Sunday, July 5, 2020 pm – online lesson
STUDIES IN ECCLESIASTES
(22)
Some Better Things (2)
Ecclesiastes 7:1-10
a.
The song of fools
- Some equate the “song of fools” here with the “house of mirth”
(feasting) in the previous verse.
Often times, a party is not a good place to get life advice.
Especially from the “entertainment” trying to make you laugh or
just have a good time.
Especially when you tie this to vs. 6 where it is noted that the
laughter of a fool is like the crackling of thorns under a pot – the
point – they may START a fire and make noise, but how quickly they will
burn out. We live in a
society where our celebrities, especially our comedians, are given too
much credibility. They are
entertainers who spin their observations to get a laugh.
PLEASE seek your wisdom from more than that!
b.
The rebuke of the wise
-
Clearly rebuke is not pleasant.
It is chastisement and noting that which is wrong.
We don’t like to be chastised and corrected.
That’s the point of Hebrews 12:5-11 which speaks of the
chastening of the Lord.
Vs. 11 notes that chastening is not pleasant, but yields the
peaceable fruit of righteousness.
The rebuke of the wise may include:
i.
The doctor who tells you
to change your habits.
ii.
Parents who lovingly
chasten their children for their poor choices – Ephesians 6:4
iii.
The elderly who have
lived a good life and see you about to make some major mistake – Job
12:12-13 says, “Wisdom is with aged men, and with length of days,
understanding; With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and
understanding…”
iv.
An elder or preacher who
tells you the truth, even when it is unpleasant – cf. Galatians 4:16,
Hebrews 13:17, etc.
v.
This could also apply in
the house of mourning, where you will hear about the uncertainties of
life and possibly encouragement to make yourself right with God.
c.
Vs. 7 – The oppression of the wise destroys their reason.
i.
Is this a reference to a
wise man who is oppressing others and thus his reasoning is invalidated,
or is it a wise man who is oppressed by others?
I believe it to be the latter, because a truly wise person will
not oppress – he seeks the betterment of people and uses his wisdom
toward that end.
ii.
I also think of those
with closed hearts and minds who simply refuse to consider the other
side of a situation. One of
the things troubling me about what we are seeing in our society today is
a closed mind mentality – “You believe like do, or you are … (insert
your label).”
I am not opposed to one having convictions – the wise will also
speak with conviction.
In fact, we BETTER have conviction, but it will be reasoned and
delivered with humility.
When one is driven by emotions such as anger and hatred, he will NOT
consider that he may be wrong, or even give audience to those who
disagree or challenge their views.
This was the abhorrent behavior of the enemies of Jesus, Paul and
Stephen. And it is divisive
and troublesome.
d.
And a bribe debases the
heart –
equally tragic is when greed and selfish ambitions cloud out truth and
rebuke. Bribes are always
wrong and they can corrupt, even the wise.
They can cause the wise to be silent, or even worse.
Again, Jesus was betrayed with a bribe, by one of His own
apostles.
Proverbs 17:23, A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To
pervert the ways of justice.
e.
Proverbs 15:31-33 says,
The ear that hears the rebukes of life Will abide among the wise. He
who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke
gets understanding. The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And before honor is humility.
a.
Throughout this context,
we have been addressing the wisdom at funerals over parties.
Here is yet another observation that can be related to that.
b.
However, this expression
is broader than that. This
is a generalization that is true in many situations:
i.
The wisdom of age
ii.
When a crop is planted,
and we finally reap the harvest (spiritually as well).
iii.
The completion of a job
or task is often rewarding and a time of relief.
iv.
Some see this as related
to dealing with patience tying it to the latter part of this verse.
Be patient until what your task is complete.
Or humility, where one boasts about what he plans to do, but often he
fails to complete the task.
E.g. 1 Kings 20:11, So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell
him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes
it off.’ ”
v.
Also after something is
completed, you typically have a better understanding of what is going on
(wisdom). We know the
results and can determine if we made the right decision or not, what the
purpose of something was, etc.
vi.
Think spiritually, when
one is prepared as Paul was – 2 Timothy 4:6-8.
Note Matthew 10:22 where Jesus said, “He who endures to the end
will be saved…”
vii.
NOTE: These are good
outcomes, and are the result of a good start.
Realize that the opposite is equally true.
When one’s intentions are evil, the end will be worse.
a.
The Bible continually
emphasizes the importance of patience.
It is better to be patient than proud or boastful.
IT is a quality of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and
Christian love (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) – long-suffering.
Luke 21:13, “By your patience possess your souls.”
In a text where Jesus warns that they not give up in spite of
what they might face.
James 5:7-11 - it was a characteristic of the prophets, including Job,
and it is to be a quality in us.
b.
On the contrary, the
prideful or arrogant are despised by God – it is a work of the ungodly –
Romans 1:29-30; 2 Timothy 3:2, etc.
1 Peter 5:5 tells us that God resists the proud, but give grace to the
humble. Proverbs 6:16-17 –
the proud look, etc.
c.
How many speak up before
they know what they are talking about?
James 1:19 warns against this AND enters into the next phrase
d.
Solomon further
elaborates noting in vs. 9, that we should not hasten to be angry.
We addressed this last Sunday morning, as Jesus warned against
murder and anger as we purse true righteousness (Matthew 5:21-22).
Ephesians 4:26-27 – be angry and do not sin; Vs. 31 – put anger
away, along with bitterness, clamor and evil speaking…
Anger rests in the bosom of fools – it brings out foolish and quickly
regretted actions and consequences.
a.
Finally, we note a
connection with the previous 2 verses.
Especially vs. 8, “The end is better…”
Here the warning is to not dwell on the past.
b.
Do NOT say, “Why were
the former days better?” IT
is NOT a wise thing.
c.
WE sometimes look to
“the good old days”, and in some instances there is something to be said
about that. But we are
living in times with so much more opportunities to do good because of
technology. We understand
more how the world works. We
are able to communicate by this means
- something not possible in “the good old days”.
d.
But here’s the point,
suppose the “good old days” were better?
Well they are gone!
We have to move on and accept where we are.
Jesus alluded to this as He spoke about seeking first God’s
kingdom – Matthew 6:33-34.
He notes, “Sufficient for the day is its own troubles” So don’t dwell on
the past, which you CANNOT change, OR the future, which you do not know.
e.
NOTE: It is not wrong to
remember the past. It can be
a good thing, but here the point is DON’T dwell on it!
So
we can see that some things are better than others.
Let us be among those that choose the better things that lead to
life eternal. Think about
it!