September 3, 2025 • 30 mins
Studies show that depression is a common problem worldwide. There are many reasons for it. In poor countries the cause may be poverty. In America, ironically, the reason may be wealth. In the Bible we read of many people who struggled with depression—some because of their own choices and others for no fault of their own. All of us must deal with it.
The book of Ecclesiastes is about depression we can do something about by changing the way we think—not by learning ways to beat the blues with human wisdom, but by restructuring our priorities and adjusting our perspective.
Some books of the Bible tell you what they’re about early in the book. Others indicate the theme in the middle. This book makes you wait until the end before it puts the whole problem into perspective.
Read about this subject
- Scripture: Ecclesiastes 6-12
- Without Hope
Listen to more on this subject
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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Hi, I’m Kerry Duke, host of My Godand My Neighbor podcast from Tennessee
Bible College, where we see the Bibleas not just another book, but the Book.
Join us in a study of the inspiredWord to strengthen your faith and to
share what you've learned with others.
One of the great books in the Bible on sinand suffering is the Book of Ecclesiastes,
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and yet it is often overlooked,probably because it's misunderstood
or just not given a fair hearing.
A lot of people see this writingas a pessimistic, depressing book,
but the truth is there's greatwisdom and great peace in this
book if we will just listen to it.
Remember, it's inspired just like anyother writing in the Bible, but it was
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also written by a man that was givenspecial wisdom from God, a man who was
powerful, a man who was wealthy, and a manwho, in his own words, had seen it all.
We're talking of course about Solomon.
We've already seen some great verseson the subject of evil and human
pain in chapters one through four.
Now in this lesson, we'll see evenmore needed insights and direction in
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Ecclesiastes chapters five through 12.
I won't be able to read all of thosechapters, but I do intend to survey them.
I'm going to select some of the keyverses in these chapters on this
great subject that we're looking at.
So let's get started in chapter five.
The first verse that I want to lookat is chapter five, verse eight.
“If you see the oppression of the poorand the violent perversion of justice
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and righteousness in a province, donot marvel at the matter; for high
official watches over high official,and higher officials are over them.”
I want you to notice what hesays about how prevalent this
kind of injustice was in his day.
He said if you see it,then don't be surprised.
And he said don't marvel at it.
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So here we are in our lives today, 3000years after Solomon wrote these words,
and we need to listen to what he says.
Don't be surprised, don't be shocked,and don't be addicted to bad news.
Solomon said don't marvel at the matter.
Next what you find is that he talksabout a subject that gives us a lot
of stress and a lot of heartachein life if we're not careful,
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and that is the subject of money.
In Ecclesiastes chapter five, verse10, he says, “He who loves silver will
not be satisfied with silver, nor hewho loves abundance with increase.
This also is vanity.” How many peopletoday need to learn that lesson?
How many times do we needto be reminded of this?
Solomon says that silver willnot give you any satisfaction.
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Now, of course, the samething would apply to dollars.
That would apply to land, that wouldapply to any kind of possession that
you have, regardless of what it is.
He said it's not going to giveyou any internal satisfaction.
Remember, this book is about vanity,that is, emptiness, and he says if you
love that kind of thing, it will notgive you any satisfaction whatsoever.
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Notice what he says in verse 11about goods, that is, possessions.
He says, “When goods increase,they increase who eat them. So what
profit have the owners except tosee them with their eyes?” What a
simple and powerful insight this is.
He talks about those whoincrease, those who are making
money and tend to make more.
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In other words, they're doingwell for themselves as far
as this life is concerned.
And then he asks a question.
Let's suppose that you're doing well andyou've accumulated a lot of money or a
lot of land and possessions in this life.
What do you have?
What good has it done you?
What good is it doing you?
The wisest, the most powerfuland the most wealthy man in the
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world said what good is all that?
What profit have the owners?
He said basically one thing: to see them with their eyes. (03:52):
undefined
You just look at them.
You can't enjoy all of that at once.
You can only look at most of that.
So let's suppose thatyou have 10,000 acres.
How much of that canyou enjoy at one time?
Or suppose that you have ahouse that has 100 rooms in it.
How many of those rooms can you enjoy?
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How many of those rooms would youeven notice or want to spend time in?
If you have a house or you have acar, or you have jewelry that's very
beautiful, or anything that's ofvalue, what can you really do with it?
You know, as we say, the new wearsoff of something very quickly, and
oftentimes we get tired of looking at it.
This is what Solomon said 3000 years ago.
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Notice verse 12.
“The sleep of a laboring man issweet, whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of the rich willnot permit him to sleep.” The rich
man he says is not able to sleep.
Now, remember, the rich man here isa man who puts his trust in riches.
It's not necessarily somebody like Abrahamin the Bible who is very rich, but he
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had faith in God and God had blessed him.
But the rich man here is trusting inhis riches and he's worried about that.
He's always thinking about how to makemore and how to hold on to what he has.
And because of that, he doesn't sleep aswell as a man who has very little or much.
It doesn't make any difference.
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The Bible says the sleepof a laboring man is sweet.
Whether he eats little or much, he doesn'thave that worry that a rich man has.
And then in verse 15, wehave these famous words.
“As he came from his mother's womb,naked shall he return to go as he came,
and he shall take nothing from hislabor, which he may carry away in his
hand.” Now that sounds very much likewhat Paul said in First Timothy chapter
six, verse seven (05:40):
“But godliness with contentment is great gain; and having
food raiment let us be therewith content.
For we brought nothing intothis world, and it is certain
we can carry nothing out.”
Now, let's notice a fewverses in chapter six.
The first thing that he talksabout in chapter six is that
life can be very unfair.
Notice this sad situationthat he describes [and you've
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seen people like this].
In Ecclesiastes chapter six, verse six hesays, “There is an evil which I have seen
under the sun, and it is common among men.A man to whom God has given riches and
wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothingfor himself of all that he desires.”
So here's a man who has it all.
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Here's a man who has money.
He has respect from other people.
He's done well in life and itlooks like that he ought to be
able to enjoy that for himself.
But he says this (06:33):
“Yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but
a foreigner consumes it. This isvanity and it is an evil affliction.”
That seems unfair, doesn't it?
