1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,040 Well, hey everybody, hey, let's go ahead and find our seats. 2 00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:09,200 Welcome to Renewed Mind Bible studies, guys. 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:10,760 We just have this session and one more. 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,560 And we finished Ecclesiastes, which means then we can take two 5 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:17,040 weeks to collectively catch our breath before we jump in. 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:24,920 A song of songs, man. Bring that energy in May. 7 00:00:26,400 --> 00:00:29,400 OK, So what we've been doing is this study. 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:32,400 The subtitle has been chasing the wind, and that's because the 9 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:34,080 wind is something you can't really grab ahold of. 10 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,080 It's a term used all throughout Ecclesiastes and every week 11 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:39,960 we've been highlighting something different that we 12 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,200 tried to grab ahold of in our search for meaning in life. 13 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,200 This week is all about certainty. 14 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:49,400 It's chasing certainty, and by this point, if you have been 15 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:50,640 here for the other sessions, you know this. 16 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,280 But the teacher's already taken us through several layers of 17 00:00:53,280 --> 00:00:55,280 what people try to build their lives on. 18 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:58,040 What is the meaning of life when it comes to pleasure or 19 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,840 achievement or control? Most recently, last week we 20 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:04,040 talked about security. Each one of those offers 21 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,440 something that feels solid at first, but it falls through. 22 00:01:06,440 --> 00:01:09,800 So spoiler alert, certainty is going to be the same. 23 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:11,560 OK, this is not going to be the answer. 24 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:13,400 The answer is not to be certain of everything. 25 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,760 Eventually, they all reveal their limits. 26 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:19,840 And what the teacher's wondering here is, if none of these things 27 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,720 can fully hold what the meaning of life is, what can I actually 28 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,200 count on? And essentially what we're 29 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,600 talking about tonight is, how can we be certain of what we 30 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,280 believe? Well, we want to know that 31 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,920 things will work out, and we want to believe that if we make 32 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,240 the right choices, live the right way, follow the right 33 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:41,720 path, and respond the right way, there's something in us that 34 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:43,640 longs for life to feel predictable. 35 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:47,320 Even if we don't want it to be the same every day, we do want 36 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:49,280 it to be predictable, and we want it to feel fair. 37 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:51,680 We want a sense that the future can be managed. 38 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:55,400 And so Ecclesiastes Chapter 7 through 10 are going to 39 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,560 challenge all of that. So instead of offering clear 40 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:01,840 answers, as I'm sure you've also noticed in this book, the 41 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,840 teacher starts placing different pieces of wisdom side by side, 42 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,840 making them feel familiar in some ways, and some of them 43 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,880 would be brand new at times. Part of what we're going to read 44 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:12,920 tonight sounds almost like Proverbs. 45 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,600 But essentially, here's the hard truth for tonight. 46 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:19,160 If you want the Cliff Notes, they're not Cliff Notes anymore, 47 00:02:19,160 --> 00:02:20,880 right? That's an old thing now, 48 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,760 SparkNotes. Here's what ChatGPT would tell 49 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:24,760 you. I don't know. 50 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:30,480 Whatever people use now, good decisions do not always lead to 51 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:32,560 good outcomes. Sorry. 52 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:39,120 Wise people still face difficult situations, and justice does not 53 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:40,680 always happen when we expect it to. 54 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:45,240 Thank you for coming long after Ecclesiastes was written. 55 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:47,840 We've been tying this to the teachings of Jesus, and 56 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,480 tonight's no different. In Matthew 7, starting in verse 57 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,600 24, he says this. Anyone who listens to my 58 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,840 teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house 59 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:00,320 on solid rock. Though the rain comes in 60 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,920 torrents and the floodwaters rise and winds beat against that 61 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:06,760 house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. 62 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,360 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish. 63 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,200 Like a person who builds a house on sand. 64 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,080 When the rains and floods come in, the winds beat against that 65 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:18,720 house. It will collapse with a mighty 66 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,200 crash. What I really want you to take 67 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,880 away from this is this. He gives you teachings, but the 68 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:27,120 teachings don't always come with guarantees. 69 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,760 The guarantee that we do have is eternal life with our Savior. 70 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:33,560 And that's a pretty big one if you ask me. 71 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:35,520 But we want guarantees for the now. 72 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:39,200 We don't have it. The take away is this, anyone 73 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:41,400 who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish. 74 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,720 He's full of giving us teachings and there's a Broadway to apply 75 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:47,680 them. But there's a right and a wrong 76 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,720 way as well. This is where Ecclesiastes is is 77 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:53,640 taking us tonight. That's where wisdom begins to 78 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:55,080 lead us. It's not to a guarantee. 79 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,720 It's meant to lead us to trust in the Lord Himself. 80 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:01,360 Amen. First section when wisdom feels 81 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,080 backwards centered around the 1st 14 verses of Chapter 7 of 82 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,960 Ecclesiastes. This is where a lot of it seems 83 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:09,640 to be a little bit like Proverbs. 