My life, my dominion

Summary of Ecclsiastes:
PART 1: WHAT IS WORTHWHILE?
The focus of the book is in the beginning verse and the ending verse 12:8. Summarizing the problem that the book deals with one subject?
The brevity of life.
If life is so brief, the next logical question then what is it for? V.3
Eccl 1:1-3
1:1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."
3 What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?

Eccl 1:9-10
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
"Look! This is something new"?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
Is there anything new? What does it say to our contribution to the world?

Eccl 1:11
11 There is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow.
In fact what happened to the little contribution that we have?
It will be forgotten.

Eccl 1:13-14
13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Eccl 2:3
I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
So Solomon devoted himself to vigorous study. His conclusion is what? The same theme. It is brief and it is illusive, no long term profit. He came to that conviction after serious study. Do you really believe it? Because only serious believe on the brevity and un-profit of life will spur you onward.

In the brevity of life, is anything worthwhile?

Eccl 2:8-11
9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my work,
and this was the reward for all my labor.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;
nothing was gained under the sun.
There is some short term profit in v.10. What is it? Job satisfaction.
Yet, in v.11, what happened? It does not last.

Eccl 2:13-14
13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise man has eyes in his head,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate overtakes them both.

Eccl 2:16-18
16 For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
in days to come both will be forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise man too must die!
17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

He learned two truths:
1. Wise is better than not wise v.13 but
2. Death is the ultimate destiny. V.16
3. Even the wise man will not be remembered. v.16
4. So it is chasing after the wind. No long term impact. V.17.

Eccl 2:18-20
18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.

Eccl 2:21-23
22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.
So I hope for a legacy to carry on. But even then it cannot be had. V.19. In the final balance, the modern man worked hard v.23 yet he gets no profit v.22.

Eccl 2:24-26
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Since life is brief and there is no long run profit. Is anything worthwhile. Soloman came to his first conclusion about life. What is it?
1. Conclusion: Survival needs and satisfaction is the best.
2. Criteria: A gift from God to those who please God.
3. 3 gifts: Wisdom, data, and happiness. The three are linked. Without data, you can have no wisdom, with just data, it is a grevious burden. Only with both can you have happiness. Why?
4. A guy who have wealth and data cannot enjoy the above gifts, why?

Eccl 3:1
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
Eccl 3:9-14
9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. 13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
Same question in v.9 again. Anything worthwhile.
Three key words – beautiful (tapestry woven), fathom (understand), eternity (data from ages past and future).
In light of God’s plan, which we cannot understand, which is beautiful, in light of the brevity of life and no long term profit:
1. Conclusion: the best is to be happy (survival and satisfaction) and do good (not self-centered)
2. Criteria: God’s gift. 2 I knows. I know God’s plan cannot be defeated. I accept that I cannot change it.
3. Result: We revere him.

Eccl 3:16-17
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment-wickedness was there,
in the place of justice-wickedness was there.
17 I thought in my heart,
"God will bring to judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time for every deed."
Eccl 3:21-22
21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
We understand very little. Why is there corruption in courthouse? How does God plan fit in? What do we feel about that? We feel unfair. We feel unsettled. Solomon calls on us to believe in fair judgment. In God’s plan. Even when we do not know something for sure like the spirit where will it go. Have faith. It is in light of unfairness and trusting God in the unseen and uncertain then:
1. enjoy my job as my reward.



Eccl 4:1
4:1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed-
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors-
and they have no comforter.
Eccl 4:4
4 And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Eccl 4:8
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
"For whom am I toiling," he asked,
"and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?"
This too is meaningless-
a miserable business!
Eccl 4:13-14
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.
Eccl 4:16
But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
This passage focuses on the arena of work. What are four major things that we experience in work?
1. Oppression
2. Envy.
3. Isolation
4. Seeking for advancement.
Conclusion is:
All these are meaningless. Brief sensations. No long term profit. No one remembers.
Eccl 5:1
5:1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
Eccl 5:2-3
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.
3 As a dream comes when there are many cares,
so the speech of a fool when there are many words.
Eccl 5:6-7
7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.
Arena of worship is sandwiched between 2 sections – work pursuit and money pursuit. Why? Because of v.3. we daydream in worship of our success. Worship is not a time of talking v.2.
Why? Because v.7. Those dreams only lead you to brief sensations.
What should we do in worship? V.7. Stand in awe of God. Why? V.2 He is in heaven. Higher than you. He has a beautiful plan that you cannot fathom. Ch. 3.

Eccl 5:10
10 Whoever loves money never has money enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
This too is meaningless.
Eccl 5:13-14
13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
14 or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when he has a son
there is nothing left for him.
Eccl 5:16-17
16 This too is a grievous evil:
As a man comes, so he departs,
and what does he gain,
since he toils for the wind?
17 All his days he eats in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.
Eccl 6:1-2
6:1 I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: 2 God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.


We are turning to arena of money. There are a few problems of chasing after money.
1. V.10. Money never satisfies.
2. V.13. Money brings sense of loss or actual loss.
3. v.17 Loss of money brings a keen sense of frustration.
4. v. 1 Money and possession alone do not bring happiness.

Eccl 5:18-20
18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God. 20 He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
It is only when you realize the shortcomings of money then you will be able to be satisfy with survival and satisfaction in your brief days.
But when God give you money and ability to retain and enjoy it – you will be contented and be happy w your work. So that you will not reflect on the brevity of life because God himself keeps you occupied w joy.

Eccl 6:12
12 For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone?
This brings to conclusions of the first section:
1. Who knows what is good? Is money? Is accomplishments? Long life (v.3)? Many offsprings? Only God does. Listen to him.