After all, you would think that ifa man has these things in life, if
God has blessed him with materialgoods, that at least he ought to
be able to enjoy those things.
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But sometimes that doesn'thappen, and we have to remember
this life does not owe us.
God does not owe us.
Sometimes we get the idea that justbecause we have certain things and we have
certain plans in life, that God is goingto bless us with the time to enjoy all
that we envision, and the Bible doesn'tgive us that promise because our life is
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a vapor that appears for a little time andthen vanishes away [James four verse 14].
When you think about it, it's goodthat sometimes we see people who have
these advantages in life, and it justlooks like that they're at a point
where they can really enjoy their life.
And then tragedy strikes.
It may be a disease, it may be war,it may be an accident, but they're not
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able to enjoy life the way that manypeople thought they would or that they
planned on enjoying.But the good sideof this, the upside to this tragedy in
life, is that it helps us to realizeagain that this world is not our home.
And notice in verse three thathe gives another scenario.
He says, “If a man begets a hundredchildren and lives many years so
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that the days of his years aremany…” So here's a man who lives
a long life, yet he says, “but hissoul is not satisfied with goodness.
Or indeed he has no burial.” Solomonsaid, “I say that a stillborn child is
better than he.” That's a tragic thingin life, and it just seems so unfair.
Now, remember, don't think ofthis book as being pessimistic.
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Don't think of this bookas being depressing.
God is trying to teach usthe nature of this life.
This world is not our home, andGod is trying to help us to realize
that the simple pleasures of lifeare the most enjoyable anyway.
Notice later in this chapter thatSolomon brings us down to earth.
He brings us back to our senses.
Notice in verse 10 (08:43):
“Whatever one is, he has been named already, for it is
known that he is man; and he cannotcontend with Him who is mightier than he.
Since there are many things thatincrease vanity, how is man the better?
For who knows what is good for manin life, all the days of his vain
life which he passes like a shadow.
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Who can tell a man what will happenafter him under the sun?” We don't
know the future, and that bringsstress upon us if we don't have faith.
Next is chapter seven.
Let's look at verse three.
Here's an important insight.
It's something that youhave thought about before.
You have learned this lesson,but we need to be reminded of it.
It's a simple statement,but consider this.
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Ecclesiastes chapter seven verse three.
“Sorrow is better than laughterfor by a sad countenance, the
heart is made better.” We saythat there is healing in tears.
That does not mean, and Solomon isnot saying, that it's wrong to laugh.
He's saying that sometimes youneed to cry because sorrow in that
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sense is better than laughter.
Your heart is healed.
Your heart is made better through tears.
Remember that when youface the hardships of life.
Now look down at verse 10.
“Do not say, why were the former daysbetter than these? For you do not inquire
wisely concerning this.” He says wedon't need to dwell on the past too much.
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Oh, it's good to remember sometimesthe past so that we can appreciate the
present, but when we start comparing toomuch, we get things out of proportion.
Sometimes when we brag about the goodold days, we forget how many bad days
were back there in the good old days.
Life really doesn't change that much.
Remember what he said in the verybeginning of this book in Ecclesiastes
chapter one, verse nine (10:30):
there is nothing new under the sun.
Notice next in Ecclesiastes seven, verse14: “In the day of prosperity, be joyful.
But in the day of adversity, consider;surely God has appointed the one
as well as the other, so that mancan find out nothing that will come
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after him.” If you ask the question“Why does life have to have so many
bad days in it?” look at this verse.
This verse says if you have a goodday [that is, a day of prosperity;
and again, the word prosperitydoesn't necessarily mean that you're
rich—it just means that you're havinga good day] he says to enjoy that.
Sometimes good Christian peoplespoil their good days by worrying
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about what's going to happentomorrow or by dwelling on the past.
He says, take advantage of that.
If you have a good, clear day where Godhas blessed you, then take advantage
of that opportunity and enjoy it.
That's what he says in verse 14.
In that kind of day, in a prosperous,that is in a good day, be joyful.
But in the day of adversity, consider.
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He didn't say in the day ofadversity worry yourself to death.
He said in the day of adversity youneed to think, you need to consider,
you need to be more serious aboutyour life and about what's taken
place.But then notice in verse 14that the Bible says God surely has
appointed the one as well as the other.
Not every day is going to be a good day.
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Not every day is going to be a bad day.
God did not make life so thatall of our days will be enjoyable
and He didn't make life so thatall of our days are miserable.
He has appointed the one as wellas the other, and He did that for
a reason (12:13):
so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.
In other words, you don't knowwhat kind of day is coming next.
You can plan on having a good daytomorrow, but it may or may not be.
You can fear that you will have a badday tomorrow, but you don't know that.
You don't know the future.
So in this book of Ecclesiastes, oneof the things that he talks about so
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much is that we do not know the future.
And what is it thatcauses us so much worry?
What is it that causes usso much heartache in life?
What is it that causes us so much stress?
It's the fact that we don't know thefuture, and yet, almost inevitably,
we try to predict the future.
Solomon said, you don't know.
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Notice in verse 15 that he talks aboutinjustice and unfairness and life again.
In Ecclesiastes chapter seven, verse15, he said, “I have seen everything in
my days of vanity. There is a just manwho perishes in his righteousness, and
there is a wicked man who prolongs lifein his wickedness.” That's not fair.
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That's not right, is it?
And yet, that is the nature of this life.
If you only look at things in thislife, if you only see that far,
then you're going to be miserable.
You have to look beyond this life.
You have to look to the judgment,which he's going to end in this
book talking about in chapter eight.
He goes back to this point oftalking about the fact that we don't
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know what's going to happen next.
In chapter eight, verse six, he says,“Because for every matter there is a
time and judgment, though the miseryof man increases greatly. For he does
not know what will happen. So who cantell him when it will occur?” Also, in
chapter eight, he talks about the factthat sometimes governments especially
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don't do their job, and as a result,wickedness increases crime increases.
Look at verse 11.
“Because the sentence against an evilwork is not executed speedily, therefore
the heart of the sons of men is fully setin them to do evil.” Now, that is a very
important verse to remember. When you hearpeople saying, “Well, the death penalty
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won't do any good. If you put people todeath, let's say, because they have killed
someone, that's not going to keep thesecriminals from killing other people.”
