Ecclesiastes 12 - Bullets at the Back of the Book
Tom Shrader concludes his Ecclesiastes study by examining Solomon's final wisdom in chapter 12. He emphasizes that while life appears meaningless under the sun, everything gains significance when viewed through the lens of fearing God and keeping His commandments. Shrader challenges listeners to ponder life deliberately, recognizing that every act will be brought into judgment, and finding hope not in earthly achievements but in God's character, promises, faithfulness, and sovereignty.
“My hope is in four things: the character of God, the promises of God, the faithfulness of God, and the sovereignty of God.”
— Tom Shrader
Series: Reflections From the Top of the Heap (2007)
Recorded: June 28, 2007
Duration: 36 min
Themes: wisdom, purpose, meaninglessness, judgment, fear, commandments, hope, sovereignty, questioning life purpose, young adult, seeking meaning, facing mortality, college student, struggling with doubt, searching for hope, contemplating legacy
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:9-14, Ecclesiastes 1:2, 1 Kings 3:11
Theological Themes: eschatology, divine judgment, fear of god, biblical wisdom, covenant obedience, providence, theological reflection, sanctification
Full Transcript
Open your Bibles if you would. These are words you've been waiting to hear. This is our last week in this study, and it feels like I just kept getting into it more and more. I kept getting a great response, especially on Wednesday morning with some college and post-college age students saying I should have had this before. So I went to Frank Switzer and volunteered to teach Ecclesiastes on their Wednesday night study. In the middle of August, we're going to start a Wednesday night at Arcadia going through the book of Ecclesiastes. I'll give you a heads up, and if you want to invite some folks, that would be great.
This is a special week. You're all thinking Easter, and it's really special, but the Iowa spring game is Saturday. So let's put things in their proper perspective.
This study has been one of those that happens sometimes. I get into the study and just get carried away in it and start to see these things that capture my mind. Unfortunately for you, I want them to capture your mind too because it feels like if it's important to me, it ought to be important to you.
The Author's Credibility
I was at the bookstore the other day, and my way of going through books is I like good titles. Then I'll look at a little bit of introduction, first paragraph or two, table of contents, but I'm really big on the endorsements. When Douglas Brinkley says I like this, I think okay, historian. If it's Civil War, it matters who they are.
If this book of Ecclesiastes were on the shelf today, you couldn't keep it in stock. It's written by a guy who's not a loser because he could easily be interpreted as being negative. Chapter 1, verse 2: "vanity of vanities, everything is vanity, everything is meaningless." But he's not a guy who's a bitter loser with shattered dreams. He's the guy that's achieved everything.
In the front of the book of Ecclesiastes where you've got your title page, you should write in there 1 Kings 3:11. The reason you want that is you want to be reminded when you look at it to turn to that just to be reminded who Solomon is. That's where God says to Solomon, "You can have whatever you want." Solomon says, "I'll take wisdom," and God says, "Because you didn't ask for these other things, I'm going to give them to you." Then He says this: "There's never been anybody in terms of wisdom like you before you, and there's not going to be anybody like you after you."
This is the ultimate source on the human condition—unparalleled success and wealth. About 3,000 years ago, Solomon's annual income (I'm not taking it and putting it in present-day value) was 600 million dollars in gold alone, not counting silver, not counting real estate. If you and I had a little problem and we got to come up with something clever for cash flow, we'd cut expenses or increase income. Solomon just taxed, so he had a pretty steady flow of income.
Solomon's Complete Experience
Unparalleled in the arts, wisdom, building, ladies—he had a thousand ladies, and they weren't reluctant. There were a thousand ladies whose life was dedicated to satisfying him, making him happy. He had all of these things. You and I may get a catalog in the mail and then we may thumb through and say, "I'd like to have that, I'd like to have that." Solomon just held up a catalog and said, "I got that and that."
To me, this is huge credibility. So at the end of the day, he says, "Been there, done that," and my conclusion is "everything is meaningless." On your outline, that's the theme of the book: "meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless."
Now we've got to jump in at this point—and I don't think I got this until about week three or four—we've got to guard against some sort of fatalism. It's not "meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless, it's a waste of time, I'm going to ask Hemingway if he's got room in the canoe and out we go." That's not what he's saying. He's saying it's meaningless under the sun, but I give it meaning when I change its perspective.
