Ecclesiastes 11:7-10

Ecclesiastes chapter 11 verses 7 through 10. Truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. But if a man lived many years and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth. Let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes. But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from my heart, put away evil from thy flesh for childhood and youth. May God bless to us. It’s sacred and holy word this evening. Years ago there was a boxer by the name of Babe Malonic, who was favored to win a particular fight. And just before the opening round, his manager gave him his last minute instructions, he wanted him to race across the ring and jump on. on this guy before he knew it hit him and take him out. That was the plan. Well, the bell rang. Malonek jumped off his stool, took two running steps, tripped, crashed to the floor, chin first, and knocked himself out. The referee counted a ten, and the fight was over, and not one punch had been from. Sometimes life is stranger than fiction. A lot of people in life who live just like that boxer, you think everything is looking favorable, and then the unexpected happens to you. Suddenly death comes, and you end up the loser, because you’re not prepared to die. Solomon is talking about the life of faith in verses 1 through 6, and we mentioned it last week in, these various areas of life of investment and commitment about living by faith in all that we do and all the work that we undertake to do and entrusting God to bless our efforts. He closes this section with a warning, both to the young and to the old or a mature adult. He gives them both to the young and to the old or mature adult. both a warning. And we must live in light of God’s control over our lives. The topic here is a word to the young and to the old. You are given a word as senior citizens here, or as mature adults. In verse 8, we read about the man who lives many years. Faith is often associated with trouble. Whenever there’s trouble, men have to exercise faith. The walls of Jericho didn’t come down. That was an obstacle without faith, as Hebrews 11 indicates to us. But the Bible also joins joy and faith to get. Because he talks in this passage here about rejoicing in all these years that they’re living. Faith is smiles also upon us. We cannot be joyless if we are one with Christ. You can’t be totally joyless in that situation. Yes, life has its ups and downs. We know that. There are shifts. of joy and sorrow, moments of exhilaration, and discouragement. Yet you as a Christian can, as the scripture says in Philippians 4-4, rejoice in the Lord always. Or as it says here, to rejoice in them all, all your days. It’s possible for a person to live many years and rejoice in them all. if, is the big if you know the Lord. Because the Bible tells us, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation, Habakkuk 3, 17, and 18. Life rightly understood, prayerfully lived, can be a joy in itself. Hensdenberg, in his commentary, said this. Life is a good thing. thing. When a gloomy and depressing mood gets the upper hand, it is the task of the Word of God to impress upon you this truth, that you can live joyfully, to lift us out of our sorrows. All the misery of sin in the world can, all that cannot obscure the fact, nor deny the experience, of joy to the people of God. Perhaps Solomon is asking the under the sun’s skeptics if it’s not pleasing to the eye to behold the sun here. His point is surely that the creation declares the glory of God. It is a contradiction to assert that there is nothing but the sun under which you live. The sun itself should be representing something to you. The God is the creator. The joy inherent in sunlight, we enjoy having the sun shine down upon us, makes it sweet, but it speaks of God. For the heavens declare the glory of God. Creation is his voice that is heard in all the earth. And that voice has to be suppressed by those who do not wish to know God or anything about Him. The works of God who makeeth all we read about in verse 5 of this chapter. God is the source of light. In the gospel terms, the true light is not other than Jesus Christ himself. He is called the Son of Right. in the book of Revelation, or the book of Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament. And should not the daily son then be a reminder to us of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And I think that would be a good thing to be pondering in the lightness of the two. Pastor Gordon Ketty once said that the most joy. person he ever met was an old Irish lady who had long gone now to be with the Lord. This woman had been afflicted with crippling arthritis almost half her life. When she was 16 years old, she got on the immigrant ship to come over here to the United States from her homeland. And she knew at 16 that she had severe arthritis. Over a century later, now a widow with a middle-aged retarded son, she lived in a small Iowa town. By this time, she was bedridden. Her limbs twisted beyond any apparent usefulness. Her life was restricted beyond any apparent pain by immobility and concern for the care of her disabled son. It was shocking, he said, to see her crippled condition. But Pastor Gordon Keddy said that he was more taken back by the sheer Christian joy that radiated from this wonderful woman’s life. Sitting