Shabbat Shalom! Take your Bibles, please, and open it to the book of Ecclesiastes, to the book of Kohelet in Hebrew. And we are going today, by the grace of God, to read from chapter 1, verse 1 to verse 18, even though we have covered in the previous ministry meeting the first three verses. We have had the introduction to this man by the name of Kohelet, who is actually none else but King Shlomo HaMelech, King of Israel, who have reigned in Yerushalayim at the time of about 900 and something BC, before the Messiah was even born. Shlomo HaMelech, King Solomon, have reigned in the city of Yerushalayim after the death of his father, King David.

And so I'm reading Ecclesiastes, Kohelet, chapter 1. I'll read it from verse 1, so we can have the whole chapter before us. And so we read, the words of Kohelet, the preacher in the King James, the word of Kohelet, the son of David, king in Yerushalayim. Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What prophet hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun? One generation passes away and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth forever. The sun also rises and the sun goes down and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goes towards the south and turneth about unto the north.

It wheeleth about continually and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. And unto the place whence the rivers come, thither they return again. All things are full of labor. Men cannot utter it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that has been, it is that which shall be. And that which is done is that which shall be done. And there is no new thing under the sun. Tachat Hashemesh. Verse 10. Is there anything thereof? It may be said, see, this is new. It has been already of all time which was before us.

There is no remembrance of former things. Neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after. I, the preacher, or I, Kohelet, was king of Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under the heaven. This so travail has God given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun. And behold, all is vanity and vaxation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight. And that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

I communed with mine own heart. Saying, lo, I am come to great estate. And have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem. Yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceive that this also is vaxation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief. And he that increases knowledge increases sorrow. I am stopping here with verse 18 of Ecclesiastes. Or the first chapter of the book of Kohelet. And I remind you dear beloved brothers and sisters. That we began previously in the first message in the study of the book of Ecclesiastes.

We began with an introduction. And we read the first three verses. Kohelet chapter 1 verses 1, 2, and 3. Immediately in our study, in our ministry meeting before. We have learned that Kohelet was the son of David. And he was a king in the city of Jerusalem. You remember that? That's how we began the whole book of Kohelet. And Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, was a preacher or a gatherer of the people of Israel. He gathered the kahal, the congregation, the assembly together. And he began to instruct them and teach them about things that he had experienced in his life. We said in the introduction previously that historically, Shlomo HaMelech, Solomon the king, have written three books.

One he wrote at his youth. Another one he wrote at his middle age. And another one he wrote when he became rather old. In his youth he wrote the book of Shir Hashirim, the Song of Songs. He spoke about love. And how much he loved this Shulamite in which there was a relationship between him and this woman by the name the Shulamite that we read in the Song of Songs. Then later on in his life, he wrote the book of Proverbs. In Hebrew, we call it Mishlei. And he taught Israel, our people, many lessons and wisdom that one can learn from this wonderful king of Israel, who wrote many, many Proverbs and songs.

But in the latest part of his life, when he became very old, he wrote to the younger generation. And to the younger generation, he encouraged them, as we read in chapter 12 of the book of Ecclesiastes, where he said to the younger generation, "Remember now, thy Creator, in the day of thy youth." Realize that life is passing by rather quickly. And just like we just spoke of a sister who just passed away, realize that life is going to end and all of us are going to be living this sin. And we need, Israel need, and believers need to remember the one who created us. Now, not only when we are laid, "Remember now, thy Creator, in the day of thy youth." Don't wait.

Don't delay. Because, and we have had this in the introduction, "Vanity of vanities, sayeth Koheled." "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." "What shall it profit a man of all his labor, which he taketh under the sun?" We said also, by way of introduction, that that expression, "under the sun," in Hebrew, "Tachat Hashemesh," is speaking about here and now, in this world, in this earth. About 27 times that word is mentioned in the book of Kohelet, the book of Ecclesiastes. And in this world in which we live in, there are trials and sorrows and difficulties and experiences of life that really, at the end, he's saying to Israel, at his old age, "Remember Israel.

Remember you, nation of Israel. I am your king, and I have lived life, I became old, and now at the end of my life I want you to realize, remember the one who created you, now, not when you are old, because when you are young and you have God in your life, and you let him be part of your life, and let him control and lead you in your life, you will have a purpose in your life, because otherwise, vanity of vanities, sayeth Kohelet, vanity of vanities, all is vanity under the sun, without God in our life." And how many a time, beloved brothers and sisters, we know this by experience, when we didn't have God to lead us and to direct us in our life, we can say it today, when we didn't have Yeshua, the Messiah, the Lord Yeshua HaMashiach lead us in our life, we stumble, we had no purpose, no meaning in our life.

Things, even as believers, those who are saved and forgiven, when we left the Lord Yeshua out of our life, we saw how empty our life, and it's like a vaxation of the Spirit. It's like beating the air without any purpose. But when He's in our life, and He's in our heart, and we allow Him to be part of our life, what a joy it gives us. Unspeakable joy that we can have when Yeshua, Jesus, is the Lord of our life. So, of course, Israel, our nation, some 3,000 years ago, when Kohelet was ministering, when King Shlomo was preaching to the nation of Israel, the Messiah hasn't come as yet.

