SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON PLAN - 8-8-2021 - ECCL. 4:13-5:7 - WHY LISTEN?
LAST WEEK: In Eccl. 3:1-15, we heard some familiar Bible passages in which Solomon gave us instruction on the general theme that there is a "time" for everything. He said that all of life is part of a grand cycle determined by God, and we are all subject to divinely appointed times and changes in life over which we have little or no control, which a complete contrast to God's eternal and sovereign control of all things. Although we humans long for something more, we must learn to trust God and live with the reality that there is a purpose and time for everything that happens in life. The main points we covered are: (1) We should do our best to put our allotted time to good use. Time is like a limited commodity that once it's used-up, it can't be replaced. God not only expects us to use our time wisely but also expects us to use it for His greater glory. (2) God has appointed every one of us to work for a living. And He has appointed all kinds of work for us to do that's designed to show us our dependence on Him rather than on the human social order. (3) God created humans with a desire to know the future. When God created us, he planted a seed of eternity that gives us the innate knowledge that there's more to life than what we experience in the here and now. (4) God gives us the gift of life to enjoy today. Since the search for higher meaning in this life is ultimately pointless, we should instead focus our energies and spend our time on enjoying the simple pleasures. (5) Although death is certain, it is not the end. The infinite mind of God knows every person born-past present, and future-and every single one will ultimately be recalled by God to either (a) spend eternity in heaven with Him as the redeemed in Christ or (b) be condemned at the final judgment and cast into the lake of fire.
THIS WEEK: In Eccl. 4:13-5:7, Solomon will talk to us about two things: (1) The instability of human government due to the fleeting character of popularity. American politics over the past 20+ years is certainly a testimony to this truth. And (2) how we should relate to God when we come into His House and the foolishness of making promises (or vows) to Him that we fail to keep.
Read Eccl. 4:13-16 - VANITY OF HUMAN LEADERSHIP IN GOVERNMENT
13 Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14 For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. 15 I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king's place. 16 There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
v. 13-14: "Better was a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14 For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor." - In this verse, Solomon relates the story of a young man who unexpectedly rises to power as king of a nation. Against all odds, he was not only born poor but had even spent time in prison. As a young king, he listened well and ruled justly, but in his old age, he became proud and indifferent to those who tried to advise him. The moral of this verse comes as a proverb: It is better to be poor and wise than to be rich (or powerful) and foolish.
v. 15: "I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that youth who was to stand in the king's place" - This verse illustrates the young man's rise to power. The phrase, "all the living who move about under the sun," emphasizes his huge popularity not with some but with all the people. That he came to power "to stand in the king's place," suggests that the old king was dethroned or otherwise removed from power. Yesterday's politicians are largely has-beens.
v. 16a: "There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led" - The young king is seen reaching the zenith of fame, achieving a 100% popularity rating. That he "led" all of them suggest that they had given him the unlimited power to do whatever he wished.
v. 16b: "Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind" - Here, after a time, maybe a generation, we see the king's popularity fade to nothing. To paraphrase, the younger crowd doesn't like him at all: they are no longer satisfied and want somebody else to rule them. And Solomon rightly concludes that it's all vanity-meaningless.
Observation: The overall sense of these four verses is a subtle warning about pride (e.g., leaders who become self-absorbed and indifferent toward those who brought them to power), and more obviously, the instability of political power in human governments and the short-lived character of popularity. In v. 16, Solomon makes the point that the younger man who replaced the original king would see history repeating itself and see his career end in the swift downhill trend of the man who preceded him. A second, related point shows the cause of instability in human government: The general public is categorically fickle-yes? Because of our self-centered human nature, a majority of the people operate on the principle: "I liked you in the past, but what have you done for me lately?"
Comment: Many Bible scholars believe that Solomon writings here were inspired by the story of Joseph's rise to power in Egypt (Gen. 41 generally). Joseph, sold into slavery by his bothers, spent time in prison before rising to the position of governor of all Egypt under Pharaoh. In that role, he achieved great fame and favor by saving an entire population from famine. Then, as Moses reports in Ex. 1:8, "a new king arose in Egypt, who did not know Joseph," after which the accomplishments of Joseph were forgotten and the people of Israel became the slaves of the Egyptians.
