Ecclesiastes 12:8-12

Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verses 8 through 12 for our text and study this evening. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher. All is vanity. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. yea, he gave good heed and sought out and said in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads. and his nails fastened by the masters of the assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And further, by these, my son, be admonished. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. May God bless to us his sacred and holy word this evening. I once read about a family who many years ago lost three children to diphtheria in one week. Only their three-year-old daughter survived it and lived. On the following Sunday, when they went to church, the father, the mother, and the child, they went, as they always did, but because the father was the superintendent of the Sunday school, when they were all assembled together, he used to give a word of comfort, and the lesson that week was on the resurrection story, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many people were weeping as he spoke about these things, thinking about his family, and the situation that he personally, and a situation that he personally was going through. But the father and mother remained calm and serene. When Sunday school was over, a 15-year-old boy was walking home with his parents, and he said the superintendent, his wife really believed the resurrection story. His father answered and said, all Christians do, but the young man replied, not the way they do. The events of life have a way of testing the depth of your convictions. Often strong convictions are forged when you are in the midst of trials that you face. I remember when I was in the midst of trials that you face. seminary, as it was an Armenian seminary, and I was a Calvinist, that I was constantly being challenged about my beliefs. But that only made it stronger for me. It made it more ingrained in me of the truth, of the doctrines of grace. Solomon is a man here of great experience. This book, demonstrates how he was tested, how he, I should really say, tasted, all that life has offered. He has considered all kinds of aspects of life. And so when he draws the conclusion here at the end of the book, the purpose of life, it’s something that he is deeply convinced, it’s something that he is deeply convinced, about. He knows that this is the truth. He is not some retired theologian has come to his conclusions without really experiencing life in the world. He has experienced life in the world. He has tried all the things that this world have to offer, and he knows nothing here is what it seems. He’s realized that having experienced everything to the hilt, he’s tried all there is, and he’s come to this conclusion, we have to listen to him. He has great experience in this area. I want to speak about the words of the wise tonight from this passage of Scripture. Now, you’ve been told the truth is what he tells us. And the first thing he says here that you should know this world is a place of vanity. In verse 12 of our text, he says this, excuse me, in verse 8, Vanity of vanity, said the preacher, all is vanity. Solomon now repeats the theme of the book which he had mentioned at the very beginning of the book, which Russell, read earlier in tonight’s service. This is another way of saying, have not I proven my case? Can you not see that what I said was true? Do you not see this is so? How are you going to respond to what I have said? Solomon has taken an inventory of the world, the sum total of all that it has to offer, and he has classified at all as vanity. Where is there any basis for satisfaction? Is it found in pleasure? Is it found in work? Is it found in wealth? Is it found in wine, women, and song? No, it’s not found in any of those, is it? Solomon has tried them all, and he has sampled what this world has to offer. And it’s unsatisfying and unfulfilling, he says to us. It’s vanity. Now, we find many people of the world are still lovers of pleasures, more than lovers of God. They’re still pursuing the things of this world. They’re still duplicating what Solomon has already done. They’re still experimenting for the answer. What Solomon has already discovered and lays out here for us that true happiness is only to be found in a relationship with the Lord God. As a believer, you must carefully search your own heart in this matter, lest you get caught up in the things of this world, and don’t put the focus on where it needs to be, and that is with your relationship. with God, see whether this world is not loved more than it should be. You know better because you’ve got the experiment before you. We have Solomon telling you so. And yet you may find the world still captures your heart. That is a dangerous situation. So every Christian needs to comprehend that the things of this world ultimately are all vanity. But the world still is very busy. Try to steal your heart away from the Lord, the source of your true satisfaction. This is why the Apostle John in 1. 1. John says, Love not the world. Neither of the things that are in the world. If a man loved the world, the love the world, the love of the father is not in him. In 1 John 2.15. One question you must repeatedly ask yourself, is this, where are my affections? Where do I go for satisfaction? Richard Baxter, one of the older Puritan writers, said this. My God in thee, I expect my true felicity and content. To know thee and love thee and the light in thee must be my blessedness. or I must have none. The little taste of this sweetness which my thirsty soul have had, do tell me that there is no other real joy. He dreameth who doth not live to thee. Oh, let me have no other portion, no reason, no love, no life, but what is devoted to thee, employed on thee and for thee here and shall be perfected in thee the the only perfected final object forevermore. So you should know that this world is a place of vanity, and so when we see Solomon starting out he reiterates the truth that he’s laid out before us before. Now, you should know these words are divine truth, he says to us, in verses 9 and 10. He says, and moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yea, he gave good heed and sought out and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. In the summer of 1808 and 1809 year, Sir Ernest Shackleton and three companions attempted to traveled to the South Pole from their winter quarters. They set off with four ponies to carry the load. Weeks