Listen to what Solomon said.
Solomon was the wisest man that everlived and he was also inspired of God
and Solomon said because the sentenceagainst an evil work is not executed
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and executed speedily, therefore theheart of the sons of men is fully
set in them to do evil.” If you don'tpunish crime, it's going to get worse.
Now common sense and experienceought to teach people that, but
inspiration definitely says that here.
So why do we have a worldwith so much evil in it?
Part of the reason is because people willnot do their job like the Bible teaches
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here in Ecclesiastes eight verse 11.
But let's look at verse 14.
He again talks about injustice.
He said there's a vanity which occurs onearth that “there are just men to whom
it happens according to the work of thewicked.” In other words, these people
are just, they are upright, and yetwhat happens to them in life is what you
would expect to happen to a wicked man.
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Again, “there are wicked men to whomit happens according to the work of the
righteous.” And Solomon said, “I saidthat this is also vanity.” Now again,
he's setting forth a problem here.
He's not giving an answer to allthis right now at this point.
He is just pointing out the fact thatin life we see so many of these things.
Chapter nine in verse one, he says,“For I considered all this in my
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heart so that I could declare itall, that the righteous and the wise
and their works are in the hand ofGod.” Think about what he just said.
The Bible says that therighteous and the wise and their
works are in the hand of God.
That means that your lifeis in the hand of God.
You cannot even breathe without God.
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The Bible says that God givesto all life and breath and
all things [Acts 17 verse 25].
Our lives are in the hand of God, andyet we think that we've got control.
You have control.
You have power over the moralchoices that you make, over the
spiritual destiny that you will have.
Yes, you decide what kind of person youare going to be as far as spirituality
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is concerned, but in many of theaspects of life we need to admit, and we
desperately need to remember, that ourlives are in the hand of Almighty God.
If you're a Christian, that should humbleyou, but it should also comfort you.
That should give you peace.
That should give you great security.
My life is in the hand of God.
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Then beginning in verse two,he goes back to what he talked
about originally in this book.
For the first time in chapter two,he used the expression “one event.”
What is that one event?
It's death.
He talks about this inparticular here in chapter nine.
He says in verse two, “Allthings come alike to all.
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One event happens to the righteous andthe wicked, to the good, the clean, and
to the unclean, to him who sacrifices,and to him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner.
He who takes an oath ashe who fears an oath.
“This is what happens to people.“It is appointed to men once to die,
but after this, the judgment” [Heb.
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9:27]. That's not bad depressing newsfor a Christian because the Bible
teaches us that when we die, then wewill receive our reward as Christians.
It's not something to fear.
The Bible says in Hebrews chapter two,verse 15, that Jesus died so that He
might release, that is, or deliverthose who “through fear of death were
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all their lifetime subject to bondage.”When you go around living in the fear of
death, when you're afraid of dying allthe time, you are a slave to that fear.
You are in bondage.
You are in a prison of fear.
The Bible says that Jesus diedto release us from that prison.
And when we obey the gospel ofJesus Christ and live for God,
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then we can be free from that fear.
And here's something else to rememberabout this life in chapter nine, verse 11.
The Bible shows that lifecan be very unpredictable.
The least likely thing can happen.
Accidents do happen in life and thingsdon't always go by a certain pattern.
In Chapter nine, verse 11, he said,“I returned and saw under the sun that
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the race is not to the swift, nor thebattle to the strong, nor bread to the
wise, nor riches to men of understandingnor favor to men of skill, but time
and chance happen to them all.”
Now look at what he says.
He says the race is not to the fastest.
What does he mean by that?
Well, usually the race iswon by the fastest or the
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quickest, but not every time.
Accidents happen.
The unexpected happens.
He says the battle isnot to the strongest.
Usually the strongestone wins, but not always.
Nor is there bread to the wise.
Usually men that are shrewd are ableto get bread [and that represents money
and everything else that goes with it]nor riches to men of understanding.
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Some people have a knack for makingmoney, but sometimes they go broke.
You just can't always predict that.
“Nor favor to men of skill.” Usually menthat have ability and talent are favored.
That is, people give them jobs.
They have great respect for them.
They're promoted and so forth,but sometimes that doesn't happen.
Why?
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Because he says in this life timeand chance happen to them all.
The least predictable things canhappen in life, and that can seem
unfair, but that's just a part of life.
Now look at chapter 10, andhere's another example of how
life can change very suddenly.
It can change dramatically in an instant.
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Look at Ecclesiasteschapter 10, verse five.
“There is an evil I have seen underthe sun as an error proceeding from the
ruler. Folly is set in great dignity,while the rich sit in a low place.”
Now usually, normally, you don't expecta fool to be in a position of power.
Yet sometimes that happens.
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Sometimes, he says, “folly isset in great dignity,” that is,
in positions of great honor.
That's not right.
That's not appropriate.
But sometimes that does occur.
He says “while the rich sit in alowly place.” You would expect the
rich to be seated, that is to be in aposition of great honor and respect,
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but that doesn't always happen.
Notice what he says in verse seven.
Here is how quickly life can change.
Back in those days, if you wereriding on a horse, or if you were in a
chariot, that meant that you had money.
That meant that you had power and respect.
If you walked on the ground, you couldn'tafford a horse, you couldn't afford
anything else, that meant that youwere a servant or that you just didn't
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have the money that other people did.
But Solomon said I've seen that reversed.
I've seen those roles change very quickly.
Verse seven (21:31):
I have seen servants on horses while princes walk
on the ground like servants.
Now that can happen,especially in a time of war.
A war can turn a nation upside down.
The slaves become rulers,and the rulers become slaves.
Notice in chapter 11 beginning inverse nine that he talks about life
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and the evil that occurs, and hesays these words to young people.
In Ecclesiastes, chapter 11, verse nine,he says, “Rejoice, O young man in your
youth.” Now remember, a young man inthe Bible is not necessarily a teenager.
It can be somebody in his twenties.
It could be someone in his thirties,even in their early forties.
But he talks about youth and he saysthese words: “Rejoice O young man in your
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youth, and let your heart cheer you inthe days of your youth. Walk in the ways
of your heart and in the sight of youreyes, but know that for all these God will
bring you into judgment.” Now it soundslike at the first that he's telling young
people to do whatever they want to do.