Read Eccl. 5:1-3 - WATCH YOUR STEP AND CONTROL YOUR MOUTH IN THE HOUSE OF GOD
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words.
Comment: In this chapter, Solomon will instruct us on three different ways we should relate to God.
1a: "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God" - A proper attitude-guarding your steps-is essential whenever we approach God in His house. Above all else, we must acknowledge who God is and who we...His worshipers. This means we must consciously and intentionally PREPARE ourselves and re-focus all our thoughts beforehand-God always expects us approach Him in the right frame of mind: with reverence and respect...a mindset of humble submission. Our modern expression, "watch your step!" stems from Solomon's warning here. You might have heard this phrase from one of your parents when, out of anger, you said something impertinent, and your dad or mom snapped, "You better watch your step, young man or young lady!"
1b: "To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil." - Of equal importance, the right way to approach God in worship is to come into His house with our ears wide-open. Solomon is forewarning us that when we come into the house of God, there will be something for us to hear. The house of God is a placed dedicated to the reading, teaching, and preaching of the Word of God. So the first questions we should ask ourselves as we prepare for worship: (1) Am I ready to listen to the voice of God? (2) Is my heart open to spiritual instruction (receptive)? And (3) are my ears attuned to the message I will hear from the Bible?
APPLICATION 1: In order to worship God rightly, we must be prepared. First we "guard our steps" by shaping our attitude-reverence, respect, and humility for God when we approach Him. Second, we come to church primarily to lectern and learn, so we must keep our ears wide open to hear the reading, teaching, and preaching of God's word.
v. 2: "Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few." - This is also applicable to business meetings in Southern Baptist Churches (no kidding!). Control of the tongue is especially important in God's house. "Rash" speech and "hasty" words are things that people thoughtlessly people blurt out on impulse. James got it right when he said, "the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness" (James 3:6). God's house is never a place for any kind of hateful speech, unkind words to or about others, or gossip in any form. In church, every word that proceeds from our mouth should be God-honoring and gracious. We come to church to listen, not to air our opinions to a captive audience. Your views on politics, the economy, sports, hobbies, and all kinds of other extraneous stuff are really not relevant topics for discussion in God's house. If you've got something important that everyone in the church needs to know, ask to speak but "let your words be few." A Bible commentator on this verse remarked that, "Every time a mouth is open, a heart is on display, and we are as likely to hear a word from Hell as a word from Heaven."
APPLICATION 2: In church, we must keep our mouth under control at all times. God's house is never a place for any kind of hateful speech, unkind words to or about others, or gossip in any form. In church, every word that proceeds from your mouth should be God-honoring and gracious. We come to church to listen, not to air our opinions to a captive audience. If you've got something important that everyone in the church needs to know, ask to speak but "let your words be few."
v. 3: "For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words." - This first phrase has to do with letting your mind wander in church, allowing yourself to ponder other things like your issues at work or dreaming about your next vacation. You might as well be sitting in your car in the parking lot. The second phrase has pertains to saying too much: turning a simple announcement into a sermonette, or going on and on endlessly when you're invited to pray, or asking a question ("I just wanted to say...") at a business meeting that turns into a 10-minute speech.
APPLICATION 3: When in church, we must keep our minds on God. You shouldn't let your mind wander on other things like issues at work or dreaming where to spend your next vacation.
Read Eccl. 5:4-5 - DON'T MAKE PROMISES TO GOD UNLESS YOU'RE READY TO DELIVER
4 When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.
v. 4: "When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow." - A "vow" is a sworn promise and "paying" is an expression for keeping a promise. Long ago, while a young man in Germany was walking through a wooded area during a severe electrical storm, when a lightning bolt suddenly stuck the tree next to him, and he, cried out, "Help me! And I will become a monk." That sudden vow changed the life of Martin Luther. There are times when God creates a storm-a personal crisis-to awaken us, and in the midst of the turmoil we make life-changing commitments and vows to Him. But when the crisis passes, we revert back to our old "normal," and the vow is quietly forgotten (by us, not by God, who remembers everything in exact detail). Solomon is giving us a true and critical warning that this is a very bad mistake--because God takes our vows very seriously and will be certain to judge us, accordingly, when we fail to keep them. It's a very serious sin, and you will be held accountable for it.
