ECCLESIASTES LESSON 9

     We will begin this lesson in Ecclesiastes 7:13 "Consider the work
of God: for who can make [that] straight, which he hath made crooked?"

     In the last lesson, we saw Solomon complaining that things were
not as good as they used to be. God does not like complaining. We
cannot change God, or the things He has established. We must accept
the things we cannot change. We may need to alter our lives to conform
to the things God has done. We must change, not God. Ephesians 1:11
"In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated
according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the
counsel of his own will:" Certain things in our lives are predestined.
Our salvation is not predestined. Many other things in our life are.

     Ecclesiastes 7:14 "In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the
day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the
other, to the end that man should find nothing after him."

     When things are going well, we should be happy and full of praise
to God. When we are having troublesome times, we should just do the
very best we can and not be disappointed. If we wait, better times
will come. Behind every dark cloud, there is a silver lining. We would
not appreciate the sunshine, unless there were cloudy days. Acts 14:22
"Confirming the souls of the disciples, [and] exhorting them to
continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter
into the kingdom of God." It is as if God has given good and evil for
us to compare. At the end of life, we would be able to look back over
our lives and realize we had experienced both. It is our attitude
toward the good days and the problem days that make us what we are.

     Ecclesiastes 7:15 "All [things] have I seen in the days of my
vanity: there is a just [man] that perisheth in his righteousness, and
there is a wicked [man] that prolongeth [his life] in his wickedness."

     Solomon is thinking on the things that seem to be unexplainable
about life. Sometimes, it seems that those who live for God, have the
most problems in this earth. The reward promised for righteousness, is
long life and prosperity. Sometimes, that does not happen in this
life. The wicked seem to live on and on and to prosper. The only
answer I might have for that, is the fact that God is longsuffering.
He gives the sinner ample time to repent. The true rewards for the
righteous are the rewards they receive during their eternal life in
heaven.

     Ecclesiastes 7:16 "Be not righteous over much; neither make
thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?"

     Being "righteous over much" is, possibly, speaking of the
formality of religion. God does not appreciate us keeping rituals in
the church. He wants a relationship with us. To make oneself wise, is
to appear to others to be arrogant and conceited. These things are not
wise at all, because they turn God and man against us. Matthew 6:1
"Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them:
otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 6:2 "Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a
trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the
streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward." Matthew 6:3 "But when thou doest alms, let not thy
left hand know what thy right hand doeth:" Matthew 6:4 "That thine
alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself
shall reward thee openly."  Matthew 6:5  "And when thou prayest, thou
shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing
in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be
seen of men.  Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."  Matthew
6:6 "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou
hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."  Matthew 6:7
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for
they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."

     Ecclesiastes 7:17 "Be not over much wicked, neither be thou
foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?"

     Solomon had warned, in the previous verse, about the danger of
having a form of righteousness. He, now, is saying that is not a
license to go out and sin. "Dying before their time" would indicate
God killing them for their sins. James 1:21 "Wherefore lay apart all
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness
the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." Matthew 10:28
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the
soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in hell."

     Ecclesiastes 7:18 "[It is] good that thou shouldest take hold of
this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth
God shall come forth of them all."

     This is expressing, again, that they should live as near a
righteous life as possible. They should not be a follower of God in
form only, but should be a believer in their hearts. It is wrong to
sin. It is, also, wrong to be a Christian in form only. Luke 1:50 "And
his mercy [is] on them that fear him from generation to generation."
Luke 11:42 "But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and
all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these
ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

     Ecclesiastes 7:19 "Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten
mighty [men] which are in the city."

     Wisdom coupled with fear of God is one of the mightiest forces
upon the earth. Godly wisdom is more help to a person than the help of
ten mighty men. Colossians 1:9 "For this cause we also, since the day
we heard [it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye
might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and
spiritual understanding;"  Colossians 1:10 "That ye might walk worthy
of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in the knowledge of God;"  Colossians 1:11 "Strengthened
with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and
longsuffering with joyfulness;"

     Ecclesiastes 7:20 "For [there is] not a just man upon earth, that
doeth good, and sinneth not."

     Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God;"  I John 1:10 "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a
liar, and his word is not in us."  We can see from all of the above
Scriptures, that it is the nature of men to sin. At some time or
other, each of us has sinned. The wonderful thing is that Jesus took
our sins upon His body on the cross. He became our substitute. When we
receive Jesus as our Saviour, we are free from sin. He washed us in
His precious blood, and we became righteous in the sight of God. Jesus
put us in right standing with God.

     Ecclesiastes 7:21 "Also take no heed unto all words that are
spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:"

     We must be careful not to hear accusations others make about our
servant, or anyone else. Most of the time, they are not true. If we
are dead in Christ, ugly things said about us will not harm us. Look,
with me, at a description of those who are in right standing with God.
I Corinthians 13:5 "Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her
own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;"  I Corinthians 13:6
"Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;"
I Corinthians 13:7 "Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth
all things, endureth all things."