Have your own way, do what you want to do.
But Solomon is chiding young peoplewho are going to do what they want to
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do regardless of what anybody says.
He's using a tone of godlysarcasm here, a note of irony.
He says you go ahead and do what youwant to do, but you just remember that
God is going to bring you into judgment.
In verse 10 he says, “Thereforeremove sorrow from your heart and
put away evil from your flesh (22:56):
for childhood and youth are vanity.”
Now that brings us to Ecclesiasteschapter 12, and in Ecclesiastes 12 verses
one through seven, Solomon takes uson a journey from youth to the grave.
Listen to what he says inEcclesiastes chapter 12 verse one.
“Remember now your Creator in the daysof your youth, before the difficult days
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come and the years draw nigh when youwill say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’
The King James uses the word “evil”rather than the word “difficult.” He's
talking in this section about the yearsof old age, and he says that they're
going to be difficult days then.
Now there are hard times that we face inchildhood and middle years and in old age.
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Here in particular, he's talking about thelatter years, and he says that you need to
remember your Creator while you're young.
Why?
Because he says these hard timesare coming and when they come,
you are not going to enjoy yourlife like you did, because your
body is going to distract you.
You're going to feel yourbody going back to the dust.
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We hate to think about that.
We don't like to admit it, butthat's what happens as we age.
The Bible doesn't giveus forever on this earth.
The Bible gives us just a few years,and so that ought to be encouraging to
Christians, not discouraging, becausethe Bible assures us in First Corinthians
chapter 15 that we will receive arenewed, that is a resurrected, body—a
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body that is spiritual, a body that isimmortal, a body that is incorruptible.
And so even though this dust willreturn to the earth, the Bible shows
that we have that great promise of God.
But here on earth the Bible says toremember your Creator while you're
young and before you become sodistracted by so many ailments or so
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many pains and problems of old age.
In verse two, he continues again.
Remember that he says in verse one,“Remember now your Creator in the days
of your youth.” Verse two (24:58):
“While the sun and the light and the moon and
the stars are not darkened and theclouds do not return after the rain.
He's talking about those hardships of lifewhen he talks about the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars being darkened.
That just means, as we would say,that there are dark days ahead and
the clouds returning after the rainmeans, as we would say in our way of
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talking, that sometimes it just seemslike it's just one thing right after
another that you have to contend with.
Beginning in verse three he usesthe illustration of a house to
teach us lessons about what happensto the physical body as we age.
In verse three, he says, “In the day whenthe keepers of the house tremble.” He's
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talking about the arms and the hands,which were once strong, and yet they
weaken with age. And then he says, “andthe strong men bow down.” The strong
men would refer to the back becausethat's the center of power in a man.
And yet the back begins to bow over time
“When the grinders cease becausethey're few.” We don't like to think
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about this again, but this refersto the teeth.” “Those that look out
through the windows grow dim.” Thosethat look out through the windows of
the house represent your eyes, and soyour eyes begin to get worse with age.
Why?
Because your body is going down.
“When the doors are shut in thestreets and the sound of grinding
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is low.” We can't hear as good whenwe're older. “The doors are shut in
the streets and the sound of grindingis low.” What does that refer to?
Back in those days, oftentimeswomen would make their own flour.
They would get the wheat together, theywould put it on a mortar, they would
take a pestle, and they would grind it.
And you could hear that crunchingand grinding sound, and it was
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very irritating to a lot of people.
But he says you reach a point whereyou can't really hear that much.
It doesn't bother you becauseyou can't hear that sound as
clearly as you could before.”
Then he says in verse four, “Whenone rises up at the sound of a bird,”
that is, he wakes up at the soundof a bird early in the morning and
then he says, “and all the daughtersof music are brought low.” Who are,
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or what are the daughters of music?
That refers to the vocal chords.
That's just a Hebrew symbolicway of talking about your voice.
You're not able to talk as loud and asclearly as you were when you were younger,
and people are usually not able to singlike they did when they were younger.
Then he says that as we age, we have fearsthat we didn't have when we were young.
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When you're young and you're vibrantand you're strong and you have all
kinds of energy, you have confidence.
As you age and your body goes down, youhave fears that you didn't have before.
So he says in verse five, “Also theyare afraid of height.” When we're old,
we're afraid of falling, and so we'reafraid of heights and of “terrors in
the way,” that is, there are differentkinds of fears that are there.
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Now, this can be hard for women, butit can be especially hard for men who
have had a strong body, who have neverbeen afraid of anything much in their
life, and suddenly they reach a pointto where they're afraid of things
that they never experienced before.
The Bible tells us that this is atime when “the almond tree blossoms.”
The almond tree blossoms were white.
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This refers to, as the Bible says,the white hair or the hoary head.
The grasshopper, he said atthis time, will be a burden.
When you're a child a grasshoppercan be an adventure—to chase
him, to catch a grasshopper.
But the grasshopper tends to bea burden in life at this point.
“And desire fails.” His bodilydesires are not what they used to be.
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Why?
“For man goes to his eternal home andthe mourners go about the streets.”
He's saying to think about this before“the silver cord is loosed,” verse six,
or “the golden bowl is broken, or thepitcher shattered at the fountain or the
wheel broken at the well.” That's death.
And in verse 7, he says, “Thenthe dust will return to the
(28:58):
earth as it was, and the spiritwill return to God who gave it”.
This is the inevitable direction of life.
If you live long enough, eventuallywhat will happen to all of us is that
our spirit will be separated from ourbody and that will occur at death.
So Solomon then gives us the realanswer to the problem of evil,
(29:22):
the problem of injustice, theproblem of unfairness in life.
You can't look at all the thingsthat he's talking about and
just end your thinking there.
You have to keep this in perspective.
That's why he ends this bookby saying these famous words.
Ecclesiastes 12, 13, and 14 (29:39):
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter.
Fear God and keep his commandments (29:44):
for this is man's all. For God will bring
every work into judgment, including everysecret thing, whether good or evil.”
Thank you for listeningto My God and My Neighbor.
Stay connected with our podcast on ourwebsite and on Apple, Spotify, YouTube,
(30:06):
or wherever fine podcasts are distributed.
