Ep 413 | Life Under The Sun - Terry Osburn 8/1/21

This morning, I want to go through a study.

We're going to jump all over it. Crazy ass, these back and forth.

But hopefully at the end, we kind of bring the book of

Ecclesiastes into focus and I believe it's a very interesting

book, it's really kind of fun to read.

It's it's we've just kind of gone through that with our daily

reading thought, too awful long ago and and I thought I'd pull a

lesson from the archives and and teach on Ecclesiastes, basically

life Under the Sun is what we're going to Notice this morning,

the Book of Ecclesiastes is kind of considered maybe one of the

saddest books because it doesn't, if you just carded kind

of start reading and you focus on the negative things that kind

of brings a lot of sadness to to a person's hard.

But I believe it's easily understood and, and helps us in

our daily Christian Living. The writer seems to speak of

people who teach that materialism.

Is a good thing in life and that man is mortal and will not

exist. Course, after this Earthly life

is over and and to that the motive in life is to gratify

ourselves and and get everything we can out of life.

Because when life is over, were just it's done.

That's all there is to it, it'll end in death but Ecclesiastes

certainly is not a book that we should ignore.

In the materialistic society that we live.

I think it's a good thing to understand the meaning of what

is written in this book and And and the message of course that

the preacher has to say here also with our youth oriented

society that we live in because now in a person's youth, they

are told to just enjoy life and live it up and live for the

moment and feels good, do it and all those kinds of things.

And I believe that it also talks about a person that's older in

life, as well as those that are younger in life and how to focus

on certain things. so, In our introduction to Ecclesiastes in

the Hebrew Bible. The Burke book is called

Coca-Cola. Which means the words of the

preacher. The term suggests one who

gathers people to gather and speaks to an assembly, an

ecclesiastic or a preacher. The translators of the

Septuagint version. Call it Ecclesiastes with AK

instead of a sea Which also means preacher and is derived

from the word, Ecclesia. The author, many believed to be

Solomon when the rider speaks and talks about all the things

that he's done and all the wealth that he's had in the

wisdom and everything like that. It's picture of what we read

about Solomon. What he did there are some that

say, no, it can't be solemn. It's one of David's descendants

and things like that, but for the present time, we will stick

with Solomon or just basically calling the writer if you want

to say. But he's talking about the words

of the preacher. So the author now, ABS the

searches for the meaning in life, and Ecclesiastes, 1 and

13. And I set my heart to seek and

search out by wisdom, concerning all that is done under Heaven.

This burdensome task God has given to the sons of men by

which they may be exercised. So now the author talks about

this search, And using, and is seeking for, for what there is

in life. And the meaning of life, if you

want to say, the purpose of the book is to make the reader stop

and think about their responsibility to God and living

a higher and Holier life while here in this life on Earth

getting ready for the life beyond the grave.

In other words to the Christian, we understand that there's more

than just this life And the writer is talking about and and,

and, and reflecting on the life that he's lived and trying to

reason out will, if all this is for nothing, then what is their

life? If that's the question.

So Solomon search pertains to life Under the Sun living in

this world. In other words, this phrase life

under the sun Excuse me. Get ahead of myself here.

This phrase life Under the Sun is use 29 times in 27 verses.

So Solomon is looking for, looking at life, from Mostly a

worldly point of view and he says here in first, the first

chapter verse 3, what prophet has a man from all his labor in

which he toils under the sun, So, we work.

We go to work every day. We do everything.

We're supposed to do, and we provide for our families and we

work ourselves crazy and What profit is it for all this toil

and all this hard work under the sun?

So in verse 2, he says, vanity of vanities says the preacher

vanities of vanities all is Vanity.

Now, I'd we just watched the introduction to Ecclesiastes and

I got this last little bit here from that video.

That was posted on the church's Facebook page, and it comes from

the Hebrew word heavily, heavily all is heavily.

