Grosey's Messages

Ecclesiastes  Finding The Hole In The Heart

Koheleth the Preacher, and Ecclesiastes

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city,  And contentions are like the bars of a citadel. 

Blaise Pascal "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every [person] which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ."

^1:2Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

"I can't get no satisfaction though I try and I try and I try"

"I became very famous, even greater than anyone who had lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom helped me in all this.  Anything I saw and wanted, I got for myself; I did not miss any pleasure I desired. I was pleased with everything I did, and this pleasure was the reward for all my hard work." Eccl. 2:9,10

"But then I looked at what I had done, and I thought about all the hard work. Suddenly I realized it was useless, like chasing the wind. There is nothing to gain from anything we do here on earth." Eccl. 2:11  "Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!" Eccl. 5:10

Sharing Jesus Without Fear

Everybody without Christ has a sense of emptiness and purposelessness.

Finding the person's hole in the heart can give you a good opportunity tactfully, carefully, lovingly under the guidance of God to share the gospel with someone.

The power of a personal testimony.

Solomon Was A Princely Soul

A Perverted Soul

A Purposeless Soul

A Penitent Soul

A Preaching Soul

Evangelistic themes: ^1:2Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

^{Romans 8:19-23} For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." John 6:51

^{John 10:10} The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Bible Study Discussion Guide

"Under the sun" refers to our physical, earthly life, which is characterized by pointless and grievous labor (Ecclesiastes 1:3, 14; 2:11, 17–22; 8:17), endless cycles (1:9), injustice and wickedness (3:16; 4:1, 3, 7, 15; 5:12; 6:1; 8:9; 9:3), worldly pleasure and chance (9:6, 9), and a short lifespan (5:17; 6:12; 8:15). Life "under the sun" is the human experience considered apart from God.

Reflect for a moment on the popular music, movies, or television programs in today's media. Can you think of examples of the attitudes of meaninglessness and frustration with the pointlessness of life?

Think about your own "humdrum," day-to-day pattern of life. Does this cycle ever make you wonder if there's more to life? Have you ever lost sight of God's plan and purpose in the midst of the mundane? If so, briefly describe that experience.

What things in today's world do people use to fill up their hunger for meaning and purpose? What are the results of these attempts?

Have you ever gone through a "dry spell" in your walk with the Lord? What did you do to fill the void?

How can you use this material to share the gospel with your next door neighbor? Describe their hole in the heart?

Law And Grace reading

¹ And God spoke all these words, saying,

² "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

³ "You shall have no other gods before me.

• The Person  Who Confronts our Narcissism.

His Personal Character

His Powerful Conquest

• The Precepts Which Control Our Values
• The Prohibitions  Which Are A

Resume of Morality .. it reflects the nature of God's own being and holiness.

Restraint on Evil  (through Conscience and Natural Law)

Revealer of Sin

Regulator of Christian Behaviour

Road-map to Happiness 

94. Q. WHAT DOES THE LORD REQUIRE IN THE FIRST COMMANDMENT?

A. That for the sake of my very salvation I avoid and flee all idolatry, witchcraft, superstition, and prayer to saints or to other creatures. Further, that I rightly come to know the only true God, trust in him alone,  submit to him with all humility and patience, expect all good from him only, and love, fear, and honour him with all my heart. In short, that I forsake all creatures rather than do the least thing against his will.

95. Q. WHAT IS IDOLATRY?

A. Idolatry is having or inventing something in which to put our trust instead of, or in addition to, the only true God who has revealed himself in his Word.

It is these commandments that Solomon rediscovered as a means for human happiness here in this world:

Eccles 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.   

