Ecclesiastes 5, Vows, Poverty and Wealth

We now move on to a series of proverbs from the Teacher, addressing the futility of life.

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Careful vows before God

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

Do not be quick with your mouth, 

do not be hasty in your heart

to utter anything before God.

God is in heaven

and you are on earth,

so let your words be few.

As a dream comes when there are many cares, 

so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.

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?

Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

The Teacher warns about one's vows before God, stressing that one's religious vows should be sincere -- and rare! Promises should not be rash. (See Deuteronomy 23:21-23.) The end of verse 2 ("God is in heaven...") emphasizes God's ability to see everything, not His distance (Alter.)  

This is a rare discussion, in Ecclesiastes, of the actions of God. In other places, God is not mentioned or seems, at least, difficult to know or understand. Here the warning is against fake or hypocritical appearances of worship.

Ecclesiastes 5:8-9, Oppression

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.  

The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

 

The cynical Teacher says, in verse 8, Yes, there is oppression. Don't be surprised!  One landowner oppresses his serfs, and he in turn is oppressed by the governor or a duke who is oppressed a king. The oppressive heirarchy goes up and up. Like much of Ecclesiastes, this is observation, not approval.

Commentators agree that both the Hebrew and the interpretation of verse 9 is unclear. One viewpoint might be that the king is at the top of the hierarchy, taking his cut. Another interpretation (for an agricultural society) is that even the king's future depends on the fertility of the land.

Ecclesiastes 5:10, Rich never satisfied

Whoever loves money never has money enough; 

whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. 

This too is meaningless.   

As goods increase, 

so do those who consume them. 

And what benefit are they to the owner 

except to feast his eyes on them?

We now have several proverbs emphasizing that even the rich are not satisfied -- they always want more. (It is not hard to look around us today and quickly see examples of this!) As one gains goods and wealth, others are attracted to those riches, ready to siphon the goods away.

Ecclesiastes 5:12, Sleep

The sleep of a laborer is sweet, 

whether he eats little or much, 

but the abundance of a rich man 

permits him no sleep.  

There is some value in being a hardworking laborer! The laborer quickly falls asleep at night while the rich man worries.

Ecclesiastes 5:13-14, Wealth hoarded and lost

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.

            

A man might become rich and then hoard the riches, so that they are of no value. Or the riches might be lost by some "misfortune" so that the brief wealth is not passed on to his children.

Ecclesiastes 5:15-17, Naked to naked

Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, 

and as he comes, so he departs. 

He takes nothing from his labor 

that he can carry in his hand.  

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.

Verse 15 echoes Job 1:21. Man comes into life with nothing, not even clothes, and departs the same way. The Teacher asks, And so what happens in between? Here the Teacher seems to say that the period in between is an experience of pain, toil, frustration, anger. 

If this is so, the Teacher has a suggestion in the next verse.

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, Satisfaction

Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor 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.

The Teacher says that there is indeed good in finding satisfaction in one's life, in the things that God has allowed him.  These riches are a gift from God. It makes one's ending less onerous as one merely enjoys the many gifts given him.  (As a retired university professor, enjoying nature, the woods and changing seasons, enjoying some easy days with my wife, I can heartily agree! I do not expect to live forever, but I am enjoying the days God has given me.)

Davidson uses this passage to make some points about the tendency for many Christians to feel that, somehow, they should not enjoy the pleasures of life. He quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

I am sure that we ought to love God in our lives and in the blessings he sends us. We should trust him in our lives, so that when our time comes we may go to him in love and trust and joy. But, speaking frankly, to long for the transcendent when you are in your wife's arms is, to put it mildly, a lack of taste, and it is certainly not what God expects from us. We ought to find God and love him in the blessings he sends.  If he pleases to send us some overwhelming earthly bliss, we ought not to try to be more religious than God himself. 

(Davidson, p. 40, quoting Bonhoeffer's, Letters and Papers from Prison, p. 86.)

To which I say, Amen! (Jan, I hope you are reading this!)

Ecclesiastes 4, Together is Better than Alone

The Teacher continues describing the frailty of human life. He argues that there are no good reasons for seeking change.

