How to come to God and live your life
Text Ecclesiastes 5:1-20
Time 26/06/05 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church
We want to turn this evening to the last section of the second part of the Book of Ecclesiastes. This is found in Ecclesiastes 5.
Already we have looked at Chapters 3 and 4 in this second section and we have said a number of things. Firstly we said
1. Look around and see that God is in control of all that happens – birth, death, and everything between
2. Look within and see that God has put eternity there. See that what we have has been given to us by God who makes it all beautiful in its time and that he has linked it all to eternity
3. Look forward and see that despite the monotony God will bring it all to account. There will be a judgement day
Meanwhile we have to face up to the reality of life in the raw. Christians are sometimes accused of sticking their heads in the sands and ducking out of reality but we are never encouraged to do that in Scripture. No, we are encouraged here to face up to
1. The way justice seems often to be denied and the courts perverted
2. The way that a man’s life can sometimes seem no different to that of an animal
3. The existence of oppressors and oppressed
4. The existence of envy and greed
5. The existence of loneliness and sadness
6. The way public opinion is so very unpredictable
Now in Chapter 5 we come to the conclusion of this particular section. Solomon wants us to come into the very presence of God as we think these things through. What he has to say is couched very much in Old Testament terms but what he has to say is very relevant to our own day and age.
1. How to come to God
Solomon speaks firstly about how to come to God. He gives us some rules about how to come in to the presence of the Lord. First he gives us a general rule and then some thing more specific.
1. The general rule - take care. He begins (1) Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. When you go to the Temple watch your step. You need to be very careful. Today we do not go to a temple but we are called upon to worship God and whenever we contemplate praying or reading the Bible or coming to church, etc, then we need to be alert and ready to take care. What an awesome thing it is to come into the presence of God. Are you remembering that? We can become lackadaisical about the way we come to payer or reading the Bible or how we come to church – we arrive late, we are not dressed appropriately, we have not prepared ourselves. Rather we ought tot take care over every aspect of our wosrship.
2. The first specific lesson - Be quick to listen. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. It is very easy to go through the motions, to do the right thing but not to have your heart in it. We do not offer sacrifices as such today but there is the giving of money and time and of praise and prayer and good deeds. There is a danger of being so full of eagerness to do these things that we forget that the chief thing is to come near to listen – to hear God speak to us. To hear of course means to obey. Real listening is, of course, a listening that leads to obedience. This is the focus of worship then listening, ready to obey.
3. Be slow to speak. This really underlines the point. Verse 2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. Too often we are too quick and too ready to make promises and vows, to say our prayers and sing our hymns. Rather we must be slow to speak. Take time. Slow down. Think!
For example, God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. Is it right that what we say should take the lion’s share of what goes on? Rather shouldn’t we be waiting to hear what God says? That is one reason why we give so much time in our meetings to the sermon rather than to singing and so on. We need to turn our thoughts from ourselves to him. Away from us and on to him.
4. A concluding observation. Verse 3 As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words. Generally speaking, when a person has a lot on his mind it is no surprise that he dreams. We have all experienced the phenomenon. In a similar way, generally speaking, the more words we use, the more likely it is that what we say will be foolish. This is true in general but especially true when it comes to worshipping God. That is why we must take care and avoid saying too much.
2. How to commit yourself to God
1. The first lesson – don’t delay to do what you promise to do. Verse 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfil your vow. We are under no obligation to make any promises to God but if we do, we must see that they are kept and that speedily. There can be no delay. If you promise to give so much to God’s work then do it straightaway. If you promise to spend a certain amount of time doing something in the Lord’s service then you must do what you promised to do. There is no getting out of it. You may have just been trying to impress people but if you vow then you must act on it. Are there incompleted vows to God in your life? They must be fulfilled. They cannot be neglected longer.
2. The second lesson – do not try to get out of something you have promised to do. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfil it. Think of what we read in Acts 5. We don’t have to make vows, remember. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, My vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? It provokes God’s anger when we act in this way.
3. A concluding observation. Verse 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God. Just as we have many dreams when we are not sleeping well so there can be many words including rash vows, when we fail to think straight and so fail to stand in awe of God.
This leads us back into the question of what we are to make of all these difficulties that seem to undercut the idea that God is in control of everything. If we fear God, if we remember his awesome presence then all will be well.
3. How to view injustice, wealth and toil
1. Consider injustice and its partial remedy
He goes back first to the matter of injustice. He says (8) If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. This is how it is in this world – even in a well-ordered kingdom such as Solomon’s. ‘Don’t be surprised’ says Solomon. That does not mean that it does not matter. However, we need to keep things in perspective. Rather than breaking out against such corruption we need to think things through. Verse 9 is difficult to translate. The NIV (1984) has The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. This could sound like a further description of the problem but is probably a statement of its solution.
1 Yes, there is injustice but in most cases people realise that they are all dependent on the increase from the land and so if profits are shut up to one small group of people there is a problem. We all need one another’s help. Pray for such a realisation. Order is better than anarchy.
2 If there is good leadership at the top, others will realise that they too are dependent on what is produced in the fields and cannot just live as they please. Pray for that realisation. Good leadership is better than anarchy.
From verse 10 Solomon returns to the matter of wealth and possessions. He makes a number of points.
2. Remember that wealth cannot satisfy
Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil yet how common it is. Do you love money or wealth or possessions? Beware – you will never have enough of it. You will never be satisfied however much of it you have. It is simply not able to satisfy your soul.
3. Remember that wealth cannot solve your problems
Many people think it can – that’s why they do the national lottery, for example. Verse 11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The more goods you have, the more friends and hangers on you will find ready to help you use them. Yet what use are all those goods in the end except to feast your eyes on?
4. Remember that wealth cannot give you peace of mind
Verse 12 The sleep of a labourer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. The rich man is kept awake by too much good food or by worries about his wealth, etc.
5. Remember that wealth cannot provide security
Verses 13 and 14 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. There are many ways of wasting wealth. Some just fail to use it to any good purpose. Others invest with great care but then lose it all by some ‘accident’, some misfortune. There is nothing left for the next generation.
6. Remember that wealth cannot last
Verse 15 Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labour that he can carry in his hand. We must never forget this fundamental truth.
7. Remember that wealth cannot save you
Verses 16, 17 This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.
4. How to live your life
And so we come again to Solomon’s second conclusion. Verses 18-20 Then I realised that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of life God has given him - for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work - this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
There are thre main points here, points similar to those already made in the first section.
1. God wants us to live in a way that is good and proper. It is way that is satisfying.
2. Indeed it is God’s gift to know how to enjoy life and to be content.
3. Such a man is so taken up with God that he has no time to worry about death or such things.
