Let us turn once again to the
book of Ecclesiastes, this time to chapter four. Tonight, Lord willing, we will
be looking at the first 12 verses in this chapter. In reading these
verses, I saw the word returned twice and the word again, wants. And I'll use these words for
my outline because it appears to me that in these verses we
have Solomon reflecting on three subjects which he had already
dealt with. First, Solomon, if you notice
in verse one, Solomon returned to the subject of judgment, verses
one through three. So I returned and considered
all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold,
the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter. And
on the side of their oppressors there was power, but they had
no comforter. Wherefore, I praise the dead,
which are already dead, more than the living, which are yet
alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet
been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. If you look back in chapter three
and verse 16, we read, and we saw this last time, and moreover,
I saw under the sun the place of judgment. Now the place of
judgment is where justice, righteousness, is to be administered. But Solomon
noticed in his looking at the way men judged others that in
place of justice that there was wickedness. Moreover, I saw under
the sun the place of judgment that wickedness was there and
the place of righteousness that iniquity was there. Now, so I
returned and considered all the oppressions that are done under
the sun. Before, in chapter 3, his thought
then was more concerning the oppressors, those who oppressed
others, those who subverted justice. And his thought was that one
day all of them, each of them will stand before God, that there
is a final tribunal from which no man can escape, and the judges,
those oppressors, that they themselves would one day be brought to justice. But now, it appears to me, when
he says, I return, his thought is not so much on the oppressors,
but upon the oppressed, those who were oppressed, those who
were not dealt fairly and justly. He saw their tears, and he saw
that there was no comforter. One of the proverbs that Solomon
himself wrote is, the poor is hated even by his neighbor, but
the rich hath many friends. The rich could use their money
and do many times to pervert justice. You know, oppression
comes in many ways. I want you to keep your places
here, but turn with me to the letter of James in the New Testament,
James chapter 5. Men oppress others in many different
ways. And yes, at the seat of judgment
where justice should be administered many times, men and women are
oppressed. But that's not the only way oppression
comes. Here in James chapter 5, the
apostle says, go to now, you rich men, weep and howl for your
miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted
and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered
and the rest of them shall be a witness against you and shall
eat your flesh as it were fire. You have heaped treasure together
for the last days. Now notice, behold, the hire
of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of
you kept back by fraud, crieth. And the cries of them which have
reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have
lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton. You have nourished
your hearts as in a day of slaughter. Oppression comes in many different
ways. And we see in this passage of
scripture that the wealthy, the rich, in that day, oppressed
those who labored for them. God, through the scriptures,
was always careful to protect the poor, the widow, and the
orphan. And God takes notice when men
oppress other men. When you read of things that
were done in our country before there were labor laws and things
that were done during the so-called industrial revolution, you realize
just how men have oppressed others. I read the life of a man in England. who was a man born to privilege. He was an Earl, the 7th Earl
of Shaftesbury, I believe it was, and he served in the House
of Lords, Lord Ashley was his title. He lived in the 1800s
and he led the fight, so to speak, in England to protect the poor
from unjust labor, and especially children. And I believe it was
in 1835, Remember, Wilberforce in the 1700s had led the fight
there in England to abolish the slave trade, the wicked and awful
slave trade, when men would steal other people and bring them to
the West Indies or to the United States to serve as slaves. And
how John Newton, if you've ever read his life, how he was involved
in that, engaged in that very activity. And of course, at one
point, he himself became a slave. But God saved him. God saved
him. No wonder he wrote that hymn,
Amazing Grace. How lost does a person have to
be before he is beyond the pale of God's saving grace. As long
as there's life, there's hope, isn't there? As long as there's
breath, we do not know what our God may do. But in 1835, I believe
it was, that they had laws passed against the hiring of children. No child under nine years of
age could be employed, and the hours of those children who were
employed, they were limited from what they had been. You might
say, well, why would anyone hire a child? Why would anyone hire
a child six or seven, eight years old? And I've read even some
younger because of their sizes, for one reason. They were able
to climb underneath the machines and those textile mills and clean
out the refuge that the machines would make. And not only that,
they were used in those coal mines. Because of their size,
they could get into places that an adult could not. Sometimes
we read today of what is called now sweatshops in some other
countries where children are worked for long hours and for
very little money. Greed and covetousness are like
the Proverbs daughters of the horse leech which cry, give,
give, never enough. Now Solomon is speaking here
of the oppression of the world, like I have just mentioned, oppressing
other people. There's spiritual oppression.
I want you to keep your place here, but go back to Psalm 9
with me, if you will. There's spiritual oppression
as well. Here's a wonderful promise, wonderful
passage of scripture for anyone who experiences oppression, spiritual
oppressions, a heavy weight of sin, the guilt of sin on your
conscience, And that's part of God's work, I understand that.
