1^st – Everyone dies… 1-6

• 1^st – No Guarantee… vs. 1
  • Accepted by God…
    • For I considered all 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!
    • Solomon had been trying one thing after another – he did NOT rest…
    • Because [כִּי] he had put [perfect] ALL [כָּל] of these things in his HEART [לֵב]
    • Hoping that he could make CLEAR [בּוּר] to us the MEANING of life – but what he found was:
    • The DEEDS of the [הַ] RIGHTEOUS [צַדִּיק] and the [הַ] WISE [חָכָם] are in the hand of God [אֱלֹהִים]
    • His assumption being – if we are doing GOOD and WISE things – God is happy…
    • But [גַּם] NO [אֵין] man KNOWS [יָדַע] whether God will LOVE them or HATE them!
  • No one knows…
    • How much GOOD must we do in order to make God HAPPY [love]
    • And how much BAD is allowed before it makes Him MAD [hate]
    • Solomon said no [אֵין] MAN [אָדָם] knows the answer – which is TRUE…
    • But God does know the answer – and He told us – Matthew 5:48
    • I have been working with Hallel on her MATH…
    • She is quick to become impatient – and tries to RUSH the answer…
    • But I tell her MATH is unforgiving – all it takes is ONE mistake the answer is WRONG!
    • It does NOT matter how GOOD we are – it ONLY take one mistake to FAIL…
    • That is why Jesus came to save us – because we could NEVER be good enough!
• 2^nd – No Difference… vs. 2
  • Death…
    • All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked.
    • To the good [and bad] – the clean and the unclean.
    • To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.
    • As is the good so is the sinner. He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath!
      
    • EVERYONE [כָּל] goes through the same trials in life – and in the end EVERYONE [כָּל] DIES…
    • It does NOT matter if they are RIGHTEOUS [צַדִּיק] or WICKED [רָשָׁע]
    • It makes NO difference if someone is GOOD [טֽוֹב] or BAD [κακός] – PURE or UNCLEAN…
    • Whether someone is RELIGIOUS [sacrifices] – or has NEVER [אֵין] gone to church…
    • AS [כַּ] it happens to the GOOD [טֽוֹב] man – it also happens to the SINNER!
  • Not the end…
    • Keep in mind – Solomon was unable to SEE beyond this life…
    • So he saw ALL men as coming to the same END – everyone DIES…
    • But DEATH is not the END – it is the BEGINNING!
    • When I was in high school one of my classmates called Christianity a DEATH cult…
    • He said this because he noted how Christians seem to focus on DEATH…
    • He was NOT a believer – and to him death was the END…
    • What he could NOT see is that death is just the doorway to ETERNAL life!
    • While it is TRUE that no matter how we live our life – we will all DIE…
    • What happens after death is VERY different depending on what we do with Jesus…
    • To those who are RIGHTEOUS – who put their faith in God – they will go HEAVEN…
    • To those who are WICKED – who rejected Jesus – they will end up in HELL!
• 3^rd – No Hope… vs. 3
  • Excuses…
    • This is an evil in 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 that they go to the dead!
    • Solomon saw this as UNFAIR [רַע] – that DEATH happens [niphal] to EVERYONE [כָּל]
    • He argued this is what fills the heart of men with EVIL [רַע] – and makes them act CRAZY…
    • Because they know that no matter what they do – they will DIE!
  • Warning…
    • Imagine if we could eat ANYTHING we wanted without consequences…
    • No worrying about SUGAR – or FAT – just eat whatever we like…
    • This is how many people DO live – but before long they have HEALTH problems…
    • Those PROBLEMS are our bodies way getting our attention before it is TOO late [death]!
    • This is the same truth when it comes to living a RIGHTEOUS life…
    • If someone thinks that DEATH is the end – there are no ETERNAL consequences…
    • Then it does tend to make them live an EVIL life – gives them license to be CRAZY…
    • But those who live life that way – will end up with LOTS of PROBLEMS [sin is destructive]
    • Those PROBLEMS are GODS way of trying to get our attention – before it is TOO late [hell]!
• 4^th – No Time… vs. 4-6
  • Hope… vs. 4
    • But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope.
    • For a living dog is better than a dead lion!
    • [כִּי] – FOR it is better to be a living DOG [weak] – rather than a dead LION [strong]! 
