Sunday School 4-23-06 Ecclesiastes 1(1-9), John 20(19-23)
Solomon (from
Easton’s Bible
Dicitonary)
peaceful, (Heb.
Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e.,
the first after their legal marriage (2 Samuel
12). He was
probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chronicles
22:5;
29:1). He succeeded
his father on the throne in early manhood, probably about sixteen or eighteen
years of age. Nathan, to whom his education was intrusted,
called him Jedidiah, i.e., "beloved of the Lord" (2 Samuel
12:24,25).
He was the first king of Israel "born in the purple." His father chose him as
his successor, passing over the claims of his elder sons: "Assuredly Solomon
my son shall reign after me." His history is
recorded in 1Kings 1-11 and 2Chr. 1-9. His elevation to the throne took place
before his father's death, and was hastened on mainly by Nathan and Bathsheba,
in consequence of the rebellion of Adonijah (1 Kings
1:5-40). During his
long reign of forty years the Hebrew monarchy gained its highest
splendour. This period has well been called the
"Augustan age" of the Jewish annals. The first half of his reign was, however,
by far the brighter and more prosperous; the latter half was clouded by the
idolatries into which he fell, mainly from his heathen intermarriages (1 Kings
11:1-8;
14:21,31).
Ecclesiastes (from Smith’s Bible Dictionary)
(the preacher ). The title of this book is in Hebrew Koheleth , signifying one who speaks publicly in an assembly. Koheleth is the name by which Solomon, probably the author, speaks of himself throughout the book. The book is that which it professes to be, --the confession of a man of wide experience looking back upon his past life and looking out upon the disorders and calamities which surround him. The writer is a man who has sinned in giving way to selfishness and sensuality, who has paid the penalty of that sin in satiety and weariness of life, but who has through all this been under the discipline of a divine education, and has learned from it the lesson which God meant to teach him.
Ecclesiastes 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
The Preacher
The word translated as preacher means one who speaks publicly. I think we can safely understand Solomon as the author of this book as he identifies himself as the son of David, king in Jerusalem. That description fits only Solomon. The Book of Ecclesiastes is written by a man who knows the hardships of life. Although Solomon was king and the richest man of his day; he still understood trials and tribulations. He is the perfect example of how even the smartest and wisest among us can bring problems upon himself by not being obedient to God. Let me show you what I’m talking about. “Deuteronomy 17:14 When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; 17:15 Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. 17:16 But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way. 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
17:19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them 17:20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel” This was written by Moses and prophesies that when they conquer Canaan they will have a king. Moses gives stern warnings to that king and admonishes him to write a copy of the book. These warnings are to be paid attention to. Sadly, Solomon chose to ignore them. Look at what the Bible says Solomon done after becoming king. 2nd Chronicles 9:28: “And they brought unto Solomon horses out of Egypt, and out of all lands.” Verse 16 above warns the king to come not to return to Egypt to multiply horse. Solomon didn’t listen. Verse 17 predicts if the king takes multiple wives they will turn his heart away from God. The fulfillment is revealed in 1st Kings 11:13-14 “Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen. 11:14 And the LORD stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom.” Let me show you one more thing about Solomon. 1st Kings 4:29-31 “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. 4:30 And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 4:31 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.” Now Solomon was the wisest man of his day and yet he fell prey to idolatry because of his many heathen wives. If apostasy can happen to Solomon due to his neglect of the Word of God; do you think you can get away with it? We must trust God and lean not unto our own understanding. If the Word of God says something is wrong; it is wrong, no matter what you, I, or the majority of this world think about it. If we pay attention to the Word we will prosper because of it.
1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 1:3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
Vanity
The word translated “vanity” means emptiness or worthlessness. We must understand the context of what Solomon is speaking about. What he is referring to is revealed in verse 2 by the phrase “under the sun.” The phrase refers to carnal or earthly things. Godly things are not vanity, but earthly things are certainly vanity. Solomon is referring to the life led by the man in rebellion or just not seeking God. I referred above to the paradox of Solomon. He was the wisest man of his time, but he played the fool in his life. I imagine Solomon looking around at his existence in the midst of what every man thinks he needs to be happy. He had wealth, power, women, prestige, honor; what else can there be? The answer is satisfaction at being in the will of God. Solomon had achieved everything, but there was emptiness to his life. He was not fulfilled because he had turned from God. Oh, how we need to comprehend this lesson. There is a hole in the soul of man which only God can fill. Drugs, power, immorality, pleasure, and money can never plug that hole. They can cause us to think we are happy, but that satisfaction is fleeting. Man must seek God to be fulfilled in this life!
