Becoming Wise All Over Again - Ecclesiastes 1:1

Solomon is inviting us gather around the system and get on very well so can open up his heart is in here. There are no easy answers. Quick, there's no guarantee that when you're missing pieces that somehow still come together. There is no set here as he looks at life under the sun that there's some kind of guarantee to make sure everything is making sense because people say sometimes it doesn't doesn't mix the wisest man who ever lived. King Solomon had the same questions later in his life. He shared some of what he learned in the book that he wrote called Ecclesiastes were beginning a study of that book today. Welcome to wisdom for the heart.

This is the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey with today's broadcast Stephen begins a series entitled finding meaning under the sun. Today's lesson is called becoming wise all over again if there was ever a man who knew better fly by the seat of his pants by his own intuition depending on himself rather than the instrument panel of God's revealed truth and guidance. It was a man by the name of Solomon. If you're old enough in the faith. You remember that Solomon's life is is quite an amazing flight as it reaches incredible heights. It is stratospheric in its accomplishments but you also know that it was a flight that nearly ended in a fatal collision that you might be younger in the faith that I don't assume too much. As we begin studying this book together, let me review some of the moments from his life and set the stage you may know enough or maybe new to you that Solomon is the son of David and Bathsheba. That would be another sermon to work or three, but he's destined for the throne of Israel from the beginning of his life now is Solomon is growing out.

David is conquering all the neighboring kingdoms to ensure there will be a safe King Solomon in which terrain is also David has gathered all material for the greatest building project. Israel is ever attempted. They will build the temple where this will become the centerpiece of worship for the nation of Jerusalem as they worship the one true and living God.

Near the end of David's life. Solomon is crowned King of Israel, and it really couldn't of been more perfect takeoff talk about set up then in first Kings chapter 3 that isn't enough, it records an event that is never occurred before in human history and as a God appears to Solomon in a dream and says yeah, make no and make it come true. You wish whatever you are granite may not here to play this game you take that one wish and you wish for three wishes write sentences in the game is the real deal is in the lab. The genie had one wish.

And I'm gonna, to fulfill it and I'm really to the surprise of the world around them, and frankly we admitted we would be surprising that your we would write this in on a blank check. But instead of writing in words like riches, saying power, invincibility, health, he writes in the word wisdom with God responds in the record of the king includes these words and it pleased the Lord Solomon.

It asked this and God said to him, because you've not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but you've asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your grant to your wish, to give you a wise and discerning mind that's great is it in any guys is to give your wish for wisdom and discernment because you didn't ask for riches or long life or invincibility, but that it gets even better because God isn't finished yet. He says in the next verse I give you also might you have not asked both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you all your days. Solomon get all tropical is going to get it all. He is in the is set for the ride.

His life and off the sword during his reign early on. Solomon will ride the song of Solomon of passionate love story, but at the same time, the compromise begins and he distorts love and marriage. He begins marrying the daughters King were told Solomon will end up marrying 700 princes say these are daughters of neighboring King there just because in his attempt to build military alliances first Kings 11. The detailed the most prominent princess of all, happens to be the daughter of Pharaoh, which would've been the most insulting thing you probably could have done the God he had redeemed them and rescued them. Egypt was nothing to fear that Solomon says I want to make an ally Mary, one of the Kings one of the Pharaoh's daughter during his middle years. Solomon is collecting Proverbs is experimenting.

He's building he's doing anything. His heart desires and he collects what we call the book of Proverbs. Many of them written by his own hand. The trouble is, again, while collecting and writing Proverbs of wisdom. He is at the same time defying wisdom. It's clear that he's taking his eyes off the instrument is upside down. For example, it'll take seven years to build a glorious temple.

I mean, it's literally coated in gold seven years. The velvet husband 13 on his own house. We can imagine the opulence and magnitude of his own palace.

He's collecting horses and chariots are symbols of military power of the Lord specifically forbade any Israelite king to collect them. Why he wants them to trust in him that the latest arsenal not only his weapon back. Solomon is is convinced and committed, it is easy to breed him even cells that the fullest is the cells of the Hittites and of the scenarios so that later on. By the way you study the record of his life. They could use those weapons in combat.

Salt is build cities to manage all the horses.

Happy to become so full. In the meantime, he's unsatisfied with everything, along with the 700 wives. He starts collecting the harem of 300 concubines for is one little boy mispronounced the 300 cucumber Vine diving is perfect because they did indeed tangled them up and tripped him up. He's marrying on average 17 princesses a year and adding a concubines was Herod and everyone every other mile. Not only is it incredibly selfish and destructive in ruining all their lives. It is spiritually suicidal that God had warned him of what it could mean for him spiritually first Kings God warns, they will surely turn your heart away after their God's next phrase reads. Solomon held fast that he's in love.