84 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:11,840 For those of you that read this in advance, that reads like 85 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:14,880 Proverbs doesn't it? With these short sayings, and 86 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:16,160 some of them are are pretty great. 87 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:19,640 I am going to read to you the 1st 4 verses, but not all 14 of 88 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,200 them. It says a good reputation is 89 00:04:21,200 --> 00:04:23,360 more valuable than costly perfume. 90 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:25,800 That sounds like ancient wisdom and true. 91 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:29,520 And the day you die is better than the day you are born. 92 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,880 OK. That's attached by the word. 93 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:37,120 And that's one whole thought. OK Better to spend your time at 94 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:41,640 funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies, so the 95 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:42,960 living should take this to heart. 96 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,320 He says sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a 97 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:53,600 refining influence on us. I heard a heavy sigh already. 98 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:57,280 I'm sorry, guys. All right, verse 4A. 99 00:04:57,280 --> 00:05:01,720 Wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only 100 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:03,920 about having a good time. I read this scripture to 101 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:05,960 somebody earlier this week. They said I must be the wisest 102 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:10,120 person of all time. Anybody here? 103 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:12,760 I was, to be honest. Is there anybody here who thinks 104 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:14,560 about death? Probably more than people think. 105 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,320 You think about it. OK. 106 00:05:17,280 --> 00:05:19,280 Yeah. Well, Congrats. 107 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:21,160 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but you 108 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:22,880 just stumbled into another part of it. 109 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:27,360 So if a lot of that sounds backwards, it's it's because it 110 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:31,200 is OK. And literally speaking, that's 111 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:34,160 the point. The teacher is using a method 112 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,200 here that is meant to feel off putting and grab your attention. 113 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:39,200 He wants to wake you up as you're reading this. 114 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:41,920 Wisdom doesn't always align with what feels good in the moment. 115 00:05:42,280 --> 00:05:45,160 In fact, wisdom often pulls us in the opposite direction of 116 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:48,720 what we want instinctively. So when he says it's better to 117 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:50,600 spend time at a funeral than a party. 118 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:53,680 And by the way, I've been to several of both. 119 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:56,520 I don't literally agree with this statement. 120 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,560 It's not because funerals are enjoyable. 121 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:02,640 He's saying this because funerals force us to see 122 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:06,520 something we usually avoid, something we usually avoid. 123 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:09,920 They bring us face to face with reality. 124 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,760 Life is fragile. Time is limited. 125 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,480 What we are building on this earth will not last forever. 126 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,720 And so the word that's translated as funerals is bait 127 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,680 eval. And it's actually more literally 128 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,240 translated as a House of mourning, House of mourning. 129 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:31,280 And that is MOURNING. It carries the idea of a place 130 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:34,280 where people are confronted with loss somewhere that they are 131 00:06:34,280 --> 00:06:37,760 unable to be distracted from it. So for everybody who loves to 132 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:43,000 find some good disassociation, the Saint, your chapter, that's 133 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,480 why he says that sorrow is better than laughter, because 134 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:48,880 laughter is not wrong, but laughter can be fleeting. 135 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,600 And sorrow has a way of doing something that laughter can't. 136 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:56,720 If you've ever had this moment of deep sorrow, I mean, sorrow 137 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:58,560 slows us down and forces us to reflect. 138 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:00,600 It makes us think. And that word that he translates 139 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:05,000 as sorrows from the Hebrew word kaos, it refers to grief or 140 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:09,280 frustration or emotional weight. Emotional weight. 141 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:11,720 So if you're like, well, I don't think I've got sorrow today. 142 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,520 Well, out of those 3 definitions, maybe you do. 143 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:17,800 It's the kind of experience that presses on your heart until 144 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,200 something changes. And the teacher's shown us that 145 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,240 wisdom is a lot of times formed in places that we would not 146 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:25,160 choose. Unfortunately, it's not the 147 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,120 happiest places. I'm sure that there are some 148 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:30,840 stories like this, I've just not heard them. 149 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:33,240 I'm I've just never heard of stories of people going to like 150 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,720 Disney World and having these deep moments of wisdom 151 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,840 revelation outside of Epcot Center or whatever. 152 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:40,800 I mean like things that we enjoy, it's great. 153 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,080 But there is meaning and value in the sorrow as well. 154 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:48,160 So he continues by saying it's better to be corrected by a wise 155 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:50,880 person later on in this this reading than to be praised by 156 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,000 fools. And while we would all agree 157 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,880 with that in theory, most people would rather be affirmed than 158 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:59,760 corrected. But the word that's translated 159 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:02,360 as rebuke there comes from the Hebrew word GAAR. 160 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:05,720 And that means to confront or to challenge. 161 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,680 Challenge is your blank there or to call something out directly. 162 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:12,680 This is not a gentle term. It's just it's something that is 163 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:16,960 necessary correction when it comes from wisdom always leads 164 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,640 somewhere, but empty praise never leads anywhere. 