later, their ponies were dead, the rations were all exhausted, and they had to turn back. They had not achieved their goal after 127 days of traveling. They finally were able to reach the their home base again. On the return journey, Shackleton records in his book, The Heart of the Antarctic. The time that they had was consumed, he said, was speaking about food. They spoke of elaborate feast, gourmet delights, sumptuous meals and menus, sort of like this. When I get back, I’m going to eat them. biggest, thickest, juiciest, teabone steak, smothered with sauce. I’m going to eat fresh corn in the cob drowned in butter. I’m going to eat deep-dish apple pie, crowned with vanilla ice cream and things of this nature. As they staggered along, as they suffered from disinterred, not knowing whether they would actually survive, every waking moment was occupied, talking about food. The Bible tells us that our hearts really ought to be connected with the Lord. Talks about hungering and thirsting, but that is after righteousness. Talks about God’s truth being more delightful than the sweetness of honey. But how few. know this truth. Solomon realizes that his wisdom is a special gift from God. He prayed, you remember, for God to give him wisdom, and God granted his request and made him the wisest man. But he made him this wise man for a purpose. And that was to teach others. So he classifies himself here as, the preacher. He is proclaiming God’s message. He applied himself to understand human life on this earth and even wrote many proverbs, as the book of Proverbs lays out for us, a storehouse of practical wisdom. He sought very carefully, he tells us here for acceptable words. The most fitting way possible to convey the truth to people. Now what is written, he says, are upright words. They are words of truth. Which means they are words that ultimately have been chosen by the Holy Spirit. If this was just an academic exercise, we could understand. him saying, you know, this is my best understanding of things, but he calls these things that he writes, the words of truth. Here he is explaining the issues of life and death. He’s speaking of the realities of time and eternity. And what he says, he sees as divinely given words. His message, is divine truth. Therefore, it is worthy of your careful reception. God has given him insight into this whole matter and taught him in the school of God related truths and lessons as he went through this life. Now you have many dealings with God in this life. And he’s teaching you, As you go through life, many things. And why is he teaching you? Is it just for your benefit? No. It’s for the benefit of others as well. So that you, like Solomon, can be someone who helps others. You must realize that what you have learned about God and His Word, as you go through this life, you’re not the selfishly horrid. away. But you, like Solomon, are to have these truths entrusted to those who are around you. Your duty is to manifest the truth according to 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 2. To be a light to all those who are around you. When you read the Proverbs and you read such statements as Son, give me in my heart or son listen to me pay careful attention to this matter. It says that a father is speaking to his son and imparting wisdom. And he uses that same kind of language here in our text tonight. Life of the Christian then is a classroom experience. And you are to learn and share what you are to learn and share what you. learn with others. You’ve been told the truth. Now, you must not be fooled into accepting any other teaching. Notice you have a sound message, he tells us, in verse 11. The words of the wise are as goads and as nails fastened by the masters of the assemblies. or the, yeah, the assemblies which are given from one shepherd. The words of the wise are those who have been made wise under salvation and are certainly relating divine truth to you. Solomon focuses here on those who are, he calls masters of the assembly, No doubt Solomon is thinking about the people of God gathered for worship either in the temple or various synagogues around the country. And solemn assemblies for the religious worship are overseen by religious leaders. They were either prophets or Levites or the high priests or men knowledgeable about the scriptures, elders of the people. God was to be honored by such worship and the people edified by the teaching of the truth of God’s word. These men explained the meaning of the word of the word of God to people. Now, even though there were many wise men explained the meaning of the word of God to people, the word of God to people. and many masters of the assemblies. The truth still originates from one source, he tells us. It all comes from the true or one shepherd. Who is that shepherd? Well, God is that shepherd. Psalm 80, verse 1 says, Give ear, O shepherd of Israel. thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Indeed, it is the Lord Jesus Christ, that who is our chief shepherd, who leads us beside still waters and into green pastures. Those who know the Lord have been given a sound message. because it comes from the chief shepherd Jesus Christ himself. All who speak for God must receive what they deliver from Christ and must speak according to the light then of the word of God. Now the purpose of the message that is spoken is to act as, he says, as a goad and a nail. That’s an odd way of putting, isn’t it? What are goads used for? Well, goats are sharp-pointed sticks or rods. They’re used to prod sluggish cattle. They have a pointed end. Now, if the big beast won’t move and plow the field, you poke it with the gold and get it moving. If the old. docks, strays to the right or the left, use the goad to bring it back to where it should be. And who is there that doesn’t need a spiritual goad once in a while? How often are we guilty of straying spiritually and we need the goad of God’s word when we stray from the narrow path or we fail to do what is directed? of receiving the word of God with cold formality. Sometimes we need to be goaded so that we pay careful attention and we take it to heart. The mercy it is when God sends a pointed goad to get us back on the right, path to know from experience that the scriptures are profitable for reproof, and we are goaded by them. So God awakened you out of your spiritual slumber. God stirs you up, gets you back on the path of righteousness. Now, nails are used by shepherds by shepherds to put up their tents. in the ground and to make the sheepful more secure. Nails are used to hold things together, to