ECCLESIASTES 1-22007 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Ecclesiastes 1-2

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2007.

And we'll be studying chapters 1 and 2 together this evening of the book of Ecclesiastes. Now, last week we did sort of an intro into the book of Ecclesiastes, looking at the background, the author Solomon and the wisdom that he received from God. And at the end of his life, however, how he turned away from the Lord, was disobedient to God, and as a result became very foolish. And this book, Ecclesiastes, is the accounting of

This part of Solomon's life as he walked away from the Lord, as he began to be disobedient to the Lord, and it's an account of his search for fulfillment, his search for satisfaction, his search for happiness, and he tries.

As hard as he can, desperately searching, seeking, using all of his resources, giving himself entirely to the task of finding purpose, finding meaning and finding fulfillment. And yet does not because he limits his search to simply this life, the things of this world here and now.

And in searching here and now in this life, he cannot. In fact, he comes to the conclusion. And if you're there, Ecclesiastes chapter one, let's read together verses one through three. It says the words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity.

These verses we looked at last week, but a couple quick things that we can still glean from these verses are,

Solomon is coming to his conclusion here. He's he's arrived after his search. He's he's he's searching and desperately looking for a purpose to be satisfied. And he's realizing he's understanding as hard as he looks, as much as he tries. The more and more he pours himself into this search. It's all vanity. He comes to the conclusion. Vanity. Now, last week, I

We had some visual descriptions of the word vanity, you may remember. How was vanity described last week? Like bubbles. Why like bubbles? Well, Warren Wiersbe quotes one of his professors in seminary, and the professor said that vanity is what's left after a bubble is popped. And what is it that's left after a bubble is popped?

Nothing. Emptiness. Just nothing. You don't really gain anything from it. There's nothing really to show for it. There's no proof of it. It's just emptiness. It's gone. There's nothing there. And that's what Solomon comes to the conclusion of in his life as he's searching desperately for meaning.

He introduces himself as the preacher in verse 1. He says the words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. This is Solomon speaking. He was the son of David. He was king in Jerusalem. But he calls himself the preacher, which is where we get the title of this book, Ecclesiastes. The preacher, or the word that's used in the Hebrew there, was translated into Greek. And the Greek word that was used there was the word ekklesia.

Which means an assembly. And the word for preacher means the one who addresses the assembly. Ecclesiastes means a gathering or the assembly of the people, the congregation. And Solomon presents himself as the one addressing the congregation, addressing the assembly.

Essentially, he's calling everyone together and sharing with them what he has observed and learned as he's tried to find happiness and fulfillment in his life. And what has he learned? Well, verse 2 tells us, Vanity of vanities, says the preacher. Vanity of vanities...

All is vanity. Or as I like to translate it, if I can get this thing to work, bubbles and bubbles. All is bubbles. It was working in the office.

There we go. Bubbles and bubbles. All is bubbles, says Solomon. Everything's just bubbles. That's all that there is in this life, in his search and all that he's done to try to find meaning, to try to find fulfillment, to try to find happiness. I'm not going to get the whole message, I promise. But all that he finds, all that he gets is happiness.

Bubbles. After it all, it's over. There's nothing left. Now my notes are all wet. There's nothing left except for a little bit of moisture on the notes. It's emptiness, Solomon says. He's really desperate. He does his best. He searches every avenue, every aspect of life. He's searching for meaning, seeking for a way to find happiness and fulfillment. Just like...

Perhaps many of you were or are and many throughout the world are undergoing this same search, the same endeavor, trying to find meaning, trying to find purpose, trying to find fulfillment, trying to be satisfied. The key word of this book is vanity. Why is the key word of this book vanity? Emptiness, bubbles,

Well, because the phrase that Solomon uses over and over and over again, 27 times throughout the book is under the sun. He's looking at the things under the sun, not including God and the purposes of God, not the will of God, not the ways of God, just looking at this life. And when you're just looking at this life, when you don't include God in the picture, when you're not living for him and you don't consider eternity, you're

There is no meaning. There is no fulfillment. There is no way to be satisfied. Solomon learned that the hard way. Now, sometimes people ask, why is this book even in the Bible? I mean, the ridiculous things that Solomon says and that he goes through in this time, it's almost blasphemous of what he says throughout the book. And we need to remember as we study this book to keep it in context. He comes to a conclusion that

He concludes several things throughout, but at the very end, he concludes the whole matter. That was found in chapter 12, verses 13 and 14 of Ecclesiastes. He says, hey, this is the end of everything. This is man's all. Fear God and keep his commandments. He finally learned at the very end, include God, have relationship with God, live with God. And then it brings everything into perspective and everything set is set in its proper order.