No, most English Bibles translate heavily as

meaningless. And is used 38 times in

Ecclesiastes, but it has a deeper meaning that in the

Hebrew, it is translated as Vapor or smoke, and is referring

to something that is temporary and fleeting like a wisp of

smoke. Also, how life is an enigma or a

paradox, like smoke it appears solid, sometimes we can't even

see through it. It's very thick, but if you

grasp at it, there's nothing there.

You can't grab a Of smoke. You can't grab ahold of wind

because there's nothing there. Even though we can see it.

Even though it's something that looks solid, we can grasp at it

and nothing is there. It's futile, it's useless,

meaningless emptiness, figuratively, something

transitory and unsatisfactory unsatisfying since the things of

this world are going to pass away with it.

They are temporary. Of course, this vanity is

referring to life Under the Sun. Notice the 14th.

Verse of chapter one, I have seen all the works that are done

under the sun. And indeed, all is Vanity and

grasping for the wind All the effort one makes in life as far

as this Earthly life is concerned as like a grasping of

the wind or a vexation of spirit of Praise which occurs seven

times and maybe otherwise translated feeding on wind.

Modern Hebrew grammar, grammar translates the word rendered to

fixation a constant, but unsatisfied seeking after

something. The urge for man, always wanting

to go further after knowledge and Earthly things we've seen

people that are driven that are driven after just the things of

this world and they just won't let anything stop them and

that's what he's talking about because they're never satisfied,

the things of this Earth do not satisfy us.

For what we really strive for in life and that is the things that

are higher and Holier in life instead of the things of

temporary. Use on this Earth.

Striving after wind or windy effort chasing the wind, the

preachers message seems to be very negative about life.

The major theme is the vanity of Life vanities use 35 times in

twenty nine verses So keeping all this in mind a chasing after

the wind and the meaninglessness things that we do in life.

Keep that all in mind as we go through this study of

Ecclesiastes. So in verse 3 he says what

prophet hath man of all his labor Strong's says, a defines

that as preeminence or gain, or, in other words, what gain is

there from all of our life here on Earth?

Now, this doesn't mean and all of our hard work here on Earth.

doesn't mean that we all just go out and quit our job because

it's meaningless, That isn't what it means.

But in other words, if we're working after worldly things,

and that's our Focus. And it's vanity.

Then what's the purpose of doing?

All that, what's the purpose of putting importance on those

things? What's the game?

The things of this Earth will come to an end when the earth is

destroyed According to second Peter 2 and verse 10.

Nothing a man Labor's for will be left afterwards.

So no man can get anything more out of life and what he puts

into it. This means that if a man lives

for fleshly things, temporal things only he will have nothing

left at the end because all that will be destroyed.

But the preacher uses such words as joy and rejoice and enjoyment

and joyfully. In his description of things

throughout Ecclesiastes. So there's got to be something

that's good. In fact, the Book of

Ecclesiastes provides us Counsel on how to get the most out of

life to find joy in a life that is filled with vanity or

meaninglessness. If all this is meaningless on

this Earth than where can we find joy?

If its of no value then why are we doing all this?

Notice the second chapter verses 22 through 24 for what has a man

for all his labor and for the striving of his heart with which

he has toiled Under the Sun, for all his days are sorrowful, and

his work burdensome even in the night.

His heart takes no rest. This also is Vanity.

Nothing is better for a man that he should eat and drink.

And that his soul should Rejoice should enjoy good in his labor.

This also, I saw was from the hand of God.

So there's something that is joyful in life.

And we're going to notice more about that to find joy.

We must first face the reality of the vanity of life though.

There's vanity and pleasure Ecclesiastes, 2 and 10.

I said in my heart, come now, I will test you with mirth.

Therefore, enjoy pleasure, but surely this also is Vanity.

There's vanity an Earthly labor Ecclesiastes to an 11, then I

looked on all the work that my hands had done and on the labor,

in which I had toiled. And indeed, all was vanity.