The Teacher's Method
He identifies himself a little bit. We're back to chapter 12 now in verse 9, where he says (I'm reading from the NIV): "Not only was the teacher wise"—so he's talking about himself, always in that weird way. There was Seinfeld on last night, the one where Jimmy says, "Jimmy likes that, Jimmy likes that." Well, this is Solomon: "Teacher likes that."
"The teacher was wise" (these are from the NIV, so I need to compare it with the New American Standard). "The teacher sought to" (in the New American Standard) "taught the people," (in the NIV) "imparted knowledge." So the teacher's goal was to impart this knowledge to people. "And he pondered and searched out to set in order many proverbs."
There's a word in there, and I've become mildly obsessed with this word: it's the word "ponder." It's really kind of a cool word because it conjures up this idea of deliberate, purposeful thinking.
I have a friend who yesterday was his 35th birthday. Last week I texted him and said I'd like to take you out for your birthday, and Tuesday happened to be the day. So we're sitting and I said, "I've lost track, how old are you?" He said, "I'm 35." I said, "How's that feel?" He says, "It really feels old."
I knew that reaction, and I told him, "I got socks older than you." But I've discovered every birthday where the second number ends in a zero or a five kind of throws you into a semi-reflective state. You're either going to think a lot or get drunk—it's kind of one of those two things, or both. Put on Johnny Cash, drink a lot and think. But we were just talking and he was saying, "I got these five kids and I got this business," and he said, "I just, I'm thinking about it and I'm busy and—"
then the conversation takes on a tone and we were talking about how it seems like there's not much pondering going on. We're more in a reaction mode. Life has a way of just flooding you until you hit those moments—Scotty had a grandchild the other day, his first one, so that's a moment where you think. When you get married, especially if it's like for the fourth or fifth time, or a deal closes or a bankruptcy, there are these moments where you pause.
What Solomon is saying is I need to be in a state of pondering, of thinking. Just like you would carve out time, maybe at least in theory, to go to the gym or to work out or go for a walk, you need to carve out time to think, to ponder, to deliberately work your way through some sort of mental exercise. Evaluating if you're married, your marriage, your kids, your grandkids, your life—what are you going to do, how's that work?
Learning from the Masters
Watching the Masters, I don't know if you saw the replay of the last interview with Arnold. If you go online, I think you can go to the Masters website—it's on there, and it was taped a year ago. Arnold was at the ceremonial first drive, but he didn't hit a drive, and he goes to the Butler cabin and Jim Nantz is in there, and they have this interview, this discussion. It's the most frail I've ever seen Arnold. All these pictures of Arnold—when he's walking and he turns and he smiles at the camera, you just want to be Him. He looks so strong and virile. It's impossible to believe he's not there anymore, but he's not. Jack's not going to be. Gary's going to be doing a hundred sit-ups a minute for however long he can do this, but someday he's not going to be there.
That's all of this, and Solomon's point is not "woe is me." He's going, how do I maximize this? Because ultimately it's not that nothing matters—look at verse 14—everything matters. God will bring every act into judgment. It's not that nothing matters, but everything matters. The way you respond to the barista this morning, the way you handle yourself in the office, the way you are with the grandkids—all of this stuff makes a difference.
I have to begin to evaluate. For some of us now, we've moved into that last third of life. Now we have to look at that last third as intensely as I looked at the first third and the second third, because they all matter.
A Night at the Baseball Game
The other night, Braden's playing, and it's 7:30 first pitch. 7:30 is pretty late for a first pitch for me—8 o'clock bedtime. So Braden texts and said, "Are you going to the game?" I said, "Yeah, wouldn't miss it. Any chance it'll rain?" I mean, that's how I felt.
So I'm sitting there, and it's about the fourth inning, and I'm down with my feet on the fence, in the chair. It's got to be about 75 degrees, a little breeze. I mean it was just perfect, and they're winning, and they brought Him in to pitch. He's a fidgety little kid. He can throw hard, but you put a hitter in there, he doesn't want to hit Him, so a lot of balls out over the middle of the plate. They hit one, and there's an error at short, an error at first, and runners are running. I'm thinking, oh, poor kid. Now there's guys at second and third. They got a one run lead. These guys got their best hitter up. He hits this line drive to short, where to save himself from getting killed, the kid put his glove up, and then saw he had it, didn't know what to do. He thought to get the guy at third, who was halfway there, threw it to third, double play, game's over.
