The Limitations of Wisdom

INTRO

Mindi’s painting for Ecclesiastes includes seven sunflowers. Seven is commonly associated with perfection. God created everything in six days and rested on the seventh. Seven also indicates completion or the fullness of time. The Hebrew word for seven is “shevah”, which means “full, satisfied, have enough of.” We can rest when we look to the Son. When looking for how Christ is seen in the book of Ecclesiastes, the word we will use is Eternal. Ecclesiastes 3:11 implies that every single person is searching because God has put eternity in their hearts. People are searching for the Eternal—ultimately the Messiah.

The word Ecclesiastes means “teacher” or “preacher.” Ray Stedman said a better translation is “the searcher,” because the author had a “searching mind that has looked over all of life and observed what is behind the actions of people.”¹ The Greek word, ecclesia, means “assembly.” The Hebrew word for preacher is Qoheleth, which describes “one who gathers, assembles, or collects.”² With all this in mind, we begin to see Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes, as a man who was constantly searching and communicating his search to everyone else. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever,” which means He is our eternal life.

John MacArthur listed the elements that identify Solomon as the author. The teacher is identified as “the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (v. 1) and “king over Israel” (v. 12). “The author’s moral odyssey chronicles Solomon’s life” (1 Kings 2–11). The teacher “taught the people knowledge” and wrote “many proverbs” (Ecclesiastes 12:9).³ Ecclesiastes was probably written in the latter years of Solomon’s life. As MacArthur said, he was probably painting a picture about not investing so much time here because there’s something more.⁴ Solomon was known by his father, David, to have extraordinary wisdom (1 Kings 2:6, 9). In 1 Kings 3:7–12, Solomon asked God for wisdom to rule Israel, and God granted him more wisdom than any other man. In Ecclesiastes 12:13b–14 Solomon concluded, “Fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” We might talk about life being a breath, coming and going, but we are still accountable to God for how we live. We have to keep our eyes on the Eternal—on the Son.

TEACHING

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2: David served 40 years as king. Solomon also served 40 years as king. It was a time of peace and no fighting. Solomon’s opening statement is, “Absolute futility” (v. 2). Other translations read, “Vanity of vanities,” (ESV) or “Meaningless” (NIV). Ultimately, life is a vapor; it comes and it goes. The thing to keep in mind is that even though this life passes quickly, we can be forever with Him. The question is, if everything is meaningless, then why do we focus on the temporal so much? Why are we not pointing people to the eternal rather than the temporal? This is one of the most important books of the Bible. If we understand that everything we have is worthless, that it comes and goes just as a vapor, then we can put all of our focus on the eternal.

Ecclesiastes 1:3–7: What is the gain if you work hard every day at a factory in Indiana or at any other job? Generations of people may come and go, but only the earth remains (v. 4). Solomon describes the earth’s existence as: the rising and setting of the sun, the cycle of the wind, and the flow of water to the sea (vv. 5–7).

Ecclesiastes 1:8–11: Man is never satisfied—we always want more. Once we have something, we may be happy for a little bit, but it doesn’t last. When you start a collection of something—what do you do? You keep collecting. “There is nothing new under the sun” (v. 9c), and “there is no remembrance” (v. 11). Most of us would like to say we will leave a legacy, but the likely reality is that 20 to 30 years after we’ve died, only our family will remember us.

Ecclesiastes 1:12–18: Solomon had discovered that everything he had done had been “a pursuit of the wind” (v. 14). Even gaining wisdom and knowledge had been “a pursuit of the wind” (v. 17).

CLOSING

Every single one of us is searching. When we focus on life under the sun, we will find it meaningless, empty, and a breath. But when we keep our eyes above the sun, focused on the Son, Jesus, then we will find complete fulfillment. The Son is Eternal. Jesus brings and gives life. In 1 John 5:11, we are assured: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”