Ecclesiastes 4:1-3, Life is evil and meaningless

Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed‑‑ and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors‑‑ and they have no comforter.  And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

Life, says the Teacher, is not just meaningless, but there is evil -- people are oppressed by those with power and have no one to comfort them. The existence of evil adds to the meaninglessness of life.

Davidson sees this paragraph as a continuation of the ideas expressed in the previous chapter. Indeed, this appears to summarize Ecclesiastes 3:16-22.

The repetitive structure of  the dead, who had already died, ... the living, who are still alive is a poetic emphasis on these two positions. 

As Alter points out, the Teacher makes no reference to God here. As in much of the book, the Teacher is pointing out what one observes, without leaping to some type of metaphysical belief.

Ecclesiastes 4:4, Jealousy

And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Much of one's labor and careers is driven by envy and jealousy, says the Teacher.

Ecclesiastes 4:5-6, Work or tranquility?

The fool folds his hands and ruins himself.

Better one handful with tranquillity than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

Here we have two conflicting proverbs, one about the lazy fool and another that says tranquility is worth much more than hard work (and thus, herding the wind.) Is the Teacher deliberately first quoting a traditional proverb (see Proverbs 6:10-11) so that he can challenge it in the next line? Davidson suggests that the Teacher is suggesting a "middle way", one in which the frailty of one's work is recognized.

Ecclesiastes 4:7-8, One is a lonely number

Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. "For whom am I toiling," he asked, "and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?" 

This too is meaningless‑‑ a miserable business!

Another example of the emptiness of life -- the lonely man with no descendants, who has no one to receive his goods and hard work.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Two is better than one

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. 

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

This string of proverbs emphasize the importance of two or more people working together. Alter notes that these proverbs first play a with the value of 2 over 1, before rising to the number 3 on the last line.

Ecclesiastes 4:13-16, A sequence of kings

Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.

The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom.

I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor.

There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

There are some advantages to youth. But... just because one is old does not prevent them from being a fool! Commentators struggle to explain this passage. It is possible that there is a succession of kings here, one after the other, each dismissing the value of the one before him.

Ecclesiastes 3, Don't Worry, Be Happy

The Teacher continues examining the frailty of life and its works. Earlier he has emphasized the perpetual endless cycle of life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Turn, turn, turn

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die, 

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal, 

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh, 

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

The cycles of life include times of good and bad, in a natural rhythm of the years. We weep and laugh and weep again. Sometimes we mourn, sometimes we dance. Then we mourn again. In my youth, this beautiful passage was popularized by the song Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds.

The Teacher gives us, in short rhythmic lines, seven verses, fourteen antithetical parallelisms. It is no coincidence that these verses come in a perfect seven.

Ecclesiastes 3:9-11, Eternity in the heart of man

What does the worker gain from his toil?  I have seen the burden God has laid on men.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

The Teacher returns to his questions about value. Work seems to only be a burder from which man does not gain. It is a burden God places on mankind. God makes everything beautiful in its time and places "eternity in the hearts of man" -- yes, we all long for eternal purpose and value! -- and yet God also keeps us ignorant of all His plans and purposes. Is this good news or bad? Are we encouraged here or in despair?

The Hebrew word olam, translated here "eternity", suggests long periods of time, antiquity, the future. It first appears in the Old Testament in Genesis 3:22 where the NIV translates it as "forever." Eternity, time past, time future, are an enigma to us mere mortals.

Ecclesiastes 3:12-15, Find satisfaction

I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.  That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil‑‑this is the gift of God.  I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.  

Whatever is has already been, 

and what will be has been before; 

and God will call the past to account.

The Teacher repeats an earlier claim: the mortal man should just enjoy the good things given him.

Ecclesiastes 3:16, Corruption

And I saw something else under the sun: 

In the place of judgment‑‑wickedness was there,

in the place of justice‑‑wickedness was there.  

The observant Teacher is very aware that there are injustices -- where there should be righteous judgment, there is wickedness and corruption.

Ecclesiastes 3:17-18, Is there judgment?

I thought in my heart, "

God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked,

 for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."  

I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.  

The Hebrew text is not clear in verses 17 and 18 (say both Alter and Davidson) and both interpret verse 17 as a quotation, as a proverb, with a response in verse 18. It is likely that the Teacher is saying, I thought that God brings judgment and justice but still, ultimately, man dies just like the animals. This is consistent with the next passage. 