165 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:25,160 The laughter of fools he talks about is he gets descriptive in 166 00:08:25,160 --> 00:08:26,400 this. It's like the crackling of 167 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:28,520 thorns in a fire. It makes noise and flares up 168 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:29,840 quickly. It just doesn't last. 169 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:33,120 And so following this, the teacher begins to speak about 170 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:37,039 both patients and perspective. He says things like finishing is 171 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:40,840 better than starting. That statement cuts against the 172 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,200 whole culture that we have that celebrates beginnings. 173 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:46,440 Starting something is exciting. There's grand openings and 174 00:08:46,440 --> 00:08:49,320 ribbon cuttings and and things with great potential. 175 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:51,840 And if you have two restaurants that you can walk into, we 176 00:08:51,840 --> 00:08:54,200 generally prefer the one that feels new rather than the one 177 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,880 that feels 38 years old, unless it's a diner for breakfast and 178 00:08:57,880 --> 00:08:59,240 then that is the one that you want. 179 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,520 But he's talking about the finishing is better because the 180 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,200 finishing requires walking through difficulty, staying 181 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,520 constant. And the word that's translated 182 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,560 as patient there is from the Hebrew word erect, and that 183 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:16,520 literally means long of spirit. Long of spirit. 184 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,240 That makes me think of when it talks about the fruit of the 185 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,760 Spirit and that that fun King James term for patience, 186 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,400 long-suffering. If you've ever had to be 187 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,640 patient, you're like, yeah, let's go back and use 188 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,680 long-suffering again. This is describing someone who 189 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:34,800 can stretch and endure and stay consistent over a longer period 190 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:36,960 of time. So wisdom is not just about what 191 00:09:36,960 --> 00:09:38,320 we know, it's about how we endure. 192 00:09:39,680 --> 00:09:41,800 And now when you think about those concepts of things like 193 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,840 control and perspective, he warns against longing for the 194 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,720 good old days as if the past was always better. 195 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,240 That kind of thinking always traps us. 196 00:09:50,560 --> 00:09:52,640 It pulls us out of the present, and it creates a version of 197 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:55,440 reality in the past that is just not entirely true. 198 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,640 We're all guilty of this at times. 199 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,480 Finally, he covers everything into something that we have seen 200 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:04,960 before, he says, except the way that God does things. 201 00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:07,360 For who can straighten what he has made crooked? 202 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:11,600 And that word crooked comes from the Hebrew word avath, which 203 00:10:11,600 --> 00:10:13,560 means something that is bent or distorted. 204 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:16,000 So your blank there is distorted. 205 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:18,080 And he's not saying God makes things wrong. 206 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:20,600 I understand what crooked frequently means in in modern 207 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:22,200 language. He's just saying there's aspects 208 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,080 of life that are a certain shape and you can't straighten it, fix 209 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,160 it or control it. Life is not one steady 210 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:30,920 experience. It moves through things that 211 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,000 contrast with one another that you've got joy and difficulty, 212 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,720 ease and challenge. Both are part of what God allows 213 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,400 you to walk through. And so renewing our minds means 214 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:41,080 that we have to look at these backwards. 215 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,320 I put that in quotation marks, moments differently. 216 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:45,560 This is actually part of how God forms us. 217 00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:47,920 This is part of how he grows us and stretches us. 218 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:50,640 You've got a couple personal insight questions there. 219 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:54,560 And the second section is the last half of Chapter 7. 220 00:10:55,400 --> 00:11:00,920 Did we miss a blank there? What's that? 221 00:11:05,560 --> 00:11:06,840 I don't think. I don't think it's supposed to 222 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,080 be there. I think that might be last week. 223 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:10,640 We'll circle back at the end and make sure. 224 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:15,160 Ecclesiastes Chapter 7, verses 15 through 29. 225 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:17,080 I knew something was off because I didn't hear all the pages 226 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:21,840 flip. All right, Yeah, OK. 227 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:24,120 It's from last week. Scratch it out. 228 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:25,280 It's a bonus point. All right. 229 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:29,360 The limits of righteousness. Now this sounds a little weird, 230 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,080 doesn't it? The limits of righteousness. 231 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:32,800 Can you have too much righteousness? 232 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:34,560 We don't like it when people are self-righteous. 233 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:36,920 But can you have too much righteousness? 234 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:42,720 He starts out, I'm just going to read a couple verses to you 235 00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:44,120 again. He says, I've seen everything in 236 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,280 this meaningless life, including the death of good young people 237 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:49,000 and the long life of wicked people. 238 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,120 Who here cannot relate to that one way or the other or both. 239 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:55,760 Because in our opinions, we've all seen somebody gone before 240 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:57,720 their time and we've all seen someone where we're like, I 241 00:11:57,720 --> 00:11:59,000 cannot believe they're still alive. 242 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:08,960 Does God even still smite he's? I have made that joke before and 243 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:10,560 said that, but I've never said it from the pulpit. 