Ecclesiastes: A disillusioned king?

Solomon's Kingdom

In 1 Kings 3:9-12,  King Solomon asked for and received wisdom from God and because God was so pleased with this humble request, in 1 Kings 3:13 God said,

"And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor, so that there shall not be anyone like you among the kings all your days."

King Solomon's wealth was unrivaled, his knowledge was known the world over. 1 Kings 4:32 says,

"(Solomon) spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs were one thousand and five." We know that royals visited him from all over the world to test his great knowledge, including the Queen of Sheba, who according to 1 Kings 10:7 said,

"...Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame of which I heard."

1 Kings 5:4-5 tells us that his reign was peaceful and he built the Temple first envisioned by his father, David. Even Jesus, many generations later, talks about Solomon's great splendor in

 Matthew 6:28-29:
"So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin: 29. and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

Jesus also referred to Solomon in describing Himself, saying, "a greater Solomon is here,"
in Matthew 5:42
^" The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."

and in Luke 11:31
The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

The King Disillusioned?
So this king, honored by God, given a long peaceful reign, untold riches and splendor, and untold wisdom, referred to by Jesus,  wrote the "wisdom book of the bible, the book of proverbs," turned around in Ecclesiastes and said life was all "a vanity" and meaningless. The reader's response is "what ?" I heard a minister say that Ecclesiastes was written later in Solomon's life, after his heart had been turned from God by his many foreign wives. (See 1 Kings, 11:41.) Solomon himself reflected on how life changes as you get older. In Eccl. 12:1, he wrote, "Remember now your creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come."

Even though the first two chapters of Ecclesiastes are really "down" portions of scripture, and indeed the tone of the book could be summed up with Eccl. 9:11 when he laments that "time and chance happens to us all," Solomon has not truly given up on encouraging reader to find contentment in God.

In fairness to all the writers of the Old Testament, we have to remember that they didn't have the risen savior as a source of hope. We have to view the "down parts" of the bible through the lens of the hope we have in Christ. It's only while keeping this hope in the forefront of our minds that we can even try to understand how Solomon may have felt when he wrote that life had become boring and repetitive. In Eccl. 1:9, he wrote,

"...that which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun."

In Eccl. 1:14, he goes further, saying, " I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed all is vanity and grasping for the wind." In verse 16, he says all the wisdom he had obtained was "grasping for the wind." Remember he had asked God for that wisdom, and he was world renowned because of his great wisdom, but here he says it was "grasping for the wind." In other words, it was a futile exercise.

He goes on to say he sought all kinds of entertainment, and it ended up being nothing. Then he sought to collect all kinds of things and it ended up being nothing, but near the end of Eccl. 2, specifically in verses 24 and 26 he comes out of his negative reflections to say that there is contentment in God.

Eccl.2:24-26
²⁴ Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?  ²⁶ For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

It's funny that he ends that statement with, "This also is vanity and grasping for wind." Is it futile because the sinner wasted his time gathering and collecting or is it so unfair that those collections will be given to us who are good before God?


The most popular passage in Ecclesiastes is chapter 3 verses 1-8: Everything Has Its Time

1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

² A time to be born,
    And a time to die;
A time to plant,
    And a time to pluck what is planted;
³ A time to kill,
    And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
    And a time to build up;
⁴ A time to weep,
    And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
    And a time to dance;
⁵ A time to cast away stones,
    And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
    And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶ A time to gain,
    And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
    And a time to throw away;
⁷ A time to tear,
    And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
    And a time to speak;
⁸ A time to love,
    And a time to hate;
A time of war,
    And a time of peace

 

Verse 11  says, "He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Eat and Drink and Enjoy Life

 

At four different points in Ecclesiastes Solomon wrote. "...every man should eat and drink and enjoy the goods of all his labor, it is the gift of God."  Perhaps these passages should be the overall tone of the book. Certainly they are more spread throughout the book than the "grasping for the wind passages" with which the book begins.

 

 

Eccl.2:²⁴ Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.


Eccl.2: ¹² I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, ¹³ and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

Eccl. 5: ¹⁸ Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to 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. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

Verse 20 above implies that too much time for introspection leads to disillusionment in life. Note that Solomon writes "God keeps us busy." Truly it is one of God's gifts to us that we enjoy our families and our blessings.

Eccl. 8:15  So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

Avoid Greed, Avoid Anger, Use Moderation, Don't Become Easily Offended, Clean and Groom Your Clothes and Body, Avoid Immorality
 

 

Later Solomon starts to write the truisms recalling the kinds of things he wrote in the book of Proverbs. He talks about greed: 

 Eccl. 5:10:
He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.

Prov. 1:19:
 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.

Prov.23:4-5
4 Do not overwork to be rich;
Because of your own understanding, cease!
⁵ Will you set your eyes on that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings;
They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.



 He talks about anger:

 Eccl. 7:9:  "anger rests in the bosoms of fools."