    • [כִּי] – BECAUSE whoever [מִי] is still ALIVE has HOPE [בָּטַח]
    • We are SAVED by FAITH [πίστις] – Ephesians 2:8
    • Yet the word FAITH is rarely used in the OT [only two times] – Habakkuk 2:4
    • HOPE [בָּטַח] – also translated as TRUST – is an OT equivalent of FAITH [πίστις]!
    • While ANYONE can chose at ANYTIME to be put their HOPE [faith] in God…
    • We only have until we DIE – after that our choice is sealed – Hebrews 9:27
  • Running out… vs. 5
    • For the living know that they will die – but the dead know nothing.
    • And they have no more reward for the memory of them is forgotten!
    • [כִּי] – BECAUSE those who are still ALIVE – know [יָדַע] that they are DYING [imperfect]
    • [וְ] – BUT the DEAD do NOT [אֵין] know [יָדַע] anything…
    • [וְ] – AND for them there is no longer any CHOICE [reward]
    • [כִּי] – BECAUSE they made their DECISION and are FORGOTTEN!
    • We all KNOW we are on a clock – every day it counts down to the inevitable…
    • We KNOW that NO one is going to live forever – our time is LIMITED…
    • Yet rather than making sure our ETERNITY is secure…
    • Most try and ignore the truth by keeping themselves busy with things that do NOT matter!
  • Not important… vs. 6
    • Also their love – their hatred – and their envy have now perished.
    • Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun!
    • Also [גַּם] – the things that people think DEFINE their lives…
    • Their LOVE – and HATRED – their ENVY for things that do NOT last [אָבַד]
    • Are ALL [כָּל] gone [אֵין] once they leave this life [under the sun]!
    • If you ask a young person what is most important to them…
    • They will say their education – who they will marry – or what they want to buy…
    • Yet NONE of those things last – they are ALL temporary!
    • The ONLY thing that matter in LIFE – is making sure we have Jesus…
    • Everything else is a distraction that BLINDS us to what is MOST important…
    • Because our relationship with Jesus is the ONE thing that we can keep after DEATH!

• 2^nd – Enjoy life… 7-12
  • 1^st – Merry heart… vs. 7-10
    • Be Happy… vs. 7
      • Go… with a merry heart. For God has already accepted your works!
      • As Solomon saw it as UNFAIR that both the GOOD and SINNER died…
      • Causing men to do EVIL – and be CRAZY – because they all had the same END…
      • His command [imperative] was to ENJOY life – he assumed this PLEASED [רָצָה] God [אֱלֹהִים]!
      • This again is where we need to take the WISDOM of Solomon in context…
      • He was a man BLINDED by sin – who could NOT see beyond this life – I Kings 11:4
      • He was trying to find MEANING – apart from knowing God [אֱלֹהִים]
      • Which we see emphasized in how he NEVER uses the name of the LORD [יְהוָה] in this book!
      • What is powerful about the FOUR things that Solomon gave…
      • They are the same FOUR things we see people still look to TODAY…
      • The things people use to try and FILL the God shaped HOLE in their lives…
      • But they can NEVER make us CONTENT – we will still be THIRSTY…
      • And they can do NOTHING for us after we die – they CANNOT save us!
    • Eating… vs. 7
      • Eat your bread with joy and drink your wine
      • Therefore – if DEATH comes to all – and we ONLY have this life…
      • FIRST – enjoy eating [imperative] and drinking [imperative]!
      • We all LOVE to EAT – but some people LIVE to EAT…
      • All they talk about is their favorite RESTAURANT – the best FOOD…
      • Others LOVE to DRINK – they cannot wait to get DRUNK…
      • For them there is NOTHING better than for ALCOHOL to help them FORGET their problems!
      • While there is NOTHING wrong with enjoying a meal [Jesus loved to eat]
      • No matter how good the FOOD is – we will be hungry again – John 6:51
      • And while it is NOT wrong to have a glass of wine [do NOT get drunk] – Ephesians 5:18
      • No one has ever found that answer to life at the bottom of that glass!
    • Clothing… vs. 8
      • Let your garments always be white – and let your head lack no oil!
