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August 26 - Ecclesiastes 4, 5 - "Five Better Things"

MPC 26^th August 2018.

Phil Campbell

Here's some good news for you. Scott Morrison has pledged the "new generation" of leadership will heal the Liberal party, the Parliament and the nation.

Sounds ambitious, I know. And Bill Shorten says we're entitled to be cynical. Although it's not quite fair to be cynical, is it? Given that when opinion polls drive our politics, it's our own combined opinions on every single issue that Hugh McKay says is ruining democracy. As pollies keep watching the polls and switching their policies to suit. And their leaders.

So welcome Mr Morrison. New generation of Liberal leadership. To your cynical but guilty electorate.

And take warning maybe from Ecclesiastes 4 from verse 13 to 16.

Remember the words we just read?

13 Better a poor but wise youth; (well, he's only 50)... Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish Prime Minister who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the Prime Minister's successor.

But then comes the warning. What goes around. comes around. Verse 16.

16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor.

It's been going on since politics was invented. Since the first brave guy stood up and said, "I'll lead." And the next guy said, "No you won't."

And look, I don't know if it's cynicism to just sigh and say, "that's life."

If you've been here for the first part of this cheery bible teaching series you'll know we're looking at the ancient book of Ecclesiastes, where a guy who calls himself the Teacher says he's going to look at that life one bit at a time, he's going to look at life through the eyes of wisdom... to find out what's worth doing.

We started with the big question. Chapter 1 verse 2. Chapter 1 verse 2. "What do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun?"

What is there that's really worth working for; what is it in the end you can hold on to that doesn't just slip through your fingers? That isn't just chasing the wind? When you find yourself on that walk of shame; voted out by the party room. Superseded. Retired. Gone. Dead.

And we've seen the last few weeks the way that after everything he's looked at so far, the Teacher comes up empty handed. In our English translation, he says it's all just meaningless. In the original Hebrew wording, it's all literally vapour. Hard to grasp. Hard to hold. And even harder to understand. Some translators go with the word enigmatic. Just can't grasp an answer.

And so if you want to play politics, if you think you'll find meaning and lasting value by getting to the top and leading your nation, if you're looking to rise through the ranks at work... here in Ecclesiastes chapter 4, the Teacher wants to offer you some wisdom. That might help keep things in perspective.

It's part of a list of five things that the Teacher lists off in the form of proverbs where he says this is better than that.

They're the start of a longer list of fifteen. That runs through the next few chapters. If you're reading ahead keep an eye out, fifteen things that the Teacher with all his wisdom pairs up. And says this is better than that.

So let's work them through one at a time.

We're starting in chapter 4 from verse 1. We'll get back to the problems of Kings and Prime Ministers in a few minutes. But he starts at the other end of the pecking order. And the problem of oppression.

I don't know if you ever let injustice and oppression touch your heart. We're by and large so comfortable we can pretty much just look the other way.

The Teacher's looking at everything. And verse 1, he says,

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.

Haven't noticed? Look closer. We want cheap clothes. Which is why there are sweatshops in Asia; paying less than a living wage; we want milk for a dollar a litre - so Coles and Woolies squeeze it out of our dairy farmers; every day, stories of wage theft. Workers who can't speak because because they're at risk of losing everything.

The Teacher has got his eyes wide open. oppression everywhere he looks. The rich getting richer at the expense of the poor getting poorer.

And in the face of it, verse 3, he says sometimes I wish I hadn't been born. So I didn't have to see this. It's a pretty dark thought isn't it?

But read from verse 2 to 3 and this is what he sees; and look for what he says is better:

2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

So much dark. better to have never even seen the light.

Look, if you're the sort of person who looks at life that way; you'll be the kind that never notices all the green traffic lights and only notices the red ones. That's the Teacher. And I just want to remind you that for all his wisdom, the guy who's writing these words; he doesn't get the last word. He's giving us the diagnosis. But not the treatment.

But let's go on to better number 2. As we turn to the ambition problem in verses 4 to 6. And I wonder if this might be your issue? The advertising industry thrives on it. People driven by ambition. That's just thinly veneered envy.

The Teacher says, everywhere he looks, everything people are working for, every achievement - he says in verse 4, it all springs from one person's envy of another.

Not motivated by common benefit; not interested in improving the world. Just a passion to be better than the next guy.

In his book Outliers Malcolm Gladwell says the way to be better than everyone else in your field is to make sure you put in at least ten thousand hours deliberate practice.

