Ecclesiastes 4
A people for His own possession
Well as we come to Ecclesiastes chapter 4, we once again read about some observations “of life”-or at least “life under the sun” that king Solomon made.
And it appears once again that throughout this chapter, he made some quite random observations, and so we will deal with each random observation one by one.
Let us start with the first observation he made about those who oppress in this life and those who are oppressed in this life.
Look at verse 1 with me:
Again, I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold the tears of the oppressed, and they had no-one to comfort them! On the side of the oppressors there was power, and there was no-one to comfort them.
There is no surprise that King Solomon observed that there were people in the world who had position of power and they used that power to oppress others.
This is an observation that we can all agree with.
As we look throughout history and we look at our present time, there have been the oppressors and there have been the oppressed.
Pharoah – the oppressor and the Israelites- the oppressed were an example of this.
Remember Pharoah, who had so much power, not only in Egypt, but in the world, that he considered himself as some sort of god, and he used his power to oppress the Israelite people. He forced them into slave labour- in order for them to build him his pyramids and when the Israelites started to breed like rabbits, he killed all the baby boy Israelites, in fear that they would overtake his kingdom. That was one very radical immigration policy that Pharaoh used.
He drowned them in the Nile river.
Yet as King Solomon was thinking about the oppressed and the oppressor he came up with a very morbid conclusion, a conclusion which makes sense if you don’t believe there is a God who sovereign rules over all:
Her came up with the conclusion that it didn’t really matter whether you were the oppressor or the oppressed, because neither the oppressed or the oppressor were happy, both needed to be comforted and no-one gave them comfort. None of them found peace, comfort or satisfaction.
King Solomon then seemed to spiral down his thoughts even more. He thought that it was better to be dead than alive- and yet better still- it was better that you were not even born, so you wouldn’t have to face the evil of this world.
This thinking still exists today.
People are deliberately choosing not to have children because they don’t want them to face the ugliness of this world. They don’t want them to see and experience the evil of this world, either that or they believe the human footprint is too big of a burden for this world to carry. And so, some just don’t want any more humans to exist in this miserable world.
And perhaps, if you don’t believe in a God who sovereignly rules over all- perhaps you would be justified in this thinking……..and yet friends, we know there is a God in the heavens, we know there is more than just what is just here- under the sun on this earth, and so we know that we do find comfort in whatever situation we are in. We have a God who comforts us in all situations.
When the Israelites were under oppression from Pharaoh, they cried out to God and God heard their cry and he acted- God comforted them through the person of Moses.
Friends, let me remind you- that we have a God who is always there- always wanting to comfort us, always wanting to listen to our prayers, always wanting us to bring our fears and hopes to Him. And he comforts us, not through Moses, but one greater than Moses- His son- Jesus.
King Solomon rightly observed that is was the people in power who were the oppressors and this just highlights the sinful nature of the human heart.
It is part of our sinful nature, which wants to rise to power and keep power, and sadly our human nature causes us to trample over and oppress others- not only to get power but to keep it.
Again- Pharaoh was the example of this- he had so much power- and could just take or keep a life at the click of his fingers, that he considered himself a god- he became a law unto himself.
It is always dangerous for one person to have so much power and authority- that power and authority can easily be abused. And sadly because of our sinful nature- it is often abused.
This is why I think the Presbyterian form of governance is a good one- although not perfect like all other forms of church governance.
We have a plurality of elders that lead the church. It is not led by one pastor who can do what he likes, but it is led by a plurality of elders that keep the people accountable. I thank God for our elders, Robert, Steve, Dennis, Merv and soon to be James, because they keep me accountable. We also have a local Presbytery above us, which keep us accountable and a state presbytery above that, who keep us accountable.
Imagine if I had no-one to keep me accountable………. this place could be a mess.
Anyone who is given absolute power and authority will naturally lead to exercising that power in a sinful way……..that is anyone………apart from the true king Himself.
When Jesus came to this earth- the creator and ruler of the heavens and the earth, he didn’t exercise his power by trampling over others, but he exercised his power by allowing others to trample on him. He exercised power by what this world would consider weak and foolish.
He exercised his power by submitting to his father’s will and taking up the cross.
His power was displayed in weakness at the cross, as he sacrificed his life for us.
And so we, as 1 Peter 2 tells us are to follow his example when it comes to exercising our authority that we have in Christ. When Christ displayed his power on the cross, he didn’t oppress, he never threatened- he just prayed for their forgiveness as they oppressed him. He never sinned, he never lied, he did not relive when he was reviled, instead he just entrusted himself to his father.
The apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God’s power is made perfect in weakness
So, that’s Solomon first observation about life- about the oppressors and the oppressed,
He then considered the vanity of work again.
Look at verse 4 with me:
Then I saw all the toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving after the wind.