But the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have chosen Israel, the nation, to follow Him, to live for Him, to be a testimony in the world for Him. And as long as Israel lived for God, they were a blessing to the nation. But when Israel have gone astray, and they set God aside, they have lost their purpose for which they were called by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And by the way, by application, you and I, if we are saved, and we are, and if the Lord Yeshua paid for the price of our sin and sins, for us as believers to spend our lifetime without having Him as the one that is the center of our life, we will notice very quickly that all is vanity.

There is no purpose here without having the Lord Yeshua as the object of our life. So, beloved brothers and sisters, now from verse 4, all the way to the end of this first chapter, to verse 18, we find out that Shlomo, Solomon, who is Kohelet, shows us two things. Number one, in verses 1 to 11, that vanity is seen in the cycles of life. This is verses 1 to 11. And secondly, the Kohelet, Shlomo, the king of Israel, shows us, in verses 12 to 18, that vanity is seen in human wisdom, when God is not the object of His people. Two things he is mentioning. Verses 4 to 11, vanity is seen in the cycles of life, and verses 12 to 18, vanity is seen in human life.

In human wisdom, without God, as the one that lead His people. And so, notice now, in verses 4, 5, 6, and 7, first of all, in the portion where he deals with the fact that vanity is seen in the cycles of life, in verses 4, 5, 6, and 7, he shows us, that really, nothing is changing here in this world, under the sun. Tachat Hashemesh. He began, notice that, with verse 4, by saying, "One generation passes away, and another generation cometh, but the earth abides forever." Now, this is fascinating. Because immediately he says, "Look, one generation is coming, then it passes away. Then another generation is coming, and this generation passes away. And then the third generation is coming, and the third generation is passing away." In other words, what he sees, what he shows us, that just the same, as I just pointed to our dear sister, who has gone to be absent from the body, and present with the Lord.

Notice this. This dear sister was born into this world, Brenda, but is no longer with us. And we can remember, and we know that they are no longer sitting with us, some of them who have gone, and they've been promoted, they've gone to be with Yeshua, the Messiah, they used to be in our midst. In Hebrew, a generation is the word, "Dor." "Dor Ba" "Ve Dor Holech." "Dor Ba" "Ve Dor Holech." "One generation," as it says here in verse 4, is passing away, but then a new generation is coming. "Dor Holech" "Ve Dor Ba." "Dor Holech" "Ve Dor Ba." "Ve Dor Ba." And yet the earth remains the same.

Nothing changes here. The cycle of life is continuing on, generation cometh, and generation goes. "Dor Holech." "Dor Ba." "Dor Holech." "Dor Ba." In other words, what we find out, that man began here, and he leaves this scene. That takes us back to Genesis, chapter 3, where God said to Adam, even before Chava was created, he gave instruction to Adam, to Adam, and he said to him, "The day that you will eat out of this tree dying, you shall die." From the ground you came, to the ground you're going to return. Adam, you have to realize that. And indeed, we can see that it's so evident in our own life.

Sadly to see, many of us used to have our own parents with us. We enjoy their presence in our midst. They raised us. They took care of us. They ministered to us. They blessed us. They provided for us. But they are no longer here. One generation passes away. And another generation is coming, and he's saying, and King Shlomo, Kohelet, the one who gathered the nation of Israel, and seek to instruct, and he's telling them, listen, don't forget, remember your Creator in the day of thy youth. Why? Because one generation passes away, another generation is coming, yet, he says, the earth abideth forever. And it's kind of rather strange.

Because you would think, that men will live forever here, but men doesn't. Why? Because here on earth, the curse had been pronounced. Sin have entered in. Men have disobeyed God, and God judged men, and he said to him, listen, you are here now, but you are going to be taken out of here. Life, at best here, is very short. And remember, by the way, many people now, take this passage, and they say, you see, there is no eternal life, because it says here, one generation passes away, another generation has come, and therefore, there is no eternal life. They are missing the point. Because the whole, ministry of Kohelet, in the book of Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, is to show us what's going on, here and now, under the sun, in this world, that had been cursed by God, because of sin.

But there is life, beyond the grave. For those who have trusted God, and his word, and accepted the provision, through Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, who paid for the price of sin, and provided redemption, beyond this world, beyond the sun, above the sun, in the presence of God. And so, Solomon, he says, one generation goes, another generation comes. But now, notice what he does. He's illustrating, in verses five, six, and seven, what's happening here, in this world, and how there is vanity, of vanities, all is vanity, all is in vain, in this world, without God. He's giving us, an illustration, from nature. In verses five, six, and seven, he's presenting, before Israel, and he's presenting, before you and I, today, effect, that is happening here, in nature.

And you notice, beloved brothers, and sisters, verses five, six, and seven, he's speaking about, first of all, about the sun. In verse five, he says, the sun also, arises, and the sun goes down. And he hasteth, to his place, where he arose. You know, every day, you and I, go to sleep at night, we get up in the morning, and the sun is shining. And he's rising up. And how, later on, at the end of the day, it's going down, and down, and the cycle began, the following day. The sun rises, and the sun going down. The sun rises, and the sun going down. Nothing changes, from the time, that God has set, the sun in the heavens, where he gave the cycle, of the sun.