This book is important. It's an essential part of the Bible because we learn that Solomon has already tried it. The things that you and I have the temptation and tendency to search for and chase after, we can look and learn that it's already been attempted. You cannot find happiness and fulfillment apart from God. You can try to live your life without God, but you will be miserable.

It's guaranteed. It's a formula that will always prove to be true. Life without God, you take God out, and what you end up with is unsatisfaction, unfulfillment. You end up empty, miserable, with life just being a bunch of bubbles. No real meaning, no real purpose, no real results.

And that's what Solomon learns. That's the state of his heart. And as he's searching and going through these things, you can really sense in his words the tone that he has of desperation, of despair, of hatred for life, of depression. He's just fed up with life.

Completely. Look at verses four through eight along with me. It says one generation passes away and another generation comes, but the earth abides forever. The sun also rises and the sun goes down and hastens to the place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south and turns toward around to the north. The wind whirls about continually and comes again on its circuit.

All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from which the rivers come, there they return again. All things are full of labor. Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. Here Solomon describes really the circle of life.

And I know in the Lion King, that was a happy occasion and that was something to sing about. But for Solomon, he's fed up with it. He's disturbed and frustrated by it. In essence, here he's saying, what is the point? It's just the same things over and over and over again. In verse four, it's just generation after generation.

You know, the earth is still here and things continue to go on and the mountains don't move and nothing really changes. But generation comes, generation goes, generation comes, generation goes. There's no real lasting change, no real impact. It's just a continual cycle that cannot be broken. He also gives the example of the sun. The sun rises and it goes down and then it hurries around to the other side and comes up again and then goes down.

Comes back up again, goes back down again. Up and down, just continual sight. It just goes around and around and around and around and nothing ever changes. It's the same way every day, 365 days a year, sometimes 366 days a year. It's always the same. He again looks at the wind.

The wind's the same way. It goes down towards the south, then goes back up towards the north, then goes back to the south, and then goes back to the north, and continually it's whirling about and whirling about and just going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Nothing really changes. Nothing really impacts it. It just continues to do it. He also uses rivers and water. The rivers go into the ocean, yet somehow the ocean doesn't fill up.

Of course, we know how it's evaporated, goes back into the system, then is rained down, goes back into the rivers, goes back into the ocean, which goes evaporated up, then goes back into the clouds, back to the rivers, back to the ocean. And it's just this big cycle that continues to go on over and over again, and nothing breaks it, nothing changes it, nothing really impacts it. It's just the big one boring circle.

We don't break out of the cycle. We just continue in it. Everything keeps going in circles. In addition to that, he says, then the eye is not satisfied. The sea is not satisfied. It keeps receiving. The sun doesn't get tired of going around and around and around. But the eye as well, it's not satisfied.

Now, your digital cameras run out of memory. At some point, the DVD is full. The VHS cassette runs out if you're really old. But your eye, it doesn't stop seeing. It doesn't say, OK, I've had enough. I'm just I'm not going to see anymore. I just see I've seen too much. Even sometimes when we wish it would do that. Maybe sometimes we wish we hadn't have seen the things that we've seen. But it just continues to see.

It doesn't get tired. It doesn't. It's never satisfied with seeing. And the same thing with the ear. Your iPod runs out of memory. It gets full, but your ears, they don't fill up. They continue to hear. They continue. They keep on hearing. You know, that's why people go, right? Because the ears, you can't make them stop hearing, even if you want to.

Solomon says it's just the same thing and everything's just going and you don't have any control over anything. It's useless. Now, again, you can hear the cynicism in Solomon's words. He's sick of it. He's absolutely fed up with life. He's someone who is depressed. And that is what happens when you take God out of your life. When you take God out of the picture, you become depressed. There is no meaning. There is no purpose. Everything is just a big circle.

And you can't do anything about it. So why bother doing anything at all? It's really the effects that we are beginning to see in our society, in the United States. As we remove God more and more, this is what will take place. This is the mentality and attitude of people because we've removed God from society. The things that we've seen, the horrible tragedies of Virginia Tech,

All the things that we've seen throughout the past years and it's just it will continue to spiral downward if we remove God from the picture because there is no hope. There's nothing that satisfies and it drives us really to desperation. If we do not find fulfillment that is that comes only from relationship with God. We need that every one of us.

That's what we're thirsting for. That's what we're searching for. That's what we need desperately. We try to fill it just like Solomon did. And we'll see example after example of all the things he tried to use to satisfy himself. But the only thing that does, and this is what we learned from Solomon, this is why it's so important, because the only thing that satisfies us is relationship with God. Going on verses 9 through 11, Solomon says, "'That which has been is what will be.'"

That which is done is what will be done. And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, see, this is new? It has already been in ancient times before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who will come after. The continual cycle. He kind of makes it more personal. And he says, look, there's nothing new.

In your life, in your experiences, in the things that you go through, it's nothing new. There's nothing new under the sun. The future becomes the past. The past becomes the future. And the cycle just continues over and over and over again. We forget what past generations have learned. We make the same mistakes. We forget what past generations have accomplished. And we endeavor to make the same accomplishments again.

There's nothing new under the sun. You may think that you have a unique problem. You may think that you have a unique situation. You may think that you have a unique set of circumstances in your life. And you're the only one who's ever existed to have that same thing. But today we have the same family issues again.

as have always existed. We have the same social issues. We have the same promises. We have the same mistakes, the same lies, the same truths, the same temptation, the same sin, the same ideas, the same excuses, the same victories, the same defeats. And we could go on and on. There's nothing new under the sun. In this life, there is nothing new. The new age, it's not new. It's just the same things that have been around from the beginning.

The same lies, the same deceit, the same things, perhaps repackaged, painted a different color, but the same things.

There's nothing new under the sun. My dad used to tell me, if only this generation could learn from the previous generation. By this generation, he meant me. And from the previous generation, he meant him. He said, if only you could learn. If only you would just listen to the things that I'm telling you and not make the same mistakes and not do the same things and have to learn the hard way. If only you would just take my knowledge and carry it on.

You know, you would get so much farther. You would be so much better off. There would be so much more accomplished. But, of course, you know how it is. We have to learn things for ourselves. That's what we learned throughout Proverbs over and over again. The need to be able to receive, but the opposition of ourselves, of our flesh, to hearing and receiving, to being obedient to someone else.

Solomon says there's nothing new. It's the same cycle, the same circle, the same issues, the same things. All the cases I've heard are just like all the cases I've already heard before. There's nothing new. Nothing has changed. It's the same thing. Bleak, depressing outlook that Solomon has because he's removed God from the picture. Let's go on to verses 12 through 14. Solomon says, I, the preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven. This burdensome task God has given to the sons of man by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun and indeed all is vanity, bubbles and grasping for the wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight and what is lacking cannot be numbered.

Verse 16, I communed with my heart saying, look, I have attained greatness and gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge. And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceive that this also is grasping for the wind for a much wisdom is much grief. And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Again, the bleak, depressing outlook of Solomon because he has removed God. And here's really the beginning of his search. The beginning of the different things that he tries, bless you, to fulfill his life and give him satisfaction. And he shares with us in verse 13, I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven.

He says, I set my heart. What does that mean? Well, he's letting us know that these things that he's sharing with us were not just from a casual observation. He wasn't just sitting on the porch one day and thought, hmm, and that was about it. No, he set his heart. He devoted his life. He gave all of himself to this search to find fulfillment.

To find meaning. To be happy. He gave himself wholeheartedly. Using all of his energy. He used all of his resources. He gave himself to understanding the things under heaven. And as a result, he calls life a burdensome task. Burdensome. He says it's hard. It's wearisome. It's exhausting. And it's a task that just goes around and around and around. Accomplishes nothing. And the end result is...

For all the labor, for all the work, for all the toil, for all the burden. It's just bubbles. No real meaning, no purpose, no real results. Verse 14, he says, I have seen all the works that are done under the sun. And indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. I've seen everything Solomon says. You can't show me something new. Again, there's nothing new under the sun. I've seen it all. I've seen it all. And it's all vanity.

