ecclesiastes: searching for the meaning of life #6 “be ... · 7/6/2014 · ecclesiastes:...

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Ecclesiastes: Searching for the Meaning of Life

#6 “Be There” – Eccl. 9 – 11:5

Dr. Matthew Cassidy – 7/6/2014

We are in the book of Ecclesiastes, our sixth week out of seven weeks in this series. The book was

written by the wisest man in the Old Testament named Solomon, who was the king of Israel.

The book is broken into three sections and we are in our third section now. The reason I mention

that is because in section three, Solomon starts giving proverbial advice, somewhat non-topical advice on

various issues that you will encounter when living in a world that appears to be a little bit out of control.

When you read the book of Ecclesiastes, I think one of the reasons it is so popular is because it is

so realistic. He is not cynical and he is not skeptical; he is just realistically looking at the world and

saying: Look, I know these things about God, that He loves us, that He is just and will judge the world,

and that He is sovereign. It says in Ecclesiastes that God has made all things beautiful in its time (3:11).

And then there is this curse that is added: God has put eternity in the hearts of men. That means that we

desire to know the plan, that all things are made beautiful in its time, and we want to know how all things

are going to fit beautifully in their time. So God put eternity into man’s heart and then the verse

continues: (3:11) Yet we cannot tell the beginning from the end. The plan is too sophisticated, too

complicated, too beautiful, too amazing for us to grasp.

So we are not seeing that everything looks beautiful but rather it looks like it is out of sync.

Solomon will say over and over again that: It looks meaningless to me. We would say respectfully: It

looks mysterious. We would say disrespectfully: It is crazy. It is not making sense to me about how the

universe is being run – if God is sovereign – and He is --- but I am not seeing it here and that is driving

me insane.

So, Solomon keeps doing this over and over again, saying: Well, how do you live then? How are

you supposed to live in a world where you can understand these foundational beliefs that God is sovereign

and He is loving and He is just --- but I am not seeing it? How do we live with wisdom?

This is a wisdom book in a classification called Wisdom Literature. Solomon starts rolling out

these proverbs on how to live.

We are going to look at Ecclesiastes, chapters 9, 10 and half of 11 today. That is a lot of real

estate. So I am going to pick on some sections that are in subject matter. We will look at three problems

Introduction


and three solutions. I think you will enjoy our time – or you will be frustrated by it and we will see. That

is the way that Solomon wrote the book.

Problem One: Life is unfair and death always wins.

Eccl. 9:1 This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people

are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor.

:2 The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad,

ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same

treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who

don’t.

:3 It seems so tragic that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. That is why people

are not more careful to be good. Instead, they choose their own mad course, for they have

no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway.

Solomon is telling us that the good people seem to die young; the evil people live well. Death is like a

blind drunk, swinging his sickle – with power but without purpose.

The old lady down the street who loves Jesus and just wants to go Home, God has lost her address.

Meanwhile, other people are taken out for no logical or apparent reason. It doesn’t matter if you are good;

you end up dying. If you are bad, you end up dead. Oh, wait, the only thing certain here is death; that is

for sure. We are all going to be dirt.

So, how do you live with that certainty of death but the uncertainty of everything else?

Here is how you live.

Eccl. 9:4 There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a

dead lion!”

That is the theme of this. It is better to be a live dog than a dead lion. If that is the theme, let’s make sure

we understood who we are in this story. When you think of a dog, you think of yourself like this dog [solo

slide of one on left]. But that is not how the dogs are in the Ancient Near East, nicely groomed and the

dog probably went to school and he is expecting great things to happen.

Problem One: Life Is Unfair and Death Wins – Ecclesiastes 9:1-3

Solution to Problem One – Ecclesiastes 9:4-5


In the Ancient Near East, the dogs were stray dogs. This is you. This is the kind of dog you are [upper

right]. You are not the dog at the beach. You are a dog with your dog friends, roaming the streets. You are

thugs and just roaming around.

This is about how to live in a chaotic world where you do not know who is going to live or die, or

how long your life will last. How are you supposed to live in that context? You live like this dog. You

have a little friend – good for you.

Why is it that it is better to be a live dog, if that is the kind of dog we have to be, than a dead lion?

Eccles. 9:5 The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have

no further reward, nor are they remembered.