Nothing changes. He says, everything remained the same, because God set it, in this way. The wind continue, the whirling cycle, as well. And so we find out, about the wind, we notice that, in verse 6, the wind goes, towards the south, and it turns about, unto the north. It whirls about, continually, and the wind, returneth again, according to, his circuits. See, it's tremendous, to think that, one day, we get up, and there's a windy day, and then, a few hours later, the wind is quieting down, but continuing, in another place. and then, the cycle continues. And God, by design, here, in this world, have allowed the wind, to continue, in their whirling cycle.

Nothing changes here. Nothing changes, under the sun. Look at the third thing, that he's giving us, an illustration from, is he's speaking, about the waters, and the rivers. We live in this country, Canada, we are so privileged, to have many lakes, and rivers, and so on. But there are many, many countries, that they don't have, water sufficiently. But here, Kohelet is saying, all the rivers, run into the sea, yet the sea, is not full. And to the place, from whence, the rivers come, thither, they, return again. I was always fascinated, it's still fascinating, how come, that one day, we have rain, coming down, where all the water, come from?

It's raining, and raining, and raining, and raining, and then it's going, filling up the rivers, and the rivers, continue to move, and they're pouring, into the ocean, into the sea. And then, where does the new rain, come from? The process, or the cycle, of evaporation, that God, in a unique way, the water, in the ocean, is evaporating, rising up, filling up, the clouds, and the clouds, are moving, and then pouring, down the rain. And the cycle, continues. The rain, fill up the rivers, the rivers flow, into the sea, the ocean, is being filled, and evaporation, is continuing. Amazing to think. In other words, the king of Israel, Shlomo, this wise man, is teaching, the young generation, to realize, that here, in this world, things continue, in its cycle, and because, we have been created, in the image, and likeness of God, we have an accountability, and responsibility, to the living God, to give him our life, and to have him, as part of our life.

Because, if we don't, everything is in vain. Vanity, of vanities, all, is vanity, sayeth, the preacher, sayeth, here in this world, without God, as our object. And it isn't true, beloved brothers, and sisters, the winds, listen to the Lord, the rains, listen to the Lord, the sun, listen to the Lord, but men, don't listen, to his creator. Amazing. And we, as a human race, have been created, in the image, in the likeness of God, spirit, soul, and body, we are created, in the image of God, to enjoy him forever. And yet, we, men, humanity, do not submit to God. The sun does, the wind does, the rivers do, and yet men, reject God's ways, in his life.

well, Kohelet says, well okay, if you're gonna do so, you will experience, in your life, the vain, the really beating the air, you will lose out, by setting God, aside, out of your life. So, nothing is changing, here, under the sun, because everything, here, under the sun, is subject, to the curse, to the fall. all. And God, is speaking, to his own, seeking, to turn, their hearts, to himself, to appreciate, him. And so, in the next verse, beloved brothers, and sisters, in verse 8, not only, that nothing, changes, under the sun, Kohelet, is saying, but nothing, is satisfying, for men, here, under the sun, without having God, to fill our hearts.

Notice in verse 8, what he's saying. He said, "All things, are full of label. Men cannot utter it. The eye, is not satisfied, with seeing, nor the ear, is filled, with hearing." You know what he's really saying? By nature, without God, men, men's eye, and men's ear, is not satisfied. I heard of one, who said, that his own, mother-in-law, is over 90 years of age. She's so frail, she's in bed, she's of the last moments, you might say, of her life. So somebody, came to visit her, and he said, "You know, I just came back, from this country, or this country." And this frail woman said, "I wish, I could go, to see that place." The eye, is not satisfied, with seeing.

Even at the last moment, of our life, we still want to see more, we still want to hear more. That's the course, that's the cycle, that we live under. But you know, nothing is satisfying us here, in this world, when we do not, have God in our life. We want to see more. We want to do more. We want to accomplish more. You notice, he used the word labor. All things are full of labor. We work. We try to advance, in everything. We want to accomplish more, here in this world. And yet, we are not satisfied, with what we already gained. The eye, is not satisfied, with seeing.

And the ear, is not filled, with hearing. Let's remind us, beloved brothers and sisters, of the fall. If you remember, in the book of Genesis, one more time, I will mention that, how, the urge, the desire, that you might call it, the lust, of the flesh, is within us, all the time. We are part, of a fallen creation. You remember, in fact, turn with me, to Genesis chapter 3, for a moment, just to show you this verse. In verse 6, it says, notice that, when the woman saw, that the tree, was good for food, and that it was pleasant, to the eye, and a tree, to be desired, to make one wise, she took, of the fruit thereof, and she did it, and she gave it also, unto her husband, with her, and he did it.

And the eyes, of both of them, were open, and they knew, that they were naked. You notice that? The desire, of the eye, the desire, the thought, that we have here, is the lust, of the flesh, the lust, of the eye, and the pride, of life. That's why, doesn't matter, how much we have, we're still not satisfied. That's why, the apostle, of course, taking it from, Old Testament scripture says, be content, with such things, as ye have, for he said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. In other words, the Lord is really, through Shlomo, is teaching, the people of Israel, he says, listen, Israel, you have to understand, what's happening, by nature, naturally, because of our, our fallen creation, our fallen nature, the eye, is never satisfied, the ear, is never, filled, with hearing.