It's part of God's work, His work of conviction, the Holy
Spirit. And a person begins to feel that
weight of sin, oppressed by sin, the guilt of sin. And God has
a purpose in that. But look at His promise here
in this Psalm, verses 9 and 10. The Lord also will be a refuge
for the oppressed. You know what, the word refuge,
the message it carries, the connotation is a shelter. He will be a shelter
for those who are oppressed. The cities of refuge in the scriptures
speak to us and illustrate the way that God provided for the
manslayer who was not guilty of murder. But through manslaughter
and slaying another person, God provided a remedy where they
could flee. And that was a refuge. And here
this scripture tells us the Lord also will be a refuge for the
oppressed. I like to think of those along
a coastline, a bay, and some places have been man-made where
when the ships are fishing ships and vessels like that, when they
see the storm coming, they can sail in or come in to that place,
and it's a refuge for them from the storm. And the Lord Jesus
Christ, he is a refuge for those who are oppressed, a refuge in
times of trouble, soul trouble, spiritual trouble, not just oppression
by the men of this world, and concerning the things of this
world, but spiritual soul oppression and trouble." And notice what
he says, "...and they that know thy name." Now that doesn't mean
that a person just knows the name of Elohim or Jehovah, Adonai. That doesn't just mean that.
To know the name of God is to know His characteristics, His
perfections, as we say his attributes. They that know the name of the
Lord, that he is omnipotent, that he is omnipresent, that
he is all-knowing, omniscient. When you know his name, this
is what gives a person confidence to trust in him. This is who
he is. And they that know thy name will
put their trust in thee, for thou, Lord, has not forsaken
them that seek thee. No one has ever sought the Lord
in vain. I believe there's a scripture
in Isaiah, and I remember reading a message by Charles Spurgeon
years ago, what God has not said. What God has not said. He's not
said, seek ye me in vain. He's not said that. There's a
verse, I believe in Nehemiah. God has not said, seek ye me
in vain. He's never said that. He said,
seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he
is near. God's mercies are everlasting. His compassions, they fail not. And as we look at this verse
here, so there's spiritual oppression, but Solomon said when he observed
this, he saw that they had no comforter. They had no comforter. He says that twice, that they
had no comforter. And that just reminds us that
one of our Lord's titles is the consolation of Israel. He is the comfort of God's people. He doesn't give God's people
comfort. He is the comfort. Look with
me in Luke chapter 2. You're very familiar, I know,
with this passage of scripture, but it's always a blessing to
read and be reminded of this gentleman in the temple by the
name of Simeon. In chapter 2 and verse 22, he
was an older man, and yet God had revealed to him that he would
see the Lord's Christ before he died. The scripture says,
beginning in verse 22, and when the days of her, that is Mary,
when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses
were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him
to the Lord. What about that? They're presenting
the Lord to the Lord. That's who he is. He's the Lord
Jesus Christ, isn't it? That's who they brought. They
didn't come to the temple for His purification. He is pure,
was pure, always pure. But for the purification of Mary,
when her days were finished for her purification, they brought
Him to the temple to present Him to the Lord as it is written
in the law. You see, He was born under the
law. He kept the law perfectly. This was part of the law. Every
male child There had to be a redemption price paid. That was true of
the firstborn, all the animals even. And God said if you won't
redeem the animal, if it's an unclean animal, then break its
neck. An ass was an unclean animal. You and I, we're unclean. If
it was not for the redemption of Jesus Christ, that's what
we deserve, and that's what all of us would experience. Eternal
damnation. Every male that openeth a womb
shall be called holy to the Lord, and to offer a sacrifice according
to that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle
doves or two young pigeons. That tells us that Mary and Joseph,
they were not wealthy individuals because of the offering they
presented. This was for the poor. The wealthier people would bring
a lamb. Our Lord identified with his
people, didn't he? Foxes have holes, the birds have
their nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head. He became poor. You know the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet
for your sake he became poor. That you through his poverty
might be made rich. Well, and behold, there was a
man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was
just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Who
is that? That's his son that Mary had,
this boy that they're bringing into the temple, the Lord Jesus
Christ. He's waiting for the consolation
of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed
unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before
he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into
the temple. And when the parents brought
in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law,
then took he him up in his arms and blessed God, praised God. Oh, here's a happy man. Here's
a joyful man. He sees the Lord's Christ. He
sees his salvation in this child that's brought in. He took him
up in his arms and blessed God, blessed the Lord, O my soul and
all that's within me, bless his holy name. And forget not all
his benefits, who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth
all thy diseases. He blessed the Lord. Amen. And he said, Lord, now
let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. I'm ready to die now. And no
one is ready to die until he sees God's salvation in the person
of Jesus Christ. No one. which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles and the
glory of thy people Israel. So when Solomon says he saw no
comforter, thinking of this in a spiritual realm, I think first
of all that Jesus Christ, he is the comfort. He is the consolation
of Israel. And then second, he has given
us God, the Holy Spirit, who is the comforter. You see that,
of course, in John chapter 14. John chapter 14. In verse 16, he said, I will pray
the father and he shall give you another comforter. that he
may abide with you forever. Even the spirit of truth whom
the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth
him. But you know him, for he dwelleth
with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans. I just won't do that. I will
not leave any of my people in this world orphans. I will come to you, and God the
Holy Spirit comes to us. Now, if we turn back to our text,
when Solomon praised the dead, we know that he could not include
all the dead. He could not include all the
dead. Many were in hell, but those who were with the Lord,
which he saw as far better than a life here in a world where
men are subject to oppression. Just like the Apostle Paul said,
to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. The second
thing, Solomon again, now notice this in verses four through six. Again, I consider it all travail. If you look back to chapter 1
and verse 13, he spoke of travail. This is not the first time. He
again, I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning
all things that are done under heaven. This sore travail hath
God given to the sons of man to be exercised therein, therewith. When we studied this passage
of scripture there in chapter 1, I pointed out that Solomon
is speaking of the fact that it takes hard work to get wisdom. Now, God gave him wisdom, but
Solomon sought these things out. He searched these things out.