It's fruitless. No matter what it is that you think can satisfy you that's here in this earth, that's here in this life, it will not. It cannot. It's all vanity. That's why Paul says in Corinthians,

We don't look at what is seen because those things are temporary, but we look at the things that are unseen because it's the things which are unseen which are eternal. Those are the things that will last. Those are the things that really count and are important. But the things that we can see, the things that we can touch, the things that we can experience in this life, they're just temporary. And if that's what you're living for, you'll find you're grasping at the wind.

Go ahead. The ceiling fans are on. Try to catch the wind that's being produced from that. You can't. All you end up with is bubbles. They're kind of cool for a season if you're immature. They're pretty. They float around. Pretty exciting. But then they pop and they're gone. And that's it. And that's it. Solomon says, I've seen it all. And it's all just bubbles. Just bubbles.

The crooked things he says in verse 15 or 16, one of those verse 15. Yeah, the crooked things can't be made straight. You know, the things that are wrong in this life, you can't really change. There's no real lasting impact. Everything continues as it was. It's the same circle. What is lacking cannot be numbered. There's a lot that's lacking.

And this life in this world and it can't be numbered. There's there's too much to do. There's too many needs to be met. There's you can't fix everything. Solomon tried hard. He gained more wisdom than anyone else. And yet he equates it with the grasping for the wind. Verse 18. For in much wisdom is much grief. And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. This is his conclusion.

He searched out wisdom. He tried hard. He sought to know everything. He saw everything and understood everything that was under the sun. He had the best education that you could imagine. But in the end, he says, even wisdom and knowledge turn out to just be bubbles. Not only do they turn out to be just bubbles, but they're bubbles that get in your eye because they sting and hurt and leave pain and cause irritation. That's what equates wisdom to. Wisdom is grief, he says. And if you increase knowledge, you increase sorrow.

For all of this wisdom and knowledge that I've gained as I've continued and sought and searched and gave myself to this, I've just increased my grief and my sorrow, Solomon says. It's made me more unhappy, more unpleasant. It's made me more depressed. I'm worse off with all this wisdom because of the pain and the grief. Ernest Hemingway, an American author who won the Nobel Prize, won the Pulitzer Prize, is a very famous author.

He said, happiness and intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. The rarest thing, he says, is happiness and intelligent people. With much wisdom is much grief. He who increases knowledge increases sorrow. This is the beginning of Solomon's test. See, because you and I might think that the smartest person is the happiest. Solomon says, no, it's not true. You and I might think...

That the wisest person is the happiest. Wise using man's definition, not God's. But it's not true. The guru, he must be really happy. But it's not true. Better education does not equal more happiness. Solomon says, no, it's not true. It doesn't mean that you're more satisfied. It doesn't mean that you're more fulfilled. Now, I think I could be happier if I was a genius. Don't you do that sometimes? You look at someone who's really smiling and go, man, I would love to be like that. If only I could have his brain for just a second, you know.

But it doesn't make you happier. It doesn't bring more fulfillment to your life. You won't be more satisfied with that person's brain. Oh, but I could win. You know, who wants to be a millionaire? I could rock at Jeopardy. I could get this job or I could help these people. I could work smarter and not harder. It won't bring happiness. You won't be fulfilled.

Better education, more wisdom, more knowledge does not mean more fulfillment, more happiness. In fact, as you run and search for these things that are not of God, they bring more emptiness, more hurt, more sorrow. If you're looking for happiness and fulfillment, you will not find it in wisdom and knowledge and education and IQ. Solomon tried it so that you don't have to.

Don't chase after the things of this life. Does that mean we shouldn't have an education? Does that mean we should all be ignorant folk? No, that's not what it means. We need to include God in the picture as we continue to grow in education. But the point is that in itself won't fulfill you. If that's what you're relying upon, if that's what you're looking for, if that's what you're depending on, wisdom and knowledge turns out it's all bubbles.

I'm not going to try it again because I'll just make a fool of myself. It's all bubbles. It's just emptiness. You chase after it, chase after it, chase after it, and you end up with bubbles. Solomon continues his test now, his experiments, chasing after things to find satisfaction as we go on into chapter 2. Read with me verses 1 through 3. Solomon says, I said in my heart, come now, I will test you with mirth. Therefore, enjoy pleasure.

But surely this also is vanity. I said of laughter, madness and of mirth. What does it accomplish? I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine while guiding my heart with wisdom and how to lay hold on folly till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. Solomon continues his test. Now he continues to try.

