Thank you, Pastor Bobby. Well, as someone who loves learning about history, one of the things I'm drawn to thinking about now and then are what are called counterfactuals. That is, imagining how a certain historical situation might have played out differently if people made different choices. Now, of course, because God is sovereign and is ultimately working out all things perfectly and precisely for His glory, there is a certain sense in which history had to happen the way that it did. It couldn't have happened any other way. Yet even Samuel could say to King Saul in 1 Samuel 13, 13 that if Saul had only been obedient, quote, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, unquote. So even the Bible is able to entertain counterfactuals. And that's what I'd like us to do to start this morning. I want you to think about two counterfactuals with me related to people in the Bible. And the first is this. What if Cain, after having his sacrifice rejected by God, decided not to kill his brother Abel in jealousy? How might Cain's life have played out differently? Well, for one, Cain wouldn't have experienced the terrible notoriety and judgment that came with his evil act. He wouldn't have received the mark, the curse, he wouldn't have been driven out from his family. He also could have continued to live with his brother and learn from Abel what it means to truly know God and walk before him in faith and worship. Really, Cain could have seen fulfilled what God himself held out to Cain in promise in Genesis 4-7, where God said, if you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? Cain could have seen that. Really, if Cain had regarded his brother as a friend and not an enemy, he could have been greatly blessed instead of greatly cursed. Now consider a second and opposite counterfactual with me. What if David had tried to follow God alone? He did not seek out, accept, or listen to companions. How might life have turned out differently for David? Well, considering how instrumental other people were in David's life, without them, we could see how he would have quickly have been ruined. When Saul sought David's life, there would have been no Jonathan to warn David or to encourage David and comfort David by the promises of God. When David needed to make important decisions, he wouldn't have had many of his key counselors to show him wisdom and protect him from folly. Counselors like Abigail, Joab, or Hushai. And when David found himself in deep sin, it would have been no Nathan to confront David and to draw David back into repentance and fellowship with God. We can imagine that without his companions, David could have easily despaired, died, and departed from the Lord. Thus, by making time for others, David was actually finding great blessing for himself. I bring up these two hypothetical situations for you this morning because we also are faced with the fundamental question of how we are going to regard other people in our lives. You don't have to live very long to find out that people, and yes, even Christians, are imperfect sinners. And you also find out that seeking out, cultivating, and restoring relationships takes a fair amount of hard work and humility. Therefore, we're going to be tempted in life, especially when someone sins against us, to say or to think this, you know what? I don't need this. I don't need you. I'm better off alone. Christians can even say this about the church. Oh, they're just judgmental, they're hypocrites over there. I can just follow Jesus at home. Got my Bible, got nature, that's all I need. But God in his scripture confronts such isolation justifying and people avoiding thinking. You know what he calls it? Foolishness. He says it's foolish. Instead, as we'll see today in our next section of Ecclesiastes, those who truly want to walk wisely in this world, they will realize that life is lived better together. And that's the title of the sermon today. Please take your Bibles to Ecclesiastes 4, where we'll find our text. Our sermon is called Better Together, and this will be part one. This great Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, our author, Solomon, he continues to teach us how to live wisely in a frustrating and vaporous world. Last time, if you were with us or if you remember, we were in Ecclesiastes 3, verses 16 to 22, where Solomon was teaching us how to respond to life's unresolvable injustices. There will be injustices in life that you can't do anything about, you can't fix. But rather than despairing over the situation or seeking vainly to achieve something that cannot be achieved, the wise actually respond by, and you might remember this, first resting in God's justice and his timing for bringing justice, Secondly, remembering your humble position before God, even as you cry out for justice. And then third, still rejoicing in the good that you receive from God, even amid difficulty. Now as we come to Ecclesiastes chapter four, Solomon transitions from talking about injustice to a new topic, and that topic is companionship. Let's see Solomon's teaching, which is the Spirit of God speaking to us, even the Spirit of Christ, in Ecclesiastes 4, verses 1 to 16. Follow along as I read. Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed, and that they had no one to comfort them. And on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead, who are already dead, more than the living, who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun. I've seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity, striving after wind, A fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. One handful of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind. Then I looked again at Vanity under the sun. There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches, and he never asked, and for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure? This too is vanity, and it is a grievous task. Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together, they keep warm. But how can one be warm alone? And if two can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. A poor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive instruction. For he has come out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who replaces him. There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him. For this too is vanity and striving after wind." Now hearing that, you may not immediately see how all the verses of this chapter are related to one another. But what we have here really is a series of reflections all on the same topic of companionship. Solomon here considers our human relationships and what life is like when relationships are missing, neglected, or abandoned, and what life is like when relationships are present, nurtured, and embraced. Though, like wisdom and like work, companionship is not a means to ultimate gain in life, nevertheless, companionship, Solomon teaches us, makes life better. Solomon, the Lord speaks that message to you this morning. If you really want to be wise, if you want to be happy, if you want to be holy, then you cannot go through life alone, either literally alone or functionally alone. To be more specific, in our text, Solomon presents us with five crucial lessons on companionship so that you will realize that this difficult and vaporous life is lived better together. Five crucial lessons on companionship so that you will realize this difficult life, this vaporous life is lived better together. These five lessons will form the outline of our text. We'll cover the first three lessons this week. They're the more negative sounding examples or lessons. And next time we're back in Ecclesiastes, we'll cover the last two more positive lessons. The first lesson on companionship that we need to see, we need to learn, appears in verses one to three. Lesson one, the comfortless life is miserable. The comfortless life is miserable. Look at the beginning of verse one. Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. Notice here that Solomon is, in a way, still talking about injustice, as he just was in the previous chapter. But now he's taking a slightly different angle. Solomon refers to all the acts of oppression. Though Solomon cannot literally see and know every act of oppression that has taken place on the earth, he still can know the kinds of oppressions that occur everywhere. What exactly is oppression? One dictionary definition says that oppression is the unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power. The Bible often uses the word oppression or oppress to describe situations of military subjugation or economic exploitation. For example, in the book of Judges, Israel was oppressed by invading kingdoms who attacked, plundered, and imposed harsh tribute on Israel. Or if you go to the book of Exodus, more famously, Egypt oppressed Israel by enslaving the Israelites to hard labor and by enforcing the death of Hebrew boys. In the prophets, in the Old Testament prophets, the rich in Israel were often condemned for oppressing the poor. And they would do this in various ways. Sometimes it was bribe-filled courts where the poor could not get justice. Or it would be the use of false bartering weights and measures. You hear the Bible talk about the Lord loves a just measure. That's because people would use false measures to get more out of the deal than they were supposed to. and oppress the poor. Or sometimes the rich just outright withheld wages of those who worked for them. Poor man comes in from his work for the day, ready to get his pay, and the rich says, sorry, I'm not paying you. And he can do it because he's rich. Now Solomon was a man of great knowledge and experience and he surely had seen and learned about many acts of oppression both inside and outside of Israel. Sad to say, Solomon himself participated in oppression in the latter part of his reign. We hear in 1 Kings 11.40 and 1 Kings 12.4 that Solomon perverted justice. He tried to kill someone who hadn't done anything wrong. And he even imposed exorbitant taxes on the people. And so, as Solomon considers all the oppressions that take place in the world, even the ones that he himself brought about firsthand, a certain image sticks out in his mind. And it's an image that he wants us to focus on as well. Notice verse one continues, and behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed. More literally, this phrase is, behold, the tears of the oppressed. Solomon is directing us. That's what the word behold means. Look, see it, see for yourself. Can you see the tears of the oppressed running down their cheeks? Maybe it's a woman watching as her child is taken away to be sold into slavery. Maybe it's an old man who's been beaten so badly he can no longer stand up. Or maybe it's a young child who's told his parents will never be coming home because they've been killed in a recent raid. Perhaps the tears roll down silently, or maybe they're part of loud wailing and screaming. Solomon says, look at it. Behold the tears of the oppressed. But then he continues and he adds a very tragic detail. He says, and that they had no one to comfort them. Literally. And there was not for them comforting ones or comforters. The image Solomon shows us is not just of oppressed ones crying, but crying alone. They have no comforters, Solomon says. No one to speak soothing or encouraging words to them. No one even to cry with them and lament their state. Even if people are literally around them, these oppressed ones are nevertheless suffering alone. Now, it's not surprising when the Bible talks about people who are oppressed, it's usually a specific category of people who are uniquely alone and vulnerable. And who would that be? Orphans, widows, and sojourners from other countries. They're often alone, and so people take advantage. And then, when these ones cry, There are no comforters. They weep, but there is no one to help. And there's a reason for this. As we behold the tears of the oppressed, the oppressed, the camera pans, so to speak, to show us another image, as Solomon adds, and on the side of their oppressors was power. What can the poor ones do when they're staring at the face of someone with overwhelming power at their side? Maybe it's a warlord with his countless soldiers lined up next to him, or a rich man who has bags and bags of money. What can the oppressed do? And who will dare to help in the face of such dangerous, evil strength? So the camera pans back to the oppressed ones as Solomon repeats at the end of verse one, but they had no one to comfort them. Like an echo, this one truth haunts the oppressed. No one knows, no one cares, no one will help, no one will comfort you. So what have they left but to just cry and cry alone? It's a terrible picture. It's a heartbreaking picture. Yet according to Solomon, it has