He used his ability, and it was hard work. We don't know, you and I, or
any other person, just how advanced Adam was before he sinned. The knowledge he had, and knowledge
was given to him, knowledge came easy to him because he had no
sin. But for those of us who are sinners
by nature, knowledge comes by travail. It comes by hard work,
by diligence, by study. Look back in our text. Again, I considered all travail
and every right work that for this a man is envied of his neighbor. This is also vanity and vexation
of spirit. The fool foldeth his hands together
and eateth his own flesh. Better is a handful with quietness
than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. He speaks of the travail of men
in right work and the thanks he receives from his neighbor.
Here's a man who studies, he applies himself, he's diligent,
and what thanks does he get from his neighbor? He's envied. He's
envied. John Gill said, and I quote,
the pains that men take to do right works, some apply themselves
with great diligence and industry to the study of the liberal arts
and sciences and to attain the knowledge of languages and to
writing books for the improvement of those things, and listen,
and the good of mankind. And others employ themselves
in mechanic arts and excel in them and bring their works to
great perfection and accuracy when they might expect to be
praised and commended and have thanks given them by men. But
no, they are envied. They're envied. This Solomon
saw as an evil done under a vexation of spirit, rather than evil done
under the sun. The neighbor folds his hands.
He folds his hands. Now here's this man. He's burning
the midnight oil, as we would say. He's studying. He's diligent. But his neighbor folds his hands.
Now look back with me to Proverbs Chapter 24. Solomon wrote about
this, about a person folding their hands, and he's the sluggard. Proverbs 24 and verse 30. I went by the field of the slothful,
and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding. And lo,
it was all grown over with thorns and thistles. or nettles had
covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken
down. Then I saw and considered it
well. I looked upon it and received
instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little
slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep, so shall
thy poverty come as one that travaileth and thy wont as an
armed man. One man is diligent, and his
hard work pays off, while the other is slothful and brings
himself and his family to poverty, as it is spoken here, eats his
own flesh. That is, they have nothing to
eat. Now some believe that verse six,
if you turn back to Ecclesiastes four, some believe that verse
six should be connected to verse five, and that these are the
words of the fool. He's making an excuse for himself. He folds his hands together, lazy,
slothful, and these are his words, pious, I might say. Better is
a handful with quietness than both the hands full with travail
and vexation of spirit. Others see this verse as Solomon's
thought on the matter. As it goes along with one of
his Proverbs, Proverbs 15 and verse 16, better is little with
the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.
And we see this, they call it class envy in our country at
this day, don't we? men and women who apply themselves
and they study and God has gifted them. I'm not discounting God's
purpose and God, His work in giving ability to men. But sometimes
men use that ability and they gain, they do well, and those
who are too lazy, they were given ability too, they just don't
use it. But then they're envious of the
wealthy person. And why don't we just take all
their money and split it up? Isn't that what we see today
in the United States? We should never be envious of
a wealthy man. Never. Especially those who have
gained it by honest labor and those who use their wealth for
the promotion of the gospel. I thank God for them, don't you?
