(Preached at First United Baptist Church,

Augusta, Georgia --November 24, 1986)

Even the casual peruser of the Bible is brought face to face with the fact God is Almighty; He is All-Wise; and He is Ever-Present.

It was God who set the planets in their orbits --who laid the cornerstone of the earth, and who hung the whole upon nothing.

It was God who spoke, and the waters parted, who called the dry areas "land," and the theaters of water "seas."

It is God who divides the lightning from the thunder –who controls the limits of the sea that the waters do not inundate creation.

It is God who causes the sun to shine by day and the moon to reflect the light of the sun by night. He guides the stars in their orbits.

It Is God who draws the pattern for each snowflake –who smiles when rain is needed to replenish His creation --and who calls forth the flowers, and they open unto Him.

It is God who provides food for the lions; and it is at His command that the sparrow returns to her nest.

God breathed, and man became a living soul. He speaks and the breath of life leaves his body.

All things --animate and inanimate, every beast of the field obeys the will of God --All live according to His Law. Water flows downstream, not upstream; and according to His will mountains grow Heavenward, not downward. Only man lives in resentment of and is an offence to his Creator. We wander according to our own will, yet every sin we commit is contrived against God who gives breath to each of us. Only man chooses to live in contempt of God and in violation of His righteous Law!

What obligation was God under to allow us to continue to breathe His air, or to walk upon His earth? What kept the wrath of God from falling upon us? It was the mere pleasure of God: it was His arbitrary will.

When we hunted the cover of darkness to commit sin, and when we encouraged others to imitate our sinful conduct --why did God not consume us? Job declares that by the breath of His nostrils we might have been consumed. (Job 4:9)

God was under no obligation to save us, There existed no law demanding that He pardon us. When God brought us to our knees, He might have struck us dead. When He spoke peace to us, He might have spoken us into Hell. God was well acquainted with our sinful heart.

God knows all things; He knows the number of protons and neutrons to form in an atom of carbon and an atom of oxygen.

It is God, and only He, who gave in the bluejay the wisdom to fly.

God knows the measurements of His universe, and He knows the span of our needs. How gracious has He been in supplying our needs even while we continued to walk according to our own desires! It was He who gave us food, health, eyes to see and to hear. "It is the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance."

How measureless was the mercy God showed to us, when to satisfy His Law and His justice, He allowed the Just One --the Lord Jesus Christ, to die as a sacrifice for our sins! He knew us then –He recognized us in the darkness in which we sought to hide our sinful deeds. He knows us now. He knows whether we are indeed His children --whether we have been converted in reality. He knows the real intent of our heart to serve Him or to please ourselves --whether it is set for the things of the world, the flesh and the Devil, or is set to do His will.

God knows how to punish sinners when He pleases and where He pleases. He sent hornets before His people to drive out the Canaanites, and when Israel rebelled against Him, the Lord sent poisonous snakes among His people and "much people died." God knows where to find us because we are always in His presence.

God was present with us in times past, and He is present with us now --at this moment. "God is not far from everyone of us."

The eye of God is upon us. When we rise from our place and turn to leave. He will go with us. When we enter our bedroom tonight, He will accompany us. When we pull back the bedcovers and slide between the sheets He will be with us. If we wake in the night, "He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps." We ought to be careful that while we are in His presence we behave ourselves in a manner that is worthy His presence. And, if we are determined to sin, we ought to go where God is not, because no where else can we be safe.

We are continually in God’s presence. Let our talk be pleasing to Him. Let us intend to please Him by our use of time, by our thoughts.

God is with us. "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into Heaven, Thou art there.... If I make my bed in Hell, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me;’ yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee." (Psalm 139:7-12)

God is ever with us. He knows all about us, He is almighty. If He should have mercy upon us tonight and allow us to see tomorrow’s sun, we ought to intend to live in such a manner as will bring glory, honor and blessing to Him.