1:4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. 1:5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. 1:6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. 1:7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
Natural World
Solomon makes two points that we need to comprehend in these verses. First of all, man is temporary. Notice the words “one generation passeth away, and another generation cometh.” We overestimate our importance. If the Lord tarries all of us will pass from this existence. It is not our job to keep from dying; it is our job to be ready to die. Someone will eventually take our place; they probably will succeed so that the world will not miss a beat. Often we think the world cannot go on without us, but somehow it will. We need to be ready to step aside and have someone trained to fill our shoes when we do. Secondly, nature operates according to Divine laws set up by God from which it does not deviate. God has determined that the sun will light the day and then night comes so mankind can rest. This happens every day. Day after day, night after night, the world spins just right so that we have day and night, just like God planned. Some say this is just natural, but I say it is natural because God initiated it and mandates it. The wind also goes about according to God’s plan. It does not come from the same direction always, but follows a Divine pattern which man only partially understands. Solomon also explains the process of evaporation. He said the rivers all run to the sea, yet the sea is not full. Think of the circle God created. Rain comes from heaven, runs into the streams which run into the ocean, and evaporates back into heavens; then the process begins all over again. Actually it’s kind of monotonous, but it’s an essential process and it is God instituted. This pattern of existence allows farmers to know where and when to plant their crops. By these natural laws sailors can navigate the seas and predict currents and dangerous weather patterns. The mind of God is beyond our understanding. It seems the only time we have problems with these processes is when man tries to play God and interfere with the natural order. We should let God take care of God’s business. He is qualified for the job!
1:8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
Never satisfied
The word translated “things” literally means speech or words. The word translated “labour” means wearisome or tired. So this first phrase literally means Solomon is weary of trying to come up with words to explain the existence God has placed man in. Solomon, is all his wisdom, cannot put the words together to explain God’s greatness and knowledge. Solomon says it cannot be uttered, or put it into words. Notice the next part of this verse. Man’s eyes are not satisfied with seeing nor his ears with hearing. This is referring to man’s constant desire to see or know something new. Man has spent billions of dollars in space exploration and for what? We are still here and the planets we know about will not allow us to go there. I don’t mean to sound like someone who hates knowledge; I am not that person, but think how this world might have been changed if we had used those funds to help the unfortunate in our world. When a dog howls at the moon, he just howls; when man looks up to the moon, he thinks he must figure our how far it is and what it is made of! People spend their lives seeking one more adventure or trying to hear one more odd sound. We are never satisfied. In the end it all turns out to be vanity. It causes interest for a short time, then we are bored again, off seeking some new adventure.
1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
Nothing new
Some people use this verse to challenge the validity of Ecclesiastes, but when you think about it, this verse is exactly right. There is really no “new” thing. What about cars? They are just a quicker way for man to travel which he has been doing forever. The Book of Genesis tells us about Jacob traveling with his family in wagons to Egypt. 200 years ago people traveled across this great nation in buggies and wagons. It was different, but not really. What about the telephone? Talking is not new; this just made talking more easy and abundant. How about the atom bomb? Atoms have been here since the inception of the world; man just found out to explode them. Nothing about man is new. Scientists say we are more knowledgeable and evolved than those folks of Biblical times, but are we really? Murder, lust, adultery, greed, pride, sacrifice, righteousness, truth, friendship, relationships; none of that is new. People still kill each other and they do it for the same reasons people did it in the very first Book of the Bible! People still cheat and claw at each other and for the exact same reasons. Evil and good still exist and struggle for the heart of man. Nothing really has changed; we have just invented gadgets to allow us to do things easier and faster. I don’t think these gadgets have necessarily helped us. Our health seems to be no better than it was. We have invented machines to do our work, but now we have more stress which is probably harder on us than the work our ancestors did. I feel man will never change until we are changed by our Father in heaven so that we can live eternally with Him.
John 20:19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
The doors being shut
The doors were not just shut, but they were shut “for fear of the Jews.” In other words, the disciples were hiding in fear of reprisal from the hands of the Romans or the forces of the High Priest. Jesus came into the house, not by the door, but through the door. He is revealing to them they need not fear. He knows where they are at all times and no obstacle can keep Him from them. The church in America today seems to be following this apostolic pattern. We are locked up in our church buildings, hiding from the influence and pressure of the world. This is not where God wants us. We are commanded to “occupy till I come.” We should be a force in society. We should vote; we should nominate and support our candidates. We should encourage our children to become teachers, lawyers, doctors, and judges. We should support business run by Christians and operating in a Christian-like manner. We should support Christian entertainment. There’s nothing wrong with buying a country or rock and roll CD to listen to, but do we own any created and sold by Christian groups. We need to support our artists. We need not shrink in fear from the world; we need to overcome the world by the power of Jesus Christ. The world has convinced us that the so-called separation of church and state prevents us from any say in society. This is a lie. The constitution says nothing about a separation of church and state. Here is what the 1st amendment of the Constitution really says: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” That doesn’t mean we are to stay out of the business of government it means they are to stay out of our business! It means Congress has no right to pass a law saying we are to be of one denomination. This is what happened in England with the Church of England being the only recognized church. The founders wanted every person to be able to worship as he sees fit. It does not mean God cannot be mentioned or referred to in public places. We have numerous examples of buildings and government resources being influenced by religion. We have the right and we need to express our opinion; the forces of evil are not shy about expressing theirs.
20:20 And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Peace be unto you
This is not a good wish like we mean when we say “have a good day.” He is actually imparting peace into their lives. He has done the same for us. His peace is available to us. Satan cannot take it away. Circumstances cannot dampen it. It will operate in our lives; as long as we let it! I often think of the words of the McKamey’s song: sometimes He calms the storms, sometimes He calms me. Either way peace is available to me from the wonderful heart of my Saviour!
20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
The indwelling of the Holy Ghost
This is not the same things as happened on the day of Pentecost. At Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. It was within them and was a permanent gift from the Father. In this instance the Holy Spirit is applied upon these men, temporarily, in order to allow them to operate until the permanent manifestation would come. The same thing happened on occasion in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit came upon certain men at certain times to allow them to fulfill the will of God. David is an example of what I am referring to. (1st Samuel 16:13) Jesus appeared to the Apostles and others for 40 days after the resurrection; then waited 10 more days before the indwelling came. He was not with them every minute, but only at chosen times. These men, as leaders of the flock of God, needed guidance before that day arrived.
20:23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
What does this mean?
No where did God direct men to ask other men for forgiveness of sin. The Catholic church has misunderstood this section of scripture to allow their priests to hold the right to absolve men of sin. Through this concept they have held great power of their parishioners throughout history. The power to refuse to absolve men of sin is a great tool to be held over the head of a believer. It would cause him to obey any directive given. Never do we see in the Bible any man or woman coming to an Apostle to confess sin, nor does the Bible ever refer to an apostle granting absolution to a parishioner. Sin is a problem that only God can solve. We are to repent to God for He only has the power to forgive sin. What does this mean scripture mean then? Think about how sin is forgiven. The answer is through the blood of Christ. The old hymn is correct when it says; “What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus.” How do men know about the blood of Christ that forgives sin. By the preaching of the Word! These men were being given the “keys to the kingdom” which Christ earlier mentioned being given to Peter which really is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was Peter who opened the door to the Jew for forgiveness of sin by preaching the Word on Pentecost. This same Peter opened the door of forgiveness to the Gentile at Cornelius’ house in Acts, Chapter 10. Preachers today open the door to forgiveness every time we preach the gospel today. Those who hear and repent; their sins are remitted. Those who do not hear; their sins are retained. If no gospel is being preached, then no sins can be remitted. Always remember one thing when interpreting Scripture. One area of scripture will not deny another area of Scripture. Romans Chapter 10 says “whosoever calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Not those who call to me, but those who call to Him! Let me give you a concrete example of what I am saying. There was a man named Simon who tried to buy the ability to transmit the Holy Spirit to others from Peter and John. Look at the apostle’s reply: Acts 8:22 “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” Who did the apostle tell him to pray to for forgiveness; that’s right, God. They did not say confess to me, say 10 hail Marys, and then you’ll be okay. They didn’t even guarantee him forgiveness. They said “perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” Forgiveness is God’s business. We must allow Him to conduct it. They knew he must seek the face of God to be forgiven.
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