And for the next:  Eccles 12: 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

1 Kings 11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.3 He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done.7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem.8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

Ecclesiastes 2   The Chimera and the Hebel

Hebel   - "Meaning (NIV)", Vanity (ESV, NKJV, KJV, NASB)

Chimera  -  Mirage

In 1:14–15 hebel describes things people lack the ability to change or control. Ecclesiastes 2:1 describes the pursuit of pleasure as hebel, while 2:11 describes major human accomplishments (building projects, the accumulation of wealth, pleasure, etc.) in the same way, probably because these endeavors do not bring the satisfaction that those who pursue them desire. In 2:15 Qoheleth acknowledges that wisdom provides significant advantages over folly but concludes that it is hebel because it cannot deliver a person from death. It is hebel when a person works hard and accumulates much but is unable to enjoy the benefits of labor (2:18–21, 26; 6:1–2). Work motivated by envy or obsession with work and the accumulation of wealth to the neglect of relationships and pleasure (4:7–8) are hebel, as are the changing fortunes of politics (4:13–16). Talk not backed up by deeds, dreams not matched by diligence (6:9, 11), and the laughter of fools (7:6) are hebel because they lack substance and do not accomplish any useful outcome. Anomalies, such as righteous people experiencing what wicked people deserve and vice versa (3:16–19; 8:14), are examples of hebel. Finally, youth and the dawn of life are hebel, presumably because they last such a short time (11:10).  It is unlikely that the semantic range of hebel can be captured by a single English word. Ogden concludes, "Qoheleth does not mean to claim that life is empty, vain, and meaningless. . . . Life is replete with situations to which even the sage, the philosopher theologian, has no answer. It is the word hebel that Qoheleth applies to describe these situations."^a  Provan adds that hebel refers "to the fragile, fleeting nature of existence," stressing "the ephemerality of existence or its elusiveness and resistance to intellectual and physical control."^b This understanding of hebel is also consistent with the phrase "chasing after the wind," with which it is often paired.^c That metaphor describes attempting to accomplish something impossible—catching or controlling the wind. Both phrases emphasize that life is filled with situations beyond our ability to fully understand or control and that people cannot discover that which gives meaning to life.

So hebel, Vanity, Meaninglessness, doesn't just mean meaninglessness. It means like a vapour, a mist in a desert, not really there, not really having substance, not really being fulfilling. Not lasting. Not of the nature of the eternal.

It reminds us of the Lord Jesus' words: What will it profit a man to gain the whole world, and yet forfeit his soul! (Mark 8:36).

The Chimeras of

• Laughter                   (Eccles. 2:1-3)

Ecclesiastes 2:10: I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. (NIV)

Solomon has no problem accessing sources of pleasure. He has a never-ending supply of wine, women, and wealth. In his time, he was the wealthiest man alive. He had a thousand women in his harem. He had access to the best the world of his day had to offer. Ecclesiastes 2:1-3:

Enjoyments-Laughter! 1 I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure"; but surely, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter--"Madness!"; and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?"

Solomon tried merriment. Surely there is something satisfying here. But laughter only deals with the peripheries of life. There is no solid content to it. "The laughter of fools is like the crackling of thorns under the pot," (Ecclesiastes 7:6). Laughter is only a crackling noise, that is all. It leaves one with a sense of unfulfilment. That was Solomon's experience. He is not saying that this is wrong. The Bible does not say that either. It says that laughter is empty; it does not fulfil or satisfy.

 3 I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

Solomon experimented with the things that may enhance one's satisfactions. Wine, a good meal, even foolishness, but they too were ephemeral (which means they floated away like the wind).

I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. "Laughter," I said, "is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?" I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives. (NIV)

And we Australians now have the money to pay for our pleasures. But at the end of all the overseas travel, experimental sex, endless drinking, gourmet food, thrill seeking adventures, and the never ending spending spree, there is no deep satisfaction. No happiness is achieved. No lasting contentment is found.

Solomon sounds just like rock star Jimmy Barnes. In his book, 'Working Class Man', he says this: "Even before I joined the band I was never short of someone to sleep with, but after joining, things got crazier and crazier. Just like the drugs and booze, the more I had, the more I wanted. I'm not going to sit here and brag about this. I'm not proud of all I've done. This behavior has been nothing but destructive in my life. It started out as something that filled a gap, something that made me feel good about myself, but after a short time all these encounters added to my feelings of not being worthy and I began to dislike myself even more. (p. 79)

• Luxury             (Eccles. 2:4-11)

4 I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. 5 I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. 7 I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me.     

