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 Jerusalem 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 Jerusalem 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. Unto the place whence the rivers come, thither they return again. All things are full of labor, men cannot utter it, the eyes 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 yeah 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 vexation of spirit, for in much wisdom is much grief, and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow. I'm 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 Deshulamite 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 Mishle. 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 at 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 scene 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 use 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 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, say yes 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, that 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's mentioning Verses 4 to 11, vanity is seen in the cycles of life.

And verses 12 to 18, vanity is seen 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 ha-shemesh. 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.

In other words, what he sees, what he shows us, that just the same as I just pointed to our dear sister, who began 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 have 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. 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. 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 and he said to him, Adam, 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 another generation is coming and he's saying 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 man will live forever here but man doesn't. Why? Because here on earth the curse has been pronounced. Sin has entered in. Man has disobeyed God and God judged man 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 Son, above the Son, in the presence of God. And so Solomon, he says, one generation goes, another generation comes. But now notice what he does. Is illustrating in verses 5, 6, and 7, 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 5, 6, and 7, he's presenting before Israel, and he's presenting before you and eye today, effect that is happening here in nature. And you notice, beloved brothers and sisters, verses 5, 6, and 7, he's speaking about, first of all, about the sun. In verse 5, he says, the sun also arises and the sun goes down and it 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 continued the whirling cycle as well. And so we find out about the wind. Notice. That in verse 6 the wind goes towards the south and he turned about unto the north it whirls about continually and the wind returneth again according to his circuits it's tremendous to think that one day we get up 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 There are many lakes and rivers and so on, but there are many, many countries that 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 comes from? It's raining and 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 fills 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 Kohelet, 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 and 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 going to 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. 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, man's eye and man'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 see, 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, and 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 thought that we have here is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. That's why it 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 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. If we don't 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 lust 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 the old nature provide for us.

And Solomon said, nothing really is satisfying for men here under the sun in verse eight, 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 that nothing 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. I was thinking about this verse earlier, and I would say, well, wait a minute. But we have now television, 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 3,000 years ago. 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's 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's nothing really new here under the sun. In fact, the only thing that is new under the sun here is that a believer in Yeshua receive a new nature.

All things that pass away, 2 Corinthians 5, 17, all become new. When a person, a sinner, accepts Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah, and admitted that he or she has 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. They 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 has 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 but you and I have an accumulated knowledge. What we know today is because someone else has been teaching us previously because everything here, beloved brothers and sisters if anybody will say oh this is new King Shlomo says 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 privileged 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 the Bible teaches us that 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, Yitzhak, and Yaakov, and to be a testimony to a 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 has 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 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 had entered into the promised land.

Moses had to tell Israel our people of all, he said to them in verse 2. He says, 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 proceedeth 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, 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 men, 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 way people are 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. What 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 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 in present history, God's people have to realize what God has 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 remembers of things that are to come with those that shall come after.

The new generation is going to come and 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, if 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 has come. It 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 pour into the sea and yet the sea is not full and the rivers have yet been 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 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 it is in vain. It's Hevel 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 5 wives or 10 wives or 20 wives.

He needed 700. And apparently, he was not satisfied with 1 concubine or 10 concubines. He needed 300 of them. Apparently, it shows you the reality. So now in his old age, he's gathering the nation of Israel and he's telling me, listen, 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. 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's what it says here in verse 12. I, the Kohelet, the preacher, the King James and the English translation call him preacher, but it comes 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 1st 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. Jerusalem, 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 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 you notice in chapter 2 there we read immediately in verse 12 of 1st King chapter 2 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. 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 1 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 heal his wisdom which God had put in his heart.

Now 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 the Queen of Sheba, Malkat Sheba, 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 continues on, and he shows us from his personal life how vanity is being seen even in human wisdom. He was a bright man. He was a wise man. This morning I read the passage in 1 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 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 a 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, she said, no, no, no, 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's 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 of the nation of Israel in the city of Yerushalayim. 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 hath 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 that they, 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's so much problems here in life that we all are experiencing in this world, in this life that the Lord had given to us here.

The reason is that God, because of sin, has allowed us to experience the consequence of the fall. That, as it says here, that men will be exercised. The Hebrew word is l'anotbo, l'anotbo, which simply means to be afflicted through all the problems that are 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 experiences all these exercises and problems that exist 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 demands 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? God have given this sore travail unto the sons of men, Bnei Ha'Adam, in order that they will be afflicted.

And affliction and problems are to drive someone, anyone, to the person of the one who has created us. Help me, Lord. Lead me on, Lord. Life here is 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 ages. 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 therewith.

In other words, 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 mentioned 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 comes from the Hebrew word evil spirit in verse 14. I have seen, Shlomo is saying in verse 14, All the works that are done under the sun. And behold, all is vanity and vaxation of spirit. All the things that are going on here in this world at the end, it's like beating the wind.

It is a vaxation of spirit. It is Hevel and it is Ra'ut Ruach. That word for vaxation comes 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 sun without God is really hopeless this expression by the way in verse 14 Raut 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 of God 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'ut 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, means I have increased and increased and increased. Gadalti bechokmah. I have increased in wisdom. He's admitting I have increased because God gave me this wisdom. But notice what he says in 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 in 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 turn in heart to worship all the gods of the nations and Solomon as we read in first Kings chapter 11 end up to be the kind of a man that instead of worshiping the true and living God, he ended up worshiping all these idols, he built up.

All sort of altars for his wife, and he ended up away from God, that was folly, there was madness, with all the human wisdom that he had, he ended up to experience madness and folly, 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 vaxation of spirit. It didn't benefit me whatsoever. And I think for us in our life too, sometimes we are entangling, we are 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 realized at the end that it was nothing but madness and folly and we realized that it was a vaxation of spirit. The Hebrew word is raut Ruach. It is an evil thing. It was not good for me. Solomon admitting it, beloved brothers and sisters, when he's writing to the youth, remember, now you're 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 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.

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're going to conclude with that, Solomon is saying, notice, for in much wisdom, this is human wisdom without God, there is much grief and he that increases knowledge that is knowledge without having God he 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 kaas in Hebrew. The word for sorrow is keev, 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, you're created 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 and human wisdom when God is set outside of the life of man. May the Lord help us as we continue in the study of the book of Kohelet can we say Amen?