And grasping for the win, there was no profit Under the Sun,

notice for chapter 4 and verse 4.

Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work of man

and envied by his neighbor. This also is Vanity and grasping

for the wind their vanity and human wisdom, Ecclesiastes, 2

and verse 15. I said in my heart as it happens

to the fool, it also happens to me.

And why was I then more wise than I said in my heart.

This also is Vanity. There's vanity and all life

please. Yes, he's 2 and 17.

Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the

sun was distressing to me for all is Vanity and grasping for

the wind. Vanity is.

Leaving leaving an inheritance that second chapter verses 18

through 21. Then I hated all my labor in

which I had toiled under the sun because I must leave it to the

man who will come after me and who knows, whether he will be

wise or a fool yet, he will rule over all my labor and which I

have toiled and in which I have have shown myself.

Why is Under the Sun? This also is Vanity.

I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor wouldn't which

I had toiled Under the Sun. For there is a man whose labor

is with wisdom knowledge and skill that he must leave his

Heritage to a man who has not labored for it.

This also is Vanity and a great evil.

We work hard. And when we die, all of our

labor and all of our assets go on to someone else.

So he says it's meaningless and he talks about the preachers

observations of life that he has lived.

He says, In chapter 3 verses 19 through 21 for what happens to

the sons of men. Also happens to animals one

thing before all's them as one dies.

So dies, the other surely they all have one breath, man.

All has no advantage over animals.

For all is Vanity, all go to one place, all are from the dust and

all return to dust. Who knows?

The spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward in the spirit

of the animal, which goes down. To the Earth, he talks about his

observations of the vanity of crier, acquiring riches over

family. And Chapter 4, verses 7 through

8, then I returned. And I saw vanity Under the Sun,

there is one alone without companion, he has neither Sun

nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his

Labor's nor is his. I satisfied with riches but he

never asked for whom. Do I Toil and deprive myself?

Of good. This also is Vanity and a grave

misfortune. The vanity of loving, abundance,

fifth chapter and verse 10. He who loves silver will not be

satisfied with silver. Nor he who loves abundance with

increase. This also is Vanity.

The vanity of wealth. Ecclesiastes, 6 and 2.

A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so

that he lacks nothing for himself of all.

He desires yet, God does not give him power to eat of it for

a foreigner consumes it as his vanity and is an evil

Affliction, the vanity of foolish laughter 7:6 for like

the crackling of thorns under a pot.

So is the laughter of the fool. This also is Vanity.

The vanity of Injustice in this life, life is not fair.

Notice 18:14. There is a vanity, which occurs

on Earth that there are just men to whom it happens.

According to the work of the wicked again, there are wicked

men to whom it happens. According to the work of the

righteous, I said that this also is Vanity.

Chapter 9, verses 1 through 3 4. I considered all that is in my

heart so that I could not so that I could declare it all that

the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of

God. People know neither love nor

hatred by anything they see before them.

All things come alike to all one event happens to the righteous,

and the wicked to the good, to the clean, and the unclean to

him, who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.

As is the good. So is the sinner.

There, he who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun.

That one thing happens to all truly, the hearts of the sons of

men are full of evil Madness, is in their hearts while they live.

And after that, that they go to the Dead.

See, life is not fair, think good things happen to good

people and they happen to bad people.

Bad things happen to good people and they happen to bad.

People talks about the vanity of childhood and youth, therefore

removed sorrow from your heart and put away evil from your

flesh for childhood and youth are vanity.

In other words, there's a time to grow up.

And there's a time to be a child, and some people have a

problem with growing up. But it's in vanity.

So he says he talks about this conclusion, the preachers

conclusion and that stated in verse 1 of chapter 1 and verse

2. Vanity of vanities, says the

preacher vanity of vanities. All is Vanity, that's what the

start was. Now he goes to verse 14, I have

seen all the works that are done under the sun and behold all is

Vanity and vexation of spirit or grasping for the wind.