What will fulfill me? What will bring me happiness? What will bring me satisfaction? I know. Here's what I'll go for. He says in verse 1, come now, I will test you with mirth. Therefore, enjoy pleasure. Mirth, it means joy or gladness or pleasure. I'll test you. I'm going to give you all the pleasure, all the gladness, all the joy.

We should find happiness in that. That should be fulfilling. You know, if I could just live at Disneyland, the happiest place on earth, then I'll always be happy. If I filled my life with funny movies and comedians and luxurious cruises and the best food and the best entertainment, then I would be happy. Solomon again finds no happiness.

It doesn't bring fulfillment. That doesn't satisfy. He filled his life with pleasures and laughter. And the end result in verse 2, he says, I said of laughter, madness. It's crazy. It's just silliness. And of mirth, what does it accomplish? Again, he's left with nothing but bubbles. Even if he's searching for pleasure. All the pleasure, all the laughter, it's not worth it. It's not fulfilling. So he turns to wine in verse 3.

Now, everyone knows you can destroy your life with wine, but Solomon tries using his wisdom to guide his heart. He's trusting in knowledge to find the balance. And I think this is important for every Christian who says, hey, can I be a Christian and still do this?

Because this is what Solomon's trying to do. I'm trying to be wise and do the right thing. And yet at the same time, I'm trying to involve myself in alcoholism. I'm trying to involve myself in folly. I'm trying to involve myself in things that I know are wrong, but I have wisdom here. So I'm kind of keeping a good, solid grasp on life and still doing some of the things right. But I'm just kind of playing in these areas over here and seeing if I can find out what brings happiness and fulfillment to man as I test these things.

Can I still do this and be a Christian? No. Stop it. It's foolishness. It's silliness. And it will not bring pleasure. It will not satisfy. Indulging the flesh doesn't satisfy it. That's what he says. I was gratifying myself. It doesn't satisfy it. It stirs up the hunger even more. And eventually it will turn you completely away from the things of God. Pleasure, laughter, wine, joy.

It's just bubbles and bubbles. It's all bubbles. Solomon finds verses four through six. I made my works great. I built myself houses and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. A person thinks, you know, if I just had that summer home, then then I would be happy.

If I just had some good property, some fields and vineyards, you know,

Perhaps in Italy or somewhere like that where I could just enjoy life and things would just be great. You know, Hawaii on the coast. If I just had a good piece of land and I could go out and live there, that would make me, surely that would satisfy her. If I had a beautiful garden or perhaps even just a little flower bed. If I had unlimited food. If I had pools, perhaps, you know, if I owned raging waters and that was in my backyard, then I would be happy.

Then I would be satisfied. Solomon says, no. Great buildings, property, all these things. These things that people chase after. These things that people devote their lives to. Solomon says, it's just bubbles and bubbles. It's all bubbles. There's no fulfillment. There's nothing to grasp hold of. There's nothing that lasts. It's just a little giggle in a moment of time. It's just bubbles going on. Verses 7 and 8.

I acquired male and female servants and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks and all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men and musical instruments of all kinds.

He says, look, I tried everything. I got male and female servants. I got, you know, all these different things and delights and musicians. And I had everything, every form of entertainment, every form of prosperity and power. You know, we can easily think and people think this today. If I only had my own business, if only I was Mr. Trump's apprentice, then I would be happy.

Then I would be fulfilled if I only had a lot of servants or perhaps if only I was the boss and I had my own business and the people answered to me and I didn't have to have people tell me what to do, but I got to tell other people what to do. Then I'll be happy. Then I'll be fulfilled. Then I'll be satisfied. That's what I'm looking for. That's what my life needs.

If only I had a fleet of cars, if only I could win the lottery or have this much money. If only I had those antiques and those prized possessions. You know, if I'd win that auction on eBay, if only then I would have been satisfied, then I would be fulfilled.

Solomon says, hey, power, possessions. I tried it. I had lots of servants. I had every delight. I had everything. And it just was bubbles, bubbles and bubbles. All is bubbles. It's just emptiness, fruitlessness. There's nothing lasting, nothing fulfilling, nothing worthwhile. Continuing on verses nine through eleven.

So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure. For my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my reward from all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done, and on the labor which I had toiled, and indeed all was done.

What is bubbles? It was all bubbles and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. No profit at the end of all this. He says there's no profit, pleasure, prosperity, possessions, property, prestige, power. It's just bubbles. He says it's all it's grasping for the way it's fruitless, worthless, useless, no profit.