• The key to keeping our vows to God is expedience-"do not delay paying it": This means that just as soon as you make a vow to God, you need to start establishing a doable and realistic plan on how you're going to keep your promise, and the longer you delay, the less likely you are to keep it.
v. 5: "It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay" - This is Solomon's antithesis: If you suddenly find yourself traumatized by a personal crisis and you're ready to get on your knees and promise God anything to get out of it, stop! The key idea here is sober reflection: get your emotions under control. Think clearly before you commit yourself. Seriously deliberate what you're honestly willing to do (or competent or capable of doing) before you make any vows to God. It's far better to make no vow at all than to break one you aren't realistically able to keep. Good intentions count for nothing. Ever heard somebody say, I really wanted to do that but just couldn't force myself to do it? Do you think God's going to accept that excuse?
Read Eccl. 5:6-7 - DON'T MAKE HASTY PROMISES THAT YOU CAN'T DELIVER
6 Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.
v. 6: "Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?" - These two verses are tricky. Solomon is still on the subject of promises and breaking them. First, let's define two of the words: A "messenger" (Heb. malák) can be a representative of God, a Levitcal priest in Solomon's day but a pastor, elder, or deacon in our context, and a "mistake" (Heb. shegagah) can mean unintentional sin. Again, this has to do with making promises on the spur of the moment without carefully considering them in advance. For example, it could involve giving either time or money to a ministry you pledged to support, but when you sat down and crunched the numbers, you realized you'd made a huge miscalculation. The premise here is that you can't renege, i.e., simply take it back and claim it was a mistake. You're left with two choices: "Bite the bullet" and do it anyway or seek repentance with some form of reparation to make up for it. The second phrase, "Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?," indicates that God still holds you responsible for making good on your careless mistakes, even if it imposes a hardship.
v. 7: "For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear." - This verse forms a summary for all of chapter 5: That the fear of God-our reverence and respect for the person of God-should: (1) control our speech, behavior, and indeed, all our thinking when we are in God's house and (2) we are ultimately accountable to God for any vows we make to Him and for any promises made to others (His messengers) on behalf of Him. The phrase, "when dreams increase and words grow many" can be paraphrased to say that when we make overly ambitious and ill-considered promises (i.e., out of "vanity")to either God or His messengers, we need to be prepared to put our money (or our time) where out mouth is.
APPPICATION 4: God will hold us accountable for (1) any vows we make to Him and (2) any promises we make to others on behalf of Him. God takes our vows very seriously and will be certain to judge us, accordingly, when we fail to keep them. And it's far better to make no vow at all than to break one you aren't realistically able to keep. The same idea applies to promises made to others on behalf of God (e.g., pastors, deacons, etc.). The idea is that even if your promise was ill-conceived (made up of "dreams and words"), you still can't renege on it, i.e., simply take it back and claim it was a mistake. You're left with two choices: "Bite the bullet" and do it anyway or seek repentance with some form of reparation to make up for it. The second phrase, "Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?," indicates that God still holds you responsible for making good on your careless mistakes, even if it imposes a hardship.
PRAYER: Father in heaven, we thank You again for the privilege of gathering together to study and learn from the truth of your Word. We thank you for this good church and the wonderful fellowship we enjoy together as a family of God. Lord, for myself and the other folks in this class, I pray that we will be convicted to remember Solomon's wise instruction in today's lesson: That when we step into this building for worship, that we will be mindful of how we speak, that we will be focused on matters that relate to You and Your church, and finally, Lord, that we will keep any and all promises we make on your behalf to further the work of this church. We acknowledge, Dear God, that these are standards that we are spiritually and morally bound to keep. I ask all of these in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, AMEN.
