Ecclesiastes Part 7

Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 Life TogetherI
Teaching Pastor: Rob Sweet

*Part 6 is coming*  We were out of town visiting family last weekend/traveling on Sunday.  While I have listed to the 6th message on Ecclesiastes, I listened to it while running, so very little retention happened.  I have every intention to get still, during naptime, to listen and take notes in a meaningful way, SO...Part 6 is coming. 

This week:

Studies have been done, from 1975-2000 that show we as a society have lost community.  This is a huge loss of our capital as a society.  We have friends over for dinner less, do not get to know one another and live highly isolated, individualistic lives.  This can be attributed to many technological advances, but it can also be a sign that we live in a fallen world.

At the end of the book, Solomon leaves us here :

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: 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 are to walk in hope even though we live in a fallen world.  THIS IS FOR ALL HUMANITY.  We are to follow his commands.

There are two ways we can live our lives, inward or outward.  We can live for "we" or "me"; live for others or ourselves.

4:1 We are called not only to "not oppress others,"  but to be on the side of the oppressed.  This brings up so many feelings in my heart regarding current news on immigration, etc...but I won't go there here, instead I will strive to be on the side of the oppressed.

4:2-3 Solomon says it is better to have never existed than to live, or even to live and have died.  Our world is so full of evil and atrocity.  I must remind myself that things are not necessarily worse than they were in times past, but we have unbelievable access to headlines on the internet and social media. The news articles about atrocities committed by parents, leaders, those in authority etc. that show up on my Facebook newsfeed makes me want to live in a time when I did not see the most sensationalized headlines on my phone screen on a regular basis.  We live in a black hole of terrible.  There is more evil than good in the world and more oppression than comfort.  The ledger does not balance out.  Solomon's conclusion is that it is better to not exist.

4:4 I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person's jealousy of another.  This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Comparison kills our joy and steals our contentment with what we have. Sometimes this can lead us to work harder, etc. but someone will always have more.  In the game of keeping up with the Jones', we will always find more Jones'.  Working hard is not a bad thing...It can lead to abounding blessings.  Working hard to keep up with neighbors is a complete waste of time.

4:5 The fool folds his arms and consumes his own flesh. Going passive and ceasing to work is not the answer, we must still work hard...

4:6 Better one handful with rest than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind.
We must strive for balance.  We are to hold our rest in one hand and our work in another.  Both are gifts from God, neither to be hoarded or held with a clenched fist.  Sabbath is for rest, it was made for man. 

Work is a gift.
Rest is a gift.
You only benefit if you can hold both.

4:7-8 Again, I saw futility under the sun: There is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. 'Who am I struggling for,' he asks, 'and depriving myself of good things?' This too is futile and a miserable task.

One without a dependent, companion, friend or family.  This person is a work-a-holic and has no meaningful community.  No one to share the fruits of his labor with. Without meaningful community there is no value in accumulation or accomplishment.  Life is about more than our material gains.

Community is key to our existence.

How much is enough?

Often the very thing that allows us to be successful (work), is often the thing eroding our relationships, making the fruit of our labor worthless.

4:9-12 Solomon spells out all of the ways humans are better together..
9 - good reward for efforts
10 - companion can lift the fallen friend
11 - warmth when lying down
12 - a cord of 3 strands not easily broken


Community is a common grace God gives to everyone, but we must accept the gift.
With no community surrounding us, we may reach the pinnacle and find ourselves stranded. 

God sees our needs so beautifully.  My hearts desire is that we would all grasp the gifts that are freely and generously given to us.