What’s the connection? What is the message of Ecclesiastes?
In study hall today, I wanted to wrap up one student’s preliminary study of Ecclesiastes, while including other topics of discussion from the last semester.
The first part of Ecclesiastes is about how it would appear that there is no distinction between those who do good deeds and those who do evil. Everyone dies and loses any earthly gain they had. Both the wise and the foolish end up as worm food. Solomon observes that all goals in life seem pointless.
Though the book of Ecclesiastes seems very different from other books of the Bible, the same themes can be found all over the place. Here is my compilation of several verses from various books of the Bible that back up the same 3 statements that can be gleaned from Ecclesiastes: 1. Why does it seem like there is no justice for the wicked in this life? 2. God will ultimately bring judgment on the wicked. 3. God will reward those who seek His Kingdom.
The Wicked seemingly prosper
– Ecclesiastes 8:10 Then too, I saw the wicked buried—those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise [a] in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.
– Malachi 3:13-15 “You have said harsh things against me,” says the LORD. “Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’ “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’ “
– James 4:13-14 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
– Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
God will bring Judgment on the Wicked
– Ecclesiastes 11:9; 12:13-14 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. Now all has been heard; 12:13 here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
– Malachi 4:1 “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.
– James 5:1-6 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. 2Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.
– Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
– Revelation 22:10-13 10Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. 11Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy.” 12“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
God will Reward Those who Seek His Kingdom
– Ecclesiastes 8:12 Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.
– Malachi 3:16-18 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. 17 “They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. [a] I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
– James 5:7-9 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. 9Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
– Matthew 6:19-21, 33 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
– Revelation 22:7, 14 “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” 14“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
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Summary: The wicked prosper sometimes, but do not envy their worldly prosperity. It will fade; it is meaningless in the long run, and they will be judged. Do not envy the self-seeking. Do not seek your own worldly prosperity; rather, seek first the kingdom of God, found in following God’s own humble statement of servanthood in becoming human (see Philippians 2).
Jesus’ first coming made it possible for us to share in Christ’s heavenly treasures and inaugurated His kingdom. Jesus’ birth was announced to shepherds, the lowest of the low. If we are to seek Jesus’ kingdom first, what kind of kingdom should we be seeking? We should obviously not be seeking worldly prosperity.
At Jesus’ second coming, judgment will come. The internal life, the thoughts of the heart, will be revealed. This will mean punishment for the sinful and eternal treasure for the righteous. We can pray “Your kingdom come,” and mean it. Pray that God would hasten His reign and expand His rule and authority over the hearts of others around us. Encourage others else to let Jesus be king of their lives! How can you be a part of the coming Kingdom?
Many people sought Jesus’ first coming, and we celebrate His birth even now. But are you eagerly awaiting His second coming? Are you living like a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven?
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