244 00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:16,040 He says in verse 16, don't be too good or too wise. 245 00:12:16,560 --> 00:12:18,680 Why destroy yourself? And on the other hand, don't be 246 00:12:18,680 --> 00:12:20,360 too wicked either. Don't be a fool. 247 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,200 Seems weird, right? And then he goes on to tell a 248 00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:26,040 story and we'll get there. This is one of the most 249 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:29,680 uncomfortable moments to me in the entire book of Ecclesiastes 250 00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,480 because if you do just read it at face value and you don't 251 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,080 understand the points that he's trying to make, it really does 252 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:37,560 seem like he's saying be a little wise sometimes, be a 253 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:41,760 little foolish sometimes live it up it it, it sounds weird. 254 00:12:42,080 --> 00:12:44,240 But up until this point, there's been the sense that wisdom 255 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:46,480 matters, that even though it's not everything, it's really 256 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:48,840 important. And here he's looking at this 257 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:51,000 and he's admitting something that just doesn't fit into that 258 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,120 idea. He says in this meaningless 259 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:56,760 life, I've seen both of these. And he talks about righteous 260 00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:59,680 people that die early and wicked people who live long. 261 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,800 Like I said, who here can't think of someone that would fit 262 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,680 into that, someone that you were surprised to see still here 263 00:13:07,680 --> 00:13:10,240 after all these years? And that fact alone disrupts the 264 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:13,280 expectation that a lot of people carry because we want life to 265 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:16,640 feel fair. We want life to feel fair. 266 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:19,960 And we want to believe that if we do what is right, things will 267 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:21,480 go well. And if we do what is wrong, 268 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:24,840 consequences will come quickly. This is part of what Job's 269 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:28,480 friends were understanding when they were trying to help him 270 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,400 admit what was wrong. And boy, were they on a rough 271 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,000 assignment there, the teachers trying to make sure we 272 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,960 understand that's just not how life works. 273 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:39,320 The word that's translated here as righteous comes from the 274 00:13:39,320 --> 00:13:43,120 Hebrew word Sadiq. It means somebody who is just 275 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:46,800 upright or somebody who is living in alignment with God, 276 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:51,760 alignment with God. Additionally, the word for 277 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:55,400 wicked there is rasha, which describes someone who disregards 278 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,160 what is right. Disregards what is right. 279 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:00,800 Again, this is not somebody who doesn't know the right thing to 280 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:02,480 do and stumbles into the wrong thing. 281 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:04,720 This is someone who knows and disregards it. 282 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,200 That's a different thing. Both of these exist in the same 283 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:12,880 world, and both experience outcomes that don't always match 284 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,440 our expectations. And that's why life often feels 285 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,440 unfair. Even though it's not directly 286 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:20,120 about people that die early or live longer than we think that 287 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:22,840 they should, he's highlighting that this is one of the key 288 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:26,600 places in in our life on Earth that actually makes us wonder, 289 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,640 what does the justice system in the cosmos actually look like? 290 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,600 Because to us, when you find that somebody's committed a 291 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:37,840 crime, you apprehend them, you charge them, you convict them, 292 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:39,920 and then there's discipline or punishment, whatever. 293 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:42,800 And we try to look at this throughout the the life that we 294 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,200 live too. He's wondering things like, if 295 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:49,120 wickedness doesn't immediately lead to a downfall, what does 296 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:50,800 that mean for how we understand justice? 297 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,720 So he gives a warning that to me felt surprising. 298 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:57,320 He said don't be too righteous and don't be too wicked. 299 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:01,320 What he's basically saying here is not moderation. 300 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:04,560 He's saying that every person of faith struggles with this. 301 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:07,320 It's the illusion of control through righteousness. 302 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:11,240 Righteousness. And listen, this is one of the 303 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:14,200 hardest things that every person of faith has dealt with, whether 304 00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:16,400 they've ever had the language to put to this or not. 305 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:21,080 It could be, it could be as easy as when Cassie and I decided we 306 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,360 wanted to have kids and then wondering why it was taking so 307 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:25,600 long to have kids. Because we were living for the 308 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:27,680 Lord and we were trying to do everything the right way. 309 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:30,520 Which really just exposed our expectation that if we did 310 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:32,560 something for Him, we'd get the things that we wanted. 311 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:35,240 Which also then exposed to that part of why we were doing the 312 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:37,560 things for Him was to get what we wanted and not because it was 313 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:39,920 the right thing to do. That's just part of the human 314 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:42,360 condition. It could be just as simple as, 315 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:44,800 you know, well, why won't my finances turn around or why 316 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,200 can't I keep friends around, you know, more whatever. 317 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:48,800 What's the point of doing the right thing? 