Pro violinist. 10,000 hours by the time you're 20. Really good amateur violinist. 2,000 hours.

And the Teacher says, from what I can see, people only ever go for gold like that because they envy the person who's better. Desperate to one day make it to the top of the pile. But then what?

Same as before. this too is vapour. Just chasing the wind.

On the other hand, you're a fool, he says in verse 5, just to sit back and fold your hands and do nothing.

So what's the balance? Well, here's what's better.

Better number 2. In the face of envy and constant competition on the one hand and laziness on the other, he says, contentment is better.

Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

So hard to attain it. Contentment. That says this is enough. That I don't always need to be faster, smarter, higher, richer. Especially not if it's just motivated by envy. One handful is enough.

These days should be easier. I read the other day an article that made the point that if you make $50,000 a year you can actually enjoy all the same stuff as the person making half a million. Just cheaper versions. You'll fly economy rather than business class; but you'll still fly; you'll drive a Toyota and not a Tesla; but you'll still drive a car. And you'll both end up watching the same shows on Netflix on a Wednesday night. And you'll both be warm and comfortable.

The Teacher says, so why not be satisfied? Better one handful with tranquility. Than two handfuls chasing the wind. Might be worth a try.

We're tracking through five things that are better than other things as the Teacher looks for the point of our toil.

And here's number 3.

The beauty and yet the problems of partnership. The betterness of doing things together.

I've always like Jack Johnson's song Better Together. Same thing: Jack Johnson says,

Love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart
Like why are we here? And where do we go?
And how come it's so hard?
It's not always easy and
Sometimes life can be deceiving
I'll tell you one thing, it's always better when we're together

The Teacher agrees. Not rocket science. Unless you're a total introvert.

So here's the third better thing.

Two are better than one, verse 9. Because they have a good return for their labour.
And if one falls down the other one helps them up.
And if you lie down together you can stay warm.
And if you're attacked you can defend each other.
In fact, three, verse 12, is even better than two.

But here's the problem. Here's the futility. Here's the vapour of it. He actually spelled it out first, in verse 7 to 9. What if there aren't two? What if you're on your own? What if you're a man or a woman all alone? No son. No brother. No one to share it with.

And yet you're still... says the Teacher, still toiling endlessly to get richer and richer. Still not content.

I mean, anyone else, at least they've got the convenient sounding excuse that I'm doing it for my kids. I don't know their names because I've never seen them because they're always in bed by the time I get home from work, but I'm doing it for the kids. At least that makes some kind of sense.

This guy. Has got nobody. And still. He's driven by endless ambition. And lack of contentness. It's still not enough.

You know what it is? Verse 8. No surprises. When he sees a situation like that, the Teacher says, this too... is vapour. Miserable. Pointless.

So two is better than one. At least you've got someone to work with. And leave it to in the end. And you're not on your own.

So now for politics. The fall and rise of prime ministers and kings.

Here's better number 4. Set against the eternal problem of politics.

Verse 13. Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish King who no longer knows how to heed a warning.

Verse 14, the Teacher says, you'll get stories like Aladdin. From prison to palace. From poverty to power.

But no matter how high you've risen from how low, here's the sting in the tail. It's in verse 15 and 16. And it's applied to every King, Prince, Premier and Prime Minister; every office overlord. You'll have your day in the sun, and you'll be celebrated.

But in the end, the same thing's going to happen to you!

Follow again from verse 15.

15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king's successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is vapour, a chasing after the wind.

In other words, here's what's better. A young leader who listens. But here's what's vapour. In the end, the same people who voted you in will vote you out. And you'll realise it was all just a mist. Nothing to hold on to. Rooster today. Featherduster tomorrow.

This too is vapour. A chasing after the wind. That's life. Under the sun. So pity you; if that's where you're looking for meaning.

Here's better thing number 5. And it's a change of pace. And it's all about the doing of religion.

The Teacher's watching people make public vows at the temple. You'd dedicate something maybe. Or vow to go on a fast maybe. You'd promise ten thousand dollars in the Farm Aid Telethon.

You'd bring a pretentious sacrifice. Your prize winning bull from the Ekka. You'd make lots of noise about your uprightness and your moral standing. And you're thinking maybe here's the way to find significance and value.

The Teacher says, be... very... careful. Chapter 5 verse 5. Here's the better thing...

It is better not to make a vow at all... than to make one and not fulfil it.

It's better not to open your mouth at all than say stuff before God you don't mean.

