such wisdom and knowledge left Solomon frustrated because finding satisfying purpose in intellectual pursuits was as useless as a pursuit of the wind. In fact, rather than finding satisfaction by all his learning, Solomon said he only gained sorrow and grief. How ironic that Solomon’s attempts to find happiness by the best use of his mind left him with the opposite of happiness.
Such intellectual pride is not the spirit of humble gratitude that believers should display; Some people consider themselves superior to those who lack their academic credentials and high I.Q. scores.
The Athenian philosophers of Acts 17 had such pride. They listened to Paul only out of curiosity. They felt that they already knew the answers to life’s questions. Based on such false self-confidence the Teacher set out to know, not only wisdom but also madness and folly. He wanted to understand not only normal and good behavior but also the seamier side of life.
The warning we receive from Solomon is that life’s ultimate purpose is never found through mere human investigation. Our searching for purpose can be positive if we are open to discovering God’s purpose for our lives. Only the God who made us can reveal the reason for our existence. We must look to Him for the answer to our question about why we are here and “How now shall we live.”
Solomon also explained his quest for meaning in physical pleasure revealed another dead end! Let’s examine his thoughts in Ch. 2.
3, PLEASE READ ECCLESIASTES 2: 1-3.
If becoming a sage is not the way to happiness, perhaps we should just indulge ourselves. Even if we are not the most accomplished people in the world, we’ll have a good time and be happy, right? Well, no, Ecclesiastes says. We won’t be happy.
We live in a culture that idolizes physical pleasure. The media is filled with reports of all kinds of sporting events, social engagements, and opportunities for travel, as well as promises for a more glamorous physical appearance. We may easily conclude that the best life is found through gratifying our physical senses.
When Solomon did not find meaning for life through intellectual pursuits, he said to himself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure and enjoy what is good.” Notice the terms he used to describe this quest: pleasure, enjoy, laughter, wine.
Because of his immense wealth, Solomon had unlimited resources to pursue whatever physical pleasures he desired. We could compare this to the current practices of going to parties, clubs, and taverns. The use of wine and other alcoholic beverages at such events is a failed means of living “the good life.”
Solomon made an earnest attempt to discover a satisfying purpose for living by means of whatever the world offered. He was in full control of this sincere quest, for he stated “my mind (was) still guiding me with wisdom.”
Listen to Solomon’s sad testimony: it turned out to be futile. The effort to find lasting satisfaction from physical pleasures ended with disappointment. Though some entertainment brought pleasure, Solomon concluded, “It is madness.” All pleasure left Solomon with the unanswered questions: “What does this accomplish?” In other words, when a person totally drains the world’s cup of all kinds of pleasure, he or she is left with emptiness.
A part of his experiment was with wine and with folly. His approach was to give himself unto wine, and lay hold on folly.” Yet he tried to show the proper restraint. This is seen in his words, “yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom.” The conclusion he reached is consistent with biblical teachings elsewhere. Pleasure seeking does not satisfy the deepest needs of the human heart. Prov.14: 13 says, “Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.” Paul wrote in 1 Tim. 5: 6, “She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.”
Experimenting with things like wine and other pleasures is dangerous. Many people are caught up in a condition from which they cannot set themselves free. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s book of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” the doctor experimented with a drug that unleashed all the evil in him while restraining all the good.
As Mr. Hyde, he did terrible, sinful things. For a time he was able to live this double life. After a night of evil, he could return to being the respectable Dr. Jekyll. Eventually however, Mr. Hyde took over completely. Solomon may have survived this initial test, but the latter part of his life was tragic. Because he was a wealthy, powerful king, he could have anything he wanted. Therefore, in 1 Kings 11:3 “he had a huge harem of seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.”
God is not the enemy of joy, happiness, laughter, and pleasure, but on the other hand, the experiment to find happiness through pleasure showed that even on a short-term basis, the satisfaction that pleasure gives is limited and finally frustrating. Solomon’s words about the brevity of life in this world are another sobering reminder of the urgency of depending on God to guide us to lives of lasting significance.
4. PLEASE READ ECCLESIASTES 2: 4-8.
In these verses Solomon’s quest for a meaningful life moved to possessions. He built houses and planted vineyards. He needed the building to house the people he gathered around him, such as servants, slaves, singers, and concubines. Many laborers constructed the houses,….vineyards,….gardens, and parks, orchards, and reservoirs, and provided care for his cattle and flocks. Solomon also accumulated a large amount of silver and gold, as well as the wealth of the treasure of kings and provinces. He was one of history’s most wealthy men.
Solomon is most remembered for the magnificent temple built during his reign, but he also built houses and palaces.
Wealth poured in from many places since Israel, during Solomon’s reign was at its pinnacle of power and prestige. In 1 Kings 10 the queen of Sheba came to see the wealth and wisdom of Solomon.
Additional gratification came from the musicians Solomon assembled—male and female singers. And finally, he spoke of the many concubines, who were known as the delights of men.
How could one person complete all these projects in one lifetime? To better appreciate Solomon’s achievements, we can read what is recorded in 1 Kings 3-10 regarding his vast resources. Consider just a few statements from these chapters: “Solomon had 40,000stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen”(4:26); “the labor force numbered 30,000 men” (5:15); “70,000 porters and 80,000 stonecutters in the mountains” (5:15).’
The weight of gold that came to Solomon annually was 25 tons” (10:14); King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and wisdom” (10:23). Clearly, whatever Solomon wanted he had. He was the wealthiest man of his time. The abundance of accumulated possessions listed in 1 Kings 3-10 includes everything Solomon could think of to give him the lasting sense of peace and fulfillment he longed for.
But what enduring benefit did this man of unlimited wealth and luxury find in all these possessions? Listen to Solomon’s answer to this question in Eccl. 2: 11: “When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.”
One reason for Solomon’s failure to find satisfaction through wealth is found in a phrase he repeated five times in vs. 4-8. In describing his projects, he said he did these for myself. He could have given so much to improve the quality of life for others, but he was concerned for himself. Such self-centeredness ends in despair.
Solomon took personal credit for his accumulated possessions. In this respect his words remind us of the rich fool of Luke 12: 16-21, that man too built his life on the accumulating of possessions, and he used words like: ”I,” and “me,” and “my.”
Jesus told that parable in response to a man who asked Jesus to see that he got his share of an inheritance. Jesus said, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
Most people do not believe what Jesus said. They think if they just had enough money, all would be well. They fantasize about winning a lucrative prize, receiving a large inheritance or getting a high-paying position. Would any of these satisfy them?
The answer of Ecclesiastes is that they would not. Solomon listed his possessions in which he hoped to find ultimate meaning in Eccl. 2:4-8. But in vs. 11 he said that seeking ultimate meaning in possessions is futile and chasing the wind.
Solomon’s conclusion in Eccl. 12: 13-14 to “fear God and keep his commandments” is more than the Book’s summary; It is the only hope of the good life and the only reasonable response of faith and obedience to the sovereign God
5. PLEASE READ ECCLESIASTES 2: 18-22.
Solomon also thought of himself as a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill. But he was despondent because whoever inherited all his wealth would not have worked for it.
Solomon’s self-centeredness finds expression in this reluctance to give his possessions to another. He concluded that leaving one’s possessions to an heir who had not earned them was a great wrong. Unfortunately, this man who professed to be wiser than all made no provision for his vast estate to be used for the good of others.
As Solomon aged and saw the end of life approaching, he could have dispersed much of his wealth to help the needy. But he was a man who was so controlled by self-interest and greed that he was unable to be generous.
In Luke 12: 16-20 Jesus told a parable about a rich man, much like Solomon, whose goal in life was to accumulate all the wealth he could gain. He tore down small barns and built larger ones so he could hoard more grain and goods. He convinced himself that all his wealth would bring him ease and pleasure for many years. “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. The things you have prepared---whose will they be?” Jesus concluded the parable with this application in Luke 12: 20-21, “That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
As you consider Solomon’s mistake, do you see yourself on the same path to a dead end? Suppose you achieve more wealth and the things it can provide. Do you think such possessions will bring you a greater sense of fulfillment and provide lasting satisfaction?
NEXT SUNDAY IN PSALM 8 AND HEBREWS 2 WE FIND “WHERE LIFE’S PURPOSE BEGINS.”