Grosey's Messages

Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16   Cruel Corruption and Comforting Companions

Solomon declared that God has a wonderful plan for each life. There is a time for everything: "a time to be born, a time to die; a time to weep, a time to laugh." Through that list of opposites he declared that God has a perfect plan that includes what we need, the painful as well as the pleasant. If we accept those as God's choices for us, coming from his loving heart -- not out of anger, not out of desire to punish, but out of love -- we will discover some wonderful things. First, we will be enabled to enjoy all of life, even the painful circumstances. Secondly, we will learn to know God. Jesus said, "This is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." We will satisfy the sense of eternity which God has put in each heart. That will happen when our attitude toward life changes because of our relationship with God. Then there follows immediately some frequently voiced objections that appear to contradict this idea that God has a wonderful plan for each life.  

God has a wonderful plan for your life but you still live in a fallen, sinful world.

1. The Challenges Of Cruelty

A. The Stress Of Cruel Corruption

16 Moreover I saw under the sun:  In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there. 

The problem here is that even "the place of justice" is unjust. The very place where we most expect and most need to receive justice turns out to be a place of unfairness. Even the court system is corrupt. This is not merely a frustration, like some of the other problems we read about in Ecclesiastes, but a manifestation of genuine evil. Innocent people are convicted for crimes they never committed. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or maybe the wrong colour in the wrong neighbourhood. Just as fre­quently, other people get away with murder. They have the money to hire better lawyers, or else they hide behind the structure of a large corporation to take advantage of people who are less fortunate.

Even worse, there is nothing that can be done about this. The Preacher's frustration is not simply that injustice is done, but that it goes unpunished. According to Martin Luther, he is "not complaining because there is wick­edness in the place of justice but because the wickedness in the place of justice cannot be corrected."3 When the halls of justice become corridors of corruption, where can righteousness be found?

Yes, there is always corruption in high places.  If you had any contact with those involved in the ICAC (The Independent Commission Against Corruption) set up to examine corruption in our society generally, and specifically in court houses and among police, you would be aware of how disconcerting it is to know that so many of those on whom we depended legally were corrupt. Solomon writes to our day, doesn't he?

17 I said in my heart,  "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."

Our confidence does not lie in a justice system but in the Chief Justice himself, Jesus Christ. God has promised a day when his Son will judge the righteous and the wicked (Acts 17:30–31). The time for his work of divine retribution is the Day of Judgment, when he will render his final verdict on all mankind.

That is comforting. We must remember that the final recompense lies yet ahead; God has appointed a time when he will bring to light all the hidden things and straighten them out.

"I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts" (Ecclesiastes 3:18).

Ecclesiastes says is also true: men are beasts. In saying this, the Preacher is not commenting on our biology but our des­tiny. He is making a specific comparison, as he goes on to explain: "For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return" (Ecclesiastes 3:19–20).

This is one of the Bible's strongest statements of the inevitability of death. The Preacher's point is that people die, just like the animals. For all the differences between us, we do share this one thing in common: whether man or beast, we will all meet the same fate, at least with regard to our physical bodies.

Death is the great equalizer. By using this language, the Preacher is remind­ing us of God's curse against Adam's sin: dust we are, and to the dust we shall return (Genesis 3:19; cf. Psalm 90:3; 104:29). "Ashes, ashes, dust to dust." To this extent, we are no better than animals. In the words of the Psalmist, "Man in his pomp will not remain; he is like the beasts that perish" (Psalm 49:12).

What is your response to the certainty of your own mortality? Woody Allen said, "I'm not afraid to die; I just don't want to be there when it happens!"

"Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?" (Ecclesiastes 3:21).

He decides to throw himself back into his work: "So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?" (Ecclesiastes 3:22). If we are facing an uncertain future, perhaps the best thing that we can do right now is to be productive.  One of the early church fathers said, "Ecclesiastes, instruct­ing us through enigmas, guides us to the other life."

B. The Stress Of Cruel Companies

4:1 Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun:  And look! The tears of the oppressed, But they have no comforter--On the side of their oppressors there is power, But they have no comforter. 2 Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead, More than the living who are still alive. 3 Yet, better than both is he who has never existed, Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.    Oppression almost invariably preys on the helpless, the weak and the infirm, the people who cannot defend themselves.

C. The Stress Of Cruel Competition

Notice how Solomon records the anguish, the misery that it causes. He speaks of "the tears of the oppressed," the weeping, the sorrow and the brokenness which the oppressed feel over something they can do nothing about. Then he twice categorizes the awful sense of helplessness that is evoked by oppression. There is "no one to comfort" the oppressed of a world filled with this kind of thing. The hopeless and the helpless ask, "Who can we turn to? Where can we go for deliverance?" They feel that death would be preferable to what they are going through; they even come to the point where they wish they had never been born.

4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.  5 The fool folds his hands And consumes his own flesh. 6 Better a handful with quietness Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

Sadly, those who make the greatest failures are those who are most driven for success.  And they have defined success materially. Success in a career and the material things in life can never satisfy the deep, soul-level needs of a person made in God's image  True success doesn't come from working harder and climbing higher .  I think of a few people I know who have been bank managers. One was a wheeler and dealer.  But he didn't achieve the success materially he sought after, so he broke down. He was continually grasping for money, and found himself near bankruptcy.  He felt himself a miserable failure. Another decided that financial success wasn't attainable.  So he turned to the bottle. The fool folds his hands, and eats his own flesh. {Eccl 4:5 RSV}  Both lost out badly with family and friends. Both were envious.  They were grasping for esteem through attainments and accumulations.  7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:  8 There is one alone, without companion: He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors, Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, "For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?" This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.

Another decided he wasn't going to be bothered by the competitive spirit.  So he lived for himself selfishly.  Have you ever seen envy deteriorate into reclusiveness.  Recluses are the most selfish people on earth.  They live only for themselves. They seem to miss the strife of envy by their reclusiveness, but they don't.

D. The Stress Of Cruel Criticism

13 Better a poor and wise youth Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more. 14 For he comes out of prison to be king, Although he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun; They were with the second youth who stands in his place. 16 There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king; Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Solomon draws our attention to one more scene in verses 13 to 16. It goes like this: there's a youth who started in prison. When he was released, he became king, and everyone cheered for the underdog.  But what happens when someone has been king for a while?  Everyone tires of them, and they're glad to be rid of him.  Rulers come with a wave of popular enthusiasm, but as the reign wears on, those who come later will become disillusioned and want him gone. As Bill Shorten  could tell you, the people that cheered you yesterday are the same ones who want you hanged today. Popularity is fickle. Yesterday's hero is today's zero.

Persecution is like the goldsmith's hallmark on real silver and gold; it is one of the marks of a converted man.

J. C. Ryle

 

2. The Comfort of Companionship

Select Earthly Companions

We have all heard the statement, "You can count the number of your true friends on one hand." As discouraging as this may be, there is truth and logic to this statement.  Relationships: we all have them. Bottom-line - relationships can make you or they can break you. Solomon says point-blank - How you handle your relationships will determine the kind of person you become and the direction your life takes. That's a pretty serious statement with a multitude of wisdom to back it up. How many times have you heard someone say, "Well, he/she just fell into the wrong crowd"? Peer pressure can be dangerous and it can be deadly. According to Solomon, along life's way, we are going to encounter people from every walk and sort. Some will become friends, others will become foes, and still others will prove themselves as fools. I believe the relationships that we will spend more time on in our lives and that are the most crucial of all, are the relationships with our family and friends. It is important that we learn how valuable and how rare true friendship really is. Quite frankly, none of us makes very many true friends, and no one has as many friends as they think they do. Solomon warns us in Proverbs 18:24, "A man of many friends comes to ruin." Choosing your friends can be one of the most important decisions you will ever make. When you meet someone, before you say, "I want this person as my friend", size them up. Solomon goes on to say in Proverbs 12:26, "the righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray."

What is your gift? What is your role? The Body of Christ is only as strong as the participation of all its members! Unity is of the essence of the Body of Christ.  R. B. Kuiper

What can lead to unity? Service. Take the church at Corinth for example. The apostle Paul wrote stern rebukes to the church about their lack of unity. Men like Paul and Apollos came among them as servants (1 Corinthians 3:5) to build up a church characterized by unity. But the immature Corinthian believers ignored the model of servant leadership and created cliques in the church based on "envy, strife, and divisions." The other model of service they could have followed was that of Christ who came into the world to serve, not to be served (Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:7). Servants look first to the interests of others rather than their own interests (Philippians 2:4), and unity results. Unity comes when individual Christians submit their will and agenda to the Lordship of Jesus Christ—it's the best way to begin every day.  In necessary things, unity; in doubtful things, liberty; in all things, charity.  Richard Baxter

Stabilizing One Another 9,10

Again, verse 10 says : "For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is a lone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!" This is prophetic terminology. Solomon uses this prophetic terminology to emphasize the importance of spiritual partnership during time of failure. Verse 10 says, "But woe to him who is a tone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!" Solomon says you are doomed if you are alone when you fall and have no one to pick you up. This statement reveals why some fallen people never make it up again: they are alone when they fall. CHARLES SWINDOLL said it well:" Friend ships must be cultivated. They don 't automatically occur when calamity strikes. And I have never heard of a rent-a-friend business either."  You cannot be determined to walk alone and expect everyone to be running toward you when you fall. Cultivate friendships now, while you are still on your feet.

Supporting One Another

11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone?

The assumption of the text is that a meaning full life is hard work. But the affirmation of the text is that you can accomplish more when you work together with others. The late novelists, ALEX HALEY, had a picture in his office of a turtle sitting on a fence. When someone would ask him about it, he would explain that if you ever see a turtle sitting on a fence, you know it had some help getting up there.

And when he would begin to think about how marvelous he was, he would look at this picture and remind himself how he got to where he was. And when you see someone who has accomplished something significant in life, know that they did not get there by themselves. They had some help. And Solomon declares that two are better than one when you go to work.

It's called synergy: the strength of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The apostle Paul didn't know American history, of course, but he recognized the synergy of the human body—individual organs and parts of the body working together to accomplish human goals no individual part could accomplish by itself. And he applied that lesson to the Church, the Body of Christ. Each Christian is given gifts by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:11) in order to build up the Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).

Paul Simon gave a song in 1969 in the time of the Vietnam War when everything was disturbing and distressing. "When you're down and out, when you're on the street, When evening falls so hard, I will comfort you, I'll take your part. Oh when darkness comes and pain is all around, Like a bridge over troubled waters, I will lay me down."  He didn't say, notice, when things are tough I'll give you four quick points for getting life on the road again.  He said, I'll comfort you, I'll lay Me down. I'll be your bridge. He's talking about self sacrificial loving friendship that supports one another. In times of stress, find an eternal companion, find your earthly companions. Remember to be there for them to. That's mutual friendship and support.

Strengthening One Another

12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

The best definition I have ever heard that describes a true friend is this: "A friend is someone who will walk into your house when the whole world has just walked out."

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly … admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16

John D'Esterre perished in an 1815 duel, leaving behind a young widow, Jane, and two children. Jane fled her husband's creditors and grew discouraged. One day she sat by a river, contemplating suicide. On the other bank, a ploughman started his day's work. As he labored behind the animals, he began whistling Christian hymns. This young man was well known in the area of his hymn-whistling, and as Jane listened, her heart was moved. She decided to attend a church service, where she found Christ as her Savior. She went on to marry John Guinness, and later her son, Harry Grattan Guinness, helped trigger the Irish Revival of 1859, which brought 100,000 people to Christ. The influence of the hymn-whistler is still touching the world today through one of Jane's descendants, Dr. Os Guinness.

When from a joyful heart we sing or play or send forth the music of the Lord, we never know who is listening—even if we do nothing more than whistle our faith.

We are only told the names of a few dozen people associated with the apostle Paul as mentioned in his letters. Yet there must have been hundreds of people with whom he developed relationships—people with whom he shared a reciprocal ministry. These people not only ministered to Paul, but he ministered to them as well. And yet we will only learn their names and stories in heaven.

One such person who meant a great deal to Paul was Epaphroditus, a member of the church at Philippi. Paul mentions him twice by name (Philippians 2:25; 4:18), conveying his heartfelt appreciation and concern for this one he referred to as "my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier." Remember—Paul was in prison when he wrote to the Philippians, yet his main concern was that the Church know what a blessing Epaphroditus had been to him. Indeed, Epaphroditus had almost died while delivering a material gift to Paul. Ignoring his own suffering, Paul demonstrated his concern for his friend.

Our true heart is revealed when we put concern for others ahead of ourselves (Philippians 2:4).

The highest honour in the Church is not government but service.   John Calvin

Sharpened by One Another

And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.   There is the necessity of helping the other stand up to the stress, that we all might hold together. Prov 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. 

Stimulating One Another

Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Heb 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Jesus Christ, the "friend of . . . sinners" (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34) Jesus said that we are not simply his servants but truly his friends.  Jesus is the friend we need most of all. Have you become his friend by putting your trust in him? Two really are better than one when one of the two is the Best One of all.