Ecclesiastes 8:17 – Then I behold all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun:  because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

 

Thought:  The depth of knowledge and understanding of the Universe that has yet to be mined by man is incomprehensible.  The more we learn, the more we find out that we do not know.  Man deceives himself into thinking that he ultimately finds out everything there is to know.  Not so!  “Though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.”  God’s wisdom brought this world into being.  Man will never fathom the depths of the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God. 

 

Psalm 40:5

 

Commentary:

 

A.     “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

1.       He embedded the earth with the depths of His knowledge.

2.       He carved out the depths of the seas with His marvelous understanding.

3.       He stretched forth the heavens entrusting them with His marvelous wisdom.

4.       He formed man of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and caused man to be made in His similitude.

 

B.      Men who research and study God’s handiwork “cannot find out the work that is done under the sun.”

1.       “…though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it.”

a.  Think of the money that is spent on research and expeditions.

b.  Think of the number of hours teams put into trying to learn more about the “secrets” of

      the Universe.

c.  Think of the number of years men have been seeking discoveries in the Earth.

d.  Still man has not found all there is that is out there.

2.       “…though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.”

a.  Researchers are usually scientists.

b.  Their teams have years and years of education and training in their fields.

c.  Oftentimes, several can be called upon who are the “experts” in their fields of study.

d.  They will often tell you that our knowledge is shallow.  Often they have more questions

       than they do answers.

3.       Years of hard work and the accumulation of mountains of knowledge recorded in encyclopedias and other books only scratch the surface of the wisdom that has been implanted into God’s creation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 9

 

Ecclesiastes 9:1 – For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God:  no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.

 

Thought:  Man often fails to understand how much of his care is in the hands of God.  This is especially true of the righteous.  “The righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God.”  Man sometimes attempts to discern God’s providence in his life.  He looks back upon the good and the bad in attempt to see God at work.  However, the past is not an indicator of the future.  “No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before him.”  Note:  Hatred is the word man uses when he sees affliction in his life.  However, when he is blessed, he calls it love.  Both can come from God’s hand.

 

II Samuel 15:25-26

 

Commentary:

 

A.     Christians are God’s people.  He is their Father.  They are His children.

 

B.      But we cannot see and touch God. 

We have only heard Him speak through the pages of His holy Word. 

We have only witnessed His powerful hands through His creation and the working of His

mighty providence.

We can look back at times and see how God worked in our lives.

We cannot see the future that God has for us at all.

In the present, we sometimes wonder and doubt whether God is really with us.

 

C.     Because of this “out of sight” relationship, we sometimes fail to understand how much of our care is in the hands of God.

1.       Solomon states:  “…the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God.”

2.       But, isn’t it a comforting thought to know that we are in God’s hands.

a.  They are strong.

b.  They are loving.

c.  They are compassionate.

d.  They are kind.

e.  They are gentle.

 

D.     We need this wonderful promise because “no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before him.”

1.       In the context, “love” involves the good things that happens to man.

2.       That which is hated is all of the evil things that come into one’s life.

3.       NOTE:  We are not able to predict the future based upon the past. 

a.  It could be more good than evil.

b.  It could be more evil than good.

c.  This is why we trust that we are in the hands of God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 9:2 – All things come alike to all:  there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not:  as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

 

Thought:  There are all kinds of men upon the earth.  They can be described in an assortment of ways.  In this verse, Solomon contrasts five different groups of people:  1)  righteous vs wicked, 2) clean vs unclean, 3) he who sacrifices vs he who does not sacrifice, 4) good vs sinner, and 5) he that sweareth vs he that feareth an oath.   Basically, however, they fall into one of two camps, godly and ungodly.  Regardless of how a man is described while he lives, one event is going to come to him.  He might delay it, but he cannot keep it from happening.

 

Isaiah 3:10-11

 

Commentary:

 

A.     There is no end to the multitude of divisions that can be made among humanity.  Solomon contrasts five (5) groups in this one verse.

1.       Righteous versus the wicked

2.       Clean versus the unclean

3.       The one who sacrifices verses the one who does not sacrifice

4.       The good versus the sinner

5.       He that swears versus he who fears an oath

 

B.      There are several other ways the contrast can be made.

1.       The chosen versus the rejected

2.       The approved versus the unapproved

3.       The moral versus the immoral

4.       The saved versus the lost

5.       The godly versus the ungodly

6.       The spiritual versus the worldly

7.       The rewarded versus the punished

 

C.     Solomon declares that there is one thing that comes to all of these groups.

1.       He does not specify what that thing is.

2.       He has mentioned it before in this book.

3.       That one thing will be revealed in the next verse.

4.       That one thing is death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 9:3 – There is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all:  yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

 

Thought:  One event in the life of all men that was impressed upon the mind of Solomon as he carried out his experiment with life was death.  This is the way of all men.  Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived, eventually died.  All men know this event is coming, however, they do not seriously contemplate it enough.  They sin.  They are involved in evil.  There is madness in their heart.  They seem not to understand that death is coming.

 

Proverbs 14:32

 

Commentary:

 

A.     As Solomon carried out his experiment, there was one thing that was constantly impressed upon his mind.  It was the fact that all men die.

1.       The first man to die was Abel who was slain by his brother.

2.       Methuselah was the oldest man to live, 969 years, but he eventually died.

3.       The second member of the Godhead became a man and died.

4.       All evil rulers of the past have lived and died.

5.       The prophets of whom the world was not worthy have died.

 

B.      As real as this truth is, men do not hold it tightly in their minds.

1.       Thus, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil.

2.       Madness is in their heart while they live.

3.       Questions:

a.  How many in our community are really preparing for death?

b.  How many throughout the world are really preparing for death?

c.  How many of us, as God’s children, are really preparing for death?

4.       What are some things that keep us from contemplating an event that happens every day and will ultimately happen to us?

a.  Complete unbelief

b.  Willing forgetfulness

c.  Deception:  we have always gone to bed and have risen the next morning

d.  The “busyness” of life overwhelms us

e.  Complete unconcern