Ecclesiastes 3:19-21, Like the animals

Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.  All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.  Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"

Mankind, says the Teacher, is just like the animals. We don't know what happens after death; we see no evidence that the spirit (breath, Hebrew ruach) of humans is different than that of the animals. As Genesis 3:19 says, we came from dust and we return to dust.

Ecclesiastes 3:22, Relax and enjoy what you have.

So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

We don't know what happens after death, so, relax, try to find satisfaction and joy in what you have.

Ecclesiastes 2, Nothing Worth Doing!

The Teacher  laments that all of life is meaningless; indeed even searching for wisdom (he says in chapter 1) is meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, All mere breath

 I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless.

            

"Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?"

            

I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly‑‑my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

            

I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.  I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.

            

I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.

            

I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well‑‑the delights of the heart of man.

            

As in the previous chapter, the Hebrew word hebel, is translated as "meaningless". The word is literally "mere breath", a concrete metaphor for things that rapidly disappear without a trace.

The Teacher examines all the joys and riches of life, from laughter, through wine, great building projects, possessions of slaves and flocks, precious metals, even a harem ("the delights of the heart of man"), yet ... was this of any value?

In verse 3 the Teacher emphasizes that as he indulged in these various pleasures, he did so thoughtfully and carefully. His pleasure was not mindless drunkeness but experiments in pleasure. One can, for example, enjoy the pleasures of wine, drinking just enough to get a pleasant buzz, while taking care not to drink too much and experience the nausea of a hangover.  Greek philosophers across the Mediterranean Sea were doing this in 450 BC, analyzing human emotions, joys, pleasures. (See these Wikipedia pages on Epicureanism. and hedonism, for example.)

Ecclesiastes 2:9-11, Far greater than those before me

I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.  

I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; 

I refused my heart no pleasure. 

My heart took delight in all my work,

 and this was the reward for all my labor.  

Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done 

and what I had toiled to achieve, 

everything was meaningless,

 a chasing after the wind; 

nothing was gained under the sun.

The Teacher, a powerful king of Jerusalem, has access to all the wealth and pleasures one could want. He has the experience of pass kings before him. And so he engages in an experiment: What is the most pleasureable? What gives man the greatest delight? And the answer is that, in the end, they are all the same -- they are all mere breath, meaningless. The obvious lesson being taught here is that if Solomon (or the Teacher) cannot achieve meaning from all his wealth and pleasures, then these will certainly not satisfy mere common folk and like you and me.

Ecclesiastes 2:12-18, Philosophy

Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king's successor do than what has already been done?

            

I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.  Then I thought in my heart, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said in my heart, "This too is meaningless."  For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!  So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Since all types of pleasure do not bring satisfaction, the Teacher turns to wisdom and philosophy.  He studies wisdom and its value and -- unlike the claims of the book of Proverbs! -- decides that it too is meaningless. Regardless of what they've done, both the fool and the wise face the same fate: death and the grave.  And eventually they will be forgotten.

Verse 14 has a line that runs counter to the theme of this chapter: "The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness." Alter suggests that this proverb (which would fit perfectly well in the previous book!) is set up here to be challenged.

Ecclesiastes 2:19-20, The one who comes after me

I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.

And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.  So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.  

One can work very hard on building up a program, a community, a university or even a kingdom, only for those empires to sink and decay after one's death. King Solomon, indeed, is a classic example of this as the foolish actions of his son Rehoboam led ten of the twelve kingdoms to rebel; this was followed by centuries of sporadic civil war.

In one university where I served as an administrator, I watched another administrator relentlessly collect data and statistics to make the regular accreditation visits both valuable and easy. (These visits occurred every five years. A good review was critical for the university's standing and success.) Over decades of accreditation studies, the administrator collected thousands of files of documents about the university, its history, its students and faculty. She retired on a Friday. On the following Monday I watched as workers collected the many thousands of folders of accreditation statistics and destroyed them.

In another university I saw a similar phenomenon: a university president and provost made large scale changes to the university, lifting the quality of instruction in a variety of ways. Many of the improvements by those administrators were not welcomed by longterm faculty who saw their ancient traditions challenged. After the president and provost retired, after the many public accolades about their improvements, I watched faculty calmly return to old practices with a sigh of relief.  Much of the progress has since been undone.

