Ritualistic Religion in Ecclesiastes
Introduction
- The world is so completely engrossed in vain matters it
would seem that all is vanity. How should one live a happy,
prosperous, righteous life in such a world?
- Ecclesiastes is often said to be one of the most
pessimistic books in the Bible. Pessimism does have its
value -- the futility and vanity of life apart from God.
Solomon tried this life and found it worthless.
- Gaining wealth, power, striving for achievement and
personal recognition are useless -- striving after wind.
"Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!" Nothing new,
worthwhile or lasting in a life apart from God.
- The aim of the book is to show that self-gratification
and successful worldliness do not bring satisfaction or
meaning to our lives. Rather, serving God and keeping His
commandments brings meaning and satisfaction.
- Solomon shows in the book how the five toils of man --
experiments of everything under the sun -- lack the gain
that man seeks from them.
- Wisdom
- Pleasure
- Power and riches
- Promoting social good
- Conventional or ritualistic religion
- Solomon has tried each of the five and found them wanting
both in meaning and in happiness.
1. How does Solomon's practice of religion contribute to
the theme of Ecclesiastes as depicting the vanity of life
apart from God?
- Solomon has shown how his outward and secular life had
been unable to secure happiness, satisfaction or meaning.
Now the question that surfaces is whether popular religion
can produce meaning in life.
- True religion would have been big enough to fill the hole
in Solomon's heart. But apparently something had gone badly
wrong with Solomon's conception and practice his religion.
Solomon's religion obviously had not been pleasing to God.
The scriptures indicate that his service to God had become
vain and meaningless.
- Solomon would have been taught all that the priests or
prophets had to offer. He was charged with building the
temple, which required seven and one-half years to
complete. He fell from the loftiest height of his religious
life to its lowest depth.
- Solomon's love for strange women turned his heart away
toward their gods. He built rival temples to other gods in
I Kings 11.
- I Kings 11:4 -- For it came to pass, when Solomon was
old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods:
and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was
the heart of David his father. Verse 6 -- And Solomon did
evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the
Lord, as did David his father.
- The strength of the nation of Israel rested on its unity,
and its unity depended on its faith.
2. What indications are provided in Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
regarding the kind of religion that Solomon had apparently
practiced?
- 5:1-7 -- 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of
God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice
of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. 2. Be
not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty
to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and
thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. 3. For a
dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a
fool's voice is known by multitude of words. 4. When thou
vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no
pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. 5.
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou
shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause
thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that
it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy
voice, and destroy the work of thy hands? 7. For in the
multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers
vanities: but fear thou God.
- There's a dramatic switch here from Solomon's "I"
passages to a series of admonitions to one addressed as
"thou."
- He talks about how others should approach worship and
service to God, not about his practice and attitudes in
this regard.
- Verse 1 -- "Keep thy foot" is an idiomatic expression
standing for one's entire pattern of behavior.
- Be careful about your conduct.
- Remember what you are about.
- Man's ordinary life transferred to his moral and
religious life.
- What does this declare about acceptable worship?
- It's not merely an outward observance of religious
duties, but includes a pattern of life honoring God's
commandments.
- Paraphrase of verse 1 -- As you enter the temple, keep
your ears open and your mouth shut.
- "Sacrifice of fools" - Reaction against the mere
ceremonialism that marked the popular religion.
-- I Sam 15:22 -- Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt
offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the
Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
hearken than the fat of rams.
- Proverbs 15:8 -- The sacrifice of the wicked is an
abomination to Jehovah.
- Verses 2-3 -- "Be not rash with thy mouth."
- This is a warning against hasty and thoughtless words in
prayer, words that go from the lips in a glib manner but
not from the heart.
- It' not necessary to impress God with a multitude of
words. Instead, keep the words to a minimum, because God is
in heaven and you are on the earth. God in heaven is able
to see what our needs are without hearing a lot of words
from us about them.
- Why is the phrase "God is in heaven and you are on the
earth" reason for us to measure our words carefully?
- This expresses the nature of God Himself.
- Heaven is an eternal sphere apart from and above time,
earth and sense.
- We should not rank God with earthly rulers, but bear in
mind His distinctness and superiority.
- As our Creator, He knows our emotions and wants.