Here is what you get to be when you are a live dog. You get to be alive and that is the thing. Look at you

in your little box.

Here is what Solomon is up to. We are sitting in our little box and we are looking at this dead lion on the

ground and we say: Look at this majestic animal! Look at his glorious mane; all I have is mange. Look at

his shoulders, powerful riveting shoulders; all I have is malnutrition.

Solomon has a rock in his hand and he is throwing it at our box, saying: Will you get out of your

stupid box? You are alive! It is better to be a live dog than a dead lion. You are a lucky dog because you

are alive. So, live already. Enjoy! Drink deeply! Live the life that God has for you. --- That is what you

are supposed to do.

How are you to live in light of the certainty of death and the apparent chaos that surrounds us?

Solomon says three things, three ways to live:

A. Celebrate. When Solomon says to celebrate, he means big time.

Eccles. 9:7 Go [Come on already], eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with

a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do.

:8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.

Celebrate, that is what you are supposed to do because you are alive. This is the day that the Lord has

made.

By the way, there is a passage previous to this where it describes a place for sorrow and grief – a

time to weep. So when sorrow comes upon you because of treacherous or evil things that happened to

you, absolutely, grieve. [Ecclesiastes 3]

So Then … to Problem One – Eccl. 9:7-9


But you are to celebrate life. You are supposed to enjoy life. Go at it; come on, he says. There is

no place for brooding. There is no place for moping. There is no place for sulking. That is not how to live

because you are a lucky dog – you are alive. He says: Come on and let’s get after this thing.

Wear white clothes all the time and wear oils, perfumes or colognes all the time. What that meant

was back in the day, most of us would have one white outfit. White was difficult to maintain with all the

dust and dirt and they were expensive. So people would put this one white outfit over here and use it just

for festive, happy, and celebratory, special events. We would use our cologne in the same way because it

was so expensive.

Solomon is saying: What are you waiting for? What is not great about today? Wear it today –

always wear white; always wear your cologne because you get to live life. You are a lucky dog so get out

there and live!

B. Enjoy life with your mate.

You are married?! Oh, if you are married, I have got more advise for you.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless

(mysterious) life that God has given you under the sun – all your meaningless days. For

this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.

You get to be a lucky dog who has that other lucky dog to go through life with. And married life is

supposed to be enjoyed to its fullness, with all its emotions and all of its depth of understanding, to be

known and to know someone else in all of its passions. You are supposed to be making memories that

will embarrass your children when you start losing your mind.

This is the man who wrote Song of Solomon that we will study next summer. He says, you are a

lucky dog and you are married.

Illustration: Let me give you an illustration of how this works in my life. I started understanding this

passage about five years ago. I became rather sick and when I felt down and kicked to the ground, I had

two traumatic events that happened back to back. It was a very difficult time for me. I started realizing

that there was absolutely no way for me to assume that I would live another year. So, I put on my

electronic calendar that sends me alarms that I have 12 months to live. It says: Matt, you have three

months to live. I continually count this down as a regular part of my life – that I have 12 months to live

and every year I get to re-up.

I was going to bed one night and on our vanity I have some cologne. I noticed that the contents

were about 2/3rds down with only 1/3 left. I had this cologne for 15 years because I am saving this for


very special events and I don’t get out much and I am extremely tight with money. So, the cologne is

expensive and I don’t get out much, so there it was on my vanity. So, I was looking at it and I was

thinking to myself: I need to save this for special events and I am about to spend 7 hours with the woman

of my vows. So I took that cologne and for the last 50 months, every night, I spray that on me. No one else

has ever smelled this on me – but one person has, the woman of my vows. Now, I only put it on my right

side because she sleeps on that side and I want to save this cologne as long as I can. I am still as cheap as I

can be. They quit making this cologne and so I bought the last three bottles in all of Austin.

My goodness, I am going to wear out everything in my life that has anything to do with this kind

of life – because I am a lucky dog and I am going to celebrate this – because I don’t know when my last

day will be. I get to be married and I will drink in that pool as much as I possibly can.

C. Be there.

That is what Solomon is telling us to do. That is how to live with the chaos of this world and the certainty

of death.

Wait. You have a job?! You have a job, too! Solomon says this about people who work:

Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no

work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.