318 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:53,800 This is what he's getting at. It is possible to live, quote UN 319 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:56,600 quote, right, with the expectation that it will protect 320 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,680 you from difficulty. And the teacher and the 321 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,480 preacher, I guess we're both here to tell you that that is 322 00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:05,760 not so. You can make all the correct 323 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:09,760 choices and you think that you can avoid pain, loss, or even 324 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:11,200 uncertainty. And the teacher is trying to 325 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,840 expose that mindset because you'll be better off to to throw 326 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,320 that out the window. Righteousness, this is 327 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:17,520 important. I don't know if I put this in 328 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:19,960 your notes, but you should know righteousness is not a tool to 329 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:22,680 control life. It is a way to honor God within 330 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:25,240 life. So righteousness is not 331 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:26,920 something you do to get what you want. 332 00:16:26,920 --> 00:16:29,120 It's something you do because God has already given you what 333 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,160 you don't deserve. So righteousness is what you do 334 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,200 to navigate your way through life, and the same is true for 335 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:37,960 the other side. Living recklessly doesn't lead 336 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:40,440 anywhere good. Obviously, the teacher's not 337 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,240 encouraging you to have some sort of judeo-christian yin Yang 338 00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,920 of balancing good and evil. He's warning against the 339 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,560 extremes that misunderstand how life actually works because both 340 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:54,280 are attempts to live life on your own terms, on your own 341 00:16:54,280 --> 00:16:57,440 terms. Christians, we cannot afford to 342 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:00,960 live life on our own terms. So he brings it back to wisdom. 343 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:02,760 It's a wisdom literature after all. 344 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:05,640 And he says those who fear God will avoid both extremes. 345 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:10,319 Reverence for God always keeps us from trying to manipulate 346 00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:14,079 life through our behavior, and it keeps us from drifting off 347 00:17:14,079 --> 00:17:16,720 into carelessness. And as all of these verses 348 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:20,079 continue, the teachers just reflecting on wisdom itself. 349 00:17:20,599 --> 00:17:23,440 He's saying wisdom makes one person stronger than 10 rulers 350 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:24,920 in a city. It has real value. 351 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,359 But he does also say this. He says that not a single person 352 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:30,440 on earth is always good and never sins. 353 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,240 So he's reminding us that even the wise, even the righteous are 354 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:37,600 still human, We're still limited, we are still imperfect, 355 00:17:38,520 --> 00:17:40,480 and even our best efforts are incomplete. 356 00:17:42,120 --> 00:17:45,040 And he even warns against taking anything that people say too 357 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:48,480 seriously on our own. When we're upset about 358 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:50,960 something, we want to gravitate to the people who are going to 359 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:52,760 tell us that we're right and the other people are wrong. 360 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,760 And he's saying at some point, everybody has spoken wrongly 361 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:58,360 about someone else, including us. 362 00:17:58,360 --> 00:18:01,960 And you know what that means? I'm going to give you revelation 363 00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:11,320 tonight. 3 words People are inconsistent, in case you've 364 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:18,840 been wondering, including us. We are not always reliable 365 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:25,200 sources of truth or affirmation. Affirmation So now hopefully you 366 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:26,720 understand a little bit more about the limits of 367 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:28,600 righteousness. Living the right way does 368 00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:30,040 matter. It just can't guarantee you a 369 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:32,760 predictable, controllable, or comfortable life. 370 00:18:33,120 --> 00:18:35,720 Wisdom can inform how you live. It's just never going to be 371 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:38,880 enough to secure the outcome. All right, now we move on to 372 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:40,840 chapter 8. Chapter 8. 373 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:43,600 This is the frustration of injustice. 374 00:18:44,080 --> 00:18:46,200 He teased it a little bit and how he's going to dive head 375 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,800 first into it. This is where he starts talking 376 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,280 about the king, and there is something that continues to 377 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:55,400 disrupt this idea of certainty here. 378 00:18:55,400 --> 00:18:58,960 It's authority and injustice. This is one of the normal 379 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:00,960 struggles for people as they try to come to the Lord. 380 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:03,800 Well, if I was a good God and I saw the suffering in the world, 381 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:05,920 I would do this, fill in the blank. 382 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,320 Every time we say that or have that thought, we're essentially 383 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:10,200 saying I could do a better job on that throne. 384 00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:13,840 It's a dangerous place to be, but that is essentially what 385 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:16,040 we're saying. We have to recognize there are 386 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,600 things that we don't understand. But the teacher begins by 387 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:21,440 acknowledging that wisdom does have real value. 388 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:23,600 It can change the way a person carries themself. 389 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:26,840 But he also places in a setting that limits it as well. 390 00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:30,520 He starts by talking about King's authority and power. 391 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,080 And take yourself back there, not just to like the title of 392 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:35,600 king in different countries today. 393 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:39,400 In his world, the King's word always carried weight that could 394 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:42,040 not be questioned. So when he says who can oppose 395 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,800 the King's command, that question is not about just 396 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:46,680 leadership of the day. It's about control. 397 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:49,480 The king has all power and all control. 398 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:51,360 So what are you going to do to change it? 399 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:53,320 Well, guess what? There is a king. 400 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:57,360 There is a king in heaven. And so he's saying there are 401 00:19:57,360 --> 00:20:00,200 structures in life that are bigger than us, decisions that 402 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:03,320 affect us, and systems that we can't easily change, if at all. 403 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:06,360 So that word that's translated as authority, it connects to the 404 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:10,360 Hebrew word shiltone. Shiltone, which talks about 405 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:14,480 ruling power or dominion. Dominion. 