I don't care what God says, no, hold fast to say this course. Even though it is one of the five he held fast to know just marrying them. He wanted he paraded and you hear other construction programs taking place on the hill east of the city of David on a hill that will be known as the Hill of shame or he is going to build for them shrines to their false gods and goddesses think how could he go that far. It's obvious is upside down. He's lost track of worries been who is God is where you should be going. He's racing toward a fatal collision and catastrophe and may be that's where you are today. Maybe your hearing my voice, but it's a distant voice because your mind is wrestling your weighing options. Considering the decisions that might be nothing less than the fire, I don't. God says this is by for you.

Perhaps today is the crossroads and you're going to decide which direction you're going to go God is brought you here today to hear from an old man named Solomon why you want to go that way Solomon slides into his later years the man without any distinction really more character he's grown to be known for his taxation and suppression of his people and the surprising news is discovered somewhere, somehow something happens in Solomon's life, though his heart had grown cold and defiant were not sure exactly when or how were not even given the details, but as an old man whose heart is rekindled toward God. My guess is it's the same thing that I've seen many times over in a person's perspective, causing them to ask questions.

Often it's a life-threatening disease. Some tragedy or maybe just old age where a person comes to realize there's not much ahead compared to behind not much time left. Reminds me of a man I knew I would invite him to church. I would see him maybe once every year or so. Never had come to colonial and I share the gospel.

He wasn't interested but when I see him I'd invited Victor to always laugh and he would say Stephen Sundays that usually the most beautiful day of the week like day off.

Why when I ruined it by going to church. Then he got cancer. By the time they discovered the cancer it was in the last stage and beyond. In fact, he was told he did not much time left.

If the treatments wouldn't work in the treatments. Evidently work and that's when he contacted me and asked me to come over. I did, I went to visit a man who was no longer brave even stopped in his tracks and all of a sudden he was very interested in the instrument panel. It was a delight to spend time with them that afternoon explaining to him the gospel that he didn't know, and then to see him with tears running down his cheeks. Repenting of his pride in his sin, and casting himself on the mercy of Jesus. He knew he would stand before berries never saw such growth. Frankly, hunger even though a few months later he would die. God in his mercy made that man is sick with just enough time to make him think Solomon is now an old man and from the clues we pick up in his journal. He's completed his building projects he's grown bored with his possessions. He's finished his collection of Proverbs is body is now been with age.

Maybe it's his physician is come along and said Solomon know many of them to tell you this but I need to tell you you don't have time whatever weight week. We don't know when or how that brought him to write this closing message to his family and his nation, and at times specifically to his son. But we do know is that Solomon comes to the end of his life and refocuses on the instrument panel of divine instruction. I would agree with conservative commentaries, commentators, including beloved Matthew Henry zero 300 years ago that at the end of Solomon's life and what we can gather in the book were going to study together. He recognized his sin he repents. He sees the danger the collision just ahead and just in time. That we put the clues together and we will. Solomon's third and final book of wisdom literature is written during these last days and I think frankly it's a matter of days. Could be hours. We call it the book of Ecclesiastes.

So if you haven't already, unstick the pages and turn to Ecclesiastes the book we usually skip on her way to solve the Proverbs. This is a book of wisdom, the wisdom genre. It includes wise sayings, poems, riddles, problems will philosophy that tie ahead of time and I spent an inordinate amount of time just reading just to get a grip on not only this book but then what others were saying about admin and it's interesting to me that there are many people out there that think Ecclesiastes is a waste of time. We think about it. How often have you had a series of messages from the book of Ecclesiastes. This is my first time you visit this kind of a rambling book from a bitter old man right you get to verse two and if everything is empty, emptiness, and he knows everything is empty meaninglessness of meaninglessness.

Everything is meaningless. So why further right okay thank you I won't waste my time.

Well it isn't always the time. It's interesting the rabbis in the early centuries debated whether or not they should remain in the canon of Scripture. You know sometimes you get the best advice from someone who knows I don't have much time left to live will learn that together you look at the title at the top of the page notice. Obviously, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes, save you all of the heartburn of the history of this word. It's simply a Greek term for someone who is convening redder that way or or creating an assembly is gathering and assembling the fact if you look at the title. You can see in the first part of the word ecclesia or FIC. That's the New Testament word translated church. There's not a church here in Israel, but there certainly is an assembly that's what the word means gathering assembly and is gathering them to hear a message so the title is essentially an invitation to gather.