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in Cookeville, Tennessee, offersundergraduate and graduate programs.
Study at your level.
Aim higher and get in touch with us today.
Hi, I’m Kerry Duke, host of My Godand My Neighbor podcast from Tennessee
Bible College, where we see the Bibleas not just another book, but the Book.
Join us in a study of the inspiredWord to strengthen your faith and to
share what you've learned with others.
One of the great books in the Bible on sinand suffering is the Book of Ecclesiastes,
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and yet it is often overlooked,probably because it's misunderstood
or just not given a fair hearing.
A lot of people see this writingas a pessimistic, depressing book,
but the truth is there's greatwisdom and great peace in this
book if we will just listen to it.
Remember, it's inspired just like anyother writing in the Bible, but it was
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also written by a man that was givenspecial wisdom from God, a man who was
powerful, a man who was wealthy, and a manwho, in his own words, had seen it all.
We're talking of course about Solomon.
We've already seen some great verseson the subject of evil and human
pain in chapters one through four.
Now in this lesson, we'll see evenmore needed insights and direction in
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Ecclesiastes chapters five through 12.
I won't be able to read all of thosechapters, but I do intend to survey them.
I'm going to select some of the keyverses in these chapters on this
great subject that we're looking at.
So let's get started in chapter five.
The first verse that I want to lookat is chapter five, verse eight.
“If you see the oppression of the poorand the violent perversion of justice
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and righteousness in a province, donot marvel at the matter; for high
official watches over high official,and higher officials are over them.”
I want you to notice what hesays about how prevalent this
kind of injustice was in his day.
He said if you see it,then don't be surprised.
And he said don't marvel at it.
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So here we are in our lives today, 3000years after Solomon wrote these words,
and we need to listen to what he says.
Don't be surprised, don't be shocked,and don't be addicted to bad news.
Solomon said don't marvel at the matter.
Next what you find is that he talksabout a subject that gives us a lot
of stress and a lot of heartachein life if we're not careful,
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and that is the subject of money.
In Ecclesiastes chapter five, verse10, he says, “He who loves silver will
not be satisfied with silver, nor hewho loves abundance with increase.
This also is vanity.” How many peopletoday need to learn that lesson?
How many times do we needto be reminded of this?
Solomon says that silver willnot give you any satisfaction.
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Now, of course, the samething would apply to dollars.
That would apply to land, that wouldapply to any kind of possession that
you have, regardless of what it is.
He said it's not going to giveyou any internal satisfaction.
Remember, this book is about vanity,that is, emptiness, and he says if you
love that kind of thing, it will notgive you any satisfaction whatsoever.
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Notice what he says in verse 11about goods, that is, possessions.
He says, “When goods increase,they increase who eat them. So what
profit have the owners except tosee them with their eyes?” What a
simple and powerful insight this is.
He talks about those whoincrease, those who are making
money and tend to make more.
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In other words, they're doingwell for themselves as far
as this life is concerned.
And then he asks a question.
Let's suppose that you're doing well andyou've accumulated a lot of money or a
lot of land and possessions in this life.
What do you have?
What good has it done you?
What good is it doing you?
The wisest, the most powerfuland the most wealthy man in the
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world said what good is all that?
What profit have the owners?
He said basically one thing: to see them with their eyes. (03:52):
undefined
You just look at them.
You can't enjoy all of that at once.
You can only look at most of that.
So let's suppose thatyou have 10,000 acres.
How much of that canyou enjoy at one time?
Or suppose that you have ahouse that has 100 rooms in it.
How many of those rooms can you enjoy?
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How many of those rooms would youeven notice or want to spend time in?
If you have a house or you have acar, or you have jewelry that's very
beautiful, or anything that's ofvalue, what can you really do with it?
You know, as we say, the new wearsoff of something very quickly, and
oftentimes we get tired of looking at it.
This is what Solomon said 3000 years ago.
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Notice verse 12.
“The sleep of a laboring man issweet, whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of the rich willnot permit him to sleep.” The rich
man he says is not able to sleep.
Now, remember, the rich man here isa man who puts his trust in riches.
It's not necessarily somebody like Abrahamin the Bible who is very rich, but he
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had faith in God and God had blessed him.
But the rich man here is trusting inhis riches and he's worried about that.
He's always thinking about how to makemore and how to hold on to what he has.
And because of that, he doesn't sleep aswell as a man who has very little or much.
It doesn't make any difference.
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The Bible says the sleepof a laboring man is sweet.
Whether he eats little or much, he doesn'thave that worry that a rich man has.
And then in verse 15, wehave these famous words.
“As he came from his mother's womb,naked shall he return to go as he came,
and he shall take nothing from hislabor, which he may carry away in his
hand.” Now that sounds very much likewhat Paul said in First Timothy chapter
six, verse seven (05:40):
“But godliness with contentment is great gain; and having
food raiment let us be therewith content.
For we brought nothing intothis world, and it is certain
we can carry nothing out.”
Now, let's notice a fewverses in chapter six.
The first thing that he talksabout in chapter six is that
life can be very unfair.
Notice this sad situationthat he describes [and you've
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seen people like this].
In Ecclesiastes chapter six, verse six hesays, “There is an evil which I have seen
under the sun, and it is common among men.A man to whom God has given riches and
wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothingfor himself of all that he desires.”
So here's a man who has it all.
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Here's a man who has money.
He has respect from other people.
He's done well in life and itlooks like that he ought to be
able to enjoy that for himself.
But he says this (06:33):
“Yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but
a foreigner consumes it. This isvanity and it is an evil affliction.”
That seems unfair, doesn't it?
After all, you would think that ifa man has these things in life, if
God has blessed him with materialgoods, that at least he ought to
be able to enjoy those things.
(06:55):
But sometimes that doesn'thappen, and we have to remember
this life does not owe us.
God does not owe us.
Sometimes we get the idea that justbecause we have certain things and we have
certain plans in life, that God is goingto bless us with the time to enjoy all
that we envision, and the Bible doesn'tgive us that promise because our life is
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a vapor that appears for a little time andthen vanishes away [James four verse 14].