secure things. I think it’s interesting. Book of Jeremiah says that the word of God is a hammer. And evidently the words of the wise are nails. And so they work in coordination with one another. Spirituality, nails then drive home to the conscience the truth of God’s word. And by God’s influence, these truths become fixed in your heart. They are attached. They’re fastened. God’s truth then is hammered home. It is securely attached to your life. Oh, that the words of the wise or bound to our hearts. Satan is very busy, and what is he trying to do? He’s trying to separate God’s word from you, to snatch it away from you. But the masters of the assemblies, what are they trying to do? They’re trying to nail God’s truth to your heart, so to speak, and fasten it. So Solomon tells you that the message you’ve received is sound. It’s a goat. It’s a nail given by the Lord himself. And so embrace it. And then he tells us lastly here in verse 12, you must not accept any substitutes. He says this in verse 12 here. And further, by these, my son, be admonished of making many books. there is no end. And much study is a weariness of the flesh. Did you know that mushrooms have to be carefully selected? Some are poisonous. Nathan Horwitt, a mushroom expert, has written about this. And he said that the mushroom, known as Amanita Philodius, is one of the deadliest mushrooms on earth. He said, but it’s also perhaps one of the tastiest. In fact, because of the poison is so slow-moving, many times people will say in the morning, the mushrooms we ate last night were the most delicious mushrooms I ever ate in my life. And then eventually the symptoms of the poison set in, and the person quickly dies. There are millions of books to choose from in this world. Many books, Solomon says here, you may attempt to gain insight into life. The world’s philosophers, psychologists, educators, political leaders, and so forth. Go to any large library, they line the shells. and yet actually worthless because the source of their wisdom is human in nature. It’s not divine wisdom. Even the small portion of them, which may prove helpful to you in some cases, the only reason it might be helpful if they accidentally agree with one of the principles of the Word of God. That’s the only reason that there would be any good that may be drawn from them. But it’s like eating carp. I don’t know if you’ve ever eaten carp, but carp is a fish that’s very bony. And so when you’re eating, you have to pull out all these bones. Well, there’s so much false teaching in these books that if there’s any kernel of truce, truth in them. You have to wait through all the falseness to get to it. And it’s really not worth your time and attention. Some authorities have labored a great deal, but they’re not read at all. There’s no end to making books, but most of them are not worth the paper they’re printed on because they are full of Satan’s lies. Much study in such books would prove a weird to your flesh. Maybe good and valuable may prove very detrimental to your spiritual health. You might look at it and say, well, I think this is good. I think this is valuable. Well, it may not be. You may just think it is. Perhaps it may be deadly like the mushrooms. So you have to be very selective about what you read, what you trust when you are trying to gain insight with regard to your soul. When Solomon says, By these, my son be admonished, he means by the words of truth. By the Scriptures. The message that comes from God himself. Because all else has to be judged by the message. Don’t accept some substance. substitute message that man has made, whether it’s a well-known psychologist or health expert or maybe some kind of child expert, so forth. Your heart has to be fixed like Peter, who once said to our Lord in John 668, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. Scripture has the words. of eternal life. Other writings may be useful if they’re written by biblical men, masters of the assemblies, but the scriptures are our true rule of faith and practice as we go through this life. Now, friends, we ought to be very thankful that God has given us a Bible. When you think about it, this Bible, is one book. It’s portable. You can carry it with you. It contains everything in it that can make you wise under salvation and tell you how to live the Christian life. Everything you need is in this one book. There are millions of books out there, but this is the one book you can’t do without. Indispensable. And it’s all in one volume. You remember where John the Apostle said. that if he had written down everything that Christ had done, he didn’t think the world could contain all the books that he would have to write. But God has condensed for us into one book what is necessary and useful for us. And therefore, we should pay attention to the scriptures and study it carefully and treat it carefully and treat it as a great treasure to have it all written in one book. Yeah, we might look at it and say, yeah, but it’s a long book. Yes, but it’s all there. You carry this book around. You’ve got all God’s truth. All there in one volume. You can’t go wrong with that. The family who lost three children to diphtheria in one week believed in the resurrection. maybe even more so than most because of their children being dead. They expected there would be a resurrection of those children one day and their hearts were fixed on what God had promised. Solomon is here providing the truth which he has learned from God. He is thoroughly convinced of the message that he proclaims to you. Are you? Do you realize that everything else is vanity? God alone provides true satisfaction. Are you admonished by His Word? is it fixed in your heart? Does it guide your life? Do you value the Word of God as the one voice of truth in a mass of books and materials? which all proclaim to be real guides for your life. This is the true guide. And he says, make sure that you have the Word of Truth. God’s Holy Word. Fasten your attention on this. Let us close with prayer and then a benediction this evening. Father, bless us with your word. count your word as precious. More valuable than silver and gold. And may we appreciate, Father, that you have given it to us in a one-volume book so that we may have all of it at our own leisure in one hand, we can carry it about. Bless us as your people, Father. And bless us as your people, Father. as we study your word together. We ask these things in Jesus’ name with Thanksgiving. Amen. Let’s stand for the benediction tonight. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. Amen.