You might even right underneath the title words gather around with you from the deep South.

The altogether and also mean the same thing. Just write something up there that reminds you Solomon is inviting us to gather around and to hear his final message of the Hebrew equivalent Ecclesiastes is Koheleth that's translated in verse one, and several times about the book.

I simply, the preacher, the wino is gathering the assembly together to deliver a message a sermon. The lecture and it's translated in my text as the one who will do the preaching. He's the one calling this assembly so you can think ahead of time as it is Ecclesiastes as perhaps a sermon or maybe a last will and testament or memoir or an autobiography. Frankly, I think.

I believe it's all and more now in verse one, were given an introduction to the author of this sermon we read in verse one the words of the preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. The fuel directly across the page at verse 12 Solomon ads. I preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem that is if the United nation. The capitalist Jerusalem and he's raining there you could translate this. I have bed and I still am king over Israel in Jerusalem. Solomon is the only son of David, who reigned over United Kingdom after David in Jerusalem after Solomon dies, the nation is divided which leads me to believe that indeed this is Solomon who is the author even though he refers to himself often, sometimes even in the third person as the one doing the preaching. So this is an autobiography. This is the personal testimony of Solomon. Now I want to stop at the superscription and tell you that in order to understand this this sermon you can start at the beginning again like I said get into the next person. Everything is meaningless and he talks about the meaninglessness of life under the sun, and in a sort will why bother. This is evidently just a cynical old man was nothing more to do the right something so I can do any worse than what I met strictly starting the beginning. This is one of the few books we were given the purpose statement of why it was written that helps clear up everything in between. So let's start at the conclusion chapter 12 go there. Chapter 12 Solomon begins to tell us clearly why this was written, you'll notice in verse one.

Maybe this is one verse you've heard a sermon on it will get there do a sermon on money just we just touch on it, he writes. Remember, also, your creator in the days of your use stoppable that significant. Remember your creator is as if to say I forgot. Don't be like me, as I did as I say that my experience I've had all the experience anyone would want. Remember your creator.

Don't be like me. I've forgotten God remember fact I hearing this the hip. Remember you are created and all the year. You're not an accident created by a designer is designed just for you. Even when those designs don't seem to draw much of a picture. Remember you're crafted by creator God crafted so that you uniquely as a human being by faith in his son can relate to him and worship him and walk with him can look forward one day the living with him and that they will never Solomon's is wrapping this sermon by essentially say without him there is no meaning in life under the sun.

See you don't want to get your perspective under the sun. You want to get your perspective of life and of the son by something above the sun. Remember your creator give meaning to the toil and get this old Solomon is saying here. Don't forget God in the days of your use when you're taking off when he got the world by the tail when everything is in front of you.

Smooth takeoff. Remember God said you happen to be flying in culture.

This darkened growing darker by the minute thing to give you any help. No beam of light.

The horizon is absolute. You're going to think that your right side up in your upside down when you're taking off. Make sure you keep a note of the instrument panel of divine truth.

If you go over to the very end then of chapter 12 he says this. Okay, here's the end of the matter. I've written everything I've written just in case you missed it by the way, he'll remind us throughout this memoir. Here's the after everything's been hurt, fear God that refers to a trusting relationship with God. Fear God and keep his commandments obey the word of God. And there's a volume of of misery and and 10 and I why because C.defined it ignored. Keep follow it. This is the Solomon substance of your life without it. Just on so Solomon is inviting us gather around in this assembly, no man, you got to listen up against other loud that I can summarize his sermon with the right perspective. Solomon is wanting to sit us down. I believe you're sitting here by the invitation of God to hear from him at the very outset, Solomon can open up his heart. He said he's going to empty his soul, and their people may be. There are some inherent right now I can can handle there any platitudes in here. There are no easy answers is no quick fix. There is no guarantee that that when you're missing pieces that somehow still come together. There is no census here as he looks at life under the sun that there's some kind of guarantee to make sure everything is making sense because people say sometimes it doesn't.

Can you handle can you wait can you trust Solomon is going to say listen, I want to remember even when life is confusing seems futile and meaningless and terribly repetitious.

There is a creator God who has designs for you. Even when his plans for your life time seem mysterious maybe even unfair. God has a plan in mind, even when all the world is black as night offers no hint of help or mercy, or light trust. Trust in the meantime, Solomon is going to drive home the point that what you do is not the primary question of life, especially for the believer primary question is to whom do you