"Thine, 0 Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the Heaven and in the earth is Thine: Thine is the Kingdom, 0 Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all." (I Chronicles 29:11)

"The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble. Our God is in the Heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased." (Psalm 99:1; 115:3)

-Part III-

ON

Text: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing." --(Ecclesiastes 1:8)

"I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem and I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under Heaven ... I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit," (Ecclesiastes 1:12-14)

"And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly." "I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: and I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her." "The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fell therein." (1:17; 7:25,26; Proverbs 22:14)

Solomon perceived that wisdom also is vexation of spirit, "for in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." (1:17,18)

He then turned to mirth, and concluded, "the laughter of the fool is vanity;" but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." 2.1, 7:6,4)

He turned to wine. Then, he gave his heart to construction and built great houses, planting vineyards and gardens, and trees of all manner of fruits. He made ponds to irrigate his woodlands. He obtained servants and maidens and acquired great numbers of cattle. (2:3-7)

He accumulated silver and gold and enjoyed music and the arts. "And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy." "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do: and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit." (2:8, 10-11)

Solomon next considered death. "How dieth the wise man? As the fool." How then is the wisdom of the wise any better than the wisdom of fools? All will soon be forgotten. (2:16)

He considered the death of the wicked who had left the place of the holy, and they were forgotten. He gives his observation: "Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be pro-longed, yet surely I know it shall be well with them that fear God.... " He then counsels, "Let thy garments be always white," because a little folly will cause him to stink who is had in reputation for wisdom and honor. (8:10,12; 9:8; 10:1)

"That I which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts, ...as the one dieth so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath, so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast:" all die because all is vanity. "All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." (3:19,20) Death makes all flesh common.

When Solomon reflected upon his labor, he hated it "because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And, who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool?" He concluded: "There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor." (2:18,19,24)

The Preacher next considered oppression and the oppressed, and "the tears of such...and they had no comforter: and ...their oppressors (where) there was power; but they had no comforter. "Wherefore, I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive;" but he declared that man better off who has not yet been born and seen the evil work that is done under the sun. (4:1-3)

He considered all toil and after deducing it also to be vanity and vexation of spirit, he declares, "Better is an handful with quietness than both hands full with travail and vexation of spirit." "Better is little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith." Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with out right." (4:4,6; Proverbs 15:16,17;Proverbs 16:8)

Solomon looked upon the person who was all alone, how that when he fell, he had no one to help him up; and if he was cold, there was no one to warm him. (4:8.10-11)

He meditated upon the fact that he came forth naked from the womb and he would return as he had come. (5:15) Therefore, "he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver." (5:10)

God may give a man riches, wealth and honor but withhold from him the power to enjoy it, and allow a stranger to devour it. "This is vanity, and it is an evil disease." (6:2)

"All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the is not filled. For what hath the wise more than the fool?" Both will hunger again. (6:7,8)

"All that cometh is vanity," says the Preacher; and then he speaks to young men: "Let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." He then counsels youth instead to "put away evil" from their flesh and in doing so, they will remove sorrow from their heart. Solomon then makes another observation: "Childhood and youth are vanity." (11:8,9)

In Chapter 12, Solomon "the Preacher" counsels, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." He tells us to "remember" because we are so prone to forget Him who has created us, and when is such a noble duty better executed than the present? --Now, when we have as much youth as we will ever have.

All who do not remember their Creator in their youth will with the passing of time lose all pleasure in the things of the Lord. Consequently, many parents who were sent to church in their childhood and were delighted with the stories of Jesus "grew up."

Solomon’s description of the infirmities of old age is profound.

Our eyes become dim. Our brow becomes wrinkled. (2) Our body trembles and our back bends beneath the load of years. (3) Out teeth cease their grinding because they are few, and our lips are clenched. (3,4)

The elderly characteristically rise up early at the voice of a bird, while their ears lose much of their ability to hear. (4) They become fearful of heights, "and fears shall be in the way." Their hair becomes white like the flourishing almond tree, and their plans are more easily made than accomplished (5) "because man teeth to his long home" --the grave, "and the mourners go about the streets."

Solomon declares if the spinal cord is loosed, or the head is broken, or the heart ruptures death will ensue, "and the spirit" --the breath of life, "shall return to God who gave it." (6,7) Therefore, "All is vanity." (8)

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: ‘Fear God and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." This is man’s "Summum Bonum" --his "greatest good." The glory of God is the reason for his existence. Here then is man’s only duty. The reason? because "God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil ." Therefore, "Fear God and keep His commandments."

"This is the whole duty of man." God has so designed man that his life is empty, unsatisfying --"vain", unless he lives in the fear of God and to "keep His commandments."

Top of page