Many have come to the same conclusion and followed maybe

into depression, or worried about all the things that go on

in this world, worry about and worry and worry and worry about

everything that goes on in this world.

But the preacher wanted us to learn and know how to find joy

in this life. And you can have joy in your

life in this life. Even with all the things that

are going on around us, we can find joy.

Even though. This world may be so depressing

and meaningless. So, let's notice a little bit

about the joy in life. I get ahead of myself yet.

The preachers experience of Joy. He talks here, he says whatever

my eyes desired. I did not keep from them.

I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure for my heart

rejoiced in all my labor and this was my reward for all my

labor. Nothing wrong with that.

Nah, nothing wrong with being satisfied and having joy in your

hard work. Reward of his labor, was a joy

in doing it. I know that that many of us

don't find joy and in hard work and and getting sore and getting

hot and getting sweaty and and having blisters on your hands

or, or whatever it may be, Sometimes, you know, when we

were kids and our parents told us to go mow the lawn, or to

stack the wood or bring in the wood or chop, the wood or roof

the house, or paint the house or whatever it was, you know, we

had to get several beatings in the meantime to be able to get

those things accomplished. We didn't have fun doing that

but you know as we grow up and we go on and we get a, we get a

job and we get a vocation We can stand back and we can look at

our work and we can find joy in that we can find satisfaction in

that. So he says, in this was my

reward from all my labor. The preachers observations.

About joy and other words he says nothing is better than

enjoying simple things. And what we do The ability to

enjoy what you have and what you do comes from God.

Nothing is better for a man than that, he should eat and drink

and his soul should enjoy good in his labor.

This also I saw was from the hand of God. for who can eat or

who can have enjoyment more than I God, gives wisdom and

knowledge and Joy says for God. And in the second chapter verse

26, for God, gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who

is good in his sight. But to The Sinner, he gives the

work of gathering and collecting that he may give to him who is

good before God, this also is Vanity and grasping for the wind

man should rejoice and do good. All soaked, lazy ass 23 and

verse 12. I know that nothing is better

than for them than to rejoice and due to do.

Good in their lives. We can find joy in doing good

for others. And for God as well, every man

should enjoy the good of their labor because it is the gift of

God, chapter 3 and verse 13. And also that every man should

eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor.

It is the gift of God. The gift of God.

This is the enjoyment of the simple.

Good things in life. Like friendships.

Like a good meal. Like family.

Like a good day. Fishing.

A good day hunting. Good day, playing golf or just

enjoying the scenery and the sunny day and life out maybe in

nature camping, or whatever it may be.

The simple things of life, it doesn't take money to enjoy

God's creation and what God has provided for us.

This is a gift from God. So he goes on to talk in chapter

3 and verse 22. So I perceive that nothing is

better than that. A man should in rejoice in his

own words. For that is his Heritage for who

can bring him to see what will happen after him.

Again, this is one's Heritage and it's the gift of God.

Notice chapter 5 verses 18 through 20.

Here's what I've seen, it is good and fitting for one to eat

and drink and do. Joy, the good of all his labor

in which he toils under the sun. All the days of his life which

God gives him for. It is his Heritage, as for every

man to whom God has given riches and wealth and given him power

to eat of it to receive his Heritage and rejoice in his

labor. This is the gift of God for he

will not dwell. Unduly in the days of his life

because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

For he shall, he shall not much remember the days of his life,

because God, answereth him and the joy of his heart. even

though, we go through struggles and hard times, we seem to not

remember all those hard times and sadness and difficulties

because of the joy, what we give from sitting back and just

enjoying the simple things of life and rejoicing in the work

of our labor. so, in the day of prosperity, Rejoice.

And in the day of adversity, we stopped.

And we think on God, Notice 7:14 in the day of prosperity would

be joyful but the day of adversity, consider.