I believe in seeking improvements and progress. But the Teacher has some various serious warnings about our expectations.

Ecclesiastes 2:21-23, Anxious striving

For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.  What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?  All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.

In verse 22, the Hebrew word rayon shows up again. Earlier, in 1:17, it described as "herding" [the wind]; here it is translated "anxious striving."

The Teacher is issuing some warnings here. From a secular, practical point of view, one's perceived contributions -- whether one's pleasures or one's artistic architecture -- may be undone by those who follow. After Solomon's massive temple project, his son's foolishness led to centuries of warfare that eventually brought down that temple.

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25, Just eat, drink, work

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  

The Teacher summarizes the past experiences. Since all human endeavors are "mere breath",  then one should simply enjoy the basic pleasures available to him; one should merely appreciate the beautiful world that God has given him in his few years.

There is a strong argument to this, but it is almost completely secular. I have friends (some atheist or agnostic) who would agree that this passage summarizes their goals and describes all that life has to offer. In terms of Greek philosophy, this is a statement similar to the broad statements of Epicureanism.

This passage is a shocking to a religious Jew or Christian reading through these sacred texts. Some have argued that this passage is the beginning of an apologetic to Judaism, offering the first of two life paths. I said a little bit about that in the introduction; I will return to this idea in the last chapter.

Ecclesiastes 2:26, But maybe...?

To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

This is a strange passage.... After two chapters of cynicism, the author suddenly seems to say that, well, the sinner is forced to gain wealth just so he can hand it over to the person who has wisdom, knowledge and happiness. The Hebrew word chata, translated here "sinner", simply means someone who misses the mark. It is possible (says Alter) that our cynical Teacher is saying that some get wealth, others useless work and toil -- and have no say over that. God just chooses who to bless, who to curse and attempting to sort this out is like herding the wind. Davidson allows that interpretation and says the passage is ambiguous.

One commentator argues that Ecclesiastes gives us occasional windows where we look past the sun and see things from God’s perspective.  This is supposedly one of those windows.  In that light, “wealth” might be interpreted as things of value; the godless person chases wealth and gets nothing while God hands value and meaning over to the one who pleases him. 

We should read this passage and seek to understand it, without hurrying past it, to "Christianize" it, or explain it away.  We will return to the implications of this message at the end of the book.

The Dangerous Christian, a study in Ecclesiastes

 The Dangerous Christian, a study in Ecclesiastes

Say something about Deconstruction

Koheleth (Davidson), Qohelet (Alter)

This book has been a favorite of artists!

            “All is meaningless” begins the strange book of Ecclesiastes.  The book continues with questions and doubts, probing the purpose of life (if there is one), accepting no easy answers.  Solomon’s questions are thoughtful and dangerous.

            This inspired book is not for the complacent.  It is for the person who wants to live an examined, wise Christian life.  We will spend five weeks touching on the hard questions raised by this book.

I close my eyes only for a moment and the moment’s gone.

All my dreams pass before my eyes a curiosity.

Dust in the wind.  

All they are is dust in the wind.

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea.

All we do crumbles to the ground though we refuse to see.

Dust in the wind.  

All we are is dust in the wind.

Don’t hang on.  

Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.

It slips away and all your money won’t another minute buy.

Dust in the wind.  

All we are is dust in the wind.  

Everything is dust in the wind. 

                                                                                    “Dust in the Wind”, Kansas, 1977

The Dangerous Christian, a study in Ecclesiastes

9:45-10:45, September 15, 1996

On Ecclesiastes 1:1-11:

This is a very “unchristian” view of the world.  Why is it here?  Before answering that question, I want us to recognize, in some sense, the truth of this view.  (If we attempt to “Christianize” Ecclesiastes it will lose its impact.)

How might one respond to this recognition that “all is meaningless”?  What are the different paths people take in trying to resolve this problem?

            Let me tell you about my vacation this summer... and then play a Harry Chapin song.

            The Harry Chapin song, Halfway to Heaven, is about a man at a midpoint, a man who is halfway home and halfway through life, who stops and reconsiders what he is doing.  You won’t like his conclusion.