Notice what he says in verse 10. Whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure for my heart rejoiced in all my labor. This was a reward from all my labor. Solomon had the resources for this. You and I probably do not. Everything that he wanted, he got. He didn't have the problem of walking through the store and think, man, I wish I could afford that.

Oh, I'd love to have that. I just, you know, don't want to spend the money. Solomon didn't have that problem. He amassed silver and gold more than anyone else. In fact, again, I shared last week as well. Solomon amassed so much gold that in his days, silver was accounted as nothing. They wouldn't even use it for silverware. They had goldware everywhere.

Gold plates, gold cups, gold utensils. Everything was gold. Silver was nothing. It was useless, worthless because of the gold that he amassed. He had the resources for everything. And whatever his eyes desired, he didn't keep from him. Do you understand what that means? Think about that for a moment. If you had unlimited resources, oh man, we would go crazy. But Solomon had his dream home.

He had his dream chariot, his dream job, his dream vacation home. He had all of his dreams at the same time. Every one of them. I'm sure you and I could come up with a lot of dreams. Oh man, wouldn't that be nice? That would be awesome. Yeah, if I could just do this and do that or have this or have that. He had all of them at the same time. And he says, it was worthless, useless. I might as well just went to the store and

Bought a six-pack of bubbles for $1.99, sat at home and just, I'd have the same thing as what I have now. He says, my heart rejoiced in all my labor. So they're a victory, right? I rejoiced. It was great. Woo! Awesome. But it was just for a moment. It was for a short season. The lifespan of a bubble, he says, my heart rejoiced.

Verse 11, then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor which I had toiled and indeed all was vanity, grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. There was rejoicing for a moment for the lifespan of a bubble. It was pleasurable. It was fulfilling.

But very quickly it was not enough. And Solomon says, I'm still not satisfied. I'm still empty. I still want more. There's no profit. Bubbles and bubbles. Behold, all bubbles, emptiness. It's not fulfilling. It's not fulfilling. Well, if I could just get out of debt, it's not fulfilling. If I could just get that, it's not fulfilling. If I could just be, it's not fulfilling. Nothing in this life will satisfy you. Verses 12 through 16 says,

Solomon goes on to say, then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who succeeds the king? Only what he has already done. Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I myself perceived that the same event happens to them all. Verse 15. So I said in my heart, as it happens to the fool, it also happens to me. And why was I then more wise than I said in my heart? This also is vanity. For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever. Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die as the fool? Again, Solomon's words.

Exasperated attempts, his everything that he had, he's just fed up. He's given everything he's tried his hardest. He's done his best. And as he's tested all these things that we just looked at and not found fulfillment, he turns his eyes now to wisdom and foolishness. Now, I kind of picture it this way. In other words, he's saying, hey, I'm still not satisfied, but at least I'm better off than that guy, the fool, you know, because I have wisdom. But then as he considers this.

Well, first in verse 13, he says, hey, I figured wisdom excels folly. It must be better to be wise. You know, at least we both are in the same spot. We just have bubbles, but at least I have wisdom. But he finds, verse 14, the wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. See, wisdom is better. Yet I myself perceived that the same event happens to them all. Solomon saying, look, the wise man, he has his eyes in his head. The fool walks.

He's in darkness. He doesn't know where he's going. He doesn't know what he's doing. The wise man, you know, prepares and reacts to what's going on. He thinks about what he's doing. He takes calculated steps. The fool just kind of stumbles around. I don't know what's going on, you know, carefree attitude or whatever, not giving much thought to anything at all. Surely wisdom must be better. But then he realizes. But the same thing happens to both of them.

They both suffer the same things. They both experience the same things. They both eat and sleep. They experience joy and pain. They get rained upon. They feel the sunshine. They get sunburns. They experience victory, defeat, and on and on and on. It's the same. They just, they experience the same life as everyone else. And so verse 15, he says, I said in my heart, as it happens to the fool, it also happens to me. So why then was I more wise? What was the point? So I ended up concluding Solomon says, it's just bubbles.

Even that, being wise must be better than being a fool. But in the end result, you experience the same things. You go through the same things. So what's the point of being more wise? Especially since more wisdom means more sorrow. Wisdom is better, sure, but is it really? Because then we experience the same things along with the sorrow that comes from much wisdom. The same cycle of life, the same things that everybody else experiences. There's nothing new under the sun. That's what we experience. That's what we go through. What's the point of being wise now?