- As our Lord and Judge, he knows our sins and frailties.
- As our Savior, he knows our penitence and faith. 4
- All of these would keep us from familiarity, rashness,
verbosity and irreverence.
- Verses 4-6 -- Taking vows.
- A vow was a promise to dedicate something to God, on
certain conditions, such as granting deliverance from death
or danger, success in one's undertakings.
- One of the most ancient and widespread of religious
customs. Jacob at Bethel in Genesis 28:18-22 -- after
dreaming about the ladder from heaven, Jacob took a vow,
saying that if God would be with him and enable him to come
again to his father's house, the Lord would be his God.
- This admonition is closely related to the first. The
sense is, "Don't make promises you cannot or do not intend
to keep."
- Mosaic law regulated the practice.
- Vows were entirely voluntary, but once made, were
regarded as compulsory.
- Evading the performance of vows was held to be highly
irreligious. Numbers 30:2 -- (Moses) If a man vow a vow
unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a
bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to
all that proceedeth out of his mouth.
- It was far better not to vow than to vow and then not to
perform it.
3. What lessons can Christians today take from these
cautions?
- 1. We too can become vain and irreverent in our approach
to worship.
- Exodus 20:3 -- Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
- Matthew 4:10 -- Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and
Him only shalt thou serve.
- Isaiah 46:9 -- Remember the former things of old: for I
am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none
like me.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 -- For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
than your ways, and my thoughts than our thoughts.
- Not only is the worship of wicked men an abomination of
God, so also is the worship of any person who engages in it
without regard to the proper understanding and intention of
it.
- 2. Not only is the appropriate attitude necessary, we
also must worship God according to the pattern we have in
scripture. This is indicated by "Keep thy foot" in verse 1.
John 4:24 -- They that worship Him must worship him in
spirit and in truth.
- Spirit -- refers to spiritual communion that takes place
when our spirit joins with God.
- Truth -- God-authorized acts revealed in scripture.
- John 17:17 -- Thy word is truth.
- Worship must include the right acts and the right forms.
- Matthew 15:8,9 -- This people draweth nigh unto me with
their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their
heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
- In addition to teaching as doctrines the precepts of men,
these people were insincere. Their hearts were far away
from God.
- God doesn't accept worship unless it comes from the
sincere inner spirit of a person. Psalm 51:16,17 -- For
Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give
it; Thou art not pleased with burnt offering. The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a
contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
- Rashness in prayer is also possible. Our prayers can also
be inconsistent with the thought that one is standing in
God's presence.
- Matthew 6:5-7 -- And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be
as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their
reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which
is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall
reward thee openly.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen
do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much
speaking.
- The world is still suffering under the curse of countless
words regarding religion that are totally without any
value.
4. Regarding the taking of vows in Ecclesiastes 5:4-7, are
Christians sinless in the matter of keeping our promises to
God? In what ways are we guilty?
- "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it;
for He hath no pleasure in fools."
- Heb 13:8 -- Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and
forever.
- James 1:17 -- Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with
whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
- Our very baptism is a holy vow to love and serve God
through Jesus Christ. Any failure to do this falls under
the condemnation cited here.
- II Peter 2:20-21 -- For if after they have escaped the
pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein,
and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the
beginning. For it had been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known
it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
- Very nearly the same thing stated in Ecclesiastes with
reference to the making of vows, i.e., that it would be far
better not to vow than to vow and then not perform it.
- How will the fear of God in verse 7 influence our
actions?
- This is the message of the entire reading.
- Worship and service of holy and righteous God is no
flippant or casual business.
- Worship is weighted with eternal meaning and
significance.
- The New Testament also urgently warns us in the same
manner.
- Matthew 7:21 -- Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth
the will of my father which is in heaven.
- I Cor 11:27-29 -- Wherefore whosoever shall eat this
bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be
guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man
examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and
drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not
discerning the Lord's body.
5. What is Solomon saying about the adversity of the
righteous and the prosperity of the wicked in Ecclesiastes
7:15-18?
- Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 -- 15. All things have I seen in the
days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in
his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that
prolongeth his life in his wickedness. 16. Be not righteous
over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest
thou destroy thyself? 17. Be not over much wicked, neither
be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
18. It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea,
also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth
God shall come forth of them all.