The kids are all around the coach, and Braden is just hyperventilating. I mean, he's just trying to catch his breath. I thought, I selfishly was going to miss this. I'm walking to the car, and I'm a little paranoid—I'm an old guy, and I don't know self-defense, and it's 9:30, and I'm walking. I got my chair, and I hear these footsteps behind me, and I thought, oh, this is it. Hit me really hard so I don't remember it. I turn around, and it's Braden, and he's got little tears in his eyes. He said, "That was so cool." I said, "Buddy, it isn't going to get much better than this." He said, "Thank you so much for being here."
Where Do We Put These Moments?
Where do I put that in my list? I couldn't program it in, but I've got to put myself in a position to enjoy that. I've got to sense and smell and live life that way. I've got to understand that reality, and that's what He's saying—you've got to ponder, you've got to think about these moments.
I'm rambling, but I'm going to give you what I'm learning. It's okay to be tired. It's okay to acknowledge you don't have the gas you used to have. I used to be able to go and go and go and go. I used to do seven services on Sunday. I've got to do two this Sunday, and I'm starting my nap this afternoon to save up strength for this. I just don't have it. Can't stand as long. Got kidneys. I mean I've got everything, stuff I can't do that I want to do. I think that's what Paul had in mind, but I don't know. But I've got to ponder.
I can't wait. We say it in sports: it's not over until it's over. It's true in life—it's not over until it's over. Solomon is saying, I pondered this.
Pondering the Source of the Book
He gave us something else on your outline—that I've got to ponder the source of the book. Verse 11: "The words of the wise men are like goads, the masters of these collections are well driven nails, they're given by the shepherd. But beyond this my son, be warned: the writings of many books, endless and excessive devotion to books is wearing the body." There's no end to the knowledge.
I read this the other day: every second there is a new blog started. Now I want to be clear what I said—not
A blog post, but a new blog every second. I mean my dad's generation, if they were on fire, they wouldn't say anything. The generation we're in now feels compelled to tell me that they're having scrambled eggs for breakfast, and I need a picture of them, like I've never seen a scrambled egg before. It's a whole different world.
You go to the bookstore, and it keeps coming and coming and coming. I am in this thing where I've determined I'm going to read, I'm going to immerse myself in a discussion on aging. I'm not sure why, I just feel like I want to do this. I googled aging, and there are millions of sites.
Moving Beyond Knowledge to Wisdom
Here's what Solomon is saying, this is really important: in this search for knowledge, you need to move beyond knowledge to wisdom. And you need to understand that the only true full source is this one right here.
Doorbell rang the other day, and it was our daily Amazon delivery. They're there five days a week probably, and Sandy wasn't there, so I went to get it. It's usually a box - Sandy gets all of her stuff through Amazon. It's usually a big box. It was an envelope and it was six books that I had ordered the day before, and I stopped at six. Amazon has figured out how to just - that one click, I mean it's too easy, and there's just information.
And here's what He's saying: God spoke to you through this word. I mean one of the great things that I love is to look around like Randy right now making notes in his Bible, and there's Bibles all over. That's the true source. That's what we have to say. God spoke to us through this word, sharper than a two-edged sword. One of the paraphrases says the word is sharper than a surgeon's scalpel. If I want to understand life, this is my road map. This is how I'm going to understand it, and I study.
The Judge's Final Verdict
And this is where this really kicks in to the message of the book. And if you will, verse 13, to His conclusion. It really kicks into this: when all has been heard - so it's like the judge saying, "The defense rests, the prosecution rests." To the jury, "You've heard all the facts, now I want your verdict." Solomon says when you listen to all this, you got one end: fear God and keep His commandments. And that applies to every person. There isn't any exception.
When you're all done, it's about understanding God and who He is. I don't expect you to remember this, but the first week, we asked a series of questions: Where's God when bad things happen? How can I keep from becoming bitter toward God? How do I deal with the uncertainty of life? What do I do when I'm not sure what God wants me to do? When bad things happen, is it because I don't have enough faith?
And Solomon says, when I'm looking at life - and let's be honest, I mean you don't have to say it out loud, just with yourself - I don't care how sharp you are, how smart you are, how clever you are, how experienced you are, there are times where you look at it and go, "This doesn't make any sense."
When Achievement Loses Its Meaning
Everything we've looked at, it seems like if I get that goal, I should be happy. But then there's another one, and there's another one, and there's another one. Again, so much sports, but the golf channel's doing the three-part series on Nicklaus, and you're watching this, and Jack seems a little nicer than I remember him. I don't know if that's true or not, but there you go.