When you think about it, it's goodthat sometimes we see people who have
these advantages in life, and it justlooks like that they're at a point
where they can really enjoy their life.
And then tragedy strikes.
It may be a disease, it may be war,it may be an accident, but they're not
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able to enjoy life the way that manypeople thought they would or that they
planned on enjoying.But the good sideof this, the upside to this tragedy in
life, is that it helps us to realizeagain that this world is not our home.
And notice in verse three thathe gives another scenario.
He says, “If a man begets a hundredchildren and lives many years so
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that the days of his years aremany…” So here's a man who lives
a long life, yet he says, “but hissoul is not satisfied with goodness.
Or indeed he has no burial.” Solomonsaid, “I say that a stillborn child is
better than he.” That's a tragic thingin life, and it just seems so unfair.
Now, remember, don't think ofthis book as being pessimistic.
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Don't think of this bookas being depressing.
God is trying to teach usthe nature of this life.
This world is not our home, andGod is trying to help us to realize
that the simple pleasures of lifeare the most enjoyable anyway.
Notice later in this chapter thatSolomon brings us down to earth.
He brings us back to our senses.
Notice in verse 10 (08:43):
“Whatever one is, he has been named already, for it is
known that he is man; and he cannotcontend with Him who is mightier than he.
Since there are many things thatincrease vanity, how is man the better?
For who knows what is good for manin life, all the days of his vain
life which he passes like a shadow.
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Who can tell a man what will happenafter him under the sun?” We don't
know the future, and that bringsstress upon us if we don't have faith.
Next is chapter seven.
Let's look at verse three.
Here's an important insight.
It's something that youhave thought about before.
You have learned this lesson,but we need to be reminded of it.
It's a simple statement,but consider this.
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Ecclesiastes chapter seven verse three.
“Sorrow is better than laughterfor by a sad countenance, the
heart is made better.” We saythat there is healing in tears.
That does not mean, and Solomon isnot saying, that it's wrong to laugh.
He's saying that sometimes youneed to cry because sorrow in that
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sense is better than laughter.
Your heart is healed.
Your heart is made better through tears.
Remember that when youface the hardships of life.
Now look down at verse 10.
“Do not say, why were the former daysbetter than these? For you do not inquire
wisely concerning this.” He says wedon't need to dwell on the past too much.
(10:09):
Oh, it's good to remember sometimesthe past so that we can appreciate the
present, but when we start comparing toomuch, we get things out of proportion.
Sometimes when we brag about the goodold days, we forget how many bad days
were back there in the good old days.
Life really doesn't change that much.
Remember what he said in the verybeginning of this book in Ecclesiastes
chapter one, verse nine (10:30):
there is nothing new under the sun.
Notice next in Ecclesiastes seven, verse14: “In the day of prosperity, be joyful.
But in the day of adversity, consider;surely God has appointed the one
as well as the other, so that mancan find out nothing that will come
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after him.” If you ask the question“Why does life have to have so many
bad days in it?” look at this verse.
This verse says if you have a goodday [that is, a day of prosperity;
and again, the word prosperitydoesn't necessarily mean that you're
rich—it just means that you're havinga good day] he says to enjoy that.
Sometimes good Christian peoplespoil their good days by worrying
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about what's going to happentomorrow or by dwelling on the past.
He says, take advantage of that.
If you have a good, clear day where Godhas blessed you, then take advantage
of that opportunity and enjoy it.
That's what he says in verse 14.
In that kind of day, in a prosperous,that is in a good day, be joyful.
But in the day of adversity, consider.
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He didn't say in the day ofadversity worry yourself to death.
He said in the day of adversity youneed to think, you need to consider,
you need to be more serious aboutyour life and about what's taken
place.But then notice in verse 14that the Bible says God surely has
appointed the one as well as the other.
Not every day is going to be a good day.
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Not every day is going to be a bad day.
God did not make life so thatall of our days will be enjoyable
and He didn't make life so thatall of our days are miserable.
He has appointed the one as wellas the other, and He did that for
a reason (12:13):
so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.
In other words, you don't knowwhat kind of day is coming next.
You can plan on having a good daytomorrow, but it may or may not be.
You can fear that you will have a badday tomorrow, but you don't know that.
You don't know the future.
So in this book of Ecclesiastes, oneof the things that he talks about so
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much is that we do not know the future.
And what is it thatcauses us so much worry?
What is it that causes usso much heartache in life?
What is it that causes us so much stress?
It's the fact that we don't know thefuture, and yet, almost inevitably,
we try to predict the future.
Solomon said, you don't know.
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Notice in verse 15 that he talks aboutinjustice and unfairness and life again.
In Ecclesiastes chapter seven, verse15, he said, “I have seen everything in
my days of vanity. There is a just manwho perishes in his righteousness, and
there is a wicked man who prolongs lifein his wickedness.” That's not fair.
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That's not right, is it?
And yet, that is the nature of this life.
If you only look at things in thislife, if you only see that far,
then you're going to be miserable.
You have to look beyond this life.
You have to look to the judgment,which he's going to end in this
book talking about in chapter eight.
He goes back to this point oftalking about the fact that we don't
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know what's going to happen next.
In chapter eight, verse six, he says,“Because for every matter there is a
time and judgment, though the miseryof man increases greatly. For he does
not know what will happen. So who cantell him when it will occur?” Also, in
chapter eight, he talks about the factthat sometimes governments especially
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don't do their job, and as a result,wickedness increases crime increases.
Look at verse 11.
“Because the sentence against an evilwork is not executed speedily, therefore
the heart of the sons of men is fully setin them to do evil.” Now, that is a very
important verse to remember. When you hearpeople saying, “Well, the death penalty
(14:25):
won't do any good. If you put people todeath, let's say, because they have killed
someone, that's not going to keep thesecriminals from killing other people.”
Listen to what Solomon said.
Solomon was the wisest man that everlived and he was also inspired of God
and Solomon said because the sentenceagainst an evil work is not executed
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and executed speedily, therefore theheart of the sons of men is fully
set in them to do evil.” If you don'tpunish crime, it's going to get worse.
Now common sense and experienceought to teach people that, but
inspiration definitely says that here.
So why do we have a worldwith so much evil in it?
Part of the reason is because people willnot do their job like the Bible teaches
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here in Ecclesiastes eight verse 11.