I've known a few of them, and I'm thankful for them. You know,
how hardly shall a rich man enter into the kingdom of heaven. That's
a very precarious place, a place of wealth. We shouldn't envy
anyone who is wealthy. Solomon prayed that he would
not be so poor that he would steal. and not be so wealthy
that he would curse God. That's a good prayer, isn't it? I'm not trying to quote it because
I can't, but you know the prayer I'm talking about. All right,
here's the third. Solomon returned once again. Again, he returned in verse seven. Then I returned and I saw vanity
under the sun. There's one alone, and there's
not a second. Yea, he hath neither child nor
brother, yet is there no end of all his labor. Neither is
his eye satisfied with riches, neither saith he, for whom do
I labor, and bereave my soul of good. This is also vanity. Yea, it is a sore travail. Two are better than one, because
they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the
one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone
when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up. Again,
if two lie together, then they have heat, but how can one be
warm alone? And if one prevail against him,
who shall withstand him? And a threefold cord is not quickly
broken or easily broken. Four times before in this book,
he has connected vanity with things done under the sun. And
what is the vanity this time? It is a man who is alone. Here's the vanity. A man who
is alone because of his covetousness. He will have no friend, neither
be sociable, and heaven forbid that he should take a wife. Why? Because expense is involved in
all of these things. To have friends, to be sociable,
to be married. And this man, he would do without
all of those things because to engage in those things would
cut into his riches. His eye is upon riches and his
eyes never satisfied with his riches. He's always laboring
for more, more, more. He does not allow himself to
enjoy the fruit of his labor. And Solomon says he never asked
this question, for whom do I labor and bereave my soul of good?
Why am I laboring, hoarding up wealth? Why do I do that? Who am I going to leave that
to? It's better, as we've already seen previously, to enjoy what
God gives us, to use it in His service and to enjoy ourselves
in this world under God. In the Garden of Eden, God said
this about unfallen man, unfallen man, sinless man. It's not good. It's not good that the man should
be alone. God created men to be sociable. And Solomon points out by several
examples how two is better than one. And all of these examples
can be spiritualized. The first one, he says, for if
they fall, and we would take this in a spiritual sense, if
a believer is overtaken in a fault, Then, if he has a second, you which are spiritual, restore
such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself,
lest thou be tempted. Two is better than one. I never will forget what a man
told me several years ago about sheep. And his brother owned
a big sheep ranch out in in Australia, a large sheep ranch, thousands
of sheep. And he said this, if you ever
see a sheep by itself, it's sick or it's lost. And believers,
Christians, God has made us, we need each other. The fellowship,
the communion, two is better than one. If one falls, he's
overtaken in a fall, fault, then those who are spiritual restore
such a one. If one believer grows cold in
his love for the things of the Lord, a second may serve. As the proverb says, iron sharpeneth
iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. Or
as a spiritual enemy might be too much for one, but with the
help of a second, that temptation, that enemy is overcome. And then he mentions a threefold
card, which is not quickly broken. And I want you to turn lastly
tonight in closing to Luke chapter 24. A threefold card is not easily
broken. Here we have two men, Luke chapter
24. Two men, and they are sad, and
they're walking along, and a third comes along. Luke chapter 24,
beginning in verse 13. And behold, two of them went
that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem
about three score four longs. And they talked together of all
these things which had happened, and it came to pass that while
they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and went
with them, but their eyes were holden that they should not know
him. And he said unto them, what manner of communication are these
that you have one to another as you walk and are sad? And one of them, whose name was
Cleopas, answering, said unto him, Art thou only a stranger
in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to
pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things?
And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was
a prophet, mighty indeed in word, before God and all the people,
and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be
condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted
that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel. You know,
every time I read that, they had completely lost the understanding
of how God accomplished redemption, by blood. And it's witnessed
to all through the law, all through the Old Testament. You can't
open this book anywhere and not find blood, blood. And they thought that he was
a redeemer, but somehow they thought he was going to redeem
Israel, the nation of Israel, by force, by an army, raising
an army or something of that nature. And beside all this,
today is the third day since these things were done. Yea,
and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which
were early at the sepulchre. And when they had found not his
body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of
angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which
were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so, as the
women had said. But him they saw not. Then he
said unto them, O fools and slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have spoken. You see how these two are better
with a third, a threefold card. Beginning at Moses and all the
prophets, he expounded unto them and all the scriptures, the things
concerning himself. And they drew nine to the village,
whither they went. And he made it so he would have
gone further. But they constrained him, saying,
Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with
them, and it came to pass, as he set at meet with them, he
took bread, and blessed it, and break, and gave to them. And
their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out
of their sight. Now watch this. And they said
one to another, Did not our heart burn within us while he talked? with us by the way, and while
he opened to us the scriptures. Did not our hearts burn within
us? A threefold card. I usually,
at marriage services that I'm participating in, bring this
out. Two is better than one, no doubt about it. Two become
one. But a threefold card. You, husband, and your wife,
remember the Lord, the third in this marriage. Put him first
always. May the Lord bless this word.
Could we sing that hymn, Abide With Me? That's what the two
disciples said to our Lord, wasn't it, abide with me, oh abide with
me, blessed Lord Jesus. Let us stand as we sing this
hymn tonight.