First of all, Solomon tries out wis dom (1:16-17). He drank from the fountain of knowledge till he had his full. Solomon was perhaps wiser than any who preceded him, wiser than any who lived in his day, and wiser than anyone who might fol low in generations to come, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfor tunately, this knowledge was not used to the glory of God. Listen to his final observation, “For in much wis dom is much grief: and he that in- creaseth knowledge increaseth sor row” (1:18). Ignorance may be bliss, for the more we know, the more we suffer. The more we see, the more we are awake to the danger we face. Wisdom increases the capacity of one’s soul to endure anguish. May this ever be a lesson we ourselves learn, never departing from that priceless truth that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Part Three God permitted Ecclesiastes to be placed in the canon of Scripture so that we might see the folly of man’s natural life apart from the Lord. Sol omon observes things that have come to him after his departure from JeJ- hovah’s covenant. Solomon’s next pursuit is directed toward pleasure. We see today the world is running riot after pleasure. The god of this world, the devil him self, seems to have pulled out every stop to degrade mankind with filth and immorality. People want pleas ure above almost anything else, and they are willing to pay for it. The end of it all is a dead-end street. Here’s Solomon’s conclusion, “It is better to go to the house of mourn ing, than to go to the house of feast ing” (7 :2 ). He had pursued pleasure to its fullest (2 :2 ). These words bear the honest conivctions of a man who is living apart from God. This is what you have outside of Jesus Christ. Only when He lives in the
Part Two We have decided to teach Eccles iastes because all too often it has been overlooked. No other part of the Bible deals exclusively with the things which concern the unbeliev ing man. The man who is outside of Jesus Christ would like to know what life is all about. To find the answer he will spend vast time in research and even religious pursuits, all to no avail. Here are the basic conclusions which must mark the scientific re searches of those who have turned their backs on God’s truth. In the first chapter, verses 4 to 7, there is almost rhythmic monotony to what Solomon has found. Wheth er it be rivers, winds, sun, earth, or something else, apart from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ there are no new things “under the sun.” No matter how far man may enter into the marvels of nature there are such boundless latitudes and longitudes of unexplored marvels that there must be an admission that only the surface has been touched. Next, Solomon considers the ac tivities of men, a natural turning- point from things created. Solomon is not conveying what God wants men to do, but what a man is ac tually doing. This must always be kept in mind. The only conclusion comes in 3:1-8, “there is a time for everything.” Men get and they lose, they love and they hate; they war and they make peace. Now, thirty centuries have come and gone since God told Solomon to describe this picture, and still the world moves on in an unvaried manner. The passing years have given on new vision apart from God. This man, who had been blessed with wisdom, sets himself to a tremendous task. With all his wealth he plans to do all the things done under the sun so that he may know their value for himself. It is at this point that he gives an estimation of their worth.
Page 40
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs