I almost got into a fight today. It was at the Pilot gas station on Halfway BLVD.

A man was filling his very nice vehicle a couple of pumps away, as his noticeably pretty wife (or whatever) was returning to the car from having been inside the building. He began yelling in an arguing sort of tone with extreme anger. It seemed to have something to do with spending money. His foul language increased more and more as his finished gassing the vehicle and drove away … past me with his window open and the ranting continuing.

I just impulsively said, “Yo dude, calm it down … it’s going to be alright … nothing can be this bad.”  He made a particular gesture toward me I can’t really describe in this setting, slowed down and addressed me with some words I cannot report as well. For a moment, I thought it might be “game on.”  But he drove away … yelling.

Here was a guy with some nice things in life. His car was certainly better than my 2001 minivan. But he was not enjoying his blessings.

We often see people in life who have a lot of blessings, but who also don’t seem to be able to enjoy them. Perhaps they feel their blessings are really not as significant as they actually are, aspiring to greater gains like they observe in the lives of certain others. We know also of people who do well, but all they do is work and strive for even more, as their job owns them.

If you think about it, happiness in life and work is not directly proportionate to the amount of gain that comes from it. Rather, the happiest people are those who find contentment in the use of the abilities that they have, being content also with the adequate life that God enables them to enjoy as a result – be it in abundance, sufficiency, or in meager circumstances. They accept their work and life as from God, believing also that He will supply their needs.

Solomon calls this the gift of God …

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 – This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

People like this do not regret and grieve the past, nor do they worry about the future. They live in thankfulness that God has been good to meet their daily needs at whatever social strata he had given them.

The New Testament passage of relative equivalence would be in Philippians 4:4-7 … Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When we rest in God and in His gifts, we get also the gift of rest from Him.

Another New Testament writer says (Hebrews 13:5) … Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

I am pretty sure I was never that child who whines and whines to get something he really desires. I remember even at a young age that I perceived myself to be blessed beyond most other children I knew in terms of all that I had.

I was also a child who did not have much of a sweet tooth. Hearing other children whine to get candy annoyed me, and I didn’t want to be like that. I even recall my mother getting angry that she bought candy and had it in a particular cupboard but I never ate any of it, so she wasn’t going to buy anymore.

So perhaps it is all that background that causes me to especially remember an occasion when I did whine to get something, wearing down my parents and older sister to the point where they finally just gave in. It was at the beach in Wildwood, NJ where we vacationed each summer for at least two weeks. A favorite treat that I saw being purchased for many children on the boardwalk was cotton candy. Though I never had it, I was sure that I would like it. My parents and sister told me that I would hate it. But I persisted in pestering, and they bought me some.

It took only one touch and one taste to know that I had made a terrible mistake. It was sickeningly sweet and annoyingly sticky. Beyond that, I kept accidentally bumping into people (including my family) and getting cotton candy stuck on their clothing. I tried in vain to just give it away to other kids, but none would receive it. Eventually, my sister just snatched it out of my hands in frustration and threw it into a trash can.

Desiring and attaining wealth through successful labor can be much like being disappointed with a stick of cotton candy. It is not as great as it appears, and it can create unanticipated problems. Solomon points out a list of those problems.

Problem #1 – Wealth can be taken by oppressive and unscrupulous rulers …

Ecclesiastes 5:8 – If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

Wow. So who says the Bible does not talk about contemporary issues? It is inevitable that taxes will be a part of life in any civilized society. There are just roles of government that rightly require funding from the citizens who jointly benefit. But, we know it has also always been true that too often the taxation that happens is not in actuality for the benefit of the citizens, rather, it is to enrich those in power who can create and enforce such laws.

Problem #2 – Wealth creates more problems and complications than the blessings it bestows …

10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.

11 As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owners     except to feast their eyes on them?

12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.

Though it is generally perceived that money is the answer to address life’s problems, in actuality the acquisition of material resources can mark the beginning of newer and bigger problems.

First, loving money only leads to desiring more money. It never really satisfies. The most famous of the Rockefeller clan was asked at what amount did earning money finally satisfy. And his answer was, “After one more dollar.”

Secondly, having a lot of money and riches creates the problem of securing that wealth from those who might steal it. It becomes a consuming concern that never goes away. I was much struck by this during my several years of living amongst and working around the wealthiest people in Texas. Securing their wealth was a never-ending difficulty that involved every waking moment.

Problem #3 – Wealth can be lost in some misfortune.

13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners, 14 or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when they have children there is nothing left for them to inherit.

Some unforeseen circumstance such as a severe natural disaster has caused more than one person in life to lose all of a substantial fortune achieved over a lifetime of labor and careful acquisition. Whereas both the passing generation and the rising generation had expectations of passing along that wealth for the benefit of family, now it is lost. This is worse than having never possessed it in the first place.

Problem #4 – You’re going to die and you can’t take your wealth with you.

15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands.

16 This too is a grievous evil: As everyone comes, so they depart, and what do they gain, since they toil for the wind? 17 All their days they eat in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.

When a person dies, the question is sometimes asked, “What did he leave behind?”  And an answer to that which actually fits every person is “everything.”  Everyone leaves everything behind. This raises the question as to what good it is in the first place, since it does not survive the current world.

So in it all, watch out for what you desire and covet. When you get it, it may not satisfy as much as you expect. This world is filled with people – many of them famous and known worldwide – who have everything in life that they could ever desire, other than a relationship with God and contentment and joy through knowing Christ.

Today’s passage is not the first or last that we will encounter in Ecclesiastes that is difficult to interpret and understand. It includes the oft-quoted one-liner, “God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”  After having read my collection of commentators on this passage, fewer words from them might have been helpful as well!

If I were to give a title to these verses that emphasizes the big idea to be applied, it would be “Keep It Real!”  The writer essentially condemns two practices being made by people of his era who were not fully genuine in their relationship with God: uttering foolish prayers and making stupid promises without any desire of keeping them.

Something I have observed throughout my life of attending church on a regular basis is to have seen people who do the same out of some sense of obligation that is rather thoughtless. It is as if they have some general sense that a weekly religious duty is a correct thing to do, though they are obviously not actually that interested in the content or in the mission of the church. Their participation is almost superstitious and is essentially just going through the motions. Or perhaps they believe that simply being there and singing a few songs and repeating a few prayers gets them a minimal number of credits with God to make life workable. It is kind of like an insurance policy.

Jesus was critical of making what he called “vain repetitions” in prayer. God is not merely interested in our attendance pattern or obligatory gifts and promises, he is interested in the genuine condition of our heart and relationship with him.

Our faith is not a weekly thing of rituals that are done to appease God so that he won’t whack us at other times, He being then also obligated to at least minimally bless us. It is not a daily thing where we make a few prayers of oft-repeated and essentially mindless words in order to appear to both God and ourselves that we are connected to the divine. Rather, the life of faith is a continuous relationship of taking God with us throughout all of life, moment by moment. We should think of our prayer life as a continuous conversation with a continually present, nearby friend. Our actions and deeds, as well as the use of our resources, should be incessantly cognizant of Kingdom values and the larger picture of ourselves as servants of the Lord in all we say and do.

Solomon is saying that the person who is not entirely genuine in the things he prays and promises is a person who is chasing after the wind. It is futility. It risks the loss of meaning in life, God’s judgment, and the loss of the benefit or our labors. Life therefore is merely going through motions, possessing but the briefest benefit of that one key word in Ecclesiastes – be it “vanity” or “futility” or “meaningless” – the mere results of breath upon a glass.

So, having called the writer the “Mayor of Realville,” here we have his encouragement to “keep it real” in relationship with God.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 – Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

2 Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.

3 A dream comes when there are many cares, and many words mark the speech of a fool.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.

Try to follow this story.

Jerry was nice person but wasn’t a very good captain of the team. Harold didn’t like Jerry but was a better captain. William was the best player on the team but would never have been a good captain. After playing with all three of them, I would say he is the best all-around person.

So who is the best? It’s not really clear. Probably it is William, because that is the proper name closest to the pronoun “he” in the final sentence. But you can’t really say for sure.

And that is what we have in our passage today. It is confusing. Not gonna lie – I had to read it over and over and go to the commentaries to get it to make sense…

Ecclesiastes 4:13-16 – Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

OK, got it?  Here is the big idea … I think. There was an old foolish king who was replaced by a younger man who rose to the position from poverty and prison. Though the wise, youthful king was popular at first, after more time passed he was increasing disliked by many other people.

The point of the story is that prestige and advancement are like so many of the other items that Solomon has described – transitory and fleeting … a chasing after the wind. Yet it is true that many people are driven to accomplish these life measurements – to be a person of prominence who has achieved at the highest level. The presumption is that great satisfaction will come with such successes.

Prestige is indeed a fleeting attribute. Surely you have all seen the “click bait” photos on web pages that want to entice you to look at, say, some actress from the 70s who was popular and beautiful. It will say something like, “You won’t believe what she looks like now.”  And then when you click on it, there are other then-and-now photos you have to click through to possibly see the one that drew you in. All of those clicks produce advertising revenue.

But when you look at those pictures and see and read what their lives are like 40 years later, it is a visual lesson in the transitory nature of fame.

Advancement and achievement can also have a big downside. The additional headaches and responsibilities are often a grievous weight to carry. Along with this, there is no leader of anything (including churches, I’ve discovered) who is liked by all the people. At best, when leading something of size and substance, you’re going to have at least 10-20% of people who don’t like you or for whatever reason would wish to see you fade off the scene.

So, the lesson is to be careful as to what you long for. Once you gain the advancement and chase the allurements that draw you in, you may find that it is very unfulfilling.

The pastor who is now at my previous church before I came to Tri-State Fellowship 24 years ago is a very young fellow. Actually, I think he might have observed what is his 30^th birthday just yesterday. When I am with him and am speaking at that church, I like to have some fun with him by pointing out how he is too young to understand an illustration or remember some event I’m talking about. I have regularly had the same fun with Trent and Chris. But I had it boomerang on me today!

There is a saying, “Keeping up with the Joneses.”  I’ve always wondered what it was about the Jones family that was so envious. So I looked it up to see where the idiom originated. I had no idea!  Did you know that there was a comic strip by this name that ran in newspapers from 1913 to 1940?  The Joneses were never seen in it. Rather, there was a McGinnis family that in varied ways were forever attempting to compete socially with their neighbors, the Joneses.

Though this saying is rather new “under the sun,” the concept long predates a century ago. Solomon saw it happening and writes about it in the first of three sections of our devotional study for today …

Ecclesiastes 4:4 – And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

5 Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves.

6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

Stating that ALL toil and achievement comes from envy is literary hyperbole, but we know it is not rare. For many, contentment means having more than others rather than having sufficiency. Whereas the fool is an underachiever by being lazy, there is an opposite folly in being motivated by envy and accumulating through excessive striving twice as much as is needed. He says it is better to have a sufficient handful than to have twice that amount along with the concomitant problems those efforts bring.

The writer goes on to speak more about selfish greed …

Ecclesiastes 4:7 – Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”  This too is meaningless—a miserable business!

Here is the picture of a hard-working man who is all alone and who is not content with his personal account’s bottom line. What is the purpose or enjoyment in this?  There is greater pleasure in gaining wealth with a view toward how it helps others near and far. It is a principle of life that there is always greater joy in giving than there is in gaining.

Here are some illustrations as to how life is enhanced by not living selfishly …

Ecclesiastes 4:9 – Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:

10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

The takeaway points here about how two people are better than one are: a greater return on labor, help in the time of difficulty, comfort in the time of need, and protection in the time of danger. And if two are better than one, then three is even better yet!

Though there are benefits from times of solitude and introspection, it is a timeless principle that life is better lived in serving together with others. Back to the beginning with Adam, it was seen that he was not benefitted by being alone. The body of Christ is all about the interdependent needs that each person has of others. And all of the “one anothers” of the New Testament teach us to look away from ourselves – to be dependent upon God and interdependent with others.

A mirror is helpful in the morning, but looking through clear glass at others is the way to spend the rest of the day.

As Americans, we would like to believe that it is exceedingly unlikely we could ever face oppression that is ignored by our justice system. Even though certain powerful political people in our country seem to have a Teflon nature about being charged with criminal behavior, overall, our system works generally well.

But this is not the way things are in many countries and corners of the earth. Whereas I support the concept of strong borders, the stories of many who seek to cross into Texas, Arizona, New Mexico or California are often compelling on an individual level. Injustice and oppression is absolutely out of control in their native lands. Hazarding many hundreds of miles of dangerous travel and a perilous border crossing is worth the risk, often seen as the only way to have any chance at a life that is not constantly in peril.

One of my sons just returned today (as I write this) from a worldwide trip that included multiple stops in China and the Philippines. He told stories of shock at seeing the desperate condition of impoverished children in these lands. Cry as they may, there is no person to hear them or bring any relief to their plight.

In many lands around the globe where oppression is rampant, the authorities live opulent lives. They care nothing about the condition of the masses of the people. It was the same in the world of antiquity where Solomon writes …

Ecclesiastes 4:1 – Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed—and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors—and they have no comforter.

2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.

3 But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

The situation is so bad in lands of oppression that it really could be said that to escape the conditions through death would be a positive event, or better yet to have never been born to experience it.

Upon seeing this sort of injustice, one can choose to be angry at God that he does not fix it all and demonstrate right now that he is good. Or one can choose to run to God as the only true justice that is known and promised for eternity.

Of course, God is doing the latter; he is the true and final judge where truth and righteousness will prevail. And we look forward to that greater day. And in the intervening time, as God gives us opportunity, we may be used as his instruments to bring relief and assistance to some in greatest need. Until the Lord comes again, it will never be fully eradicated. But even in coming months, we will hear of some new ways to partner with some of our minority church friends to address some issues of oppression and injustice in our own community. Let us see how God may use us in a bigger way.

During my years as a student at Dallas Theological Seminary, one of our most esteemed homiletics (the science of preaching) professors took his turn speaking in chapel. He was a rather colorful fellow, and we all wondered how he would begin his sermon in front of hundreds of students gathered there. Additionally, the entire cadre of fellow professors were daily seated upon the stage behind the featured speaker – with the terrifying appearance of a choir of theological geniuses who had memorized the entire Scriptures, probably even in the original languages as well.

He steadied himself at the podium, and in a strong voice said, “You only go around once in this life, so you have to grab for all the gusto you can get. I think that’s good theology!”

What?!?  The only sound was that of the school president’s dentures hitting the floor.

Many of you may not be old enough to recall that this “grab for gusto / once in life” statement was the main line featured in beer commercials in the 70s for Schlitz Beer. The professor went on to share passages from the book of Ecclesiastes, like this one …

Ecclesiastes 3:12 – I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

I don’t remember what he said about these verses, other than that this life is the gift of God to be enjoyed in spite of the abundant sorrows within a sin-infested world. He finished by telling us we should all take our wives out for ice cream and order TWO scoops, not just one. That stuck with everyone, and from that time forward he was referenced by all the seminary guys, not by his name, but simply as “Dr. Two Scoops.”

But Solomon no sooner gets this “live big” statement written down than he is back to the sad realities of the material world, filled with injustice and the certainty of death for every living creature, including man.

14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

17 I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.”

18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

This whole subject of death is rather … ah … morbid – yes, that’s the word for it. Dust to dust, that is rather blunt. And though the Old Testament in multiple places uses this phrase, I’ve always found it too difficult to use the standard graveside committal benediction: “For as much as it has pleased our Heavenly Father in His wise providence to take unto Himself our beloved __________, we therefore commit his body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…”  And even though this canned liturgy goes on to talk about the blessed hope of Christ, I don’t think the grieving loved ones get beyond the dust and ashes part of it very well.

Have you ever struggled with thanatophobia?  With what?  My spell check did not recognize this word either!  And though I’ve been known to make up my own compound Greek words, this one does come from the original Greek (thanatos) for “death” … or as here, the fear of death.

This is a common emotion. Death is indeed the great enemy. And from all that can be known and seen with the eyes from the material, physical world, the death of man and animals is all the same. Decomposition follows the final breath. And Solomon asks a valid question, “Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

Hey, shouldn’t the inspired Scriptures be a bit more affirmative?  But two things to remember. Again, the writer is speaking primarily from what can be observed in this world, under the sun.

And secondly, there was a very undeveloped idea in Old Testament times about the afterlife, even amongst God’s people. There was a general sense of a spirit life after the physical world, but it was not clear at all. God had not yet revealed the details that we know to be true about the payment for sin and assurance of salvation in the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus.

We can feel a bit better about Solomon’s actual, personal view when we read later in 12:6-7, “Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the wheel broken at the well, and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

But this is for sure: We can be so thankful to live in a time of God’s completed revelation. Though we note also the futility of life, we know also of the finished work of Jesus Christ to accomplish our salvation and give us a specific hope for eternal life.

Probably the most well-known passage in the book of Ecclesiastes is that which we examine today in verses 1-8 of chapter three. There are a total of 14 opposites listed here about the inevitable ups and downs of life …

Ecclesiastes 3:1 – There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2     a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3     a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,

4     a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6     a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7     a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8     a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Yes, we know that there are going to be good times and bad times in a life that is lived in a fallen world. It would be great if everything was always awesome and totally the best. But I think that place is called “heaven.”

As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned in the third stanza of his famous poem “The Rainy Day” …

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary.

I very distinctly remember the first time when it really hit me that death and separation was the fate of all. I was sitting in a chair next to my father as he was working at his desk, and the thoughts of death that flooded my mind caused to suddenly break out into tears. My father was totally confused as to what it was that triggered my emotional outburst. I told him how I was thinking about how we were all going to die sometime and then we would not be able to see each other and be together. He told me to stop thinking about that, that it was many years away. I was only slightly comforted.

OMG, this whole discussion and this list of Solomon is so depressing!  But, but, once again, the tone suddenly changes as a larger perspective is written …

Ecclesiastes 3:9 – What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

Solomon asks what man gains from toiling repetitively. By itself, the cycles of life are a burden – to just live and survive today, in order to just live and survive tomorrow.  Wash, rinse, repeat.

The word for “beautiful” means proper, or appropriate. God has ordained the order of things that cycle in life, many of them displaying the faithfulness of God, though mankind may distort and misuse His good gifts.

But here is the great line that puts all of this into perspective, though the best answers and details will come more in successive chapters of the book… that God has also set eternity in the human heart. There is something in man that causes him to have a desire for something better and more lasting than the mere cycles of life. There is a sense within man that there exists a greater purpose – something eternal, more than endless repetitions.

Solomon is shedding light upon that “Realville” feeling of disillusionment. Of frustration. All of which is to lead to a desire for something bigger, something eternal. A want – to be a part of a bigger picture. This, combined with the concept of an intuitive knowledge of God, is a desire to truly know God and be connected rightly to the eternal in a way that even impacts daily life.

This feeling is something that is universal and in the hearts of all mankind and all cultures. Even remote, tribal cultures have some sense of, and definition of, a God to be known and a desire for the eternal. Romans chapter 1 gives us information about this as well.

Disillusionment / frustration. You have to admit you are lost before you will commit to being found. You have to admit that you are sick before you’ll go to the doctor. Whatever problem we have, we need to identify it before we work to fix it.

The fact is this:  We have a macro problem. Life is short, the world is a mess. At its best, the joys it gives are temporal. Life is not rigged in a way to be fair. And that makes many people very angry with God, or even the notion of God.

Beyond that, life that is here and now – life under the sun – is rigged in such a way that it can’t be figured out … not here, not from the stuff of this world. But again, He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

This is saying that you can’t figure out the eternal stuff on your own. You can’t find satisfaction in material things. The only thing that can fix disillusionment is dependent upon revelation from the eternal realm. And that is what we have in the Scriptures. And that is why we are an academic bunch of folks here at TSF.

So let me ask you: How disillusioned are you with the cycles of this world?  I hope it is a lot!!  That is actually very healthy!

For many years I went annually to a pastor’s gathering sponsored by our denominational association that was geared specifically for churches of our size at Tri-State Fellowship. It was a wonderfully helpful gathering of about 30 pastors, many of whom have become very dear friends.

Another aspect of this annual winter gathering that I especially enjoyed is that it was most often held in very warm climates, often in either Austin, Texas or in Southern California. This was a great break from the odious winter and cold that we experience and that I detest.

But it was also a bit frustrating. Even though it was beautifully warm outside, I was stuck inside while attending meetings – longingly looking out the windows at the inviting sunshine. I would often take the time at seminar breaks to go outside for even a few minutes, and I’d always find a way to take a hike along the Pacific ocean or in the hill country of Texas. It wasn’t perfect or all that I hoped to enjoy, but I chose to enjoy as much of the nice weather as I was able to experience.

And that is how it is as we journey through life in an imperfect world. We are most often burdened with responsibilities – usually even good stuff, but not the way we would most choose to best use our time if it was possible. Our cold spring season, along with my greater busyness, has ruined my cycling interests as compared to other years. I have rather chosen this late winter/early spring to do some extensive yard work, which I enjoy and which gives plenty of exercise.  All of this is to say that we can choose to be bitter about what we are not experiencing, or rejoice in what we are able to experience.

In today’s passage we see Solomon’s first schizophrenic, Jekyll and Hyde sort of expression …

Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 – A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

After all the “Debbie Downer” negativity of the first two chapters, suddenly there is a total change of tone. We will regularly come across these “sage advice” sections from Solomon as he makes conclusions about how to live in a messed-up world.

Indeed, the world is schizoid as well. While driving south on Interstate 81 this past Saturday evening, the sunset over the mountains to the west was absolutely stunning. The array of varied colors and beams of light shining through the occasion clouds attested to the beauty of creation that God has given for us to enjoy. At the same time, the news on the car radio was talking about an insanely-drugged individual who unknowingly killed his infant child.

The believer has a perspective on the world that is categorically different than that of the unbeliever. The one who trusts in God has eyes to see and enjoy the gifts of God, even in a fallen world. He knows that this is temporary. The residual, natural graces of God and the blessing of His sovereign hand may be enjoyed, even while understanding that the curse of sin leads to death and destruction … with death leading to the perfect beyond.

But the unbeliever has nothing to hang onto but the material world and the pursuit of its temporal offerings. This pursuit is the ultimate “chasing after the wind” and will pass away quickly, perhaps even to the benefit of those who believe.

So, we may choose to embrace the good gifts of God as a believer should, or we may choose to act like the unbeliever and pursue the temporary and fleeting things of the temporal world. The former choice, while imperfect, is very good. The latter choice is frankly rather stupid.