- In Solomon's experience of life, in the days of his
vanity, he had seen the just perish despite righteousness
and the wicked prosper despite their wickedness.
- Perplexing problem that often troubled the Hebrew mind.
- Abel died at the hands of Cain. Gen 4:8.
- Naboth, sons of Gideon, Josiah and other good people died
untimely deaths.
- Evil men like Manasseh enjoyed one of the longest reigns
of Israel's history.
- Theory that the good find their reward and the wicked
their punishment in this life was not borne out by
Solomon's experience.
- The passage confirms the general law, while citing
exceptions to it. Exceptions to any valid principle do not
negate it.
- Exceptions can be influenced by the activity of Satan,
freedom of human will, primeval curse upon the earth
because of Adam's sin, element of time and chance happening
to all men, lack of wisdom sometimes on the part of the
righteous (Luke 16:8), and the impartiality of natural
disasters.
- Mark 10:30-31 -- But he shall receive an hundredfold now
in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and
mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in
the world to come eternal life. But many that are first
shall be last; and the last first.
- What lesson does Solomon deduce from his experience?
Verse 16 -- Be not righteous over much . . . Is he
advocating a "middle course" between sin and virtue? Is it
possible to be too righteous?
- No. The passage is a warning against going to extremes.
- It refers to the hypocritical righteousness like the
Pharisees so severely condemned by Jesus. They specialized
in trifles, and neglected the weightier matters of the law.
Matthew 23:23 -- Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin,
and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done,
and not to leave the other undone.
- Parable of the Pharisee and publican in Luke 18:10-14 --
Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a
Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and
prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even
as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes
of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off,
would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but
smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other: for every one that
exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth
himself shall be exalted.
- The Pharisee was not content with the good works
commanded by the law of God; he must go beyond them.
- Pharisee claimed merit for going beyond the requirements
of the Law. One fast day; he boasted fasting twice a week.
Law commanded only to tithe the fruits of the field and
increase of cattle; he tithed of all that came into his
possession.
- This doesn't mean that we should ever compromise God's
teachings in our actions and decisions.
- James 1:21-22 -- Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and
superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye
doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own
selves.
- Verse 18 - He that feareth God . . .
- Fearing God, which is the beginning of all wisdom, will
give ultimate victory, not only from the extremes mentioned
here, but from sin and death, thus providing the servant of
God with eternal life.
Conclusion
- Solomon has shown how his outward and secular life had
been unable to secure happiness, satisfaction or meaning.
Now the question that surfaces is whether popular religion
can produce meaning in life.
- True religion would have been big enough to fill the hole
in Solomon's heart. But apparently something had gone badly
wrong with Solomon's conception and practice his religion.
- II Peter 1:3-4 -- According as his divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain to life and
godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us
to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises: that by these ye might be
partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust.
- Hebrews 11:6 -- But without faith it is impossible to
please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he
is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him.
- Scriptures seem to indicate that Solomon's worship and
service to God had become vain and meaningless. If he had
continued to have faith in God and seek him, he would have
been rewarded. One can only conclude that his faith
dwindled greatly.
- So flawed had his religion become that Solomon apparently
put his faith in the external requirements of religion as
opposed to the "weightier matters of the law."
- His view of life became pessimistic to the point that he
focused on the adversity that the righteous suffer and the
prosperity of the wicked.
- In contrast, we know that we have the ultimate victory
because of God's love that He manifested through Jesus
Christ.
- I John 2:15-17 -- Love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the
world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth
the will of God abideth forever.
- I Cor 15:57-58 -- But thanks be to God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my
beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know
that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
ECCLESIASTES
1. How does Solomon's practice of religion contribute to
the theme of Ecclesiastes as depicting the vanity of life
apart from God?
2. What does Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 indicate concerning the
kind of religion that Solomon had apparently practiced?
3. What lessons can Christians today take from these
cautions?
4. Regarding the taking of vows in Ecclesiastes 5:4-7, are
Christians sinless in the matter of keeping our promises to
God? In what ways are we guilty?
5. What is Solomon saying about the adversity of the
righteous and the prosperity of the wicked in Ecclesiastes
7:15-18?