This is it! This is your chance to work, so lean into it, have fun with it, and work hard as you possibly can.

There are no meetings later. I know this sounds crazy – but wherever you are – here is the thing, you

lucky dog, wherever you are, be there. If you are at work, in a meeting, instead of saying: I have to be in

a meeting. -- There is no pouting. Instead, you say: I am in a meeting and later I will not be in a meeting.

I get to be in a meeting. There are no meetings in heaven.

I am driving a cab and I am a cab driver. I am driving a cab in Austin. Look at me drive. I am

stuck in traffic in Austin as a cab driver – but look at where I am. I am here and I cannot be ahead of

where I am but I can be right here, right now, and I am a lucky dog. I am married and I have a job. I have

a cab and I am stuck. I am looking around because later, there will be no cabs in heaven.

This is what Solomon is telling us to be. You are a lucky dog. Wherever you are, you be there and

you celebrate that because it is better to be a gnarly old stray dog than a dead lion. You celebrate.


What about just the randomness of life? Doesn’t it seem kind of crazy about who wins and who

loses in the world? It does. It does not seem like there is a plan. So Solomon goes into his second problem

he talks about.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t

always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise

sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are

educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the

right place at the right time.

Do you ever get the impression that there is a lottery ping-pong ball coming out and that is how people

win? Here you go, lucky number seven. People get promoted over you and you think: You can’t finish a

sentence without my helping you. How can you be promoted? It is crazy who gets to win and who gets to

lose. It just seems like there is not a plan. – There is a plan. – It just seems like it is crazy.

The people who win the wars are usually not the people that are the best warriors. Let me give you

an example on this Independence Day weekend. Do you know how we got to be our own country? We

lost before we started.

In March, 1776, George Washington’s first major battle was to reclaim Boston. The British troops

were led by General Howe and they occupied almost the entire city of Boston. Gen. Washington was

across the river at Cambridge, which was where he set up his shop. But the British troops had almost five

times more soldiers, better armament and more ammunition than Washington’s troops. The British had

almost unlimited resources. The soldiers on the Cambridge side were just farmers, trying to get by,

wanting a little independence in life.

Topographically, it was a level fight and the British were going to crush Washington’s army. Then

the sun set and this dense fog rolled in. Washington knew strategically that if anything he had to get

elevation for his troops. So, he moved his entire little army up on the highlands by Boston. When the sun

rose the next morning, General Howe said, “These fellows have done more work in one night than I could

make my army do in three months.” It was amazing what happened on that foggy night. General Howe

realized that if he was going to win, it was going to be a bloody victory because of the Colonials’

elevation advantage. But Howe knew that if he won this battle, it would be over and there would be no

revolution. A win for the British now would put a stop to this revolt. It was a very warm day for that

season of the year and it was a beautiful day. But Gen. Howe thought that if they fought in the daytime,

Problem Two: Randomness -- Ecclesiastes 9:11-16


the Colonials would still have the advantage of elevation, so he would wait until nighttime. The sun set

and one of the worst blizzards in the history of New England blew in that night: hail and sleet, hurricane

winds over 90 mph. A second lieutenant, who was raised in that part of the country, said that it was the

worst storm he had ever experienced in his entire life. The storm went on all night long. The sun broke in

the morning and Gen. Howe said: Okay, let’s get ready to fight. Never mind, it is not worth it. And then

they retreated! The Battle of Boston was “called” due to weather. That is how we started our war for

independence.

It was not the last battle we won because of weather and it was not the last war we have won

because of weather. The strongest warrior doesn’t always win.

Control is seductive; it is enticing and a siren calling. The more talent you have, assets you have,

and intelligence you have, the more you give in to the myth of control. It does not exist. You are a small

man/woman. Solomon is saying here: You have got to let go of that so that you can enjoy life.

How are you supposed to live then? Solomon says: wisdom is better but it is not appreciated.

Absolutely, wisdom is a great way to live life but don’t expect much out of it. Solomon tells a little story

about a guy winning.

Ecclesiastes 9:13 Here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched

the way our world works.

:14 There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army

and besieged it.

:15 A poor, wise man knew how to save the town, and so it was rescued. But afterward no

one thought to thank him.

:16 So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if

they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.