He's got 18 majors. That record will never be broken. Well, yeah, well, Tiger was there. But let's say nobody breaks it. What ultimate difference does this make, other than Jack doesn't have to pay greens fees if he shows up at Papago? I mean, what possible difference is this going to make? And I'm not minimizing it. I'm just saying, all this stuff pales away.
My key is to fear God, understand God, understand verse 14: everything's going to be brought into judgment.
The Reality of Our Mortality
I have my phone, and I'm kind of on this campaign to get rid of phones, but I don't think there's a chance I'm going to win this. But I got it for two reasons: one to keep time, and the other, I wanted to read you two emails I got this week. There was actually three. There's a guy at our church - just a typical guy. He worked on a facility staff, worked in children's ministry. Wasn't feeling well, went to the doctor last week, and I got an email. And the doctor told him, "You're going to die within three days to two weeks."
I don't know how I know this stuff. I got this email. This was Tuesday at 4:33: "The family just called from hospice to let us know that Alan, that's the gentleman's name, is non-responsive and struggling with breathing. Family and friends are there, and told that he will be with Jesus within the hour."
Here's one from that evening, roughly four hours later. Think about this: "Alan is now in the presence of his Savior. He passed away this evening. Please continue to pray for his family and their grief."
It's you, buddy. Take on Alan, cut Alan and paste Tom, paste Marie. That's everybody's future. And somehow I've got to live - this is what Solomon is saying - I've got to live this life with that understanding, that those decisions that I make, those are life decisions. That time that I spend, that time that I waste, that relationship - and I can't live...
A Personal Moment of Mortality
You got to be really careful. This is my head spinning. But I had a Friday, and Susan, it was a chemo day for her, and she was so sick. And I don't know if you've ever been around anybody at that state, but they will drink this chemo if you let them. She would go every day to chemo if you let her. So I said no chemo today, you're not going. She was so mad. She was as mad as she could get with no energy. And I said if you feel better on Monday, I'll take you. No chemo today. Let me help you get into bed.
And the next morning, it was October, so it's Saturday morning, it's game day. And I got up and didn't want to bother her. She was in her room, and I could hear her kind of snoring, breathing. So I'm watching game day, and I'm thinking, we're into prediction time, and man, she hasn't moved much, and I...
went in and said, "Susan, Susan, not much going on," so I called the hospice gal that had been there, and I said, "It's kind of weird, I don't know, I don't want to bother you on Saturday," and she said, "I'll come right over," so she came over, and she came in, and she said, "Tom, we need to take her," and I said, "Okay, I understand that." I can remember standing there, and as they were taking her out, I thought, this is the last time she's ever going to be in this house, this is it. So they got her in, great hospice, and I don't remember the schedule, I think the girls would stay during the day, and I'd stay at night, I don't know why, but we're five days into this.
I've got people telling me, you know, this is so cool, and we ought to live like this every day. You can't live that way every day. I can't be at hospice every day, my girls can't be at hospice every day. It's not that you're living in that, it's you're living with that understanding every day. You're still going to the office, you're still making the deals, you're still hitting the shots, you're still talking to your friends, but you understand the context of it.
The Reality of Life and Death
One author, and I don't know who it is, if I did, I'd give him credit, I think it might be Tommy Nelson, but I'm not sure, writes this: materially speaking, life is short, and then you die. You lose everything you own to the next generation. This sounds cynical, but I think it's right, your children will run out your house, purge your possessions, and spend your inheritance. Ultimately, you will be a distant memory at a Thanksgiving meal, and I think that's totally true.
We got Easter this week, my girls will say, "How's your mom doing," but there's not much to talk about. The grandkids don't know her, they remember me, but I'll be gone soon, and they'll have some pictures, and Brayden will remember, Papa saw me throw that pitch, Yale will remember I kicked him, I kicked him when he was down in fantasy football, that'll be Yale's memory. But I mean, it's just that, it's not to be harsh, it's to understand that reality. And then it seems like somewhere around verse 14, you need to write, I'm not the exception.
You're not the exception. I read this, I understand this, and I'm not the exception. And when I do, what Solomon is saying, is everything begins to change.
From Futility to Hope
I wrote this, this was in a process of reflection, and it was at about chapter eight or nine. You start to see the futility of life under the sun, meaningless under the sun. Then I wrote this: I'm beginning to see that this book is a book of hope, born in the faith that God is sovereign, and He's powerful, and He's the authority. So that my hope is not in, I mean, I get this way every year. We used to be the Cubs.