by a window, a pen in her wrinkled up, shriveled hand. She was writing letters of encouragement to people all around the globe that she knew. She was truly a fellow servant for God. Her conversation was full of life, he said, showed a well-informed interest in the work of God in her community and beyond her community. Above all, she was full of Christian joy. She was a living, she was a living testimony to the truth that life of joy doesn’t depend on favorable circumstances in this life. What is important is the life of God in the soul? The joy comes from knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And I remind you what we’ve talked about previously as we’ve gone through this book. There’s nothing wrong with you as a Christian enjoying this life. and the benefits that God has given you in it. So enjoy your days under the sun. Remember the darkness of death, though, is coming. As he continues on here in verse 8, or if a man lived many years and rejoice in them all, let him remember the days of darkness. The days of darkness. They shall be more. many, all that cometh is vanity. The battle porkchop hill was the decisive battle of the Korean conflict that began at dawn on New Year’s Day. The evening before was bitter cold because of the heavy rains that had come through the area. And the troops were huddled in groups trying to get what warmth they could get, eating their K rations and a newspaper reporter in one group turned to a weary bed bedraggled marine eating from his tin with the bayonet tip that he had and he asked if he could be granted one wish what would that soldier wish for and the answer was one word tomorrow. get it over with, have the battle over and I’m still alive. Men would like to avoid death, yet death is a very sobering factor for most people. Enjoy your life, but remember death is coming. It’s going to occur eventually. There are days of darkness coming, the days that you’re going to spend, as far as far as your body is concerned, in the grave. and the body will not enjoy the light of the sun. The grave is the land of darkness according to Job 1021, and you’ll remain in the grave bodily until the return of our Lord Jesus Christ so it could be many, many, many days, if that’s the case. Again, Solomon is focusing here on the under the sun perspectives of life. Enjoy what you do in this life. Savor each bite of food and drink and so forth. Share your joys with the wife of your youth. Make the most of what you have because you only have one life to live, and it will be over soon. And all that comes with regard to this life is vanity after that. So why waste your life? The days of darkness are coming when your earthly enjoyment will cease. Death will pull the blinds. and block out the light of life for you. And therefore, make prudent investments, work hard, enjoy your life under the sun, as he’s talked about here in Chapter 11. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. The unemployment rate in the grave is 100%. There’s nothing you can do that. The Christian joy is the real thing because it takes into account the nature of life and it’s good for this life and it’s good for what comes it takes into account the holy God and the depravity of man so you’re given a word as seniors citizens or at least mature adults here with regard to how to live you’re given a word as a young person verses nine and ten now nine says this, Rejoice, oh young men in your youth. Let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the ways of thine heart and the sight of thine eyes. But know thou that for all these things God will bring thee in the judgment. Now, it’s almost as if he’s saying, okay, go ahead as a young man, and sow your wild oats. It’s expression. however used by Solomon, I think he is an ironic statement. It’s not to be taken literally or seriously. It’s sort of like what Elijah said to the prophets, the 450 prophets of Bail on Mount Carmel. Cry along, for Bail, he’s a god. Yell louder. Sure you’re God will hear you. Maybe he’s just sleeping. Maybe he’s on a journey. He was on a journey. and seriously, of course. Bale was no true God. Young people often have their hearts set on the good life. How can I enjoy myself to the maximum while I’m here in this life? And this usually involves taking up various vices in gratifying sinful passions. So he says here, okay, go ahead and chase after your lust of the the heart. Go ahead and pursue your sexual immorality. Go ahead and indulge your flesh. Put your pleasures above the commandments of God. Chase the wind. Those empty things that you think are going to give you pleasure. Indulge your appetites. Pursue whatever your heart desires. Don’t leave anything unfulfilled. It’s all wrapped up in this idea of walking in the waves of your heart. that is deceitful above all things and desperately wished. And to walk in the sight of thine eyes is similar to what we read in the book of judges where every man did what was right in his own eyes and were not following the commandments of God. This means then what is contrary to the faith. The lust of the eye you follow instead of the commandments of God. You have to choose one person. principle or the other by which you’re going to live. Normally the Bible clearly says flee youth lost, as it does in 2 Timothy 22. Solomon wishes to use irony as a weapon to convict you. We