We want more, we want to hear more, and see more, and do more, and accomplish more, here in this world, realize, in our life, that God, must be the center, of our life, we will never, stop with it, we will never, find any joy, he's saying, to the nation, of Israel.

In fact, I want to read, one more verse, in the epistle, of John, 1 John, chapter 2, and verse 16, Yohanan, John, wrote, to the brothers, and sisters, to whom, he communicated, the family of God, and he said to them, in 1 John, chapter 2, I will read, verse 15, and 16, love not the world, neither the things, which are in the world, for if any man, love the world, the love of the Father, is not in him, for all, that is in the world, is the last, of the flesh, the lust, of the eyes, and the pride, of life, it is not, of the Father, but it is, of the world, see that's the

world, in which we live in, and man, is never satisfied, and you and I, by nature, because we are part, of this world, we still have, this old, and sinful nature, we are struggling, with it day by day, struggling, to do the will of God, or to lust, after the world, and its ways, and what's the old nature, provide, for us, and Solomon said, nothing, really, is satisfying, for man, here under the sun, in verse 8, when we don't have God, and the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, in our own hearts, and the object, of our life, and we are struggling, with it, all of us, have to admit it, every day, of our life, we

are struggling, but the reality, is, that not only, nothing, changes, under the sun, but nothing, is satisfying, under the sun, here, in this world, the only one, of whom, we can say, soul thirst, to satisfy, is, our blessed Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, now, thirdly, in that passage, verses 4, to 11, where we learn, about that, vanity is seen, in the cycle, of life, in verses 9, 10, and 11, we get, a second illustration, not only, an illustration, from nature, but also, an illustration, from man's, intellect, and man's, action, you can see here, in verses 9, 10, and 11, everything, is new, under, the sun, and so, we read, in verse 9, the things, that has

been, it is that, which shall be, and that, which is done, is that, which shall, be done, and there is, no new thing, under, the sun, and chadash, tachat, ha-shemish, I was thinking, about this verse, earlier, and I was saying, well, wait a minute, but we have, now television, here, which we didn't have, at the time, of King Shlomo, we have internet, which King Shlomo, never knew all about, we have, radio, we have, telephone, we have, everything new, today, which Shlomo, did not have, some, nearly, about 3000, years ago, people, and yet, Shlomo says, the thing, that has been, it is that, which shall, be, and that, which is done, is that, which shall, be

done, and there is, no new, thing, under, the sun, in other words, he is teaching us, an amazing lesson, it doesn't matter, what we have learned, and what we have been, accumulating, over the years, but someone, already earlier, before us, have already, knew that, there is nothing, really new, here, under the sun, in fact, the only thing, that is new, under the sun, here, is that, the believer, in Yeshua, receive a new nature, all things, that pass away, 2nd Corinthians, 5, 17, all become new, when a person, a sinner, accept Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah, and admitted, that he or she, have fallen before God, and they need forgiveness, of sin, God, by the promise, by

the Holy Spirit, is giving to them, new nature, new creation, all things, have been passed away, all have become new, that is what new, new nature, new life, but everything else, beloved brothers, and sisters, nothing, is new, under, the sun, the wisest men, on earth, have said, notice, what it says, in verse, 10, in verse 10, even, if it is said, this is new, actually, in actuality, it has been, already done, before, Shlomo is saying, verse 10, is there anything, whereof, it may be said, see, this is new, it has already, have been, of all time, Shlomo is saying, which was, before us, in other words, the generation, before us, we sometimes think, that they

were foolish, that we didn't, know anything, but we find out, that we build, what we know today, upon, previous, information, you know, I'm just thinking, about the squirrels, for example, the animals, nobody, have taught, a squirrel, to collect, walnuts, before the winter, arrives, you never see, anybody, in some zoo, saying, hey, you squirrels, come here, let me teach you, because the winter, is arriving, and I want to teach you, how to collect, all this food, so when the winter, is coming, and it's all cold, you will know, how to, come back, to the place, where you, pick them up, and position it, and you can take it, and eat, you see, the animal kingdom, have

an instinct, knowledge, knowledge, but you, and I, have an accumulated, knowledge, what we know, today, is because, someone else, had been, teaching us, previously, because, everything here, beloved brothers, and sisters, if anybody, will say, oh, this is new, King Shlomo, said, it has, already, been there, of all time, which was, even, before us, realize, that he's talking, to the young people, remember, because at the end, of Ecclesiastes, at the end, of the book, of Kohelet, he says, remember now, your creator, in the day, of your youth, when you are young, realize, take it to heart, and I'm thinking about, young people here, you know what a privilege, young people you have here, when you sit,

under the sound, of the word, and you are able, to listen, to the word of God, and hopefully, you take it to heart, not because I say it, because, and you absorb it, and apply it, to your life, and you live, for the Lord, and follow him, and make something, for the glory of God, in your life, you know what a blessing, it is, and historically, for Israel, our nation, what a blessing, it was, to be a nation, under one living God, the God of Abraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, and also, the world, that was filled, with idolatry, and paganism, realize, that there is nothing, new under the sun, if you will leave God, out of