Some wealthy people gain a reputation as philanthropists because they endow beautiful public buildings, but they always manage to get their names engraved on a brass plaque somewhere in the building. All they are really doing is indulging an edifice complex! It was said of the emperor Nero that he found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble. But history tells us that he did not do that for the beautification of Rome, he did it for his own gratification and his own fame.

Solomon too gave himself to this. His own house took fourteen years to build, the temple took seven years by comparison. He built houses for his many wives whom he brought to Jerusalem, spending time, money and interest doing so. Southwest of Jerusalem, in a place seldom visited by tourists; there exist yet today vast depressions in the earth which are still called the Pools of Solomon, which he used to water the forest of trees which he planted in an effort to find satisfaction for his own heart.

David Jeremiah notes: silver was so abundant that it wasn't even counted (1 Kings 10:21). Therefore, we might safely round the $304 million up to $500 million—a half-billion dollars of annual income—without fear of overstatement. There are people in the world today whose lifetime net worth is counted in the billions (much of it in the form of paper, not hard assets as was Solomon's). But in this age of wealth, there are very few whose annual income approaches Solomon's. The writer of 1 Kings sums up by saying, "King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches" (10:23). It's easy to see why.

• Labour             (Eccles. 2:4-6, 18-24)

The issue for Ecclesiastes is this: no matter how skilled, how impressive, how efficiently you have worked, at some point you have to hand that work over to another person or generation. You will either die or retire, or your work will be outdated. It will be passed on to others, or you will pass on, and sooner or later it will come to nothing.

They worked so hard and missed out on so much. But as much as you love your children, you never know whether they will turn out to be gamblers, druggies, or drop kicks. Or will they end up marrying dropkicks who divorce your son or daughter and take half the inheritance that you have worked so hard for. And if they don't lose the lot, their grandchildren will.

A man builds an empire and his son fritters it away. In just one generation, Solomon's son Rehoboam acted so foolishly that the twelve tribes eventually become the two tribes of Israel. With it went everything that Solomon had built up—the wealth, the temple, the land, the throne—everything.

Jim Carey is the star of the movies, 'The Mask', 'Dumb and Dumber', 'Ace Venturer', 'The Truman Show', and 'Bruce Almighty', among others. His net worth is roughly $150 million. He uploaded to social media this quote: "I wish everyone could get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer."

Derek Kidner makes this observation: "What spoils the pleasures of life for us is our hunger to get out of them more than they can ever deliver. Getting eternal and ultimate meaning out of temporal and temporary pursuits is destined to fail."

• Lust                           (Eccles. 2:7,8)

The possibilities for sensual pleasure were nearly endless in Solomon's world. And who had better access to those possibilities than the king? He had a palace and all its servants at his fingertips. He had rooms full of wives and concubines. And still he found no fullness. The emptiness of it brought him to a wise realization: "Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief " (Proverbs 14:13). For many, laughter only breaks the monotony of crying, and pleasure is only an intermission to pain. Solomon was trying to be happy, but he was failing.

• Learning                   (Eccles. 2:12-17)

T. S. Eliot once dryly remarked, "All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance."4 In other words, the more we learn, the smaller we feel.

Solomon was confused. He pursued education, wisdom, and knowledge as no one before him had done. And the fuller his mastery of these fields, the emptier they seemed. "I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind," he concluded wearily. "For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge, increases sorrow" (Ecclesiastes 1:17–18).

Malcolm Muggeridge , the BBC radio commentator was one not to mince words. "Education, the great mumbo jumbo and fraud of the ages -  purports to equip us to live and is prescribed as a universal remedy for everything from juvenile delinquency to premature senility.  For the most part it serves to enlarge stupidity, inflate conceit, enhance credulity, And put those subjected to it at the mercy of brainwashers with printing presses, radio and television at their disposal." ( Jesus Rediscovered pg 11)

Power, Pleasure, Fame and Fortune….Avoid the Girls, the Glitter, the Gold

As Francis Schaeffer once wrote, "All men . . . have a deep longing for significance, a longing for meaning . . . no man, regardless of his theoretical system, is content to look at himself as a finally meaningless machine which can and will be dis­carded totally and for ever." Similarly, the infamous atheist and evolutionist Richard Dawkins has concluded that human existence is "neither good nor evil, neither kind nor cruel, but simply callous: indifferent to all suffering, lacking all purpose."