So again, picture this. This great king brings his battering rams and chariots to the outside of the city and

he is going to take this place down. Some old mechanic inside the back of the besieged city goes: Before

we surrender and maybe we all die, I have this plan. So maybe we could roll all these ball bearings out

and they could cause all the wheeled vehicles to fall into the swamp and we win the battle. How’s that?

And it worked. After the big victory, the mechanic says: I think the statue should look something like this

[taking a pose] and I would like a high school (not an elementary school) named after me. The town

people just say: Who are you? Back into your garage, mechanic man. We don’t need you.

Solution to Problem Two: Wisdom is better but not appreciated. Ecclesiastes 9:13-16


Wisdom is better but it is not appreciated. You are not going to be remembered. The sooner you

embrace that you will be forgotten, the sooner you can live free. There is a deep and existential need to be

remembered – because if we are forgotten it is as though we never existed. If you can live with that, you

can live.

There is a great little science fiction movie about the essence of what it means to be a human being

– “Blade Runner”. They made these robot men, android type people, who are going through life, coming

to the end of their lives, and they are trying to express their humanity. They feel as if they have become

human. So the climax of the movie in the closing scene is when one of the androids says: “I’ve … seen

things you people wouldn’t believe … Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. All those …

moments … will be lost in time, like tears … in … rain.” All these things will be gone. It is time to die.

And the android turns off.

So many of us are afraid of that. There are two times people die: the day of your death and the day

the last person ever says your name. Then you don’t exist any more. It is as though you never were here

under the sun.

Do you know what Solomon says to that? You are still a lucky dog, right now, whenever you are,

be then. You are alive now. Oh, you saved the city. Cool story, bro’. Whatever. – But nobody appreciated

me. --- I know. How fast do you have to tell this thing so that we can end it and enjoy this sunset?

Whenever you are, be then, because you are alive at that moment.

Wisdom is the way to live but don’t expect you are ever going to be appreciated. That is not how it

works. How do you live in a world that seems chaotic, seems crazy, seems like things are random – that

death comes to every single one of us? How do you live that way?

You celebrate, you lucky dog, because you are not a dead lion.

You celebrate life and you drink your wine and wear your white clothes and your perfume.

If you are married, you dig into that too.

If you have a job, then enjoy that job.

If you don’t like how other people are lapping you when you are faster than they are, cry a river of

tears and get over it because you are missing this moment.

Wisdom is the way to live but it is not going to be appreciated.

So Then … to Problem Two


Finally, Solomon says this: Risk big.

Ecclesiastes 11:1 Ship your grain across the sea [cast your bread upon the waters]; after

many days you may receive a return.

:2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon

the land.

He is saying: Hey, hedge your bet.

This passage is interpreted two different ways because it is a 3000-year-old figure of speech –

‘cast your bread upon the waters’. So, let me tell you the two views that people say about this passage and

both apply to us.

The first interpretation is that verses 1 and 2 are talking about being overly generous, disgustingly

benevolent. Give it to seven people …. No, no, give your stuff away to eight people. If in doubt, round up

and give stuff to help people.

This is what Dr. Walter Kaiser [one of the premier living Old Testament scholars] writes, when he

talks about being courageous in your generosity:

“Be liberal and generous to as many as you can and then some,” is the way we would say

it. So, make as many friends as you can, for you never know when you yourself may need

assistance. Instead of becoming miserly just because you fear what the future may hold,

you should all the more distribute to as many as possible so that you can have the blessing

of receiving in the event of such reverses.”

What is the application? Risk in your generosity. Overflow with your graciousness. Give your heart away

to as many people as you can.

The commercial application for this is pretty easy. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Hedge your

bet. Diversify your assets. Go to 7 places – no, go to 8. Just do it.

The second interpretation is, assuming you are being wise, but if you over think it, you will be

paralyzed.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every

cloud, they never harvest.

Jump! How long are you going to stand at the end of a diving board and wonder? Would you just spend

yourself? Would you give yourself away? Would you care for as many people as you can? No, wait, a

little bit more to give because you don’t have much time.

Problem Three: Final Advice - Risk -- Ecclesiastes 11:1-4


Wherever you are, you be there, and you serve those people around you, or invest around you.