your life, you will find out, that everything is vain, and nothing, have any meaning, in life, without, God, in your life, notice, in verse, 11, men, forget, men, do not remember, the past things, nor will he remember, the future things, if he, do not bring God, into remembrance, and this is something, very special, notice what it says, in verse 11, there is no remembrance, of the former things, neither shall there be, any remembrance, of the things, that are to come, with those, that shall come after, Shlomo is saying, you know, people are very, very forgetful, you and I, are very forgetful, that's why, he, a bit later, at the end of the book, he says,

remember now, your creator, now remember him, I'm thinking about, the many, many things, that God had provided, for us, and especially, his faithfulness, to take care, of his own people, look at Deuteronomy, chapter 8, with me, for a moment, Deuteronomy, chapter 8, Moses, had to instruct, Israel, when Israel, were in the wilderness, just before, they have entered, into the promised land, Moses, had to tell Israel, our people of all, he said to them, in verse 2, he said, you shall remember, all the way, which the Lord thy God, led thee, these 40 years, in the wilderness, he humbled you, and he proved you, that you will know, what was in your heart, verse 3, he

humbled thee, and he suffered thee, to hunger, and to feed thee, with man, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers, know, that he might, make thee know, that man, does not live, by bread only, but by, every word, that proceeds, out of the mouth, of the Lord, doth man live, Israel, God is saying, through Moshe, before they have entered, into the promised land, the land of Canaan, he says, look back, and realize, how faithful, God has been to you, he humbled thee, not only, but he allowed you, to experience, his love, and grace, throughout the 40 years, journey, in the wilderness, he provided for you, the man, and he gave you, the food, along

the way, that you will know, that man, does not live, by bread alone, but by every word, that proceeds, out of the mouth, of God, this is the, appeal of Moshe, to the people, of Israel, because very quickly, man, as we have it, in Ecclesiastes, chapter 1, and verse 11, there is no remembrance, of the former things, people forget, of the past things, and then he said, neither shall there be, any remembrance, of things, that are to come, that's the way, life is, if God, is not, impressing, upon our hearts, his will, and his ways, people are forgetful, forgetful, you know what, the apostle Paul, said to the Ephesians, in Ephesians, chapter 2, and verse

11, to them, he said, because they were believers, and they had a danger, to forget, like, men in general, forget, here in this world, he's saying to them, in Ephesians, chapter 2, and verse 11, he says, remember, wherefore remember, that ye being, in time past, Gentiles, in the flesh, who are called, uncircumcision, by that which is called, the circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands, that in time, past, ye were without, the Messiah, being aliens, from the commonwealth, of Israel, strangers, from the covenant, of promises, having no hope, and without God, in this world, remember, but now, verse 13, of Ephesians 2, in the Mashiach, in Christ, in the Messiah, Yeshua, ye, who were sometimes,

were far off, are made nigh, by the blood, of the Messiah, you see, the believer, the people of God, whether it is, Israel, or the church, whether it is, in past history, or present history, God's people, have to realize, what God, have done, for us, remember, don't forget, because others, according to verse 11, do not remember, they forget the past, and the new generation, forget the past again, there is no remembrance, of former things, neither shall there be, any remembrance, of things, that are to come, with those, that shall, come after, the new generation, they're going to forget, the things, that have happened, in the past, and how, easy it is, isn't it, brothers and

sisters, with us as well, how easy, we forget, how easy, we don't see, God's provision, and God's doing, in our life, in past, and we are to communicate, with others, that, if we are right, with the Lord, we want the Lord, to be the object, of our life, we are to, remind others, of the faithfulness, of God, because one generation, is passing away, and then the other, generation is coming, doesn't matter, how great, we accomplish things, here in this world, you, have to remember, Israel, Shlomo says, and you and I, need to remember, that, we are passing, through here, and we cannot, live life, without God, because if we do so, you will see, that

it's vanity, of vanity, it's empty, it misses, that which, can only fill your heart, and that is, the person, of our Lord, Yeshua, the Messiah, and so, in verses 4, to 11, Kohelet, that is, Shlomo, that is, the king of Israel, presented, before, the younger generation, of Israel, the fact, that, vanity, is seen, in the cycles, of life, one generation, passes away, another generation, is coming, the sun, rising, and the sun, is going down, the wind, is turning around, and the wind, returning again, the rivers of water, poured into the sea, and yet the sea, is not full, and the rivers, are yet, being filled again, the eyes, is not satisfied, the ear, is not

filled, there is nothing new, here under the sun, nature, teaches us, through its cycle, that all, is, vanity, and empty, without God, under the sun, and now, notice that, in the second half, of this first chapter, of the book of Kohelet, in verses 12, to 18, he is pointing, now, that, to the fact, that vanity, is seen, in human wisdom, now, nothing wrong, in being wise, and smart, and bright, if we give credit, to the one, who gave it to you, but if you have, all this wisdom, and all this knowledge, and you set God aside, you will notice, that there is, it is in vain, it's Hebel, Havalim, without recognizing, that God, is the

