Introduction: As we continue in our study of Ecclesiastes, we find, more and more, what happens to a man when he decides to walk away from the things of God. Life is pretty wretched when one looks only at the circumstances in this life. As you've heard me say often, anything left to itself will decay. Such is the case, even with a child of God. When a Christian leaves the will of God, everything in his life decays. Eventually, there won't be much left.
I immediately think of Jonah when I think of other examples in the Bible about men who tried to run from the will of God. The Bible says he went "down to Joppa." (Jonah 1:3) Anytime a Christian leaves the will of God, he goes down. First of all, he goes down spiritually. Then, everything else goes down. Before long, he finds himself in the same place Jonah found himself, "the belly of hell." (Jonah 2:2) To be honest with you, life can't look too promising from the belly of hell!
Solomon had come to this place. He had made associations and alliances with those who were the enemies of God. He married, not so much for love, but for political clout. He married "strange" women, heathen women with different religious beliefs and moral practices. He allowed himself to be driven by his sensual desires. He refers to these desires as brutishness, "Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man." (Proverbs 30:2) Again, this brings us to the point that, when a man is left to his own devices, his life becomes empty and worthless.
In this study, we will see a little more of Solomon's outlook on this life.
1. The people Solomon finds.
- He finds the oppressed poor, "So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter." (Ecclesiastes 4:1)
- He finds the selfish rich, "Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit...Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail." (Ecclesiastes 4:4,7,8)
- He finds the lazy fool, "The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh. Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit." (Ecclesiastes 4:5,6)** As Solomon views the people and their circumstances, he feels that death is actually preferable to life.
2. The pessimism Solomon feels.
- It is better to be dead than living, "Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive." (Ecclesiastes 4:2)
- It is best never to have been born, "Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 4:3)
- It is better to be poor and wise in prison than to be a rich and foolish king, "Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit." (Ecclesiastes 4:13-16)
- In the final analysis, it matters little who and what you are, "There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit." (Ecclesiastes 4:16)
All of one's work and all of one's hopes are vanity when the life is lived away from the will of God. We see clearly that Solomon sees no point in living and even less in being born. We find that he believed that becoming king was nothing and that being a fool was nothing as well. He saw everybody the same. He found that life was hopeless.
Now, we come to the last few verses of this chapter, and we see Solomon, once again, using his human reasoning to find true meaning in life. Before we see these verses, though, let me say that, when a person is in the will of God, he can make it alone if he has to. Solomon was obviously outside the will of God and saw no need to depend only upon God; thus, he comes to the following conclusions:
1. Two are better than one, "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him..." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
- If one falls, the other can help.
- If one is cold, the other can provide warmth.
- If one is attacked, the other can defend.
** One might ask, "What is wrong with this reasoning?" In and of itself, probably nothing at all; but when a person is away from the Lord and living independently from God's will, he has nothing left but people upon whom to lean. The Apostle Paul wrote, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:10,11) Might I remind all of us that when Paul penned these words, he was sitting alone in prison. He found that when it was necessary, he and God could make it alone. Solomon found that when he was away from God, all he had was people.
2. Three are better than two, " ...and a threefold cord is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
- Again, in and of itself, this is not a bad teaching, because it is a helpful teaching. The threefold cord is mentioned elsewhere in Scripture. Even though the phrase is not directly used, the threefold cord is very clearly seen.
* "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)
* "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8)
* "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:12,13)
* "Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father...For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:3,9,10)
Good things, said and done out of place, can have disastrous results. As Solomon moved further away from the will of God, he also moved closer to the ways of man. Such is the way with Christians today who choose a path that leads them away from the will of God.
Conclusion: Where are you in all of this? Have you concluded, as Solomon did, that it is better to be dead than living and best to have never been born? Viewing this world and life's circumstances, outside the will of God, makes for a pretty hopeless situation for a man.
- When Paul was in prison, he said, "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." (Philippians 4:4)
- When Solomon was in his palace, he said, "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
Paul made a palace out of his prison cell, while Solomon made a prison cell out of his palace. It just sounds to me like living your life, within the confines of the will of God, is much better than anything you could think of.