There is an Assyrian proverb which says, "Come and see! You cannot distinguish between the bones of kings and the bones of slaves." The wise and the foolish both end up reduced to white bleached bones.

For what is man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has naught. To say the things he truly feels; And not the worst of one who kneels. The record shows I took the blows-And did it my way!   What happened to this guy? He died! This is becoming the most popular song for funerals today. What dos it say? After doing things his way, he died! End of the show! So what?? It was futile anyway. Who cares that he did it his way? In the end he'll be forgot just like the rest!

Alexander found Diogenes standing alone in a field, looking intently at a large pile of bones. When Alexander asked what he was doing, Diogenes gave this reply: "I am searching for the bones of your father Philip, but I cannot seem to distin­guish them from the bones of the slaves."

"So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:17) Voltaire, when writing to a close friend, said, "I hate life, and yet I am afraid to die." Life itself was absurd "under the sun!"

On January 31, 2014 German scientists announced that after almost 26 years of research that the bones interred for centuries at Aachen Cathedral in Germany were the genuine bones of the Emperor Charlemagne. Researchers confirmed on that Wednesday evening, 1200 years to the day since Charlemagne died-that the 94 bones and bone fragments are really those of the famous Monarch. Professor Frank Ruhli said, "Thanks to the results from 1988 up until today, we can say with great likelihood that we are dealing with the skeleton of Charlemagne". Charlemagne had died in 814 A.D. at the age of 72 He had left instructions to be carried out and he was to be buried, in the Palace Chapel, on his marble throne, dressed in his Imperial purple robes, crown on his head, and scepter in his hand. That is exactly how he was buried. An Edict was in place that his tomb was not to be opened with the threat of a curse on anyone breaking the Edict. On the Day of Pentecost 1000 A.D. King Otto III broke the Edict. He had the vault opened. He took out the throne, scepter, and a few other relics the Emperor had been buried with. It was reported at the time that the Emperor was perfectly preserved. Still sitting on his throne. Scepter still in his hand. Crown still on his head. His Bible lay open on his lap. The vault was opened again in 1165 A.D. by Emperor Frederick Barborosa. He placed the remains in a sculptured marble sarcophagus; allegedly the same one Caesar Augustus had been buried in. In 1215 the tomb was opened again by Frederick II, who had the bones placed in a gold and silver casket preserved in the Chapel. These are the bones now residing at Aachen Cathedral, in Aachen, Germany, now identified as those of Charlemagne.

Charlemagne was originally Charles I, King of the Franks. (The nation of France takes it name from that kingdom). He took the throne upon the death of his father, Pepin the Short. He ruled the Franks from 768; Conquered the Lombard's in 774; and became Emperor of the Romans in 800. He united much of Western Europe during the Middle Ages, and really is responsible for Modern day Europe as we know it. He was summoned to Rome on Christmas 800 and declared the Holy Roman Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo. Charlemagne was tall and strong. He had blue eyes, curly hair, beard, and handsome features. While he often dazzled the public with the splendor of his royal robes, he generally dressed as a soldier, carrying his great sword; which was so heavy few warriors could handle it! He was so great, so rich, so brave, and so powerful that his fame spread beyond Europe, even into Asia. The Caliph of Bagdad, as a token of respect, sent ambassadors bringing wonderful presents-a monkey, an elephant, an organ, a mechanical clock, and most of all the keys to the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. When he died it was said that "No one can tell the mourning and sorrow that his death caused everywhere, even the pagans wept for him as for the father of the world!" Yes he nearly revived the Roman Empire, though it was short-lived. When his tomb was opened by Otto II in 1000 AD and he was found to be on his throne, crown on his head, scepter in his hand, sword at his side, Bible opened on his lap-what was also discovered was his finger was pointing to a Scripture verse. Mark 8:36. "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul, for what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

1 Kings 11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the people of Israel, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.3 He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.4 For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and did not wholly follow the LORD, as David his father had done.7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem.8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.