giver, of wisdom, and so, in these verses, verses 12 to 18, Kohelet, that is, Shlomo, Solomon, the king of Israel, he shared, with the people of Israel, his personal, search, in life, you know, you can just imagine, again, because he was, the king of Israel, he gathered, the nation of Israel, in his older age, apparently, yes, he failed, we know, that he had, 700 wives, 300 concubines, apparently, he was not happy, with five wives, or 10 wives, or 20 wives, he needed 700, and apparently, he was not satisfied, with one concubine, or 10 concubines, he needed 300th of them, apparently, it shows you, the reality, so now, in his old age, he is gathering, the

nation of Israel, and he is telling him, not in Israel, I want to tell you, from my own experience, I lived it, I've experienced it, in my life, I want to show you, the mistakes, and the failure, that I had in my life, I turned back, to the Lord, yes, to the God of Israel, but I want you to see, what I have experienced, Shlomo, is saying, that, and so, in verses, 12 to 15, Kohelet, shares with our people, of old Israel, his personal search, in his very own life, and so, he began, first of all, by setting effect, in verse 12, Kohelet, was the king of Israel, what a privilege, notice that, what it

says here, in verse 12, I, the Kohelet, the preacher, the King James, English translation, call him preacher, but it's come from, the Hebrew word, Kohelet, and Kohelet means, I am the one, who get the kahal, get the congregation, to listen up, to the word of God, to what I have to tell them, I, he says, in verse 12, I Kohelet, I Shlomo, we might say, I was king, over Israel, in Yerushalayim, and oh, what a privilege it was, you remember that, according to, first king chapter 2, his father, David, passed away, and God have handed, to King Shlomo, to a younger man, he handed him, the whole kingdom of Israel, imagine, to be the king

of Israel, and notice where it was, according to verse 12, it was in the city, of Jerusalem, Yerushalayim, the capital city, of the nation of Israel, the city, that the Bible teaches us, that God said, that his eye, is always upon that city, and upon the land of Israel, and that the city, he said, I will set up my name, in this place, that's the kind of a man, King Solomon, have been, he was the one, that had the privilege, to be the king, of all, the nation, of Israel, in fact, I want, please, for you, to turn with me, once again, to first Kings, and in order, in chapter two, there, we read immediately,

in verse 12, of first Kings chapter two, how he, now became, the king, of Israel, then, set, Solomon, Shlomo, upon the throne, of David, his father, and his kingdom, was established, greatly, see Solomon, is now, wanting, to share, with the, younger generation, of the people, of Israel, of the fact, that, he was the king, of all the nation, of Israel, father, he dwelt, in Jerusalem, and, the kingdom, of Solomon, was established, greatly, he was known, in a very, unique way, notice, a little bit, later on, in first Kings, notice, in chapter 10, what we read, in verse 23, and verse 24, so, King, Solomon, exceeded, all the kings, of the earth, for riches, and, for

wisdom, and, all the earth, sought, Solomon, to hear, his wisdom, which God, had put, in his heart, imagine, that, if anyone, any of the kings, of the world, in the time, of King Solomon, in about, the year here, 990, or so, BC, all the kings, came to King Solomon, to hear, about his wisdom, everyone, came, from everywhere, including, Sheva, Malchat Sheva, the queen of Sheba, she was amazed, at the wisdom, of King Solomon, according to, 1 Kings, chapter 10, and so, we read, in these verses, that all, the earth, sought Solomon, they wanted to hear, of his wisdom, which God, had given to him, they were coming, from all the way, from the north, and

from the south, and from the east, from the west, to hear, of the wisdom, of this man, by the name, of King Solomon, and so, Shlomo, is saying, to the younger generation, he says, listen, I was the king, verse 12, of Kohelet, chapter 1, I was the king, I was over, all the nation, of Israel, and I was dwelling, there, I had my house, in the city, of Jerusalem, this is me, therefore, we know, for surety, that the writer, of this book, of Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, is none else, but King Solomon, himself, then, beloved brothers, and sisters, he continue on, and he shows us, from his personal life, how vanity, is being seen, even in human

wisdom, he was bright man, he was a wise man, this morning, I read, the passage, in 1st Kings, where there was, two prostitutes, who came to him, and told him, that one of the babies, died, and they, wanted to know, what to do, with the remaining baby, that was alive, and Solomon said to them, let me hear your story, so they came, one of them said, listen, I was at night, and we were sleeping, and this woman's baby, she turned over, and she killed her own baby, so she took my baby, and she brought it for her, then the other said, no, it was, didn't happen this way, it's not true, it is my baby,

so Solomon, in his wisdom, he says, you know what, give me a sword, and he said, let's cut, sandal, you get half, and you get the other half, and it's so interesting, the woman, who was really the mother, after the first one, who was not the mother, says, okay, let's kill the baby, you half, and I half, and everything is fine, as if half a baby, could have any value, but the one, that was the mother, her compassion, her bowels, she couldn't do it, let her have that baby, even though it's mine, my child, let the other woman, have that baby, yet the other woman, says, no, let cut him in two, half for her,

half for me, and yet, you know what, we find that Solomon, immediately discerned, he says, wait a minute, the one, that has compassion, towards this baby, is the one, that is truly the mother, she would never allow, her own son, knowingly, to be killed, and that's how, he solved matter, and everybody, was so amazed, at the wisdom, of Solomon, and so Solomon, is saying, listen, I was the one, who was the king, over the nation, of Israel, in the city, of Jerusalem, and now, he's teaching, about his own, personal, experiences, and so he said, in verse 13, that he gave, his heart, to seek, and search, by wisdom, all the things, that are done, under