406 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,800 It's talking about the kind of control that belongs to someone 407 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:19,880 else. Dominion means you have complete 408 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:21,840 control over whatever this sphere is. 409 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,800 It's it's The Lion King. Everything the light touches is 410 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:28,200 your Kingdom. Simba, at first, he encourages 411 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:31,840 wisdom and how we respond. He said obey wisely and be 412 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:33,720 patient and recognize God's timing. 413 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,240 There's this whole idea as you read through this chapter that 414 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:38,440 navigating authority requires discernment. 415 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:41,400 But that still doesn't fix the problem because as you look at 416 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:44,360 the authorities here on Earth, people in power do wrong. 417 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:48,000 And not only do they do wrong, but sometimes they get away with 418 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,160 it. Justice gets delayed and 419 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:54,040 consequences don't come when we expect them to. 420 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,840 And when that happens, something shifts in the human heart. 421 00:20:57,600 --> 00:20:59,640 This is an example of what he says in the chapter. 422 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:02,280 He says when a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it 423 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:05,480 is safe to do wrong. Would you agree with that? 424 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:10,320 That line that cuts straight into how injustice does tend to 425 00:21:10,320 --> 00:21:12,360 spread. The absence of immediate 426 00:21:12,360 --> 00:21:16,120 accountability creates the illusion, creates the illusion 427 00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:20,560 that actions do not matter, and it tends to feed the belief that 428 00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:23,000 wrong can continue without consequence. 429 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:25,280 I'm not just talking about crimes on the street. 430 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:26,840 I'm talking about the way we treat each other, the way that 431 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:29,640 we talk to one another. Sometimes we don't see it, so we 432 00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:31,520 assume it's not there, but he's saying it is. 433 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,560 So even here, the teacher is holding on to something. 434 00:21:35,360 --> 00:21:39,160 He's saying that even though the wicked may seem to prosper, it 435 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:43,160 will ultimately, ultimately go better for those who fear God. 436 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:49,360 Not right now, but ultimately, again, we see that word. 437 00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:51,760 You don't have to put it down. But yeah, Ray, it's a, it's that 438 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,280 sense of awe and everything. It's anchored in reverence. 439 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:56,760 But he doesn't pretend that this knowledge makes it easy either, 440 00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:59,760 because righteous people sometimes get what the wicked 441 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:03,040 deserve, and wicked people sometimes receive what the 442 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,400 righteous deserve. And that disrupts the whole idea 443 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,320 that life follows a clean formula. 444 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,560 But the whole issue here is that we want life to be predictable. 445 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:14,800 We do. We may not want day by day 446 00:22:14,800 --> 00:22:17,320 monotony, but we do want to be able to predict life. 447 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:20,920 We want cause and effect to be clear. 448 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:23,040 We want justice to be visible and timely. 449 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,160 We want to know that hard work always pays off and the teachers 450 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:27,560 honest that life doesn't work that way. 451 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:33,280 So he recommends having fun. He recommends having fun, but 452 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:36,080 not as an escape or as a disassociation. 453 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:39,080 There's that word again. He recommends having fun as a 454 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,760 response. Big difference. 455 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:43,880 In the same way that righteousness can be used in the 456 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,880 wrong way. Fun is not something we do to 457 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,800 try to blow off steam or relax. Fun is actually best when it is 458 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:53,120 a response to the goodness of God in your life. 459 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:55,520 Yes, you've got negative things in your life. 460 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:58,560 You've got positive things to enjoy the things that He's given 461 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,040 you and have fun with them because that is a proper way to 462 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:05,240 say thank you. If I gave my kids their stuffed 463 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,440 animals or their toys and they only like wrapped them in 464 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:09,920 plastic and stuck them on a shelf and wouldn't let anybody 465 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,120 touch them, I I'd stop getting them stuff. 466 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:18,560 I probably should anyway. Bottom line is this you can 467 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,160 search and you can pursue wisdom and there are still going to be 468 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:22,760 things that you just can't fully explain. 469 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:25,880 You might not understand everything God is doing, but 470 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:27,240 that doesn't mean that he's not at work. 471 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:34,640 All right, Chapter 9, The unpredictability of life, the 472 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:36,720 subtitle if you if you're reading the new living 473 00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:38,640 translation, says death comes to all. 474 00:23:39,320 --> 00:23:47,440 So thanks for being here. After wrestling with wisdom, 475 00:23:47,840 --> 00:23:52,320 righteousness, injustice, the teacher steps back and he starts 476 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:55,680 to look at life as a whole. What he sees is not something 477 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:57,680 that is predictable, which we've read through. 478 00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:01,080 The righteous and the wise are in God's hands, and there is 479 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,280 comfort in that. There's security knowing that 480 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:05,040 our lives are not outside of this care. 481 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:07,720 But at the same time, nobody knows what lies ahead. 482 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:11,040 Nobody knows their last day, whether love or hate, blessing 483 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:12,560 or hardship is ahead. We just don't know. 484 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:15,960 So what he's trying to teach us is this the same destiny? 485 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:21,600 The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, righteous or 486 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:25,760 wicked, good or evil, devoted or indifferent. 487 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:30,560 The same reality comes for all. And that reality is death. 