Idolatry was forbidden in the first commandment for at least three reasons

Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 "You shall have no other gods before me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,⁶ but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The Person

The Power

The Prohibitions keep us from idolatries that can control our lives and seriously harm ourselves and all those around us. We often do not see the harm they do to us: We are narcissistic by nature, self-centred, idolizing ourselves. We think we are the Masters of our fates. But that is us making gods of ourselves.  And when we do, we drift into the idolatries that harm others:

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.  These are the first people to call you back from narcissism when it manifests itself in the family unit.

13 "You shall not murder. What gets you angry enough to hurt another? When something about you is attacked! When one of your goals is thwarted. When an idol is dethroned by another!

14 "You shall not commit adultery.

15 "You shall not steal.

16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."

DJ: the accumulation of wealth doesn't produce anything that endures through time and eternity. Leaving our loved ones too much might be worse than leaving them too little.

French novelist Gaston Leroux, creator of The Phantom of the Opera, was almost destroyed in this way. When his father died suddenly, leaving him with a fortune of almost one million francs, Gaston abandoned his career and relaxed into a dissipated existence of gambling and pleasure in colorful Paris society. Within a year he had squandered his inheritance— another sadder but wiser prodigal.

Solomon is warning us that accumulating mountains of money becomes meaningless to us within two seconds of death. In fact, the very reality of death strips our possessions of lasting significance.

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:17–19)

In the bookend chapters of Ecclesiastes 1 and 12, Solomon tells us of the problem: Hebel.. translated meaninglessness etc  and the second thing he says is fear God and keep the commandments.

Road-map to Happiness  Eccles 12:13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Matt 6: 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Mark 8:36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?

The Soul … something eternal.. can get lost in the temporary.

The Soul, something essential can get lost in the pleasures of life.

The soul something so costly that the Lord Jesus Christ had to die to redeem it. And only He can break the power of idolatry in your heart or mine.

All my life I had a longing   For a drink from some clear spring,
That I hoped would quench the burning   Of the thirst I felt within.

Hallelujah! I have found Him   Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings,  Through His blood I now am saved

Eccles 3:16 – 4:12 When Corrupt People Oppress You

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 God's Sovereignty

All Is Appointed in God's Time

All Is Appropriate in God's Time

All Is Adjudicated in God's Time

BUT WHEN IT GETS PERSONAL

THEORY DOESN'T CONSOLE

16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.18 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.

THE FAILURE OF JOB'S COMFORTERS  THEODICIES

"Free Will" Theodicy

The Finite God theodicy God is good but not powerful

The Best of all possible worlds theodicy,

The Original Sin theodicy.

The Ultimate Harmony theodicy 

LEARN CONTENTMENT IN THE WISDOM AND POWER OF GOD

That we don't understand God's reasons, doesn't mean there aren't sufficient reasons.

God Is Sovereign and all wise, so we should rest content there.

This is my father's world, And though the wrong seem oft so strong

God is the ruler yet.

LEAN ON COMPANIONS

Stabilizing One Another 9,10  "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!"

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

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

Sharpening One Another 

SOME REASONS GOD IS NOT STOPPING INJUSTICE TODAY.

1. We live in a fallen world. Romans 8: 18-23

2. God sometimes allows injustice to produce a greater good in our life.  Psalm 73  James 1:2-4

3. God sometimes allows injustice to show us that we need a Saviour.

The Cruelty of Corruption can instill humility in us

The Cruelty of Corruption can instill eternity in us

4. God allows injustice only for a season.

 Romans 12:19 "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is Mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord."

Growth Group Questions

Why does God allow suffering in our world?

How can we encourage a fellow believer when they find there is trouble in their lives?

How would you handle the problem of wicked oppressors in your life?

How do you anger manage in this corrupt world?

Ecclesiastes 3:16 – 4:12    What To Do When Corrupt People Oppress You

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 And God's Sovereignty

All Is Appointed in God's Time        All Is Appropriate in God's Time 

All Is Adjudicated in God's Time

The issue of Power, Oppression, Bullying and Corruption are not new issues that suddenly raised their heads in the last few years. They are a reflection of the sinfulness of man and the horrendous and unloving way we treat other people. Corruption. You don't have to look far to see it. The problem is that people so blur the lines that they just can't see it.