Surely God has appointed one, the one, as well as the other so

that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

We take the good and the bad. We should stop and think about

the cause and learn from problems that we've had in

mistakes that we made. Certainly we consider those.

And some of those we created by ourselves for ourselves.

We've made bad choices in life and we pay the cost and we pay

the price for those things and they are joyful.

So we stopped and we think about those things and we pray to God

and we think about Godly things. The one thing is though that we

will not get to keep our possessions after this life.

So he recommends enjoyment of the fruit of one's labor. 8:15.

So I commend enjoyment because a man has nothing better Under the

Sun than to eat drink and be merry for this will remain with

him in his labor, all the days of his life which God gives him

under the sun. Now, that doesn't mean that we

just quit our jobs and we go out and we sit on a Mountaintop and

we just sit there and we don't do anything about that because

we're enjoying God's creation and we don't have any

responsibilities. No, that is not what he's

saying. He's saying, enjoy the fruit of

your labor, enjoy life. It is, as it is given to you,

don't spend all your time and all of your talent and

Everything on gaining things in this world.

So, the preachers conclusion. First, accept that life is not

always fair and we are not in control.

Good things happen to good people, as well as bad people

and bad things. Happen to good people, as well

as bad people, when we actually put our trust in God, we will

learn to accept life the way it is.

And not the way that we think it ought to be.

We all see how other people live their lives and we think that's

the way my life needs to be. That's the way my life ought to

be. No, accept it for what it is,

and go on worry worrying about things that are meaningless and

putting so much importance on them, is a waste of our time and

our energy. Doesn't God doesn't care whether

we're rich or poor, he doesn't care about our status in life.

That doesn't concern him what he concerns, what concerns him and

he's cares about is our service to him.

So he says eat drink and be merry.

He says express your joy and how you live.

He says live joyfully with your wife whom you love.

Enjoy your youth. But remember, you will be

accountable. In Ecclesiastes. 11 verses 9 to

Ecclesiastes 11:9

9 through 10 Rejoice, O man in your Youth and let your heart

cheer you in the days of your youth, walk in the ways of your

heart and in the sight of your eyes.

But know, that, for all these, God will bring you into

judgment. Therefore, remove sorrow from

your heart and put away evil from your flesh for childhood

and youth or vanity. It goes on to say, remember your

creator in the days of your youth.

Before the difficult days come and the years draw near when you

say, I have no pleasure in them. so, when you're young, We have

high hopes of everything that we want to accomplish in that we

will be in life. But the life without God is a

life that is void of satisfaction.

There's no pleasure in that life.

True. Pleasure in that life.

There's no satisfaction to the soul, so don't be deceived by

the meaningless things and don't focus on those things that are

of no value. Remember your creator while

you're young? The person that doesn't remember

their creator will make it to the end of the latter part of

their life. They look back on the younger

years. And they look at their life and

they say I had no pleasure, no true pleasure because I didn't

remember my Creator in the days of my youth. as their life's are

coming to an end, if not living a life for God, when that time

comes, The things of life will be of less interest.

You know, when I see older folks, they they have pleasure

in their life because they're looking for something that is

much better than this life. And that's where we get our joy.

They'll have joy in their declining years.

But now this is the conclusion to everything.

The preacher has mentioned in this book.

He says in the 12th chapter and verses 13 through 14.

Let us hear the conclusion to the whole matter, fear God, and

keep his Commandments. For this is man's all or in the

King James version says, this is the duty of man, the whole duty

of, man, A life of living for God will not be meaningless or

like chasing after the wind. This is your whole meaning in

life. This is the conclusion to

everything that the preacher has analyzed and he's looked at his

life and all the labor and all this, but he's done through life

and where had they find Joy? He found joy in God's creation.

He found joy in his hard work and he found joy in the fact of

serving God and keeping him first and obeying his

Commandments. That's where he found.

True Joy. The things of this life, bring

temporary Joy temporary but the things of God bring lasting Joy.

