Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20030702.htm

ECCLESIASTES: PROVIDING A CORRECT WORLD VIEW FOR A LIFE OF MEANING
Part II: Knowing What Provides Lasting Purpose In View Of The Failure Of Human Wisdom To Reveal It
(Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 with 12:13-14)
  1. Introduction
    1. A great need we have as human beings is the need to understand our earthly lives in order to know where and how to give ourselves to endeavors of timeless value.
    2. Though man's wisdom gives no such insight (Eccles. 1:12-18), Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 reveals the answer:
  2. Knowing What Provides Lasting Purpose In View Of The Failure Of Human Wisdom To Reveal It.
    1. Solomon found that human wisdom, when considered empirically with the five senses alone "under the sun" offers no credible insight into what one may direct himself toward that would be of timeless value:
      1. First, Solomon investigated human wisdom around himself when considered empirically "under the sun" to see what it could offer by way of direction toward a valuable, timeless endeavor, Ecclesiastes 1:12-15; he found such wisdom to be sadly deficient as follows (Bible Know. Com., O.T., p. 981):
        1. Solomon found human wisdom around himself when considered empirically "under the sun" only increased his unhappiness as that wisdom was an exercise in vain futility, Ecclesiastes 1:12-14.
        2. The reason human wisdom around himself was so vain was that it failed on two fronts: (a) it failed to find an answer for the "crooked" inequalities or irregularities of life and (b) it failed to reveal how the deficiencies of life could be filled up, Ecclesiastes 1:15.
      2. Second, Solomon looked within himself at his own great wisdom to see empirically "under the sun" if his own wisdom would offer him insight in directing him toward a timeless endeavor, Ecclesiastes 1:16-18; he found it vainly only increased his sorrow as follows (Ibid., p. 981):
        1. Solomon decided to see what his own wisdom could do when empirically considered in itself "under the sun" to lead him to a meaningful, timeless endeavor, for he had surpassing wisdom given to him by God as was well known by others around him, cf. Ecclesiastes 1:16 with 1 Kings 3:10-12.
        2. Solomon thus applied his great wisdom to discern wisdom and its opposites in madness and folly to see what it could do to direct him to timeless meaning, Ecclesiastes 1:17a.
        3. However, this exercise proved to be a vain striving after the wind, Ecclesiastes 1:17b; all his greater human wisdom could do was reveal greater inequalities and deficiencies in life that he did not have the capacity to correct by his own wisdom all to his greater human unhappiness, Ecclesiastes 1:18.
    2. In light of the inability of human wisdom to direct one toward timeless meaning in life, the conclusion of Ecclesiastes offers a solution with a lesson for us all regarding proper insight, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14:
      1. Solomon ended Ecclesiastes with a moving summary that applies to each segment of his book, 12:13a.
      2. That lesson is the fact that any or all aspects of this life, when considered in full reveal this life is but a "stage where all the men and women are merely actors" to paraphrase William Shakespeare.
      3. That being so, and as human wisdom can not direct us to timeless meaning, we must do as follows:
        1. We should respect Almighty God the Creator who put us on this earth to live here, Eccles. 12:13b.
        2. In accord with that respect for God, we must keep God's commands for us, Eccles. 12:13c.
        3. Applied to human wisdom empirically considered in itself, we must not let our own OR another human's wisdom DIRECT us to ALLEGED endeavors of timeless value , but let God's Word alone direct us there! Otherwise, we end up walking in darkness, cf. Isaiah 8:20!
      4. Thus, this present life is not an end in itself, but a means to fulfilling God's will for us, a matter for which we will give an account to Almighty God at the end of our earthly sojourns, Ecclesiastes 12:14.
      5. Since that Almighty Creator is righteous and not evil, we ought to respect God and our accountability to Him so as to overcome evil and live righteously as God wants us to live this life, Eccles. 12:14b.
Lesson: As human wisdom ITSELF can not direct us to meaningful endeavors of timeless value, we must rely on GOD'S SPECIAL REVELATION, His WORD for such insight. That WORD calls us to respect and heed God NOW as we will give an account for how we DID so when we LEAVE this life.

Application: (1) In view of the great LIMIT to human wisdom, we must trust Scripture's revelation and NOT rely on our OWN insight or the wisdom of OTHER PEOPLE, Isa. 8:20. (2) This leads us to heed the Bible's call to trust in Christ as Savior and serve Him in discipling others, Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:19-20.