Hatton used parliamentary privilege to expose organised crime in the Griffith mafia, police corruption and malfeasance within government departments and agencies.[7] In 1994, by 46 votes to 45, he forced the minority Fahey Government to establish the Wood Royal Commission into Police Corruption. During the period of the Wood Royal Commission, I understand more than 8000 police in NSW were dismissed. From the report :

"By 1995, the Commission had uncovered hundreds of instances of bribery, money laundering, drug trafficking, fabrication of evidence, destruction of evidence, fraud and serious assaults in the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) at Kings Cross. Participation in misconduct was the norm in the detective division and the senior levels of the CIB in Sydney's inner city were in corrupt relationships with major drug traffickers and the local criminal milieu. " In 1995, the Independent Commission Against Corruption referred a matter to the Commission regarding the possibility of collusion between organised paedophile networks with members from the legal profession, media and political establishment, and the senior ranks of the NSW Police Service and judiciary.   The network operated as a mutual syndicate and was designed to facilitate the distribution of child pornography, the procuring and sharing of underage sexual partners by members, investment in property such as an underage male brothel in Surry Hills and a pooling of resources and information for the purposes of evading law enforcement and maintaining access to illicit markets. Syndicate members also carried on an amphetamine-trafficking enterprise to raise money to help with the significant expense imposed by the requirement to pay bribes, and the high price of illicit materials and services. The relationship between the network and the group of corrupt detectives was extensive and multifaceted, including regular bribe payments to the detectives in exchange for advance warning of law enforcement scrutiny, consignment of large amounts of methamphetamine to the network members on a profit-sharing basis and the planning of insurance frauds and financial crimes. There was an overwhelming body of evidence suggesting the existence of close relationships between police and those involved in the supply of drugs. This encompassed a variety of activities ranging from police turning a blind eye to the criminality of the favoured in return for regular payments, to active assistance when they happened to be caught, to tip-offs of pending police activity, and to affirmative police action aimed at driving out competitors.

Unchecked injustice and oppression make it difficult to see the beauty and coherence in God's design, and such realities raise questions about God's moral governance of the universe. These tensions make it difficult to see how God can be sovereign and also good and just. Delays in God's response to such situations are inexplicable and defy our sense of how things should be. The section connects back to earlier material and confronts us with the tensions for which Qoheleth is well known, as he presents ideas that seem to stand in hopeless conflict.

Justice was a value widely affirmed throughout the ancient Near East. A reform edict of Urukagina of Lagash (ca. 2400 BC) freed the inhabitants of Lagash from usury, burdensome controls, hunger, theft, murder, the seizure of their property, and slavery. As a result "the widow and the orphan were no longer at the mercy of the powerful man." Similar comments can be found in other Mesopotamian law codes. The oppression of the weak and poor is also recognized as evil in several Egyptian wisdom compositions.

4:1 I looked and saw all the oppression. Few things call the moral governance of the universe into question like oppression, an idea emphasized through repetition ("oppression . . . oppressed . . . oppressors"). The mistreatment of others raises questions about how such things can be allowed to happen and why nothing is done to stop the evil. Whether this involves the economic oppression in a Dickens novel, slavery in the American South, or the genocides in Africa or the Balkans, such acts epitomize evil and things that ordinary moral sensibilities recognize should never be. The egregious nature of such acts calls into question the nature of humankind and the evil of which humans are capable. Oppression also raises questions about the moral governance of the universe in that many who are oppressed have done nothing to deserve the treatment they are receiving. Another aspect of the tragedy is emphasized by the repetition of the phrase "no comforter." Some people demonstrate their contempt for fellow human beings made in God's image by oppressing them; others show their lack of compassion by failing to show suffering people the basic kindness and respect they deserve.

Look, it is one thing to know this. It is another to experience the effect of cruelty and corruption.

When you experience it, sometimes it affects you deeply.  :2–3 dead . . . happier than the living . . . better [yet ] . . . one who has never been born.  His shocking statement reflects what oppressive suffering can do to people. Such declarations are not positive statements about death but reflect the reality that suffering under an evil system can be so terrible that death is a welcome relief. Seow says, "The point is that the living still have to witness [and perhaps suffer from] the injustices of life, whereas the dead . . . no longer have to do so." The person who has never been born escapes all the suffering and misery that is often a part of life. On the other hand, she or he also misses all of life's pleasures and opportunities.