      • SECOND – make sure to look GOOD…
      • Keep [imperative] your clothes CLEAN [white] – and smell GOOD [anointed head]
      • We live in a world that is OBSESSED with outward appearances…
      • People spend HOURS every week in the GYM just to LOOK good – I Timothy 4:8
      • Yet in the end we all still get OLD – and WRINKLY – and then DIE…
      • People also spend outrageous amounts of money on DESIGNER clothes [purses]
      • Yet NONE of these things last – the best clothes still wear out – Matthew 6:19
      • That is what we are told to NOT focus on the EXTERNAL!
      • I Peter 3:3-4 – “Do not be concerned about the outward beauty… clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within.” [NLT]
    • Marriage… vs. 9
      • [Look at life] with the wife whom you [loved].
      • All the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun – all your days of vanity.
      • For that is your portion in life and in the labor which you perform under the sun!
      • THIRD – Look [רָאָה] at life with your wife [not with joy as some translations interpret]
      • We know that women were a PROBLEM for Solomon – he had THOUSAND wives…
      • This was his SIN – he disobeyed the command of God – Deuteronomy 17:17
      • As a result we can see the BITTERNESS it brought out of him…
      • Look [imperative] at life with the WIFE that you [past tense] LOVED [perfect]
      • ALL [כָּל] of the days of your EMPTY life [repeated twice for emphasis]
      • [כִּי] BECAUSE – she is your REWARD [חֵלֶק] in this life…
      • And is with you in your TROUBLE [עָמָל] that you SUFFER [עָמֵל] under the SUN!
      • It used to be that the world painted marriage as HAPPILY ever after [Disney]
      • Now they has changed their tune to – why bother getting married it will not last!
      • Marriage is a blessing – it is part of the perfect plan of God – Genesis 2:18
      • But anyone who has been married for more than a few hours – knows marriage is HARD…
      • When you put two sinner together – it causes a LOT of TROUBLE…
      • Which is why if we think MARRIAGE is the answer – we will be DISAPPOINTED!
    • Working… vs. 10
      • Whatever your hand finds to do – do it with your might.
      • For there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going!
      • FORTH – Work hard while you still can…
      • Solomon connects his work to what his WIFE wants…
      • EVERYTHING [כָּל] your WIFE finds [feminine] for your hand to do – DO it [imperative]
      • [כִּי] BECAUSE there is NO [אִין] – work – planning – knowledge – or wisdom once we are DEAD!
      • I have to say first of all – I LOVE that Solomon connects his work to his wife…
      • Anyone who is married knows how important the HONEY – do – list is!
      • But seeking to find MEANING from WORK [money] is empty…
      • Because all of our efforts ONLY last for this life – we CANNOT take anything with us…
      • Therefore all of our WORK is WASTED – if we are just trying to get things!
      • Luke 12:15 – “Life is not measured by how much you own.” [NLT]
  • 2^nd – Not in control… vs. 11-12
    • All Chance… vs. 11
      • I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to 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!
      • Something caused Solomon to rethink [שׁוּב] his conclusion [enjoy life]
      • He realized life is NOT based on MERITOCRACY [how hard we try]
      • The FASTEST runner does NOT always win the race…
      • The STRONGEST soldier does NOT always win the battle…
      • The WISEST man can go hungry – the SMARTEST man can be poor…
      • Even those who SEE [יָדַע] that this is true – may not find GRACE [חֵן]
      • [כִּי] BECAUSE – TIME and CHANCE are what decide ALL [כָּל] things!
      • LUCKY [chumba] – being at the right place at the right time…
      • Life is NOT fair – being blessed or cursed seems to just be an ACCIDENT!
      • This is the perspective of someone who does NOT know the Lord…
      • Because – although it is true that we are NOT in control…
      • That does NOT mean life is random – NOTHING happens by accident…
      • The Lord is the one who is SOVEREIGN over EVERYTHING!
      • Ephesians 1:11 – “He makes everything work out according to his plan.” [NLT
    • No warning… vs. 12
      • 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!
      • [כִּי] FOR – man [אָדָם] also [גַּם] does NOT see [יָדַע] the time of his death…
      • LIKE [כַּ] a fish or bird that is caught [niphal] by an EVIL net…
      • So also [כַּ] are the sons of men caught [pual] in an evil TIME when they do NOT expect it!
      • Just as LIFE seems to be RANDOM – so also does DEATH…
      • Yet among the top TEN most common ways for people to DIE…
      • Heart disease [1] – stroke [5] – diabetes [8] – and cirrhosis [9] – are all diet related…
      • Therefore why do we act surprised when people DIE – as if it was unexpected!
