The reward for the working man is rest.
Work has two pitfalls - laziness on the one side and striving on the other - both of which cannot rest.
4:6 - the proper balance is a fistful of work and a fistful of rest.
If you strive for two fistfulls of either you don't get to rest nor do you get to enjoy the fruit of your labor.
The way you know you're on one side or the other is your consistent longing for something more - you are discontent.
The secret is in contentment - you're content with just one handful.
5:12 - no sleep is sweeter than on the pillow of a clean conscience.
This is rest not just for your body but for your soul - you know you've kept the proper balance.
How do you keep the balance? You have to see work as worship - as your offering back to God. (Ecc 9:10)
Three aspects of WORK:
1) The Requirement of work is Faithfulness.
2) The Reward of work is Rest and Fruitfulness.
3) The Result of work is God gets glory and others get to eat your Fruit!
Ecc 4:6 (9/3/14)
WORK
September 3, 2014 • Benham Brothers
Ecc 1 (9/3/14)
September 3, 2014 • Benham Brothers
Solomon asked for wisdom and got it - he could explain just about anything. I've always said he should have asked for what Elisha asked for - a double portion of the spirit. His wisdom began in the fear of the Lord but as he drifted from God so his wisdom changed as well. He learned that wisdom, apart from God, can only go so far. 1) Worldly wisdom - does not take God into account. Leads to a proper recognition that everything is meaningless. Without God in view Solomon is right! Worldly wisdom takes place in the mind only. 2) Godly wisdom - takes God into account. Leads to a proper recognition that everything has meaning. With God in view this is right! Godly wisdom not only takes place in the mind but also the heart, because where the mind ceases to comprehend the heart grasps in faith. When you get to the limit of what your mind can comprehend (worldly wisdom) then that's where Godly wisdom enters the picture. Without "faith" there is no hope. That's how the wisest man who ever lived could say things are meaningless - he had lost hope because he had lost faith, and he had lost faith because he stopped focusing on God. Without God everything is meaningless, but with God everything is laced with meaning. Ecc 2:18-20 - we see Solomon getting everything his heart desired through work, but WORK void of HOPE is meaningless!
Ecclesiastes 1:2 (8/24/17)
August 24, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* Solomon wrote this book through human eyes. * Only God can give us eyes to see as He sees. * When we have His eyes we see everything as beautiful and filled with meaning. * Two examples: * 1) The phone call I received from the police at 4AM. * 2) A visit I took to a prison where an inmate shocked me with a statement. * When you have eyes to see, everything is different although nothing has changed.
Ecclesiastes 1:13 (8/27/15)
Benham Brothers
Wisdom beneath the sun - worldly wisdom that doesn’t take God into account. It’s void of faith and hope - only believes what the mind can comprehend. Everything - even the BIG stuff - is meaningLESS. Wisdom above the sun - Godly wisdom which sees as God sees. It’s full of faith and hope - believes what the mind cannot comprehend. Everything, even the small stuff - is meaningFULL. The End of the Matter - Ecclesiastes 12:13. Wisdom under the sun points to wisdom above the sun: 1) Fear God - be inwardly and outwardly devoted to Him. 2) Keep His commandments - if you’re devoted to Him you’ll do what He says.