Assignment for next time.  Read chapters 1-3.

            What illusions do your friends and colleagues pursue?  What illusions do you pursue?  Come to class next week with at least three illusions you observe people following.  (I won’t ask you whether these illusions are yours or those of your friends!)

Review and Remarks:

            This book is probably an apologetic, a defense of Judaism!  (Tell about the comment of an international student...)

            It is important that we not simplify it or attempt to brush it aside.  It is a hard book; there must be something important to learn from it.  (Tell about the wino’s accusation...)

            Do you believe in the importance of air?

Let’s talk about illusions we have and that we live under.

For next time:

            Read chapters 4 - 6. At the end of chapter 3 and chapter 4, Solomon talks about evil and oppression. 

Discussion questions for next time:

            How does evil contribute to our discussion about the purpose of life? 

            We thank God for good things.  Should we thank him for bad things?

For next time

            Read chapters 7-9.

Discussion questions:

            What do your friends and colleagues think is the meaning of life?  (Ask them!)

            Solomon claims “there is nothing new under the sun,” and “what has been will be again” (1:9).  In what ways do things change?  In what ways do they stay the same?

Discussion questions:

1.         What do your friends and colleagues think is the meaning of life?

2.         Solomon claims “there is nothing new under the sun,” and “what has been will be again” (1:9).  In what ways do things change?  In what ways do they stay the same?

Discussion questions:

1.         What do your friends and colleagues think is the meaning of life?

2.         Solomon claims “there is nothing new under the sun,” and “what has been will be again” (1:9).  In what ways do things change?  In what ways do they stay the same?

Let’s look at the following passages:

            Ecclesiastes 8:15-17

            9:1-3

            9:4-6

            9:7-12

            9:13-18

3.         Is it better to be wise, or not?  Why does Solomon appear to run down wisdom?

4.         What are the advantages of thinking about death and chance?

Let’s read James 4:13-16

Next time: Read chapters 10-12.  What is the conclusion of the book?  (We will finally come up for air!  And I have an upbeat song to play for you.)

1.  What is the conclusion of the book?

2.  One of the wisest things one can say is “ _  D O N’ T  _ _ _ _ “

3.  Why don’t we understand God?  (What is it we really expect of God?)

            There is something deeper here than merely the meaning of life.  Think of all the passages in the Bible which say something like: “You see ... but God sees...”.  Examples: The anointing of David (I Samuel 16:7), Elisha’s vision of a great army (II Kings 6:16,17), Paul’s statement’s about the mind of God and the foolishness of earthly wisdom in I Corinthians 2, ... 

4.  Should Christians be risk-takers?

Thank You

by Ray Boltz (from the album of the same title)

I dreamed I went to heaven and you were there with me.

We walked upon the streets of gold beside the crystal sea.

We heard the angels singing, then someone called your name.

You turned and saw this young man and he was smiling as he came.

And he said, “Friend, you may not know me now,” and then he said, “But wait,

You used to teach my Sunday School, when I was only eight.

And every week you would say a prayer before the class would start

and one day when you said that prayer, I asked Jesus in my heart.”

“Thank you for giving to the Lord;

I am a life that was changed.

Thank you for giving to the Lord;

I am so glad you gave.”

Then another man stood before you, he said, “Remember the time

a missionary came to your church, his pictures made you cry.

You didn’t have much money but you gave it anyway.

Jesus took the gift you gave and that’s why I’m here today.”

“Thank you for giving to the Lord;

I am a life that was changed.

Thank you for giving to the Lord;

I am so glad you gave.”

One by one they came far as the eye could see,

each life somehow touched by your generosity

Little things that you had done,  sacrifices made,

unnoticed on the earth, in heaven now proclaimed.

I know up in heaven you are not supposed to cry.

I am almost sure there were tears in your eyes

as Jesus took your hand and you stood before the Lord;

He said, “My child, look around you, for great is your reward.”

“Thank you for giving to the Lord;

I am a life that was changed.

Thank you for giving to the Lord;

I am so glad you gave.”

=== Extra (repeated?)

More on evil and oppression:

Ecclesiastes 5:8-17

            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.  The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

            Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.   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 sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.  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.

            Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.  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.

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

            Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?