You are a lucky dog. Do you know what lucky dogs eat, the stray dogs in the ancient near east? They eat

dead lions. Your lot in life may not be to be a lion. But if you are alive, you are lucky to be alive. It is a

blessing to be alive. Just stop thinking about other things, the mysteries of life.

1. Celebrate life. Live – just live.

2. Live wisely but don’t expect much out of it.

3. Risk, go big. Roll the dice and bet. Let’s see what happens.

That is what Solomon is saying in these three giant pericopies (sections) in this proverb advice.

But then Solomon summarizes towards the end of this section, saying: let’s just remember the

boundaries of our understanding. He says that in the theme, verse 5.

Ecclesiastes 11:5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a

tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God,

who does all things.

Throughout this book, Solomon has said: There is a plan. Everything is beautiful in this plan. But he has

coerced us, he has begged us, he has pleaded with us, he has pressed us, he has yelled at us: Do not try to

control the plan or understand the plan. That is not the purpose of following God. The purpose of reading

your Bible and enjoying the wisdom that is found there is to know Him – it is to know God, not the plan.

God never promised you that He would tell you how the plan works. He just promised you that He would

reveal himself to you.

So, celebrate, live wisely without expectations, and risk. It is about knowing and enjoying the Plan

Maker, not the plan.

Professor Albert Einstein’s second wife was interviewed on television one time. She was asked:

“Do you understand the Theory of Relativity?” She said: “No, I don’t understand the theory of relativity.

But I understand Professor Einstein. That’s all I need.”

That is what we are here for. That is what we do. We try to understand the Maker, not the Maker’s

plan. He does not give answers. He does not owe us any answers. We are supposed to just make the most

of the days that we have here because we are lucky dogs and wherever we are, we have to be there.

Solomon’s Summary – Ecclesiastes 11:5


There are two types of people in the world and this is true: people with season passes to Disney

World and people who visit one time. You can tell that when you get to Disney World.

Melinda and I went to Disney World this last December and it was her first time and maybe her

last. It was my second time to go in 40-50 years and probably my last.

There was a difference in the way we did the park. Clearly, there was a difference. We left our

kids at home because they can’t keep up with us. I know there is no competition at Disney World, but if

there were, we would win. We were running the whole time the park was open – 14 – 15 hours daily.

I made the mistake of not wearing my knee brace the first day and it set me back the second day.

On the third day, I could not go in the morning. I said to her: Honey, I just can’t make it. I’ll meet you at

lunch or something. We have to figure this out. I have to elevate my leg and ice it. Do you know what she

said? She said: I’ll see you at lunch. You never know when you are going to go so I have places to go.

See you at lunch.

I respect that because the season ticket people, you can see them just walking gingerly, thinking:

Oh, I can see that tomorrow. I can get to that later. There will be another day for that. That is not the way

we live. No, no, we are going to wear our white clothes all the time. We are going to wear our cologne as

much as we possibly can because this was our first and last trip to Disney World, quite probably, and so

we saw as much as humanly possible. We went to bed tired and we woke up tired and we hit it again.

Those poor children who got in our way.

Wherever you are, you be there!

You are a lucky dog. So, you should wag your tail a lot more. You should save little Jimmy, you

lucky dog, because he is stuck in the well again – but you are still going to sleep on the porch. You should

lick as many faces as you possibly can.

That is how you are supposed to live in a world that appears to have gone crazy – but it has not.

That is true and that is why it is in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Let’s pray we can live that way.


Lord Jesus,

What a church we could be if we lived this way, wherever we are, we would just be there. We

would feel your presence and we would enjoy your righteousness and we would pursue You and not try to

figure it all out.

Lord Jesus, first of all, I just confess on my own part and maybe on the part of other people here

that it is just wrong to mope, to be gloomy and to sulk about all the blessings that we have or do not have.

There is no place for sulking. I ask that You would take that away from me and the attitude that prevails

in my heart. Lord, let us drink deeply in this fountain of You being sovereign, just and loving. We will

leave the universe to You.

Let us be people who are known for their festivities, that we celebrate our marriages and we

celebrate our work, that we live wisely without expectations, and that we enjoy the opportunity to give,

and every opportunity that we can.

Thank You for this book, God. Thank You for not leaving us alone. We ask that You would bless

us as a church and as a family and as a person with this wisdom and knowledge. In Jesus’ name. Amen

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