488 00:24:33,560 --> 00:24:36,840 Death doesn't sort itself according to how we expect life 489 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:38,760 to work. And a lot of times we believe 490 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:40,760 that if we live the right way, we can choose not just our 491 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,920 decisions but the outcomes of what will come as well. 492 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:47,160 But instead of leading us into despair, the Teacher wants us to 493 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:50,000 shift our perspective. Anyone who is among the living 494 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,640 has hope. Anyone who is among the living 495 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,720 has hope and as long as there is life, there's always 496 00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:58,160 opportunity, still meaning and still a chance to live with 497 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:00,080 purpose. Anytime I've talked to somebody 498 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:02,920 who said I'm not sure that I have purpose, like you're alive. 499 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:06,600 If you had no purpose here, God would not let you stay here. 500 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:09,320 There is always purpose. I'm not saying it's always easy 501 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,440 to discern or find, but there is always purpose and to drive that 502 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:13,320 home. You know what he says? 503 00:25:13,320 --> 00:25:17,280 He says right here, a living dog is better than a dead lion. 504 00:25:18,360 --> 00:25:20,720 A living dog is better than a dead lion. 505 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,560 And you need to understand that in this culture, a lion 506 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,840 represented strength and honor, and a dog was seen as low and 507 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,920 insignificant. He was like, yeah, but if you're 508 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:32,400 dog and alive, you're still winning. 509 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:37,120 Life itself, even in its most humble form, carries value. 510 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:40,400 We have to remember this because from there, he begins to 511 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:43,000 describe what it looks like to live in light of that reality. 512 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:46,480 Everyday expressions of life, things that we take for granted, 513 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:51,920 literally everyday eating with joy, enjoying a good drink with 514 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,480 a grateful heart. He says, wearing clean clothes. 515 00:25:56,960 --> 00:25:58,960 How many of us put that in our prayers when we were thanking 516 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,480 the Lord today? Somebody here is like, I should 517 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:06,400 have changed my shirt. And he says, enjoying life with 518 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,920 the people you love, giving yourself fully to the work in 519 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:10,720 front of you. These don't seem like grand 520 00:26:10,720 --> 00:26:13,160 accomplishments or extraordinary achievements, but they're 521 00:26:13,160 --> 00:26:17,640 actually faithful responses to the gift of life as it is, not 522 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:21,520 as we wish that life would be. And so the fastest runner 523 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,000 doesn't always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn't 524 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:28,080 always win the battle. But while skill, strength, and 525 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:30,080 wisdom are things we all want, they just don't guarantee the 526 00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:31,760 outcomes. And so the word that is 527 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:36,000 translated chance here comes from the Hebrew word paga, paga. 528 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,120 And this actually refers to an occurrence, an event or 529 00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:44,640 something that happens without warning, something that happens 530 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:49,360 without warning. From our perspective, life 531 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:52,120 includes moments that arrive unexpectedly outside of our 532 00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:54,280 planning. And he's just trying to say as 533 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:58,920 we wrap up this chapter that or this section, that time and 534 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:02,360 chance happened to everyone. That statement doesn't remove 535 00:27:02,360 --> 00:27:04,400 God from the picture. To us, it feels random or 536 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,960 happenstance, but he's still fully in control of how life 537 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:09,600 unfolds. And we have to learn how to make 538 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:12,360 our plans but make them with humility and embrace what God 539 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:14,600 puts in front of us and recognize that life itself is a 540 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:16,040 gift. It's not something that 541 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,240 guarantees you'll get to do everything that you want with 542 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:21,240 that gift. The last section for today, 543 00:27:23,120 --> 00:27:30,200 Wisdom still matters, but we'll finish Chapter 9 and we'll go 544 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:34,440 through chapter 10 on this. This starts written out a little 545 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,960 bit more and then falls back into that whole Proverbs vibe. 546 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:42,480 By chapter 10, as the teacher begins to close the section out, 547 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,120 though, he does something that really does feel surprising. 548 00:27:46,560 --> 00:27:48,840 At the same time, everything that he said about 549 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,520 unpredictability, injustice, and the limits of control. 550 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:55,240 He returns to Wisdom again, but with a different tone, because 551 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:59,200 he starts with a story. And so he tells a story here of 552 00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:02,000 a small city that is weak and vulnerable and surrounded by 553 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:06,480 powerful enemies, and there's no obvious way out, no strength to 554 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:10,080 match the threat. But within that city is 1 poor 555 00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:14,400 wise man who finds a way to deliver the city from the enemy. 556 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,320 It's a moment that should stand out and be remembered, but that 557 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:21,480 man is forgotten. That man is forgotten. 558 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:25,960 That's your first blank for this section. 559 00:28:26,320 --> 00:28:28,760 Hey, by the way, who's the 5th President of the United States? 560 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:33,600 I'm just saying, doesn't matter if you're the president, you 561 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,160 still get forgotten. All right? 562 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:41,880 That detail carries the idea that this man gets forgotten. 