Bubbles, bubbles. It's all bubbles. Because he says in verse 16, there's no more remembrance of the wise than the fool. In a hundred years, who's going to remember? Who's going to care? The year's coming up. The day's coming. It's going to be forgotten. For being wise, you don't escape death.

How does the wise man die? And you can hear Solomon's frustration again. As the fool, you know, he probably threw up his arms. He dies like the fool. What's up with that? He gets this wisdom. He does what's best. He does what he thinks about. Takes every calculated step. Does what's best. And uses all the wisdom and all the education. And how does he die? The same way that the fool dies. When you're in the hospital, things change a little bit. You look over at the bed next to you.

They don't put you next to a person who had the same type of job that you had. They don't put you next to a person who is the same social class that you had. You're just as good as anybody else. You're just there. You could have a fool next to you and you could be wise, but you're both there. How do you die? The same way. There's no advantage to man's wisdom. There's no advantage to knowledge. There's no advantage to education. It's all bubbles.

Now, we look at life and we think of it from our perspective. We think of it like this. Okay, if I'm a good, upstanding citizen, if I do what's right, follow the law, work hard, do my best, surely I'm better off than the crook and the criminal. But again, under the sun, no God in the picture, it's not true. You're just as good as anybody else. If there's no God, you might as well be

The criminal, or do whatever you want, or live life however you want, because in the end, it's all bubbles. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't last. It's worthless. Well, I mean, surely, come on. Life on the streets must be more difficult than life in the house. It must be more difficult than life in jail. Perhaps, maybe, but it's all bubbles. The end results the same. It's exactly the same. It doesn't change. Life under the sun results differently.

in bubbles, vanity, emptiness. It's unfulfilling. Solomon proved it, tested it, tried it. You don't have to do the same. Going on verses 18 and 19, he says, then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool, yet he will rule over all my labor in which I've toiled

And in which I have shown myself wise under the sun, this also is vanity. Now Solomon realizes all his wealth, all that I've worked for my whole life, all that's cost me so much, I can't keep it. It doesn't go with me to the grave. It's going to stay here. It's going to be left here. And who's going to take care of it? Someone else. And he says in verse 19, hey, who knows whether this person who takes care of it is going to be wise or a fool. Who's to say? He might completely waste it.

He might squander it. He might flush it down the toilet. I worked my whole life to get here. And who knows what type of person is going to take care of it when I'm gone. He realizes it's bubbles. It's vanity. What am I amassing all this wealth for? What am I building all this up for? What's the point? The person after me, he's not necessarily going to keep it and build it up. And if he does, what's he going to build it up for? The person after him who's a fool, who's just going to waste it. So my entire existence...

All that I worked so hard for, just gone. There's nothing to show for it. He continues that same line of thought in verses 20 through 23. He says,

For what has man for all his labor and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? For all his days are sorrowful and his work burdensome. Even in the night, his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. Solomon says, look, you work so hard, 50, 60, 70 years you work for this stuff. But you leave it to someone who didn't have to do anything, who didn't even lift a finger. That's horrible. That's not fair. That's not right. Right?

Why should I work so hard for the person after me? Solomon is saying, what's the point? It's bubbles. I don't get to take it. I don't get to use it. They didn't work for it. They didn't do anything for it. They'll probably be a fool who will squander it and waste it away. What's the point? Why should I work so hard to feed them or take care of them or for them to live luxuriously? What is a man for his labor? All the things that he strived for under the sun,

All the sorrow. He says his work is burdensome. Even in the night, his heart takes no rest. What does he get for all his years of hard work? Same thing you get when you blow bubbles. Emptiness. Nothing. Even with all the sorrow. Even with the burdens. Even with the sleepless nights. You end up with bubbles. Now, what would you say to your spouse who worked eight hours a day and brought home bubbles for it? Look, babe.

We're on a new, I got a raise actually is what happened. And I'm getting paid in bubbles now. I got a whole gallon of solution in the car. We're going to have a great time tonight. Come on. It's bubbles. What are you working so hard for? Bubbles. This life, it's emptiness. It's unfulfilling. It does not satisfy. Solomon, he's really just beginning his quest for

His search. He's just beginning his struggle with this issue. But in this amount of time, in all of these areas he's tested and tried, there's more yet to come, more ways that he will find out and understand that under the sun, nothing is fulfilling.