the sun, so we read, in verse 13, and I gave, my heart, notice that he said, he had a purpose, he wanted to know, more and more, with the wisdom, with the human wisdom, that he had, so he said, I gave my heart, to seek, and to search out, by wisdom, concerning all things, that are done, under heaven, this, so travail, as God has given, unto the sons, of men, to be exercised, therewith, God, in a sense, used, Solomon, to become, you might say, as a, teacher, who instructs others, he says, listen, with the wisdom, that I had, I searched, in my heart, to seek, and to search, for wisdom, concerning everything, that is happening,

here, under heaven, he says, but I learned something, he said, I've learned, that what's going on, here in this world, is a, sore, travail, that God, had given, to the children, of men, in order, the day, it says, to be exercised, in other words, to be afflicted, by all these things, that are going here, under the sun, in other words, Solomon is saying, the reason, that we have, so many afflictions, and problems, in this world, is because, God, have ordained, it here, because, men, had fallen, into sin, and I, have exercised, my heart, I wanted to know, listen, with the wisdom, that God, had given me, I wanted to know, what's going on, here in

this world, why things happen, the way, they happen, why there are wars, why there are conflicts, why people hate, one another, why people, get hurt, in this world, why there is, so much problems, here in life, that, we all are experiencing, this, in this world, in this life, that the Lord, had given to us, here, the reason, is that, God, because of sin, have allowed us, to experience, the consequence, of the fall, that, as it says here, that, men, will be exercised, the Hebrew word, is, la'anot bo, le'anot bo, which simply means, to be afflicted, through all the problems, that's happening, here in this world, but brothers, and sisters, the problems, that happen, in this

world, are to drive us, to repent, before God, and to turn, to him, by faith, but unfortunately, the world, experienced, all these, exercises, and problems, that existing, here in this world, and yet, men, refuse God, reject God, and he, or she, or they, continue, to seek, to build, and to accomplish, here in this world, and then, they end up, to get older, and sicker, and ultimately, they die, not thinking, of life, after death, of that, which is above the sun, you might say, that which, demand from us, to realize, that there is eternity, beyond this life, here in this world, so God, notice how, Solomon was really, used by God, in order to teach us,

a great lesson, the wisest man on earth, the richest man on earth, the one that the whole world, came to him, to learn wisdom from him, and yet, he, seeking to find out, why things happen, the way they happen, here in this world, and what is the answer, that he gives us, he gives us, God, have given, this so travail, unto the sons of men, Bnei HaAdam, in order, that they, will be afflicted, and affliction, and problems, are to drive, someone, anyone, to the person, of the one, who have created us, help me Lord, lead me on Lord, life here, with all the problems, it's not what, I have in my heart, I want you,

in my life, I want to change my way, I want to live for you, that's what is really, the reason, that Solomon, is telling, what he's telling, to the people, of Israel, God used Solomon, on behalf, of all humanity, so that they, will see, the emptiness, of all things, in this sin, cursed earth, without having God, as the object, of our life, and look at us, in a practical way, think about each one, think about your own life, each one of us, have different age, look at the experiences, that you have experienced, in your life, look at the problems, that we all are, experiencing, throughout our lives, whether we are, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70,

80, 90, or 100, just look back, 10 years, and you see, wait a minute, I had this experience, in my life, and all this trouble, that came upon myself, I didn't know, how I could handle this, and I just finished, with this problem, I have another one coming, and I finished, with this one, and a new problem, is coming, that Hebrew word, is the word, le'anot bo, to afflict him, in the King James, to be exercised there, with another word, to drive us, to realize, that we need, the Lord, in our life, and that here, in this world, we are just, passing through, we are not, going to live here forever, he continued, notice that,

he mentioning here, in verse 14, he summarized, that all the works, that are done, out of the Son, is nothing, but all is vanity, and vaxation, of spirit, that word, for vaxation, of spirit, come from the Hebrew, word, re'ot, ruach, evil, spirit, in verse 14, I have seen, Shlomo is saying, verse 14, all the works, that are done, under the Son, and behold, all is vanity, and vaxation, of spirit, all the things, that are going on, here in this world, at the end, is like beating the wind, it is a vaxation, of spirit, it is hevel, and it is, ra'ot, ruach, that word, for vaxation, come from, the Hebrew word, ra, bad, evil, evil, that

is really, a spirit, of evilness, you might say, everything, that is going, in this world, and that's why, under the Son, without God, is really hopeless, this expression, by the way, in verse 14, ra'ot, ruach, why, there is so much, evil, here in this world, you know why, again, it takes us, back to the fall, the psalmist, of Israel, Psalm 14, David said, many years ago, said, God look, from above, to see, if there is any, any, live for him, any desire him, all have gone, astray, all, have gone, out of the way, Paul took it, in Romans 3, all have sinned, and come short, of the glory, Romans 3, verse 23, this is the