It is like Solomon had watched a series of “keeping up appearances”.
Has anyone watched that show?
The show is about a lady called Mrs Bucket, although she constantly called herself Mrs. bouquet. And Mrs Bucket was always trying to keep up with her neighbours- “the wardens” who were of an upper class……..and at the same time, she constantly tried to avoid her own family, who were from the lower social class.
Mrs Bucket was always trying to keep up with Warden’s, she constantly invited Mrs Warden round for afternoon tea and made sure the best China tea cups were presented, and the house was presented immaculately.
King Solomon observed that many people just work to keep up with the Jones- and if they do………..it is just pointless.
Solomon then observed that someone who doesn’t work at all will suffer, since they won’t be able to look after themselves, pay the bills and so on….and yet a person who works too much will also suffer, since they will be sick and tired- it is all just pointless- meaningless-vanity.
And yet as Solomon considered the meaninglessness of work, he came up with an observation which led to a truth that is imbedded and scattered throughout the scriptures.
Look at verses 9-12 with me:
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
It is almost like Solomon concludes that if you are going to be miserable in this life, you might as well be miserable with someone else.
Not the best chat up line, “You are miserable, I’m miserable- we might as well be miserable together”
And friends, here is the wonderful truth when we look above the sun, when we consider God in the heavens- WE ARE NEVER ALONE.
God is always with us, not only does he sit on his throne in heaven, but he rests in our hearts by his Holy Spirit.
God created us to be in relationship with Him. To be with him.
Back in the garden, he created Adam and Eve to walk with him in the cool of the day. God created us to spend time with him, and sadly because of our sinful hearts we often just want to walk away from Him. We often, due to our sin, do the one thing God did not create us for- try and walk away from him.
Not only did God create us to be relationship with Him, but he created us to be in relationship with one another. God observed that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone, as, after he presented all the animals to him and none would suffice, he created eve.
Friends, as Solomon suggested in verse 12- there is strength, there is comfort in numbers, like a 3 fold cord, it is a lot stronger than one strand.
I heard this story from a guy called Ed Welch, which illustrated the power and comfort of just someone’s presence. The power of just being there for someone.
Ed told us that one time when he was at home- and Ed lives America, his wife asked him to go and get their cat which had wandered off and probably ran off into the woods. It was late at night and it was getting dark, but Ed went to find his cat.
He put on his shoes and took his torch.
Ed kept shouting his cats name “tiddles”, as he went deeper and deeper into the wood. After 5 minutes of walking into the woods, Ed began to worry, he heard noises and so in his fear and in his attempt to scare off potential serial killers, he started moving and shouting like a “banchie”. He started chanting a war chant in the hope that potential murderers would flee. Ed himself was petrified.
But as Ed chanted, he suddenly found his little cat- “tiddles”- and as he picked up his little cat up and put him in his arms- Ed no longer felt afraid- which logically made no-sense- because if a serial killer went for them- his cat would be the first to run off- His cat was no tiger!
But as Ed walked back home that night- He reflected, (as you do as a biblical counsellor author,) about the power of presence, - just having the presence of that little cat which could have not protected Ed in any shape or form, was a comfort and help to him.
Friends, you may never know just how much your presence is appreciated, even when it feels like you add nothing- you do.
With that said, I want to leave you today with a truth and application.
The truth is this:
Christianity is not a private affair, but Christianity is a faith that is expressed and lived out in a community of people.
In 1 Peter 2:10 it tells us that God saved a people- not an individual but a people- once we were not a people of God but now through the one person- Jesus Christ- we are a people of God. We are a people that belong to God- Holy- set apart for Him.
Today, loneliness is one of the biggest killers in the world today……it kills because this is not how God, the one in the heavens- above the sun-created us to be. He created us to be in relationship with him and with each other.
Betty told me a story the other day of an old minister who went to visit one of his parishioners who hadn’t attended church for a long time. As the minister was encouraging his parishioner to come back to church, he took out one of the coals that was burning in the fire and placed it at the front on the ledge. By the end of the conversation, the piece of coal had become cold, without being in the fire, it grew cold. Without being in the fire with all the other pieces of coal- it became cold.
Hence to say the parishioner was at church the next Sunday.
And as hard and as difficult as relationships are, with one another, they are also a rich source of Joy, none more so, than our relationship with Jesus.
The apostle Peter pictured our lives like a house.
Jesus is the foundation stone, the chosen stone upon which the house is not only built upon but from where all the house lines up with that stone. We, those who are in relationship with Jesus are like the stones which make up the rest of the house, as we join to Jesus, the capstone, we also join to one another.
Friends, let us not only share the gospel of Jesus with one another, but let us share our lives together, and as we do, our faith will grow, and our love for Jesus and one another will grow- and even our love for the lost in our communities will also grow.
Let us pray.
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