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OceanSide church of Christ
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Ecclesiastes 12:11 – The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
Thought: Wise words do two things according to the wise man who wrote this verse. First, they are like goads. They encourage, urge, influence, stimulate, and move others to positive actions. Second, they sink deeply into the heart like nails driven into boards. They enable one’s life to be stable, secure, safe, and lasting. The “words of the wise” referred to by Solomon are from “one shepherd,” the All-Wise God of heaven.
Psalm 23:13
Commentary:
1. We have to desire them.
2. We have to seek them.
3. We have to discern them.
1. That shepherd is none other the God the Father.
2. Verses:
a. Psalm 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
b. Isaiah 40:11
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
c. Ezekiel 34:11-12
For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.
1. They are as goads
a. A goad was a long stick with a very sharp end on it.
b. It was used to control animals when they were employed in work.
c. The goad would be used to prick the animal so he could stay in line.
d. NOTE: The prick of the goad did not feel good.
e. In like manner, the words of God are intended to be a goad in our lives. They encourage,
urge, influence, stimulate, and move others to positive actions.
2. They are as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies.
a. Nails are used in order to make things strong and stable, secure and lasting.
b. The more things that are nailed together in a structure the stronger the structure is.
c. God is seeking to assist in us in building our lives. He wants to nail many things into our
lives so we will be strong and secure (Ex., the Christians graces, 2 Peter 1:5-10).
Ecclesiastes 12:12 – And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Thought: The wise have always produced tons and tons of material. This material has been printed in book after book. Of the making of books there is no end. Every subject imaginable has been addressed. No subject has been exhausted. Those who study these books find that “much study is a weariness of the flesh.” The mind grows weary. The body grows tired. The eyes turn red and ache. Even the hands tire because of the notes that are taken. Yet, the books and the study are necessary. “…by these, my son, be admonished.”
II Timothy 4:13
Commentary:
A. Solomon continues his thought from the previous verses about the word of the wise into this verse.
B. We need to be “admonished” by the words of wisdom.
1. Definition:
a. Strong (2094): to enlighten (by caution)
b. BDB: to be taught, admonish, warn
2. Example: A teacher telling her class: “This Friday there will be a test on page 332-339 of the book.” She has just admonished her class. Those who study and are ready for the test received the admonition.
C. The wise words of Scripture admonish us over and over again.
1. Some give heed to admonitions.
2. Others act as if there are no admonitions at all.
D. Solomon’s admonition comes in the form of a book. His was not the only book.
1. There were many wise men who lived Solomon’s day.
2. All of these men wrote their books.
3. Too, there were foolish men who posed as wise men who wrote books.
4. Thus, Solomon writes: “…of the making of many books there is no end.”
5. NOTE: You learn this if you ever become a book collector, or, perhaps we should say, a book addict. Every day or two there is a new book on the market that sounds interesting, and you feel could be beneficial.
E. Those who purchase the books of the wise do so to glean the wisdom that is found therein. Of those individuals, Solomon makes this conclusion: “…and much study is weariness of the flesh.”
1. Some are of the notion that unless a person puts in manual work, he does not know what is means to be tired at the end of the day.
2. These individuals have not tried to study to teach a class or a series of lessons that last over a long period of time.
3. A person who studies for hours finds that he is exhausted at the end of the day.
a. It is a labor of love that has no end.
b. Right now we are winding up the book of Ecclesiastes. So there is a feeling of
let down.
c. But, there is also the anticipation of beginning a new study. This requires a
great deal of energy to introduce and get the class excited about further study
in God’s Word.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 – Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Thought: Solomon has taken his time and resources to experiment with life. As he has examined life, much of it looked like vanity. A secular view of life brings about the vexation of a person’s spirit. In the last two verses of Ecclesiastes, however, he reveals the conclusion of his experiment. He notes the things that give purpose and value to life. There are two things that do this. A man must fear God. A man must keep God’s commandments. This is why man is here. This is the whole of man.
Psalm 115:13-15
Commentary:
A. This verse begins with the words: “Let us.”
1. Let us is an imperative. In other words, it is not just a suggestion, but it is a command.
2. Some believe that it has been reduced to a simple invitation in our society.
3. Others believe that it is just a polite way to attempt to get individuals to do something.
B. Solomon exhorts his readers to “hear.” “Let us hear…”
1. Hearing is not something that is done very well in our society.
a. People like to talk rather than listen.
b. When we do listen, we often listen with a deep desire to respond. Thus, the
moment something is said we can identify with, we begin to speak, even if we
interrupt the person who is speaking.
2. We need to learn to actively listen.
a. James 1:19
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
b. When you study the subject of “how to listen,” the first step in the process is to
simply repeat back to the individual the words he spoke to you.
C. Solomon exhorts his reader to hear “the conclusion of the whole matter.”
1. Remember, he has been on a huge experiment in this book.
2. He has longed to know why man is here.
a. Life is hard.
b. Life is contradictory.
c. Life is not always fair.
d. Life ends in death for all.
3. After years of searching, great wealthy having been spent, interviews and experiments and observations conducted, the wise man comes to know why man is here. He is about to reveal that which should be every man’s purpose in life.
D. He reveals two responsibilities that man has in life.
1. Fear God
a. Fear: to honor, respect, hold in reverence
b. How do we develop this mindset?
1) It is easy to say we honor God.
2) It is just as easy for our actions to deny this, even in little things: words,
choices, priorities, etc.
c. When a person really comes to know “who” God is, then he will fear the Lord
(Ex., Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. 4:34-37)
2. Keep His commandments
a. Very simply this is obedience to God.
b. NOTE: It does not say keep certain commandments and reject the others.
c. A human being’s purpose is to keep the commands of God.
1) Man deceives himself into thinking that God’s commands are restrictive
and cause his life to be less fun.
2) The reality is that when a man keeps the commands of God, his life is much
more fulfilling and he molds himself into the image of God.
E. Solomon concludes the verse with these words: “…for this is the whole duty of man.”
1. As far as God is concerned, these two obligations are our “whole duty.”
2. If we do these two things, we will always be well-pleasing to God.
3. In the text, the word “duty” is in italics, meaning it has been supplied by the translators. If we remove the word, the ending states: “…for this is the whole of man.”
Ecclesiastes 12:14 – For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Thought: The conclusion to man’s earthly existence by the wisest man who ever lived, other than Jesus, is not to be taken lightly. Why? Because there will be a day of reckoning. God will bring every work into judgment. God will bring every secret thing into judgment. He will bring both the good and the evil into judgment. There is no reprieve from that day. How we live now will be very important then. Fearing God and keeping His commands will make all of the difference when we stand in the judgment.
II Corinthians 5:10
Commentary:
A. God has reminded the young man that “for all these things God will bring thee into judgment” (Eccl. 11:9).
B. Now he reminds all of his readers about this same truth.
1. Notice, God will bring every work into judgment.
a. We will not be the ones bringing our works into the judgment. We might pick
and choose which ones we really want God to display.
b. God knows our works, all of them.
2. He uses several phrases to describe the works God will bring into judgment.
a. Every work: not one work will be missed
b. Every secret thing: the ones only we and God know anything about, that is, the
ones we keep concealed from other human beings.
c. Whether it be good: these are the works we want to see in the judgment.
d. Whether it be evil: these are the works we do not want to see there.
C. One beautiful thought is that there is a way to remove the evil things from our lives.
1. They can be erased, never to be remembered again (Heb. 8:12).
For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
2. This is done through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:5; 1 John 1:7).
Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.