have an expression, give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself. And I think that is basically what Solomon is doing here. Indulging the lust of your heart you’re just merely making yourself a noose. Yet Solomon sees that young people were very eager to do this very thing. They’re going to be like Babe Malonic, the boxer, and I’ve got to knock themselves out. Go ahead and sew your wild oats. But, verse 9, goes on to say this. Remember, there is a fearful day of judgment coming that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Know thou that for all these things God is going to bring you into judgment. Now it’s not normally natural for the young person to think about death. They’re too busy living life. They think they have a lot of life to live. That’s far off into the future. They don’t want to put any thought into that. Senior citizens think more about death because they have. to look in the mirror and they see the gray hair and the wrinkled skin and realize I’m getting older, I’m not going to be here forever. But a young person’s spirits are high. Life appears to offer many opportunities, the vigor of youth, gives you a buoyant attitude about life. There’s something, however, beyond the grave for your soul. That’s dangerous. So if you dare to follow the lust of your heart, remember God, one day is going to bring you to account for all this. You’re going to stand at the last judgment and the book of works is going to be open and God is going to judge you for all you’ve done on that day. This is what I think he’s saying to us. You want to indulge yourself, go ahead, but remember this. God’s going to hold you accountable for it. And you’re going to be judged according to your works. All these things, all these sense. pursuits, you’re going to have to give it account for. So what you’re doing is you’re treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath and the righteous judgment of God. And this is a dangerous thing to do as a young person. Now, you should avoid the sorrow and evil associated with youth. Verse 10. Therefore, remove sorrow from my heart. Put away evil from thy. flesh. For childhood and youth are of vanity. There’s a warning here not only about the pitfalls of sin, and heart and flush, but also the false trust in your youth and vigor that is common for today. Peter Pan is just as fake and imaginary as Tinkerbell. You’re going to grow up and because old you don’t live in never never land we you stay a young person all your life youth is quickly a passing phase for you it can be a time of joy if we know the Lord but secular youth will find the world’s pleasures a passing mirage that will go by so fast and it’ll be gone the harvest that comes with sowing wild oats brings pain and sorrow with it you know what the Bible says the of transgressors is hard. It’s even hard in this life, not just the life to come. But God sees to it that there is a chastisim and a real punishment for those who pursue this course of action. It’s an empty, vain pursuit. I think what he says in chapter 12, just one page over here, one verse over forward, remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth. That’s what we should be doing, not living according to the lust of the flesh and so forth. We’ll look at that in another time. Some years ago, a headline told a 300 whales which suddenly died. What happened was these whales were pursuing sardines and they found themselves marooned in a bay. They had followed the sardines all the way in and got stuck. The small fish had lured these giants to their death. They came to their violent demise by chasing small ends, prostituting vain of vast powers for insignificant goals. Isn’t that what a lot of young people do? While chasing your small pleasures, you end up ensuring your demise. Solomon advises young people here, look carefully at themselves, manage both well their souls and their bodies, their heart, and their flesh. Sinful practices have a way of coming back, sinful practice that have a way of coming back to haunt you later in life. There is a wage to every sin, and that wage has to be paid. paid. Well, the boxer Babe Malonic accidentally knocked himself out when he expected to win easily. Things that look favorably now, they unexpectedly change and something else happened. You must prepare for eternity so that you don’t end up the loser in the end. That’s the key thing here. The only way we can be prepared for eternity, is to know the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It’s the only way to be prepared for the future. Anyone outside of Christ has no future. All is judgment and wrath. Anyone in Christ will find God’s mercy and grace and forgiveness. Senior citizens or mature adults or encouraged to enjoy their Christian life. But at the same time, remember, death’s around a corner. Use your life wisely then. Young people are warned here against sowing their wild oats where the final judgment is coming and a life of sorrow will result. The way of transgressors is hard and has a lot of heartache in it. We shouldn’t think otherwise as a lot of heartache in it. We shouldn’t think otherwise as a we go through this life. Yeah, I know the pleasures of sin seem like they hold out so much promise to us. But the bottom line is, ultimately they bring you down and destroy you. So keep these things.