Job once thought the same thing about himself. After he lost his children, he said, May the day perish on which I was born,  And the night in which it was said, "A male child is conceived ." . . . Why did I not die at birth?  Why did I not perish when I came from the womb? —JOB 3:3, 11

In a world that seems so out of control, where bad things happen to you and those you love while reward falls on those who deserve the opposite, it's hard to believe that God is sovereign.

How could the one who declares himself to be perfect, wise, good, and loving in every way also be in absolute control of the universe and let all of this happen on his watch?

Much of our regular anxiety, worry, fear, and discouragement results from thinking that when things are out of our control, they are out of control completely. But the Bible tells us that if we want to properly understand what is happening around us, we need to remember what's happening above us.

                  BUT WHEN IT GETS PERSONAL THEORY DOESN'T CONSOLE

16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.18 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. 19 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.20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?22 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?

God will get them! Were all going to die anyway!

THE FAILURE OF JOB'S COMFORTERS       THEODICIES

• "Free Will" Theodicy

Keller "God has a free will yet is not capable of doing wrong—why could not other beings also be likewise constituted? Also biblical authors teach us that eventually God will give us a suffering-free, evil-free world filled with redeemed human beings. Suffering and death will be banished forever. That means we will be in God's world but not be capable of choosing evil. Yet we will obviously still be capable of love.

Finally, many Christian theologians point out the biblical teaching on the nature of freedom differs sharply from modern views. The Bible characterizes all sin as slavery, never as freedom. Only when we are completely redeemed from all sin will we experience complete freedom (cf. Rom 8:21). We are free only to the extent that we do what God built us to do—to serve him. Therefore, the more capable you are to commit evil, the less free you are. Not until we attain heaven and lose the capability of evil are we truly and completely free. How, then, could the ability to sin be a form of freedom?

The theodicy assumes that if God gives us the gift of free will, then he cannot control the outcomes of its usage. , Jesus' crucifixion was clearly foreordained and destined to happen, and yet all the people who, by God's plan, brought it about were still making their choices freely and thus were responsible for what they did (cf. Acts 2:23). This indicates that it is possible to be free and nevertheless to have our course directed by God—at the same time, compatibly. There are scores of other examples of this. So God can give free will and still direct the outcomes of our choices to fit into his plan for history

• The Finite God theodicy God is good but not powerful
• The Best of all possible worlds theodicy,
• The Original Sin theodicy.
• The Ultimate Harmony theodicy 

Keller "Taken all together, the various theodicies can account for a great deal of human suffering—each theodicy provides some plausible explanations for some of the evil in the world—but they always fall short, in the end, of explaining all suffering. It is very hard to insist that any of them show convincingly how God would be fully justified in permitting all the evil we see in the world. Peter van Inwagen writes that no major Christian church, denomination, or tradition has ever endorsed a particular theodicy. Alvin Plantinga himself wrote: "I must say that most attempts to explain why God permits evil—theodicies, as we may call them—strike me as tepid, shallow and ultimately frivolous." And we can add to these warnings the book of Job itself. Surely one of the messages, as we will see, is that it is both futile and inappropriate to assume that any human mind could comprehend all the reasons God might have for any instance of pain and sorrow, let alone for all evil. It may be that the Bible itself warns us not to try to construct these theories."

LEARN CONTENTMENT IN THE WISDOM AND POWER OF GOD

If God has good reasons for allowing suffering and evil, then there is no contradiction between his existence and that of evil. So in order for his case not to fail, the skeptic would have to reply that God could not possibly have any such reasons. But it is very hard to prove that.

"If God is infinitely powerful as you say—why doesn't he stop evil?" But a God who is infinitely more powerful than us would also be infinitely more knowledgeable than us. So the rejoinder to the skeptic is "If God is infinitely knowledgeable—why couldn't he have morally sufficient reasons for allowing evil that you can't think of?" To insist that we know as much about life and history as all-powerful God is a logical fallacy, howsoever much the immanent frame of our culture would incline us to feel that way. And we also now can see why Charles Taylor is right, that the "problem of evil" was not widely perceived to be an objection to God until modern times. Human beings operating within the immanent frame have far more confidence in their reasoning powers and their ability to unlock the mysteries of the universe than did ancient people. The belief—that because we cannot think of something, God cannot think of it either—is more than a fallacy. It is a mark of great pride and faith in one's own mind.