563 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:45,960 While wisdom worked and it brought deliverance, it still 564 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:49,120 didn't secure recognition or status or any sort of lasting 565 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:52,120 reward by our standards. And the teacher is showing us 566 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,440 that wisdom also doesn't guarantee that it'll get noticed 567 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:55,880 or honored the way that we might hope. 568 00:28:56,840 --> 00:29:00,360 Wisdom is better than strength. But the teacher also says 1 569 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:02,080 Sinner can destroy much that is good. 570 00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:06,120 That word that's translated as destroy comes from the Hebrew 571 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:08,880 word Abad. In the case you're really into 572 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:12,200 it later on, you'll see Abadan the destroyer towards the end 573 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,080 times. But it means to ruin or lose or 574 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:20,200 bring something to nothing. To bring something to nothing, 575 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:23,440 that picture is that there's something that's been built 576 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,640 carefully over time, but it can be undone quickly. 577 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:29,920 And that idea continues as it folds over into chapter 10. 578 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:33,080 That's where the teacher uses a series of really sharp visual 579 00:29:33,080 --> 00:29:36,160 proverbs for things like dead flies make a bottle of perfume 580 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:38,400 stink. I'm going to be honest. 581 00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:41,320 I read that and I'm like, I didn't, I didn't need to be 582 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:42,760 taught that. I just assumed. 583 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:47,320 But what is he saying there? He's saying it only takes 584 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:50,120 something small to corrupt something valuable. 585 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:53,480 There's a lesson in that. A little foolishness can 586 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:57,880 outweigh wisdom and how a person is perceived, perceived. 587 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:03,640 He's saying 1 careless moment can undo a reputation built over 588 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:07,760 years. The teacher's describing the 589 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,240 difference between the wise and the foolish and practical ways. 590 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:12,480 This is something every believer needs to pay attention to. 591 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,480 The wise move with direction, and the foolish wander without 592 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:18,560 awareness. Something, I think it was in our 593 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,360 second lesson in this that we were talking about there is 594 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,160 purpose and we can see where we're going for the wise, but 595 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:27,040 for the foolish, they're moving. They just don't really know 596 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:29,800 where they're going. And he's saying here, leaders 597 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:32,000 can act foolishly. Those in authority can make poor 598 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,360 decisions. Systems can feel upside down. 599 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,200 People who should be able to lead wisely don't. 600 00:30:38,320 --> 00:30:40,640 And there are some that could lead well, and they're 601 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:42,760 overlooked. And it's another reminder that 602 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:45,200 life just doesn't always align with what we think it should be. 603 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:47,400 But he's trying to teach us this. 604 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:51,280 Carelessness has consequences. And he's not just talking about 605 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:53,360 overt, obvious, intentional sin here. 606 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:56,560 Carelessness has consequences. Words carry weight. 607 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:00,080 Even our small actions can create larger outcomes that we 608 00:31:00,080 --> 00:31:04,160 never intended over time. Wisdom matters because it tells 609 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:06,640 us how to live as we move through a world that's already 610 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:08,440 unpredictable. But he's saying that when you're 611 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,600 careless, you're adding to the unpredictability. 612 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,520 So he's saying wisdom is valuable, it's just not 613 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:16,840 absolute. It's not absolute. 614 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,840 It can guide us and even it can't guarantee the outcomes. 615 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:24,480 It strengthens us, but that does not make us untouchable. 616 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,080 So after everything that the teacher said about wisdom and 617 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,840 power and unpredictability, he zooms into something as simple 618 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:34,560 as the words at the very end of chapter 10, especially the ones 619 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:37,040 that we think are hidden in verse 20. 620 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:39,800 It says not to make light of or to curse the king. 621 00:31:40,320 --> 00:31:42,840 He says do not curse the king even in your thoughts or the OR 622 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,400 the rich, even in your bedroom. For a little bird might deliver 623 00:31:45,400 --> 00:31:48,560 your message. And this is long before Twitter. 624 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,480 The point is not that birds are literally reporting 625 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:58,240 conversations, thank God. It's that words have a way of 626 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:02,720 traveling. What we say in private, what we 627 00:32:02,720 --> 00:32:06,440 say in private, has a tendency to surface somehow, and what we 628 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:10,040 think is contained often isn't. That's probably a lesson we've 629 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:14,040 all learned at some point. So in a world where power 630 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,040 structures are already unstable, careless words can create 631 00:32:17,040 --> 00:32:18,720 consequences that we never intended. 632 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:22,800 And that word that is translated as curse comes from the Hebrew 633 00:32:22,800 --> 00:32:26,240 word kalau. It means to make light of or 634 00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:28,360 treat with contempt or to dishonor. 635 00:32:29,400 --> 00:32:32,880 So most of us wouldn't say that we had cursed people, but it 636 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:36,360 means to make light of, to treat with contempt or to dishonor. 637 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:39,840 And this includes the quieter, more subtle ways that we dismiss 638 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:41,640 or mock or speak lightly about others. 639 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:44,920 Sometimes the teachers trying to show us that wisdom is not just 640 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:47,760 about our big decisions, it's also revealed an everyday 641 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:51,040 restraint in a world that we can't fully control. 642 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:55,160 One of the clearest places wisdom shows us what to do is in 643 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,480 how we speak, especially when nobody else is around. 644 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:01,080 If you're watching online, we'll go and we'll cut the live stream 645 00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:04,800 here, and we'll finish up the Ecclesiastes study next week. 646 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:07,280 But we're going to do table discussion, followed by our 647 00:33:07,280 --> 00:33:10,040 worship for the evening. And thanks for being here.