reality, that Shlomo is saying, this is the Bible, this is what the Word of God, is teaching us, I know we are part of this earth, we are part of this world, we live our life, we seek to build, and to accomplish, here in this world, but Shlomo is saying, if you will continue on, without having God, as the object of your life, you will find very quickly, that everything is vanity, everything is a vaxation, of spirit, Ra'ot Ruach, and so in the next verses, beloved brothers and sisters, in the portion that, verses 12 to 18, where vanity is seen, in the human wisdom, Solomon is now saying, verses 16, to the end of this

chapter, that he shows us, and he shows to Israel, the futility, of human wisdom, without God, in the last verses, here of chapter 1, verses 16, 17, and 18, and notice that, brothers and sisters, verse 16, he acknowledged, he admit, see how beautiful to see, in verse 16, Kohelet acknowledged, the great wisdom, that he received from God, he acknowledged, everything that I have, I really received, is from God, in verse 16, I communed, with my own heart, and I said, lo, I'm come, to great estate, that word for, great estate, and have gotten, more wisdom, than all, that have been, before me, in Jerusalem, that expression, great estate, mean, I have increased, and increased, and

increased, and increased, gadalti, bechokmah, I have increased, in wisdom, he admitting, I have increased, because God, gave me this wisdom, but notice, what he said, at the second half, of verse 16, I have increased, I have gotten, more wisdom, than all, that have been, before me, in Jerusalem, yea, my heart, had great experience, of wisdom, and knowledge, he experienced, the wisdom, that God, had given him, this world, that it all, came from God, it was God, who had given to him, as we have already read, in 1 Kings, chapter 3, that God, had given him, everything, that he had, it was from God, and he concludes, in verse 17, and 18, Kohelet, experienced, the madness,

and folly, in his life, the wrong thing, that he had done, with all the wisdom, that he had, verse 17, and I gave my heart, to know wisdom, and to know madness, and folly, you know, that, is taking us, to 1 Kings, chapter 11, the madness, and the folly, that he had experienced, with all the wisdom, that God had given to him, and he should have used it, for the glory of God, but he ended up, when he turned away, from God, with this madness, and folly, what was that, you remember, he had been, embraced, into his life, all the thousand women, that were for all the nations, of the world, and then they, have

turned his heart, instead of worshiping God, they turned in heart, to worship all the gods, of the nations, and Solomon, as we read, in 1 Kings, chapter 11, end up to be, the kind of a man, that instead of, worshipping the true, and living God, he ended up, worshipping all these, idols, he built up, all sort of altars, for his wife, and he ended up, away from God, that was folly, that was madness, with all the human wisdom, that he had, he ended up, to experience, madness, and folly, nothing, but he perceived, that this was, eventually, a loss, for him, verse 17, at the end, he says, really, I perceived, I realized, eventually, that this

is also, is a, vaccination, of spirit, it didn't benefit me, whatsoever, and I, think for us, in our life too, sometimes, we are entangling, trying to experience, certain things, we think, we are wiser, than God, so we end up, playing with things, that we know, that eventually, will not be helpful, for us, yet we try them, oh I know it, I know how I can handle that, and then we realize, that the end, that it was nothing, but madness, and folly, and we realize, that it was, a vaxation, of spirit, the Hebrew word is, it is an evil thing, it was not good for me, Solomon admitting it, beloved brothers, and sisters, when he is

writing, to the youth, remember, now you are creator, in the day of thy youth, because you realize, that you play, with certain things, you do certain things, you try, you think you are wiser, than God, and I have received, that wisdom from God, and instead of using it, for him, I used it, for myself, and I ended up, entangling myself, with madness, and folly, and eventually, a loss, an evil, raut ruach, vaxation, of spirit, striving, after the wind, it didn't help me, it didn't accomplish, what God, intended, for it to accomplish, when he gave me, wisdom, wisdom, and so finally, beloved brothers, and sisters, in verse 18, he shows, Israel, the futility, of human wisdom,

without God, in verse 18, and we are going to conclude, with that, Solomon is saying, notice, for in much wisdom, this is human wisdom, without God, there is much grief, grief, and he that increases, knowledge, that is knowledge, without having God, he is eventually, increases, sorrow, so a lot of people say, you see, why should I try, to follow the wisdom, of God, and so on, why do I need it, you know, eventually, it leads to grief, and it leads to sorrow, but it only leads, to grief, and to sorrow, when we don't acknowledge God, with all the wisdom, and the knowledge, that we have, without God, one will end up, to increase, grief, and

sorrow, in his life, by the way, the word for grief, is the word, in Hebrew, the word for sorrow, is, pain, pain, and anger, that rises up, from even those, that get all the wisdom, that they seek for, and they set God aside, and they find eventually, that there is grief, there is sorrow, and if they are not believers, they will lose eternity, they will end up, finding in themselves, eternity, loss, and if they are believers, in Yeshua, they will find out, that they wasted, their life, here on earth, instead of living for the Lord, while, we are still here, so, Solomon, is saying, remember, now, not later on, your Creator, now, in the day

of your youth, because time is passing by, and you can see clearly, that vanity is seen, in the cycle of life, and vanity is seen, in man's wisdom, in human wisdom, when God, is set, outside, of the life, of men, may the Lord help us, as we continue, in the study, of the book, of Kohelet, can we say amen,