Which follows on from the verses before. Go near the temple to listen, verse 1, not to offer the sacrifice of fools. Don't be quick with your mouth, don't be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth so let your words be few. Because, verse 3, many words... mark the speech of a fool.

Which is one of the reasons I much prefer shorter sermons. This has been my theme verse as a preacher. Maybe I should stop now!

This is why our prayers don't have to go on and on. This is why we so encourage people on our prayer roster to be brief.

God doesn't listen more if it's longer. It's interesting. Jesus agrees. When he's up against the religious Pharisees. Matthew 6 verse 5. He says,

... 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 others... and when you pray, don't keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

Say it if you mean it. And if you don't mean it, don't say it. Don't say one thing and do another. Make pledges you don't intend to keep. Make vows that you're not intending to fulfil. Sing words heartily that you don't really mean. Say loud amens to the prayers that you haven't really prayed.

Because verse 7, Much dreaming and many words are vapour. Meaningless. The more the words, the less the meaning. So fear God. Enough to be simple and brief. Enough to mean what you say. Better not to make a vow. Than make one and not fulfil it.

So there they are. Five betters.

In the face of oppression, better not born.

In the face of envy driven ambition, better be content.

In the face of isolation, better to have a partner.

In the face of politics, better to have poor young guy than a foolish old guy. But they'll both get dumped anyway.

In the face of religious hypocrisy, better to be silent.

There's a recap in verses 8 to 14. And then the wrap up for today's round of life experiments.

Don't be surprised. Don't be surprised when you see the poor oppressed. Don't be surprised when you see officials on the take. Because they just love money and so all the way up to the king it's just take take take and never satisfied.

Because if you love money you never have enough, verse 10. This too. Is meaningless. Vaporous.

Because you can get richer and richer and be surrounded by more and more hangers on to consume it all. And be no better off.

Or else you can work hard, be satisfied, and sleep. Without worries. Verse 12. Which is about as good as it gets. The Teacher can do no better.

Work hard; enjoy dinner. Sound sleep. Or get rich, hoard wealth, and worry all the time. Can't sleep. And then lose it all in a crash and have nothing to pass on to your kids anyway. If those are the only two options, which is best? You choose.

So here's the conclusion. Verse 15. Remember the question? Chapter 1 verse 2.

What do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun?

What can you take with you in the end? That you've gained for all your work? The Teacher's been looking in every direction. And here's his conclusion so far. nothing. Chapter 5 verse 15.

Everyone comes naked from their mother's womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart. They take nothing from their toil that they can carry in their hands. 16 This too is a grievous evil: As everyone comes, so they depart,and what do they gain, since they toil for the wind?

Political power, share portfolio; whatever you lie awake worrying about in the night... you're toiling for wind. You're grabbing at mist.

So the Teacher says, this is as good as it gets. If you end up well off and blessed a bit; enjoy it. Find satisfaction in your labour. Enjoy your wealth and possessions, verse 19. Be happy in your toil. Don't miss the moment. Because there's nothing better.

Pick up in verse 18. He's been looking for what he can gain. What he can take with him at the end. And it's nothing.

18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them-for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil-this is A gift of god. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.

As good as it gets. Enjoy life. Don't think too much. Keep occupied. With keeping happy.

Friends, if that's as good as it gets for the Teacher... doesn't it fill you with longing for something better than that?

I mean, I know, there are plenty of people who live life like that. But so does a cow in A good paddock. Just don't think about it. Having just enough fun and just enough holidays and just enough Netflix and just enough job satisfaction that you don't have capacity to think about anything more. For the Teacher, that's the good life.

But our hearts are holding out for better news. Aren't they? Eternity in our hearts.

The good news is, that in the face of oppression, there is a hope. That's given new heart to the oppressed for generations. Not that you're better off unborn. But that the best thing of all is you can be born again.

And that in the face of envy and ambition, there is one who shows us a better way; as he puts ambition aside; and submits to nails and a cross. That we can model ourselves every day.

That in the face of isolation, he stands with us. That in the face of leaders who come and go, he's a leader who stays.

That in the face of our temptation to religious hypocrisy and trying to look better than we are, he says, I'll take you as you are already. Just trust me.

And then to make it even better than you possibly thought it could be... when they've killed him; he gets back up. And says, by the way; death's not the end at all.

I'm talking about Jesus if that's not obvious. And if you haven't met him yet; and if you're struggling with the Teacher's dark view of the world; he's worth a look. The apostle Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 15; the chapter we saw with Pete last week. He says,

19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.

Is not meaningless. Is not vapour. At all.