That will last forever. So this is all that counts.

This is all that has any value. This is it.

To serve God, fear God and keep his Commandments.

Then he goes on to say, in verse 14, for God will bring every

work into judgment including every secret secret thing,

whether good or evil. So even though life isn't fair,

even though we think we may got a bad deal even though things

didn't work out for us, the way that we wanted them to Even

though we come up against all kinds of problems in life and

all kinds of hurdles and all kinds of obstructions and people

don't treat us, right? And people don't treat us Fair.

Sometimes we seem like there's no reward for our hard work here

on this Earth and everything that we've done that all of it's

just been for nothing. God will bring every work into

judgment. Do make it fair one of these

days. Absolutely.

For our your life of Living and obeying his Commandments, he

will make it fair for those that decide.

They don't want to live a life of serving God, he will make it

fair, he will bring every work into judgment.

Whether good or evil. So life Under the Sun is Vanity.

There's no meaning to strive for only Earthly things without God.

There is no real meaning in life without God you will not be able

to truly enjoy your time on Earth because you all you're

striving for is Eve Earthly things that have no value life.

Under the Sun, can be filled with joy, though.

Experiencing the joyful, memories of Life, the memories

of family, the memories of loved ones.

The good times, the things that you've enjoyed in life.

With God, guide us in keeping our priorities, in life straight

and with God, to bless us with wisdom, and the ability to enjoy

what good there is in life, to find joy, in the vanity of life.

He says, remember your creator fear God, and keep his

Commandments. Today, that especially means for

us to obey Christ Our Savior and obey the gospel Plan of

Salvation and Obey God's Commandments, Mark 8 verses 34

Mark 8:34–37

through 37, when he had called the people to himself and his

disciples also he said to them whosoever desires to come after

me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for

whosoever desires to save his life, will lose it, but

whosoever loses his life for my sake.

And the gospels will save it for.

What will it profit? A man, if he gains the whole

world and loses his own soul, Or what will a man give in exchange

for his soul? So if this world and all the

striving for things of this world is of no value as

meaningless as like grasping for the wind, And let's place our

importance on things that are meaningful in life.

And following Jesus. Ran across this quick poem that

might Chris will put out it somewhat kind of says a little

bit about it. How our priorities in life are

talk about the Working Farmer. He wasn't ready, Sunday morn,

the cows were lowing needed corn.

A lot of hanging night before done took its toil and made him

sore. So as he lay there in his bed

and random thought ran through his head, if he could miss a

little church, he'd be no longer in the Lurch.

There'd be more time for him to do the daily chores that made

him stew. And so with pillow under her

head he closed his eyes and hugged his bed with blanket,

soft and covers. I'm the church.

Could wait, no one would mourn. No need for him to rush to

prayer show up next week. No one will care hid toss a bit

more in the plate, an extra five would expedite.

Expiate his conscience, pure would praise.

The more today was his to snooze and snore.

And so it was down on the farm, the Lord's Day passed, without

alarm more weeks rolled around, like, pretty please and bent his

back, but not his knees. The day once his now his became

and dodging Church became his game but soon he felt the toils

of Life. His heart was fraught with awful

Strife to one dark night with great alarm.

He set things, straight down on the farm.

He went to bed ahead of time and woke up before the morning

chime, he milked the cows and slop the Hogs, he gathered eggs

and fed the dogs, he even found the time to pray a custom new to

start the day. Then by and by as And a pass, he

knew his faith was back at last and as he mused, it finally

came. So to the wind and reap life

Spain. so, the life of doing things, for our pleasure, doing

things that are comfortable doing things that please us Four

things here on this Earth. Have no value.

Serving God has value. Has joy and pleasure.

We enjoy the things God has left to us and the work of our hands

and our hard labor. We enjoy those things here on

Earth but that's all temporary and goes away, but serving God

is forever. And will bring true Joy.

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