Ecclesiastes 9:1-10:20

Yeah, that's how I feel about coffee and devotions isn't that how you feel about coffee and devotions. Yeah All right, well good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to coffee and devotions. This is where every day we get together we get You wanna say it? And grow in our love for the Lord together. That's right. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through. That's right. Well, I'm so glad you're here with us today.
You know what I'm going to do, Debra? I realized we're really far apart from each other. So what I'm going to do is I'm going to move my microphone. way over here. I hope people will forgive me for that. But then I can sit next to you. Does that sound good? Yeah. Okay. Here, we want to move. You don't want to drop your coffee there, do you? No. Well, your tea. Although you asked if you could try coffee today. Yeah. You think I should give you coffee? Yeah. No. Let's go ahead and have a drink.
We'll pray and we'll get into God's word. All right, let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this day, and we thank you for your word. Would you pray that as we read it now, that you would watch over us and care for us, that you would teach us. Thank you for the honesty that your wisdom provides, that your word does not hide from us, but tells us the hard things of this life. In Jesus' name, amen.
All right, so we are at Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and 10. Okay, Ecclesiastes chapter 9 and 10. Oh, I think I got it. Maybe. Yep, I do have a pen in there. That makes it a little bit difficult to be able to do that. All right, here we go. Or I considered that all this in my heart so that I can declare it all and the righteousness. Let's put it over here by the microphone so people can hear you. where I considered all this with this in my heart so that I could declare it all, that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God.
People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. All things come alike to all. One event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good, the clean, and the unclean. He's looking at all sorts of different people and he says hey look At the end of the day does it fare better for the righteous or the wicked Well here he says it looks like the righteous and the wicked are getting the same things Yeah, have you have you seen wicked people? Do well and righteous people suffer?
Yeah Yeah, that's what he's saying, too. So the Book of Ecclesiastes just kind of tells us real wisdom in the face of the realities of life. He says, hey, it seems like it's going the same for both of these people. I'm going to move this again a little bit closer to your mouth so that way people can hear you. OK, we don't want to block out your face, do we? No, no. All right, here we go.
This is an evil and all that is done under the sun, that one thing happens to all. Truly, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil. Madness is in their hearts while they live and after they go to the dead. But for him who is joined to all the living, there is hope for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished. Moreover, they will have a share in anything done under the sun.
Nevermore. Sorry. Nevermore. Will they have a share in anything done? Yeah, they don't. Yeah, not moreover, but nevermore. Go eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart. For God has already accepted your works. Lest your garments always be white. And let your head lack. No oil is are you alive? Yes, has God given you breath today? Has he shown you mercy this morning? So guess what you could do You could and in that reality knowing that that You could just die tomorrow. What does he say to do?
Oh Be merry. I have joy. Enjoy the good things that he's given you. Let your garments be white. Enjoy the beautiful things that God has given you today. Do we ever know when our day is going to come? No, but can we enjoy God today? Could we bring him glory today? Could we love people today? That's right.
I'll let you read verses nine or verse nine. live joyfully with the wife whom you shall love all the days of your vain life which he has given you under the sun and all your days of vanity for that is your portion in life and in labor which you perform under the sun.
Alright, so what's he telling the dude who's married? Yeah Do you think some men need to hear this? Yeah, yeah, don't go chasing after a whole bunch of money and all sorts of toys and other women No, God's giving you work to do go home and what? Be merry enjoy your wife Is it a good thing when mommy and daddy enjoy each other? Yeah, it's a good thing A lot of marriages could be saved if mommies and daddies just loved each other more. I'll read verses 10 through 12.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not for the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all, for man also does not know his time. like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare. So the sons of men are snared in an evil time when it falls suddenly upon them. Do you know when you're going to die? No. So guess what we should do? Be happy while you live. Yeah, while you live, be happy. And while you got work to do? Do it. Yeah, do it. Work with all your might, right? If you're not dead, good.
Love eat drink be merry work hard Simple wisdom, but it's profound Can you read verse 13 and 14 13 14 and 15? 13 14 and 15 right here This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me. There is a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there is found in it in it a poor wise man by his wisdom delivered the city yet no one remembered the same in poor man Why don't you go ahead and read the next three verses? And wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless, the poor's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of the wise spoken quietly should be heard rather than the shout of the ruler of fools. Wisdom is better than the weapons of war, but once in it destroys much good. All right, so he talks about a story of a really strong king and the really strong king comes and he builds siege ramps against the city.
But does he win? Who wins? The city. And how does the city win? By a wise man. Any wise man or was it say about the wise man is he rich or is he he's poor he's poor now the irony of the situation is Does anyone remember the poor man's name? Anybody remember who he was? But were they saved by him Yeah, they sure were wisdom from even a poor person who's wise is better than all the shouting of great kings and Again, profound wisdom, even though it seems really simple. All right, I'm going to go into verses 10 through four, you ready? Chapter 10, verses one through four.
Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment and cause it to give off a foul odor. So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. A wise man heart, a wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart at his left. Even when a fool walks along the way, he lacks wisdom, and he shows everyone that he is a fool. If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post, for conciliation pacifies great offenses." So if somebody is a fool, that even though they might just be a little bit of a fool, it can ruin their whole life.
And so that's really what this is talking about. He's saying, a wise man, he goes to the right. He does the right things. But a fool, he always goes to the left. He always goes astray. He goes wondering about. And even when he's on the right path, guess what he does?
Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. Talk. And what is everybody who's with him find out as he's just spewing his his thoughts? He's a fool. Yeah, they find out pretty quick. He's a fool. Right. And here's here's one of the ways that a fool acts. And if the spirit of the of the ruler rises against you do not leave your post for conciliation pacifies great offenses, right? This is what one commentator he says is the great huff.
I don't want to be here anymore. I'm going to leave my post and I'm going to go away. Is that a good thing? No, instead, what should you do? Stay at your post, stay at your post, stay on guard. OK, can you read verses five, six and seven here? There is an evil I have seen under the sun as an error proceeding from a ruler. Folly is set in great dignity while the rich sit in a lonely place. I have seen servants on horses while princes walk on the ground like servants. All right. Do the rulers always stay in power? No. No. Do servants always stay servants? Sometimes that changes, doesn't it? Yep. Yep. One commentator, when he writes about this, he says, this is just really reality. He says the writer makes no illusions about men at the top, but neither does he view upsets as triumphs of social justice.
And I think, when we think about this as Solomon's writing, you can even think about what would happen to his son, Jeroboam, or Rehoboam, when Jeroboam took his throne. When Jeroboam got puffed up with his power, did the people want to follow him anymore? And then Rehoboam, he was a servant, and he ends up becoming the king of Israel. So maybe his son should have listened to even some of these things.
I'm going to read verses 8 through 10. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. He who quarries stone may be hurt by them, and he who splits wood may be endangered by it. If the axe is dull and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength. But wisdom brings success.
Look ahead a little bit. Think about what's going to happen. If you're cutting wood with an axe, what might you want to do with the axe before you start cutting? Sharpen it. Sharpen it. If you're going to be out there cutting wood, what do you need to be careful about with the saw? Make sure that you don't accidentally hold it the wrong way and it hits you instead. Yeah, you don't want to get hurt. What about if you're working in the quarry and you're cutting out stone? Could a stone fall on your foot and get hurt?
Yeah. Yeah. Or it could fall on your head. Yeah, and so you need to be careful. Use a little bit of wisdom. Have some forethought. All right, you want to read verse, let's see. So I think you're at verse 11 through 15. Ooh, that's four verses. Can you handle that? Or five verses? Okay, 11 through 15. Here, let me move your T and you can just hold the Bible yourself, okay?
A serpent might bite when it is not charmed. The babbler is no different. The words of the wise man and mouth are gracious. But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up. All right. Well, the wise man. His words are are silly, right? Are they much good? Yes. What about the fool? Are they much good mm-hmm I go ahead and read 13 14 15 The words of his mouth began with foolishness, and at the end of his talk is raving madness. A fool also multiplies his words.
No man knows what it is to be. Who can tell what will be after him? The labor of the fool wearies them, and they do not know how to go into the city. Alright Yeah, right So let's go ahead and talk about this right the words of a of his mouth begin with foolishness and the ends of his talk is raving madness it starts with foolish and it ends with Oh, you don't want to yell into that our friends will you know, it'll hurt their ears, right but a fool what does he do? He multiplies what? What does it say here? multiplies Yeah Yeah, no, no interestingly he said the very last verse here it says The labor of fools wearies them for they do not even know how to get out of a city, right? They're all talk and they're they ain't good for nothing Yeah, could you imagine not being able to know how to get to morning Sun I Or Mediapolis?
What about somebody who's all head knowledge but doesn't actually know how to do things? No. That would be weird. Do you know that there's people like that in the world? Yeah, there's all sorts of people who will talk a whole lot about how everyone else should be doing their jobs, but guess what? their workers weary some to them. They can't even do their own jobs, but they want to boss everyone else around. Yeah, that's that's a fool. And I'm going to read the last few verses here, OK?
Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child and your princes feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles and your princes feast at the proper time for strength. and not for drunkenness. Because of laziness the building decays, and through idleness of hands the house leaks. A feast is made for laughter and wine makes merry, but money answers everything. Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your voice and a bird in flight may tell the matter.
Is it a good thing? Could you imagine if if our president or governor or someone like that decided they were going to get drunk at nine o'clock in the morning, have a huge feast? And. And like early in the morning. Could you imagine that? What would happen if we had leaders of our country, leaders of our state, leaders of our land who got drunk and were feasting during the day? Would they make very good decisions? Would they be busy about their work? But don't they make lots of money?
You're betraying your upbringing girl. Yeah, but but the point is that we want rulers who rule us well or poorly. Well, but if they're busy about their own luxury and busy about their own drunkenness, busy about their own partying, are they going to be busy about building the country? No. No. But then we need to be careful because what does it say here about talking bad about the king and about the rich?
A bird of the air might carry your voice. Do you think it's really saying that a cardinal is going to perch here on the banister of my office and it's going to go tell the rich people, go tell President Biden that I said something bad about him? No. No, but do you think a neighbor might hear you? Do you think that somebody walking by might hear you? And do you think that could get to other people? Yeah. So be careful. Don't be a fool. Don't multiply your words. All right, you ready to pray? Okay.
Father, we thank you so much for this day and we thank you for the practical wisdom that you have given us. Lord, we pray that we would be sensible people, that we would fear you, for we know that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. So, Father, we pray that we would be humble and that we would follow after you. Lord, we pray that you would care for us this day. Give us strength for the work that we have to do. We pray that we would be merry and enjoy the things you've given us in this life. In Jesus' name, Amen. Well, may the Lord bless you today. May you walk in joy and peace. May you rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. And we'll see you tomorrow. Bye.