But let's look at verse 14.
He again talks about injustice.
He said there's a vanity which occurs onearth that “there are just men to whom
it happens according to the work of thewicked.” In other words, these people
are just, they are upright, and yetwhat happens to them in life is what you
would expect to happen to a wicked man.
(15:32):
Again, “there are wicked men to whomit happens according to the work of the
righteous.” And Solomon said, “I saidthat this is also vanity.” Now again,
he's setting forth a problem here.
He's not giving an answer to allthis right now at this point.
He is just pointing out the fact thatin life we see so many of these things.
Chapter nine in verse one, he says,“For I considered all this in my
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heart so that I could declare itall, that the righteous and the wise
and their works are in the hand ofGod.” Think about what he just said.
The Bible says that therighteous and the wise and their
works are in the hand of God.
That means that your lifeis in the hand of God.
You cannot even breathe without God.
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The Bible says that God givesto all life and breath and
all things [Acts 17 verse 25].
Our lives are in the hand of God, andyet we think that we've got control.
You have control.
You have power over the moralchoices that you make, over the
spiritual destiny that you will have.
Yes, you decide what kind of person youare going to be as far as spirituality
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is concerned, but in many of theaspects of life we need to admit, and we
desperately need to remember, that ourlives are in the hand of Almighty God.
If you're a Christian, that should humbleyou, but it should also comfort you.
That should give you peace.
That should give you great security.
My life is in the hand of God.
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Then beginning in verse two,he goes back to what he talked
about originally in this book.
For the first time in chapter two,he used the expression “one event.”
What is that one event?
It's death.
He talks about this inparticular here in chapter nine.
He says in verse two, “Allthings come alike to all.
(17:25):
One event happens to the righteous andthe wicked, to the good, the clean, and
to the unclean, to him who sacrifices,and to him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner.
He who takes an oath ashe who fears an oath.
“This is what happens to people.“It is appointed to men once to die,
but after this, the judgment” [Heb.
(17:46):
9:27]. That's not bad depressing newsfor a Christian because the Bible
teaches us that when we die, then wewill receive our reward as Christians.
It's not something to fear.
The Bible says in Hebrews chapter two,verse 15, that Jesus died so that He
might release, that is, or deliverthose who “through fear of death were
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all their lifetime subject to bondage.”When you go around living in the fear of
death, when you're afraid of dying allthe time, you are a slave to that fear.
You are in bondage.
You are in a prison of fear.
The Bible says that Jesus diedto release us from that prison.
And when we obey the gospel ofJesus Christ and live for God,
(18:28):
then we can be free from that fear.
And here's something else to rememberabout this life in chapter nine, verse 11.
The Bible shows that lifecan be very unpredictable.
The least likely thing can happen.
Accidents do happen in life and thingsdon't always go by a certain pattern.
In Chapter nine, verse 11, he said,“I returned and saw under the sun that
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the race is not to the swift, nor thebattle to the strong, nor bread to the
wise, nor riches to men of understandingnor favor to men of skill, but time
and chance happen to them all.”
Now look at what he says.
He says the race is not to the fastest.
What does he mean by that?
Well, usually the race iswon by the fastest or the
(19:17):
quickest, but not every time.
Accidents happen.
The unexpected happens.
He says the battle isnot to the strongest.
Usually the strongestone wins, but not always.
Nor is there bread to the wise.
Usually men that are shrewd are ableto get bread [and that represents money
and everything else that goes with it]nor riches to men of understanding.
(19:37):
Some people have a knack for makingmoney, but sometimes they go broke.
You just can't always predict that.
“Nor favor to men of skill.” Usually menthat have ability and talent are favored.
That is, people give them jobs.
They have great respect for them.
They're promoted and so forth,but sometimes that doesn't happen.
Why?
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Because he says in this life timeand chance happen to them all.
The least predictable things canhappen in life, and that can seem
unfair, but that's just a part of life.
Now look at chapter 10, andhere's another example of how
life can change very suddenly.
It can change dramatically in an instant.
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Look at Ecclesiasteschapter 10, verse five.
“There is an evil I have seen underthe sun as an error proceeding from the
ruler. Folly is set in great dignity,while the rich sit in a low place.”
Now usually, normally, you don't expecta fool to be in a position of power.
Yet sometimes that happens.
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Sometimes, he says, “folly isset in great dignity,” that is,
in positions of great honor.
That's not right.
That's not appropriate.
But sometimes that does occur.
He says “while the rich sit in alowly place.” You would expect the
rich to be seated, that is to be in aposition of great honor and respect,
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but that doesn't always happen.
Notice what he says in verse seven.
Here is how quickly life can change.
Back in those days, if you wereriding on a horse, or if you were in a
chariot, that meant that you had money.
That meant that you had power and respect.
If you walked on the ground, you couldn'tafford a horse, you couldn't afford
anything else, that meant that youwere a servant or that you just didn't
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have the money that other people did.
But Solomon said I've seen that reversed.
I've seen those roles change very quickly.
Verse seven (21:31):
I have seen servants on horses while princes walk
on the ground like servants.
Now that can happen,especially in a time of war.
A war can turn a nation upside down.
The slaves become rulers,and the rulers become slaves.
Notice in chapter 11 beginning inverse nine that he talks about life
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and the evil that occurs, and hesays these words to young people.
In Ecclesiastes, chapter 11, verse nine,he says, “Rejoice, O young man in your
youth.” Now remember, a young man inthe Bible is not necessarily a teenager.
It can be somebody in his twenties.
It could be someone in his thirties,even in their early forties.
But he talks about youth and he saysthese words: “Rejoice O young man in your
(22:16):
youth, and let your heart cheer you inthe days of your youth. Walk in the ways
of your heart and in the sight of youreyes, but know that for all these God will
bring you into judgment.” Now it soundslike at the first that he's telling young
people to do whatever they want to do.
Have your own way, do what you want to do.
But Solomon is chiding young peoplewho are going to do what they want to
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do regardless of what anybody says.
He's using a tone of godlysarcasm here, a note of irony.
He says you go ahead and do what youwant to do, but you just remember that
God is going to bring you into judgment.
