Ecclesiastes 3:13 – And also every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.

 

Thought:  A man’s work enables him to support himself.  He is able to provide food for himself and his family.  He is able to make purchases that bring comfort to his life.  He is able to have good healthcare.  He can reward himself with wholesome pleasures.  These things are not sinful.  Solomon says:  “…it is the gift of God.”

 

Psalm 128:2

 

Commentary:

 

A.     Solomon acknowledges that it is acceptable for a man to “enjoy the good of all his labor.”

1.       It is okay to go out to a restaurant for a good meal.

2.       It is okay to go to a play or a movie or a ballgame.

3.       It is okay to take the family to a theme park.

4.       It is okay to enjoy a cruise.

 

B.      The rewards of a man’s labor are “the gift of God.”

1.       We receive a paycheck because of the toil we have put into our work.

2.       We were able to work because God gave us intelligence and talents to do certain occupations.

3.       If we had not had these things, there would have been no work and no paycheck. 

4.       The rewards of our labors are truly a gift from God.

 

C.     Psalm 128:2

 

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands;  happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 3:14 – I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever:  nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it:  and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

 

Thought:   Up to this point, Solomon has not introduced God into his experiment.  He now reminds us that God is over all things.  God is at work in the mix of man’s labors.  He must be considered because His actions involve eternal matters.  Man does not have the ability to add to or take from what God is doing.  It is this knowledge that causes man to fear God.  God is definitely superior to man.  Man’s labors pale in comparison to God’s labors in the world.  My friend, we must never leave God out.

 

James 4:13-17

 

Commentary: 

 

A.     Solomon has mentioned God from time to time in Ecclesiastes, but he has not injected God into the process.  Now he does.

 

B.      Note:  God is doing things.  “…whatsoever God doeth…”

1.       God’s hand is at work in the Universe.

2.       Man can deny it, but it will not change the fact.

 

C.     The things that God does “shall be forever.”

1.       The word “forever” can mean eternally.

2.       But, it can also mean for a long period of time.

3.       Examples:

a.       God created life.  Men will die.  This will be forever, that is, until death has been conquered at the resurrection.

b.      God saved man through the death of Jesus on Calvary.  Man cannot save himself.  We have had thousands of years and numerous governments and ideologies that have worked to save mankind, but they have not succeeded.  When men reject God, they are still wicked and vile, immoral and corrupt.  This will not change forever.

 

D.     Nothing can be put to the things God does, and nothing can be taken from the things God does by man.

1.       God is sovereign over all.

2.       Can man change the seasons?  Absolutely not!  (Gen. 8:22)

 

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

 

a.       One season may be a little longer or a little shorter.

One season may be a little hotter or a little colder.

The seedtime might come early or late.

The harvest might be good or it might be bad.

b.      But, they SHALL NOT cease.  Why?  Because this is the work of God.

 

E.      Why has God involved Himself in the process?  “…and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.”

1.       Wise men know there is a God.

2.       Wise men know there is a God who is greater than they are.

3.       Wise men know that this God is to be reverenced and honored.

4.       Wise men should desire to understand this God and seek to be pleasing in His sight.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:15 – That which hath been is now:  and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

 

Thought:  The world in which we live is much different from the world of the past.  This is what man has a tendency to believe.  But, is it really that different?  There are patterns and cycles that reoccur in every generation.  The earth circles the sun.  The moon circles our globe.  The seasons continue to come and go.  There are also patterns that God has set forth in the spiritual world.  God speaks.  Man is to hear.  God’s grace is predicated on man’s obedience.  God saves.  God rewards.  God punishes.  Yes, that which has been is now, and that which is to be hath already been.  Why the similarity?  The same God created all and is in control of all from the beginning until now.

 

Acts 17:24-28

 

Commentary: 

 

A.     Here is how men of the 21^st Century think:

1.       Times are different now than they were in the past.  We are modern, civilized, and up to date.

2.       The past is irrelevant to modern man.

3.       We have progressed far, far beyond our forefathers who were ignorant agrarians, with no technical knowledge.

4.       We are the wise.  We are the smart ones.  We are the intellectuals. 

 

B.      But, is today that much different than the past?  No.

1.       Solomon says:  “That which hath been is now:  and that which is to be hath already been seen.”

2.       Examples:

a.   When the blind lead the blind both fall into the ditch.

b.   When men forsake God society deteriorates.

c.       If good leaders will not lead, bad leaders will.

d.      Light is hated by darkness.

e.       Pride goes before destruction.

f.        The fruit of the spirit does not need laws in order to be practiced.

g.      A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.

h.      He that sows to the wind reaps the whirlwind.

 

C.     “God requireth that which is past.”

1.       God is the same.

2.       Man is still made in the image of God.

3.       The same laws govern the universe.

4.       The heart of man is the same.

5.       The flesh and the spirit are at war.

6.       God still requires faith and obedience from men.

7.       NOTE:  As long as the basics and the inner workings are the same, time will change, the people will change, and the situations will change, but everything basically remains the same.