And he comes to somewhat of a conclusion here in the closing verses, verses 24 through 26. I call this the debriefing. In verse 24, it says, Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw was from the hand of God. For who can eat or who can have enjoyment more than I? For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in his sight

But to the sinner, he gives the work of gathering and collecting that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. What is Solomon saying? From what he's seen so far and the tests that he's done to this point, the experiments that he's tried, he realizes, okay, God has given us these things. He's given us pleasure and joy. He's given us property and possessions.

And he realizes in and of themselves, these are not fulfilling. Apart from a relationship with God, these are empty. They're meaningless. They're bubbles. He's saying, enjoy your life. Enjoy what God has given to you while he's given it to you. But don't try to do it apart from relationship with God. He says the sinner, what does he do? He

He gives, God gives to the sinner the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give it to who is good before God. Proverbs said this as well, that the person who is unjust, the person who is evil, he amasses wealth for someone who will use it for good. But he ends again, this is vanity and grasping for the wind. You just get it for a moment. It's just a joy or fulfilling for a moment. But enjoy it while you have it. God's given it to you. But if you

Are rebelling against God or walking away from God or not walking in God's ways. Then understand that you're just gathering and collecting. You're amassing. You're producing for someone else. And it's just vanity. You get nothing out of it. It's just bubbles. It's grasping for the wind as hard as you try. You will not attain it. It's kind of similar to what Paul said in first Timothy chapter.

Chapter 6, verse 17. He says, See, our trust, our hope, our search, our fulfillment should not be in the things of this life, but should be in God. That's where we need to be satisfied. That's where we find happiness.

But he says that God gives us all things to enjoy. As you focus on God and live your life for God, God does bless you. He gives you things to enjoy. And it's not wrong or sinful to enjoy them. You're not more religious for enjoying a great meal. You're not more religious from staying away from a good meal. It's beside the point.

Your relationship with the Lord, your trust in the Lord, that's what matters. That's what brings fulfillment. That's what brings satisfaction. That's what lasts forever. That's what's eternal. That's what's important for eternity. But in the meantime, God goes over and above, and he blesses us with things. And Solomon says, and Paul says, enjoy those things while God's giving them to you. Don't live your life for them. Don't seek after them with all you've got. Don't chase after them. They won't satisfy you by themselves.

Seek the Lord, follow the Lord, follow his ways, trust in him and enjoy the things that he gives to you along the way. The closing verses of Ecclesiastes, Solomon says, let us conclude or let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. Surely there is a hereafter.

We will stand before God. Here's the conclusion Solomon says. You don't have to learn life the hard way. You don't have to learn these lessons by doing it yourself. In fact, you can save yourself so much heartache, so much hurt, so much sorrow by fearing God and keeping his commands. This is man's all. This is all there is. Serve the Lord. If you're thinking this other thing will satisfy me, if you're searching out, if you're chasing these other things, understand they will not satisfy you.

God didn't die upon the cross for you to establish your kingdom here. He died upon the cross for you that you might have relationship with him. He'll bless you. He'll minister to you. He'll give you great, wonderful things to enjoy. But your life, chase after God. In your life, seek the Lord. Set your heart like Solomon set his heart to all of these different things to try to find happiness and try to find fulfillment and try to be satisfied. They don't work. They won't work.

But if you set your heart to seek the Lord, Jesus said, hey, if you're thirsty, come unto me and drink. And I will give to you, as the scripture said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. Jesus is the only one who can satisfy. He is what we are thirsting for. If you don't have relationship with God, know that he is what you're yearning for. That's the ache. That's the emptiness. That's what you need.

If you've walked with the Lord, but you still feel empty. If you've had relationship with God, if you've been around, but you're not satisfied. Life isn't fulfilling for you. He's who you need. It's not about what you need. It's about who you need. You need Jesus Christ. He offers to us personal relationship with him. It's the only thing that fulfills and satisfies. Nothing else will. Solomon proved it. You know it, but we live it.

In relationship with him. Or will you be deceived by the lusts of the flesh. The deceitfulness of riches. Of Richard. The deceitfulness of Richard. Watch out for that. Will you live by the pride of life. Or will you live to seek God. To have relationship with him. Let's pray.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.