In verse 10 he says, “Thereforeremove sorrow from your heart and
put away evil from your flesh (22:56):
for childhood and youth are vanity.”
Now that brings us to Ecclesiasteschapter 12, and in Ecclesiastes 12 verses
one through seven, Solomon takes uson a journey from youth to the grave.
Listen to what he says inEcclesiastes chapter 12 verse one.
“Remember now your Creator in the daysof your youth, before the difficult days
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come and the years draw nigh when youwill say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’
The King James uses the word “evil”rather than the word “difficult.” He's
talking in this section about the yearsof old age, and he says that they're
going to be difficult days then.
Now there are hard times that we face inchildhood and middle years and in old age.
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Here in particular, he's talking about thelatter years, and he says that you need to
remember your Creator while you're young.
Why?
Because he says these hard timesare coming and when they come,
you are not going to enjoy yourlife like you did, because your
body is going to distract you.
You're going to feel yourbody going back to the dust.
(24:04):
We hate to think about that.
We don't like to admit it, butthat's what happens as we age.
The Bible doesn't giveus forever on this earth.
The Bible gives us just a few years,and so that ought to be encouraging to
Christians, not discouraging, becausethe Bible assures us in First Corinthians
chapter 15 that we will receive arenewed, that is a resurrected, body—a
(24:27):
body that is spiritual, a body that isimmortal, a body that is incorruptible.
And so even though this dust willreturn to the earth, the Bible shows
that we have that great promise of God.
But here on earth the Bible says toremember your Creator while you're
young and before you become sodistracted by so many ailments or so
(24:49):
many pains and problems of old age.
In verse two, he continues again.
Remember that he says in verse one,“Remember now your Creator in the days
of your youth.” Verse two (24:58):
“While the sun and the light and the moon and
the stars are not darkened and theclouds do not return after the rain.
He's talking about those hardships of lifewhen he talks about the sun and the light
and the moon and the stars being darkened.
That just means, as we would say,that there are dark days ahead and
the clouds returning after the rainmeans, as we would say in our way of
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talking, that sometimes it just seemslike it's just one thing right after
another that you have to contend with.
Beginning in verse three he usesthe illustration of a house to
teach us lessons about what happensto the physical body as we age.
In verse three, he says, “In the day whenthe keepers of the house tremble.” He's
(25:44):
talking about the arms and the hands,which were once strong, and yet they
weaken with age. And then he says, “andthe strong men bow down.” The strong
men would refer to the back becausethat's the center of power in a man.
And yet the back begins to bow over time
“When the grinders cease becausethey're few.” We don't like to think
(26:05):
about this again, but this refersto the teeth.” “Those that look out
through the windows grow dim.” Thosethat look out through the windows of
the house represent your eyes, and soyour eyes begin to get worse with age.
Why?
Because your body is going down.
“When the doors are shut in thestreets and the sound of grinding
(26:25):
is low.” We can't hear as good whenwe're older. “The doors are shut in
the streets and the sound of grindingis low.” What does that refer to?
Back in those days, oftentimeswomen would make their own flour.
They would get the wheat together, theywould put it on a mortar, they would
take a pestle, and they would grind it.
And you could hear that crunchingand grinding sound, and it was
(26:47):
very irritating to a lot of people.
But he says you reach a point whereyou can't really hear that much.
It doesn't bother you becauseyou can't hear that sound as
clearly as you could before.”
Then he says in verse four, “Whenone rises up at the sound of a bird,”
that is, he wakes up at the soundof a bird early in the morning and
then he says, “and all the daughtersof music are brought low.” Who are,
(27:11):
or what are the daughters of music?
That refers to the vocal chords.
That's just a Hebrew symbolicway of talking about your voice.
You're not able to talk as loud and asclearly as you were when you were younger,
and people are usually not able to singlike they did when they were younger.
Then he says that as we age, we have fearsthat we didn't have when we were young.
(27:31):
When you're young and you're vibrantand you're strong and you have all
kinds of energy, you have confidence.
As you age and your body goes down, youhave fears that you didn't have before.
So he says in verse five, “Also theyare afraid of height.” When we're old,
we're afraid of falling, and so we'reafraid of heights and of “terrors in
the way,” that is, there are differentkinds of fears that are there.
(27:53):
Now, this can be hard for women, butit can be especially hard for men who
have had a strong body, who have neverbeen afraid of anything much in their
life, and suddenly they reach a pointto where they're afraid of things
that they never experienced before.
The Bible tells us that this is atime when “the almond tree blossoms.”
The almond tree blossoms were white.
(28:14):
This refers to, as the Bible says,the white hair or the hoary head.
The grasshopper, he said atthis time, will be a burden.
When you're a child a grasshoppercan be an adventure—to chase
him, to catch a grasshopper.
But the grasshopper tends to bea burden in life at this point.
“And desire fails.” His bodilydesires are not what they used to be.
(28:36):
Why?
“For man goes to his eternal home andthe mourners go about the streets.”
He's saying to think about this before“the silver cord is loosed,” verse six,
or “the golden bowl is broken, or thepitcher shattered at the fountain or the
wheel broken at the well.” That's death.
And in verse 7, he says, “Thenthe dust will return to the
(28:58):
earth as it was, and the spiritwill return to God who gave it”.
This is the inevitable direction of life.
If you live long enough, eventuallywhat will happen to all of us is that
our spirit will be separated from ourbody and that will occur at death.
So Solomon then gives us the realanswer to the problem of evil,
(29:22):
the problem of injustice, theproblem of unfairness in life.
You can't look at all the thingsthat he's talking about and
just end your thinking there.
You have to keep this in perspective.
That's why he ends this bookby saying these famous words.
Ecclesiastes 12, 13, and 14 (29:39):
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter.
Fear God and keep his commandments (29:44):
for this is man's all. For God will bring
every work into judgment, including everysecret thing, whether good or evil.”
Thank you for listeningto My God and My Neighbor.
Stay connected with our podcast on ourwebsite and on Apple, Spotify, YouTube,
(30:06):
or wherever fine podcasts are distributed.
Tennessee Bible College, providingChristian education since 1975
in Cookeville, Tennessee, offersundergraduate and graduate programs.
Study at your level.
Aim higher and get in touch with us today.
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