As in the book of Job, Solomon comes back to the Sovereignty of God. Like Job, we may not be able to trace God's hands and purposes in the personal crucible of pain inflicted by others, but we can know that God in His Sovereignty is behind it.

James Russell Lowell  Truth forever on the scaffold  Wrong forever on the throne

Yet that scaffold sways the future   And beyond the dim unknown

Standeth God within the shadows  Keeping watch above His own.

William Wadsworth Longfellow elaborated on Lowell's original sentiment, saying:

Though the mills of God grind slowly  Yet they grind exceedingly small,
Though with patience He stands waiting   With exactness He grinds all.

This is my father's world,       And though the wrong seem oft so strong God is the ruler yet.

For years, C S Lewis rejected the existence of God because he believed the logical argument from evil against God worked. But eventually, he came to realize that evil and suffering were a bigger problem for him as an atheist than as a believer in God. He concluded that the awareness of moral evil in the world was actually an argument for the existence of God, not against it. Lewis describes his awakening to this point in Mere Christianity. Lewis explains that "there is, to be sure, one glaringly obvious ground for denying that any moral purpose at all is operative in the universe: namely, the actual course of events in all its wasteful cruelty and apparent indifference, or hostility, to life." So the existence of cruelty and evil in the world was the reason Lewis could not believe there was a good God, a "moral purpose" operating behind the universe.  But then he began to realize that evil in the world was "precisely the ground which we cannot use" to object to God. Why? "Unless we judge this waste and cruelty to be real evils we cannot . . . condemn the universe for exhibiting them. . . . Unless we take our own standard to be something more than ours, to be in fact an objective principle to which we are responding, we cannot regard that standard as valid." Here was the conundrum for Lewis as an atheist. His objection to the existence of God was that he could perceive no moral standard behind the world—the world was just randomly evil and cruel. But then, if there was no God, my definition of evil was just based on a private feeling of mine. So Lewis wrote: "In a word, unless we allow ultimate reality to be moral, we cannot morally condemn it." And he concluded with a vivid idea: "The defiance of the good atheist hurled at an apparently ruthless and idiotic cosmos is really an unconscious homage to something in or behind that cosmos which he recognizes as infinitely valuable and authoritative: for if mercy and justice were really only private whims of his own with no objective and impersonal roots, and if he realized this, he could not go on being indignant. The fact that he arraigns heaven itself for disregarding them means that at some level of his mind he knows they are enthroned in a higher heaven still."

So this leaves us with a question. What if evil and suffering in the world actually make the existence of God more likely? What if our awareness of absolute evil is a clue that we know unavoidably at some level within ourselves that God actually does exist? Alvin Plantinga writes that a secular way of looking at the world "has no place for genuine moral obligation of any sort . . . and thus no way to say there is such a thing as genuine and appalling wickedness. Accordingly, if you think there really is such a thing as horrifying wickedness ( . . . and not just an illusion of some sort), then you have a powerful . . . argument [for the reality of God]."

LEAN ON COMPANIONS

Stabilizing One Another 9,10 : "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!"  you need a friend when times are tough. "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.  CHARLES SWINDOLL :" 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? you can accomplish more when you work together with others. 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.

two are better than one when you go to work.  It's called synergy: 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."    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. "A friend is someone who will walk into your house when the whole world has just walked out."  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.

THERE ARE SOME REASONS GOD IS NOT STOPPING INJUSTICE TODAY.

1. We live in a fallen world.  Romans 8: 18-23

2. God sometimes allows injustice to produce a greater good in our life.  Psalm 73  James 1:2-4

3. God sometimes allows injustice to show us that we need a Saviour.

The Cruelty of Corruption can instill humility in us

The Cruelty of Corruption can instill eternity in us

4. God allows injustice only for a season.

 Romans 12:19 "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is Mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord."