Ecclesiastes 4:4-6:12

Wonderful. Well, good morning. Good morning. What am I talking about? Good afternoon. Welcome to coffee and devotions. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's word and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. Well, why don't we have some coffee? We'll pray and we'll get into God's word. Let's pray.
Father, we thank you so much for this day. We thank you for your word and we thank you for the blessing it is to be your children. Father, I pray specifically this morning for those who are sick. I think of my brother, deacon in our church, Bob, who's in the hospital with his lungs hardening on a ventilator. God, we pray that you would heal his body. We pray for others who are struggling with sickness and who are facing the shadow of death. Lord, I pray that you would comfort them, that you would show healing mercies. God, I pray for us who are living that we might not take for granted the life and the health that you've given us. We pray that we would love you and be taught by you now in Jesus's name. Amen.
All right, we are at Ecclesiastes chapter 4, Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 4 through chapter 6 verse 14. It's going to be a longer one, but it's similar to the book of Job. I think the book of Ecclesiastes is done the best justice when we work through it section by section. So why don't we go ahead and turn in our text this morning to Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 4 through chapter 6 verse 14.
Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work, a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. He's talking about covetousness here. And then in five and six, he goes on, he says, the fool holds his, folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. Better a handful with quietness. Then both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. He's saying it's better to be content, right? Not just working and working and working for vanity's sake. Nor is it good to be foolish. There's a middle ground in there somewhere that brings God glory. Verse 7, then I returned and I saw vanity under the sun. There is one alone without companion. He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, for whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?
This also is vanity and a grave misfortune. You're never going to wish you had done more hours at the office when the judgment day comes. There are people who don't have anybody to inherit their wealth, and yet they work, and they work, and they work, and they work, and they work, and they work, and they work. Just the other day, the kids and I were watching that cute little Disney movie a while ago about the Christmas tale with the ghost of Christmas past, and the ghost of Christmas present, and the spirit of Christmas future. But the point of this whole thing is Ebenezer is a greedy man working really hard, a miser of misers.
And he stores it all up. It means nothing. He's got no family. He's got no love. He's got no one to share it with. It's vanity. It's actually a grave misfortune. Verse 9 through 12. Compared to this man, it says two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. If they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him, and a three-fold cord is not easily broken. It's good to have friends. When you're in the battle and you're in the foxhole, it's awfully cold by yourself. But if you've got a friend to warm you up, if you've got somebody who's got your back, two are better than one.
A three-strand cord is not easily broken. Companionship, fellowship, friendship is worth its weight in gold. Verse 13 through 16, better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more. For he comes out of prison to be king, although he was born poor in his kingdom. I saw all the living who walk under the sun. They were with the second youth who stands in his place. There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king, yet those who came afterwards will not rejoice in him.
Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind. You might be a ruler, a leader who gets to the highest echelons of power, but if you won't listen, when people tell you something's going wrong, there's a major problem. If a king, a ruler, a leader of a people or organization will not correct the course but just plows on in a way that is foolish, destructive, hurtful, unwise, no one's going to rejoice in him. It's vanity. Vanity would be one who has a whole bunch of power and doesn't actually have wisdom to use it well. Chapter 5 verses 1 through 7.
Walk prudently when you go to the house of God and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools. for they do not know that they do evil. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore, let your words be few."
For a dream comes through much activity, and a fool's voice is known by his many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed. Better not to vow than to vow and not pay. Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error.
Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. Instead, fear God. There was a problem that the writer of Ecclesiastes is saying, people are filled up with zeal, they're filled up with this idea that they're going to serve the Lord, they're going to make these rash vows, and he says, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's foolish. It is foolish. Instead of going to the house of God and being quick to speak your vows, you better be slow. It's better to not vow than to vow and not pay. This is what the preacher, Koholeth Solomon, is saying.
I'm sure he saw many people like this who were zealous without knowledge. Initially, gung-ho. but their commitment waned. In Numbers chapter 30, there's a specific law that Moses gives the people about needing to make sure they paid their vows. And in Joshua chapter 1, 10-18, Joshua looks, he being Joshua, Joshua looks at the leaders of half Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben, and he tries to figure out are they going to be people who will keep their vows.
Jesus himself is the one who said, do not swear upon heaven or upon the temple or the money in the temple. No, none of that. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Instead, fear God. Fear God. Don't make vain, showy religiosity, but be a person of commitment of your word.
Verse 8, through the end of the chapter here. If you see the oppression of the poor and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter, for a high official watches over a high official, and high officials are over them.
Moreover, the profit of the land is for all, even the king is served from the field. He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them.
So a prophet have the owners except to see them with her eyes. It's just saying, when you see that there's oppression, just know that there is also layers upon layers of justice that should be taking care of that. Now, he also says, behold, he's seen that and in that place. There's injustice even in the places there should be justice, but at the end of the day, God is just and he will judge. And then he goes on and he's going to speak now for a while about material things.