            When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

Ecclesiastes 1, Vain Cycles

Proverbs offers a first year sequence in the life of Wisdom. But following Proverbs is a fascinating book that makes it clear that wisdom can be more complicated than the simple black-and-white of Proverbs.

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2, Meaningless!

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: 

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" 

says the Teacher. 

"Utterly meaningless! 

Everything is meaningless." 

The book begins in despair. The Hebrew Qoholeth, translated "Teacher" here, is "an assembler of sayings," It is from this word that we get the Hebrew title to this book, Qoholeth; the Greek translation, based on ecclesia (assembly"), is Ecclesiastes. The author is a "son of" David. Traditionally this is understood to be Solomon but the Hebrew would allow a "descendant of" David, a king of Judea in the Davidic line. 

One more important bit of Hebrew: The word hebel, translated here "Utterly meaningless" ("vanity of vanities", KJV) is a word for "breath" or "vapor". A breath or vapor is something that disappears rapidly, leaving no trace. Alter translates the word as "mere breath," a strong image on the ephemeral illusions this book intends to confront.

Ecclesiastes 1:3-7, Circles and cycles

What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?  

Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.  

The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.  

The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; 

round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.  

All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. 

To the place the streams come from, there they return again.  

Numerous circles of life are described here, generations, sunrise/sunset, the wind, the cycle of water. So far, except for the first line, we merely have some observations. But the Teacher does not see these circles of life as positive. 

Ecclesiastes 1:8-9, Wearisome

All things are wearisome, more than one can say. 

The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.  

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; 

there is nothing new under the sun.  

The cycles in verses 3 to 7 now are seen as tiring and wearisome. Why should man try to achieve anything, if everything that comes is just a repeat of the past? Nothing is new. We make no real impact on the world.

Ecclesiastes 1:10-11, Forgotten long ago

Is there anything of which one can say, "

Look! This is something new"? 

It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.  

There is no remembrance of men of old, 

and even those who are yet to come 

will not be remembered by those who follow. 

This is a very “unchristian” view of the world.  It is tempting to hurry and "explain away" this passage but I think it is important to let this message of Scripture sink in. (If we attempt to “Christianize” Ecclesiastes, it will lose its impact.)

How might one respond to this recognition that “all is meaningless”?  What are the different paths people take in trying to resolve this problem?

The Harry Chapin song, Halfway to Heaven, is about a man at a midpoint, a man who is halfway home and halfway through life, who stops and reconsiders what he is doing.  You won’t like his conclusion....

Alter argues that for the Israelites, who emphasized being remembered by their ancestors (see their genealogies!), being forgotten is a deeply disturbing idea. The Hebrew reader is being slapped in the face by the claims of the Teacher. We, too, should feel the impact of these radical statements.

Ecclesiastes 1:12-15,

I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.  I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. 

What a heavy burden God has laid on men!  I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  

What is twisted cannot be straightened; 

what is lacking cannot be counted.

Whether the Teacher is Solomon or some later king, like Hezekiah, the writing is from the point of view of one who has all the wealth and resources to ask questions about life. Exploring wisdom, attempting to understand life, all this is burdensome, says the Teacher -- indeed, it is a burden he blames on God!

Ecclesiastes 1:16-18, Herding the wind

I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge."  Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.  

For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; 

the more knowledge, the more grief.

The Teacher has grown in wisdom more than any previous king of Jerusalem. One envisions looking back at a long line of kings. If so, this is not Solomon but a descendant who is incorporating all that Solomon taught. (Davidson argues that the text has Aramaisms and other linguistic tags that point to a date much than Solomon.)

Alter translates holelah (here "madness") as "revelry." The word appears in Ecclesiastes four times and does not appear in the rest of the Old Testament. It implies wild partying, an emphasis on pleasure and decadence.

"Is there value in wisdom?" asks the Teacher. One might assume he has read -- and most likely written -- much of Proverbs, and yet he asks this question. The answer given here is that even wisdom is "chasing the wind". (The Hebrew word rayon is translated  "herding" by Alter.) Wisdom and knowledge only bring sorrow and grief; catching them is like trying to herd the wind. 

The philosophy described here might be similar to nihilism. 

Are you depressed yet? We will continue herding the wind tomorrow, in chapter 2.