Series: Ecclesiastes
Sermon #3: Been There. Done That.
Ecclesiastes
2:1-11
1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth,
therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. 2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? 3 I sought in
mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom;
and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the
heaven all the days of their life. 4 I made me great works; I
builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: 5 I made me gardens and
orchards, and I planted trees in them of all
kind of fruits: 6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith
the wood that bringeth forth trees: 7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I
had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in
Jerusalem before me: 8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the
peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women
singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. 9 So I
was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also
my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I
kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced
in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 11 Then
I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I
had laboured to do: and, behold, all was
vanity and vexation of spirit, and there
was no profit under the sun.
Correction from last week’s sermon:
The double introduction that I mentioned last week as
1:3-11 and 1:12-18 is actually contained within 1:12-18.
On this see especially Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s
Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), pg. 52.
Outline:
I. What the Preacher Purposed (2:1-3)
II. What the Preacher Accomplished (2:4-8)
III. What the Preacher Gained (2:9-10)
IV. What the Preacher Concluded (2:11)
Transition:
Reminder about the relative significance of the “hook” in
1:2
The connections between this section and the Prologue in
1:3-11
The key lies at the end, not at the door!
Cp. the conclusion of this section in 2:24-26.
On this see especially Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s
Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), pp. 43-47.
The verses we are to consider are loaded with first
person personal pronouns including subjective, objective and possessive forms.
I. What the Preacher Purposed (2:1-3)
1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth,
therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. 2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? 3 I sought in
mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom;
and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the
heaven all the days of their life.
1. I
said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy
pleasure: and, behold, this also is
vanity.
2:1 is the summary statement introducing the next ten verses
monologue: cp. Ps. 42:5, 11; 43:5; Lk. 12:19
On this see Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes:
Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary
(Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), pg. 55.
Cp. 1:16; 3:17, 18
Tremper
Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes,
New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), pg. 83, s.v. 1:16.
2. I said of laughter, It is
mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
Toronto “Holy Laughter” Blessing/Revival?
“Holy laughter is a term used
within charismatic Christianity that describes a religious behaviour
in which individuals spontaneously laugh during church meetings. It began in
the early 1990s in Neo-charismatic churches and the Third Wave
of the Holy Spirit.
Practices similar to holy laughter were observed in the
1800s in Holiness Christian meetings on the American West. John
Wesley encountered uncontrollable laughter in his meetings, but viewed it
as an act of the devil. It also occurred in Signs and Wonders meetings
run by John Wimber in the 1980s. The
practice came to prominence in meetings led by the South African
evangelist Rodney Howard-Browne in 1993 at the Carpenter's Home
Church in Lakeland, Florida and was often accompanied by the
"Slain in the Spirit" phenomena. The laughter ranges from very
quiet to loud convulsive hysterics, which are said to be accompanied by
temporary dissociation. It was also observed in meetings held at Oral
Roberts University. The phenomena was then popularized by Charisma and
the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and became controversial within
charismatic Christianity.
Though primarily found in Protestant churches, it was
observed in some parts of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, as
well. The practice spread to the Association of Vineyard Churches,
most notably to the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship in 1994.
Religious revival meetings at the church became very popular, drawing 75,000
visitors that year. Many attendees at the meetings spent time laughing
loudly while lying on the floor.”
Source: Wikipedia
at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_laughter
[accessed 16 OCT 2015].
How about the “canned laughter” on television shows?
Are people laughing their way to eternal perdition?
Did you ever notice what the Yuppie generation finds hilarious on
late night TV?
Is everything funny?
Is nothing sacred?
What do they take seriously?
Judge Bork’s title may be an
underestimation of the current state of our nation!
Robert H. Bork, Slouching Towards
Gomorrah: Modern Liberalism and American Decline (New York:
ReganBooks, 1996).
They laughed at Jesus! Imagine that! Each of the Synoptic Gospels
records an incident when “they laughed him to scorn.”
Mt. 9:24 (18-26) — He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is
not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
Mk. 5:40 — And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them
all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were
with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.
Lk. 8:53 — And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was
dead.
Who will be laughing when Jesus returns?
Lu:6:21: Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled.
Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Lu:6:25: Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto
you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
Jas:4:9: Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be
turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
He Who laughs last laughs best!
“He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have
them in derision.” (Ps. 2:4)
3. I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet
acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see
what was that good for the sons of
men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
“under the heaven”
II. What the Preacher Accomplished (2:4-8)
4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me
vineyards: 5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in
them of all kind of fruits: 6 I
made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: 7
I got me servants and maidens,
and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and
small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: 8 I
gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the
provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons
of men, as musical instruments, and
that of all sorts.
The Health and Wealth “gospel”?
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that
bringeth forth trees:
According to J. Stafford Wright the estimate of the capacity of
these pools is 40,000,000 gallons.
“Three pools near Bethlehem are
said to be constructed by him. They dam the Urtas Valley, and each of the first
two can overflow into the pool below it. It is claimed that altogether these
pools hold over forty million gallons.”
J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in Psalms-Song of Songs, Vol. 5 of The Expositor's Bible Commentary,
ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), pg.
1156.
However, based on the dimensions of these “pools” as reported by Kaiser
their capacity would be more than double that amount. See Walter C. Kaiser, Jr.,
Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago:
Moody Press, 1979), pp. 56-57.
Upper = 380’ long x 236’ wide x 25’ deep = 2,242,000 cubic feet = 16,771,325
gallons;
Middle = 423’ long x 250’ wide x 39’ deep = 4,124,250 cubic feet =
30,851,532 gallons;
Lower = 582’ long x 207’ wide x 50’ deep = 6,023,700 cubic feet = 45,060,405
gallons;
Total = 12,389,950 cubic feet = 92,683,262 gallons.
For purposes of comparison Olympic
size pools measure:
50 metres long, 25 metres
wide, and a minimum of 2 metres deep. (25m x 50m x 2m = 2,500m3; 1L = 0.001m3 so 2,500 x 1000
= 2,500,000L)
and contain 660,430 gallons of water (2,500,000 litres or 2.5 megalitres).
and contain 660,430 gallons of water (2,500,000 litres or 2.5 megalitres).
Length
|
50 m
(164 ft 1 in)
|
Width
|
25 m
(82 ft 0 in)
|
Depth
|
FR 2
Swimming Pools:
minimum 1.35 m (4 ft 5 in) between 1 m and 6 m from ends; minimum of 1.0 m (3 ft 3 in) elsewhere FR 3 Swimming Pools for Olympic Games and World Championships: minimum 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in); recommended 3.0 m (9 ft 10 in) |
Volume
|
Based on a
nominal depth of 2 m, this is 2,500,000 L
(550,000 imp gal; 660,000 US gal)
or, in terms of cubic volume, 2,500 m3 (88,000 cu ft), as is commonly quoted. |
Source: Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic-size_swimming_pool
[accessed 17 OCT 2015].
8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of
kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the
delights of the sons of men, as
musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
There is a translation issue with a hapax legomena in verse 8. This is a word found nowhere else in the
Scriptures. Most modern translations include a note indicating that the meaning
is either unknown or uncertain. The modern consensus seems to be that it should
be rendered “concubines,” and comparison is made to 1 Kings 11:1-3 —
But king Solomon loved many strange
women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites,
Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
Of the nations concerning which the
LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither
shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after
their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
And he had seven hundred wives,
princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
On the translation of this Hebrew word see the following:
William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes:
The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series (Fearn,
Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012), pp. 51-52;
Michael
A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction
and Commentary, Vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity,
1983), pg. 79;
Duane A. Garrett,
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Vol. 14, New American Commentary (Nashville:
Broadman, 1993), pg. 292, note 40;
Tremper
Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes,
New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), pg. 92;
Roland Edmund Murphy, Ecclesiastes,
Vol. 23A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1992), pg. 17; and,
J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in Psalms-Song of Songs, Vol. 5, Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed.
Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991), pp.
1156-1157.
III. What the Preacher Gained (2:9-10)
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in
Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld
not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was
my portion of all my labour.
What is the difference between “portion” (2:10) and “profit”
(2:11)?
IV. What the Preacher Concluded (2:11)
11 Then I looked on all the works that
my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold,
all was vanity and vexation of
spirit, and there was no profit under
the sun.
“vanity and vexation of spirit”
“no profit”
“under the sun”
Conclusion:
Where do folks go for meaning or profit or joy?
What does that get them?
How long has this been going on?
How is that working out for them?
You don’t have to!
You don’t have to go there!
You know better!
You don’t need to put it to the test!
You have God’s Word for it!
[Sermon preached 18 OCT 2015 by Pastor John T. “Jack”
Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]
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