Proverbs 14:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁷ A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated

 

Proverbs 14:29

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁹ He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is impulsive^[a] exalts folly

 

Proverbs 15:18

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁸ A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solomon urges moderation in Eccl. 7:16

There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness,
And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.
¹⁶ Do not be overly righteous,
Nor be overly wise:
Why should you destroy yourself?
¹⁷ Do not be overly wicked,
Nor be foolish:
Why should you die before your time?



 and gives practical advice about not being easily offended. Eccl. 7: 21-22.
21 Also do not take to heart everything people say,
Lest you hear your servant cursing you.
²² For many times, also, your own heart has known
That even you have cursed others

 

He also revisits his warnings from the book of proverbs concerning deceitful women. For example, Eccl. 7:26:

 "And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her."

 

Prov. 5:3: "For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. 4. But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5. Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell."

 

King Solomon wrote a very interesting commentary concerning how the lack of speedy punishment causes criminals to not fear punishment in Ec. 8:11.
¹¹ Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

 

He  tells us to groom ourselves and take care of ourselves with joy. (This doesn't really sound like a disillusioned king to me.)

 

Eccl. 9:7-8:
7 Go, eat your bread with joy,
And drink your wine with a merry heart;
For God has already accepted your works.
⁸ Let your garments always be white,
And let your head lack no oil.

 

He tells us to speak wisely., a recurrent theme in the book of Proverbs.
 Eccl. 9:17 tells us: 
 ¹⁷ Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

Prov.12:18 "There is one who speak like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health."

Prov. 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

"The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem" (Eccl.1:1) may have begun this book with "Vanity of vanities," but the end is not vanity at all. Chapter 12 verses 13 and 14 sums it all up:

¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
¹⁴ For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

 

Proverbs: The Wisdom Book

The Book of Proverbs – The Wisdom Book

The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon (also called Song of Songs) were all written by King Solomon, son of King David.

I Kings 4:32-34 says,

³² He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. ³³ Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. ³⁴ And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

This tells us that all the proverbs were not written at once, but throughout Solomon’s life. They are collected in the book of Proverbs for our instruction. King Solomon wrote about the everyday practical issues in life such as:

 

Thinking twice about becoming a co-signer on a loan: Prov. 6:1-4

1 My child, if you have put up security for a friend’s debt
or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—
² if you have trapped yourself by your agreement
and are caught by what you said—
³ follow my advice and save yourself,
for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.
Now swallow your pride;
go and beg to have your name erased.
⁴ Don’t put it off; do it now!
Don’t rest until you do.

Warning against laziness:  Prov. 18:9 (New Living Translation)

A lazy person is as bad as
someone who destroys things.

The advantages of speaking (and hearing) kind words: Prov. 16:24

Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

Avoiding arguments: Prov. 17:14

Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate,
so stop before a dispute breaks out.

 

Caution against unnecessary borrowing: Prov. 22:7

Just as the rich rule the poor,
so the borrower is servant to the lender.

 

Warning against eating too many sweets and warning against visiting too much:

Prov. 25:16-17

¹⁶ Do you like honey?
Don’t eat too much, or it will make you sick!

¹⁷ Don’t visit your neighbors too often,
or you will wear out your welcome.

 Even advice on caring for animals: Prov. 12:10

The godly care for their animals,
but the wicked are always cruel.

Aside from (and more important than) the above examples of wisdom for daily living mentioned above, there are also spiritual truths in the book of Proverbs. The most prominent of these the fact that “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

Prov. 1:7 (New King James Version)

⁷ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

 

The word “fear” the Hebrew word ‘Yirah’ means reverence: an attitude of deep respect. The New Living Translation of Prov. 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge. “ This line is repeated in Proverbs chapter 9:

Prov. 9:10 (New King James Version)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

In the book preceding the book of Proverbs, it is also written in Psalms 111:10:

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom.

Praise him forever!

Prov. 3:5-8 tells us that instead of depending on our own intellect (and what we call our own common sense, we need to trust in God. He will lead us down the right paths and will keep us in good health.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.

⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
⁸ It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve the Lord with Godly Fear

On Nov. 7, 2010, Pastor Emeritus Napolean Cummings preached a message entitled, "Serve the Lord with Godly Fear."





Phillipians 2:12-15 (from the New King James Version)


12. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;


13. for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.


14. Do all things without complaining and disputing,


15. that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.





Hebrews 12:28-29


28. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.


29. For our God is a consuming fire.





I John 4:18


There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.





Genesis 1:27


So God created man in his own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.





Genesis 2:15-18



15. Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.

16. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

17. "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

18. And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."



Genesis 3: 2-6

2. And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

3. "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die."



It was the lack of Godly fear that led to disobedience.



Proverbs 14:12

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.



Proverbs 16:2

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits.



Proverbs 3:5-7

5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;

6. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

7. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.