And even if you make all the money in the world, you're still going to want more. The eye is never fulfilled. The pocketbook never has enough. The bank account always seems to have more, more, more need. This is what happens. The treasury is never filled enough.
Verse 12, though, the sleep of a laboring man, though, that is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep. The man who is just faithful and content, even though he might be poor, if he is laboring hard, he's able to go to sleep at night knowing he's put in a good day's work, knowing that God is going to care for him. But the rich people, They had a lot of worries on their mind, robbed of their sleep, anxiety constantly. What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? Chasing after what the pagans chase after. Verse 13 through 15. There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun, richest kept for their owners to hurt. But those riches perish through misfortune.
When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother's womb, naked he shall return to go as he came. And he shall take nothing from his labor, which he may carry away in his hand. This is a severe evil he's talking about. The person who works really hard for everything they have. They finally have an heir. But what happens? Some misfortune happens. Some hard providence happens. All their stuff is gone. And guess what? They left this world just as naked as they went into it. It's a reality. Money comes. Money goes. It slips through the fingers and it's gone. Don't put your trust there. Don't put your hope there.
And this also is a severe evil. Just exactly as he came, so he shall go. And what prophet has he who has labored for the wind? All his days he also eats in darkness, and he has much sorrow and sickness and anger. Sorrow, sickness, and anger. That's what the greedy person goes after. The person who has a love of money. It's a root of all sorts of evil. It's never going to find you contentment. Having more is never going to give you eternal joy. Having more stuff is never going to fulfill your heart. or your soul's desires, all it's going to do is stoke in you to want more. And the more you want, the more other people are going to want from you. I'm always amazed when people get a raise, how quickly their standard of living raises with their raise.
Here is what I have seen. It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor, in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him, for it is his heritage. As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor, This is the gift of God. For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart. Enjoy the good things that God has given you. Be content with the good things that God has provided for you. Work hard, and at the end of the day, be done with it and enjoy your family. Glorify God whether you eat or drink or whatever you do if you're programming on the computer or designing for graphic design or working manual labor.
Maybe you're laying concrete or maybe you're driving a truck. Maybe you're watching children. Maybe you're a stay-at-home mom. Maybe you're a student. Work hard, but at the end of the day, enjoy what God has given you. Be content. This is what the book of Philippians is getting at. When Paul says he's learned the secret of contentment, he knows what it's like to have much and he knows what it's like to have little. But he's learned the secret of contentment. And what is that secret of contentment? He can do all things through Christ Jesus, who strengthens him. If he has Christ, he has everything. He's rich and he can have contentment. Let's finish this up. Chapter six.
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men. A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.
This is something he's really saying. It happens in the world. This is what I love about Ecclesiastes, but it's so hard. It's real. It's not like the romantic painters or the impressionists. No, this is real life. And what is this saying here? Sometimes people work really hard to have a great retirement, and some thief comes and steals it. And it's evil. And it's wrong. verse 3 through 6.
If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years so that his days are his years are many but his soul is not satisfied with goodness or indeed has no burial I say that a stillborn is better than he for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness and its name is covered with darkness.
Though it has not seen the sun nor known anything, this has more rest than that man, even if he lives a thousand years twice. But he has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place. You know, what's he saying here? He's saying even the person who's content or discontent, if the person is discontent, a stillborn is better than that person. Even though they never saw the sun, even though they never experienced the joys of this life, at least they didn't have the misery of discontentment, of never being satisfied, of always wanting more, of never actually having joy. He goes on. All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied.
For what more has the wise man than the fool? What does the poor man have? Who knows how to walk before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity than a grasping for the wind. There are foolish people who are rich and miserable, and there are extremely wise people who, in God's providence, He's made them poor. But you know what? At the end of the day, their eyes are going to shut, both of them. So chasing after wealth is vain.
Whatever one is, he has been named already, for it is known that he is man. And he cannot contend with him who is mightier than he, since there are many things that increase vanity. How is man better? For who knows what is good for a man in life? All the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow. Who can tell a man what will happen to him after or under the sun?
I don't know what's going to happen in your life. I don't know what's going to happen in my life. I really pray that I live here in Morning Sun, Iowa, and I die here in Morning Sun, Iowa, that I'm buried next door to the church, but I don't know what the Lord has for me. Maybe persecution will come in your life. Maybe famine will come in your life. Maybe you'll be rich, or maybe you'll be poor. But will you be content? Will you trust in the Lord? Will you fear God? we walk before Him.
Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much that in Jesus Christ we can find contentment for you have given us an everlasting inheritance. Lord, we thank you. We thank you so much that we know that we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. But while we have been alive in this world, you have promised us your son and we look forward to that day in which we will immediately pass into glory and we will stand before your face and join the chorus of the heavenly angels as we sing out the praise of the Lamb who was slain before the beginning of the world. Lord, Thank you for letting us know the vanity of materialism, of the reality of this world, and giving us hope in Jesus Christ. May we fear you. May we revere you. May we love you. In Jesus's name. Amen. Well, may the Lord bless you with the spirit of contentment and of joy. And I'll see you next time. Bye.