      • It is true we do NOT know the number of our days…
      • No one knows when they will die – though we should NOT live foolishly…
      • But our confidence is the LORD does KNOW the number of our days…
      • And we will NOT die one day sooner than He plans!
      • Job 14:5 – “You have decided the length of our lives.” [NLT]

• 3^rd – Wise man… 13-18
  • 1^st – Forgotten… vs. 13-16
    • Little city… vs. 13-14
      • This wisdom I have also seen under the sun and it seemed great to me:
      • There was a little city with few men in it – and a great king came against it.
      • Besieged it and built great snares around it!
      • Also [גַּם] – Solomon wanted to add a story to make his point [random life]
      • A wise EXAMPLE he had seen [רָאָה] that was IMPORTANT [גָּדוֹל] to him…
      • There was an SMALL city – with only a FEW people living in it…
      • [וּ] BUT – a great [גָּדוֹל] KING came and surrounded the city – and built towers to conquer it!
      • Although we do NOT know for sure which TOWN this was…
      • Some suggest it is the city of Abel Beth Maachah – II Samuel 20:14
      • After the rebellion and death of Absalom – the son of David…
      • A man called Sheba tried to lead Israel against the King…
      • JOAB – commanded of the army – pursued Sheba and he fled into Abel Beth Maachah!
    • Poor man… vs 15
      • Now there was found in it a poor wise man and he by his wisdom delivered the city. 
      • Yet no one remembered that same poor man!
      • The city was SAVED [piel] by the WISDOM of a poor MAN…
      • BUT [וְ] – no one remembered what he had done – because he was POOR!
      • A woman called out to JOAB from Abel Beth Maachah – what did he want…
      • JOAB only wanted the head of SHEBA – so the woman got the people to agree!
      • II Samuel 20:22 – “The woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba… and threw it out to Joab.”
    • Biased… vs. 16
      • Then I said: Wisdom is better than strength.
      • Nevertheless the poor mans wisdom is despised and his words are not heard!
      • AND [וְ] – to Solomon this story said – WISDOM is better [טֽוֹב] than STRENGTH…
      • BUT [וְ] – the problem is that people NEVER [אִין] listen to the words of the POOR!
      • This might be a different story – a woman saved the city and NOT a man…
      • Or it might be exactly what Solomon was talking about…
      • The people FORGOT it even was a woman – because she was POOR!
      • We have a tendency to JUDGE a book by its cover…
      • If we want to get advice on being healthy – ask someone who is FIT…
      • If we want to get counsel on being RICH – ask someone who has MONEY…
      • We would question the words of a person who was UNHEALTHY and POOR…
      • But when it comes to SPIRITUAL things – it does NOT matter who gives us the WORD…
      • Because that WISDOM is NOT from men – it comes from GOD!
  • 2^nd – Wise Words… vs. 17-18
    • Whisper… vs. 17
      • Words of the wise spoken quietly – should be heard rather than the shout of a ruler of fools!
      • We are better off listening to a WISPER that is WISE [חָכָם]
      • Rather than [מִ] the SHOUTS of a LEADER who is a FOOL [כְּסִיל]
      • The point is the TRUTH does NOT need to try and get our attention [shouting]
      • It is something we should be seeking to find – because it is RIGHT!
      • Walk into a grocery store – and look at the ADVERTISING…
      • All of the food that is JUNK – has loud colors trying to get our attention…
      • But the food that is HEALTHY – sits quietly waiting for us to find it!
      • We will always find that FOOLISH things in life are the LOUDEST…
      • Because that is the only way they can convince us to listen to them…
      • But the TRUTH is much more soft spoken – we have to make the time to LISTEN to it!
      • I Kings 19:12 – “There was the sound of a gentle whisper.” [NLT]
    • The sinner… vs. 18
      • Wisdom is better than weapons of war – but one sinner destroys much good!
      • Wisdom is GOOD [טֽוֹב] – better than [מִ] the most powerful WEAPON…
      • BUT [וְ] – it only takes ONE sinner to RUIN a lot [רָבָה] of GOOD [טֽוֹב]!
      • Ironic that Solomon realized this – WISDOM is waiting for us to find it…
      • But what keeps that WISDOM hidden from us – is our SIN!
      • Psalm 119:11 – “Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You.”