     Ecclesiastes 7:22 "For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth
that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others."

     How can a person blame someone else for the same sin he has
committed himself? If you are honest with yourself, you know you have
done a similar thing to what your servant said about you. God will
forgive you, if you forgive others. God judges us with the same
measure, we judge others. James 3:9 "Therewith bless we God, even the
Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the
similitude of God."

     Ecclesiastes 7:23  "All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I
will be wise; but it [was] far from me."

     The wisdom in these lessons have to do with the way things are on
the earth. Solomon did have much wisdom pertaining to these things. We
remember, God gave Solomon wisdom to rule his people justly. He knew
practical rules of living, but the deeper things of the Spirit of God,
who can know?  I Kings 3:11 "And God said unto him, Because thou hast
asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither
hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine
enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern
judgment;" I Kings 3:12 "Behold, I have done according to thy words:
lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there
was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise
like unto thee." Solomon did not have enough wisdom to keep him from
worshipping false gods. I Corinthians 1:20 "Where [is] the wise?
where [is] the scribe?  where [is] the disputer of this world?  hath
not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?"

     Ecclesiastes 7:24 "That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who
can find it out?"

     Perhaps, this is speaking of the things of God. Not anyone,
including Solomon, truly understands the depth of God. Just the fact
of Him being eternal, is more than man of few days can understand.
Romans 11:33 "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways
past finding out!"  I Timothy 6:16 "Who only hath immortality,
dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath
seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power everlasting. Amen."

     Ecclesiastes 7:25 "I applied mine heart to know, and to search,
and to seek out wisdom, and the reason [of things], and to know the
wickedness of folly, even of foolishness [and] madness:"

     Man, through all of his efforts, cannot figure out the things of
God. It seemed, that Solomon was overwhelmed with the desire to know
the secrets of life. He applied himself to the fullest. He knew more
than any mortal man, yet he did not know the secrets of God. We really
cannot please God by gaining head knowledge about Him. He wants our
hearts. He wants us to have faith in Him. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

     Ecclesiastes 7:26 "And I find more bitter than death the woman,
whose heart [is] snares and nets, [and] her hands [as] bands: whoso
pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by
her."

     Solomon makes this statement, because his 700 wives have turned
him to worship false gods. I Kings 11:3 "And he had seven hundred
wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned
away his heart."  I Kings 11:4 "For it came to pass, when Solomon was
old, [that] his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his
heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as [was] the heart of
David his father."  His love for these women caused him to turn from
God. Solomon calls himself a sinner here.

     Ecclesiastes 7:27 "Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher,
[counting] one by one, to find out the account:" Ecclesiastes 7:28
"Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand
have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."
Ecclesiastes 7:29 "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man
upright; but they have sought out many inventions."

     Solomon has looked back over his life, and found there are very
few men {perhaps 1 in a thousand} who are totally upright. In all the
women he married, he did not find one who truly loved God. His wives
were heathen women. Solomon is saying  "very few truly are saved".
                       Ecclesiastes 9 Questions


1.  We must accept the things we cannot _________.
2.  Quote Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11.
3.  What is one thing that is not predestined for us?
4.  In the day of prosperity be ___________.
5.  What should we do in troublesome times?
6.  Quote Acts chapter 14 verse 22.
7.  What really makes us what we are?
8.  What are some unexplainable things about life?
9.  When do the true rewards for the righteous come?
10. What does "righteous over much" mean?
11. When you make yourself wise, how do you appear to others?
12. Quote Matthew chapter 6 verses 1 through 7.
13. What is Solomon saying in verse 17?
14. Quote James chapter 1 verse 21.
15. We must not fear those who can kill the body, but whom?
16. It is wrong to sin, but it is, also, wrong to do what?
17. Quote Luke chapter 1 verse 50.
18. Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than _____ mighty men.
19. What is one of the mightiest forces in the earth?
20. Quote Colossians chapter 1 verses 9, 10, and 11.
21. There is not a just man upon the _________.
22. Quote Romans chapter 3 verse 23.
23. It is the nature of men to _____.
24. What is the wonderful thing that Jesus did for all of us?
25. Quote 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verses 5 through 7.
26. We bless God, and curse men who are made after the _________ of
    God.
27. What kind of wisdom did Solomon have?
28. Where had Solomon gotten this wisdom?
29. Who truly understands the depth of God?
30. Quote Romans chapter 11 verse 33.
31. Who has seen God?
32. We really can not please God by gaining ________ knowledge.
33. What does God want from us?
34. What is faith?
35. What had Solomon's wives caused him to do?
36. How many men, in a thousand, did he find totally upright?
37. How many of his wives truly loved God?
38. What is Solomon saying in this?