Ecclesiastes 2 The Chimera and the Hebel

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