How long can the Cubs draw out this World Series? The celebration is going to be longer than the curse was. I mean, they're giving rings, they're going to have locker room man Friday pretty quick. I mean, this is dragging out. I used to say, you know, it's Iowa football, I get excited. It's the hope of this, the hope of that. No, no, no, no.
My hope is in four things: the character of God, the promises of God, the faithfulness of God, and the sovereignty of God. Now, you don't need to be the sharpest knife in the drawer to see the commonality. There is God, His character. His character is what I learned in this book. His promises, this book is filled with His promise.
The Greatest News Alert
Easter Sunday, I can't imagine a more hopeful time. Jesus rose from the dead. This is a big deal. I watch, I've almost weaned myself completely from news, which I don't know. But every time I turn on, it's a Fox News alert, Fox News alert, Fox News alert, Fox News alert. The barometric pressure dropped. I mean, that's about what it is. There's nothing anymore.
Okay, here's the Fox News alert: Jesus rose from the dead. That's a big deal. That's a stop the presses moment. That's bigger than anything you're going to cover ever. And my hope is in that character. And the promise is, I mean, when I read you these emails, most of you are really touched by it. Some of you probably a little cynical. How can you know that? Because God promised it. And so I trust in His promise and His faithfulness and His sovereignty. Nothing can upset His plan. If God says you'll rise from the dead, you'll rise from the dead. If He says every act will be judged, every act will be judged.
A Book of Hope and Belief
So at the end of the day, the book is about hope and belief. I may not know what's going to happen or when it's going to happen or how it's going to happen. I just know that it's going to happen.
The funeral for this gentleman is Monday afternoon. And there'll be a lot of tears at this thing. I did not get to see him in hospice, but some guys from church were there. And he was, this is, I don't know why, this is like the cutest thing in the world. He was wearing his lanyard, his name tag, from serving in children's ministry. I think that's like the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life. But didn't have the salesperson of the world trophy, a lanyard from children's ministry.
And there'll be a lot of tears. We grieve, but not as those with no hope. You stood, at least I have, you stood at the grave of a man or a woman who you know didn't know Christ. It's the saddest place you can be. But you can stand at the grave of somebody that you love dearly and go, I was talking to, I'm hung up on this.
I was talking to one of the facilities guys who worked with this gentleman yesterday morning, six o'clock, and he was crying. And he said, "I'm just, I miss him so much. And it's only been a couple of weeks that he hasn't been here." And then he said this: "But I know I'll see him again." There was a day when I would have said, "You know what? And that's a good time because the Easter Bunny's coming, and we got Santa Claus, and we got all this. That sounds like wishful thinking." That's not what the Bible says. The Bible says
It's really hope. Not hope as "maybe I can change things," but my hope is trust in the promises of God based on His character, and His faithfulness, and His sovereignty.
So here's what Solomon says to you and me, and I guess we could have boiled this down into one session, 10 minutes, because it's very repetitive. Nothing is meaningless under the sun, but when I put it in the context of knowing God and knowing who He is, my life begins to change. And now, rather than nothing matters, everything matters. Now rather than it doesn't make any difference, it matters.
Everything Matters in God's Eyes
It matters that I'm at that baseball game. I got no idea. I don't know how Braden thinks. I know this: if he's following me to the car to tell me thank you for being there when everybody's over here celebrating, if he's following me to the car, that's a big deal. I can't sort it all out. It was a big deal to me. I just said to Sandy, I don't know if it even matters if I go to these things. I don't know if they even notice. That's life all around you.
I don't know what we're going to do next week. I don't know what. I'm thinking maybe Nehemiah, and I'm not sure, but we'll figure it out. Next week when you get here, you'll know, and on Wednesday night, I'll know, so that's all that matters.
So have a great Easter.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for Jesus. Thank You that He rose from the dead, that He's who He said He was, and that we can have eternal life, that He's risen, He's risen indeed, and our hope is based on that.
I pray for this Sunday. We know that it's a Sunday when our churches will be filled with students that don't want to be there, spouses that don't want to be there, neighbors that don't want to be there, family members that are there waiting for a Hawaiian roll and some ham. God, I know, and that's a right place. What I've learned over the years is You work in that environment.
I pray all the people who are preaching this weekend, You would give them clarity of thought and Your Spirit would work in them and through them, and that You would save many people, that many people would say it was Easter Sunday, 2017, that my life changed. God, we thank You for that. We don't know what's going to happen. We don't know when it's going to happen. We don't know how it's going to happen. But we...