frequently appeared in our world, and it still does. Of course, Solomon is not saying that we should just let oppression be. Though many other scriptures emphasize, Old Testament and New Testament, how the righteous are to stand up for the oppressed. That's true for us too. As Christians, as we have ability, we are to work to end oppression and intercede on behalf of those who are alone without strength. But still, Solomon knows that to some degree or another, as long as we live in this fallen world, oppression will still occur. Even those who are raised up to fight oppression often become oppressors themselves. Behold the tears of the oppressed. But what Solomon says next It's quite startling. Look again at verses two and three. So I congratulated the dead, who are already dead, more than the living, who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun. The statement is shocking because it so directly contradicts that common assumption we all have. That is that being alive, even amid affliction, is an objective good and preferable to death. Now there is a sense in which being alive is always preferable to death. And Solomon himself will say this in Ecclesiastes 9.4. Better to be an alive dog than a dead lion, he will say. But there's also a sense, as Solomon is expressing here, when you consider the level and prevalence of oppression in the world, and that so frequently those who are oppressed have no one to comfort them. Solomon testifies, I think the dead are better off. Actually, even better than the dead are those who have not yet or will never be born. so they do not see the evil that takes place in the world. They will not see all the terrible trouble. But what about eternal judgment, you might ask? Are the dead really to be congratulated in escaping earthly suffering if without Christ they only go into something worse afterwards? Well, if that is the case for an individual, then You're right. There should be no congratulations. There should only be even more weeping and mourning for that person because there will not even be comfort in death. But Solomon is not considering the prospect of eternal judgment in his statement here. Remember that though Solomon in Ecclesiastes is sure of a future judgment someday in the future, where even there will be final vindication by God of the righteous, he doesn't know all the details of the afterlife like we do today with further revelation in the scriptures. Furthermore, if someone is a God-fearer, even a Christian, and suffering the way that Solomon describes, can we not sympathize with Solomon's statement and maybe even agree with it? That death and departure to be with God and to be comforted there by God is preferable to continuing to live under heinous oppression without anyone to comfort you. Now, of course, it is necessary for us to live as long as God deems. We even are called to glorify Christ through righteous suffering, just as He glorified the Father in His suffering. We do not have the right to take our own lives by suicide, which is really a form of self-murder. Yet, it is not wrong for us to say of a suffering Christian who dies, I'm glad that he has finally found relief with God. But maybe you're not convinced. Maybe this all sounds a little melodramatic to you. Okay, maybe oppression was really bad in Solomon's day. Maybe it's kind of bad in certain places of the world, but surely it's not that bad. Today we've made a lot of advances, surely oppression is better now. Friends, if that's what you're thinking, it's only because you're not aware of what takes place today. Actually, I think it's a mercy of God that we don't know all the evil that is taking place in the world, even right now. Because if we did, it'd be too overwhelming for us. Oppressions today are just as bad, if not worse, than they were in Solomon's day. Let me give you just one illustration. It's a paragraph I read recently about a Christian woman who was arrested and killed in North Korea. Her death was reported by a North Korean defector in this way, quote, When we were living in North Korea, we did not know she was practicing religion. However, when I came back home, I heard she was killed. When I asked why she died, I was told she was arrested alone, whereas the whole family left the town because they were practicing religion. I heard she was suffering and prayed until the point she died. She believed in Christianity. I heard she believed in God. She was investigated in the provincial political security department, and I heard that they hit her until she soiled herself. I heard they dried her out to death, not giving her a drop of water. I heard she died after suffering like a dog. My friends, there are no words for such evil. But consider how many others in North Korea have suffered like this woman has. or suffered differently or suffered worse. And that's just one country. Think about all the other nations in the world and all the other kinds of oppression that are still going on. Consider modern slavery and human trafficking. Consider the children who are abducted and indoctrinated to become child soldiers. Consider much more. many other kinds of oppressions, people being defrauded of their savings, made to starve by those who are greedy or who have power. Despite our supposed technological and philosophical advances and sophistication, the world is still filled with the tears of the oppressed and no one to comfort them. what Solomon's points in bringing up this depressing fact. He's emphasizing to us that to live, to toil, and to suffer under oppression in this world alone is a miserable existence. Therefore, as much as you are able, don't go through life alone. You may not be able to escape oppression, but at least find a comforter through it. Sorrow has a tendency to drive us away from people. But if you want to be wise, you must purpose to take your sorrows to people. Ultimately, that person is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ. If you know Him as your Savior, He is your sympathetic High Priest, and He is the God of all comfort. He has sworn that He will never leave or forsake you, that He will be with you in the midst of suffering and will give you grace to endure it, even when everybody else abandons you. That was Paul's testimony, right? He says, everyone has left me, but the Lord stood with me. definitely should go to your Lord for comfort. But remember too that the Lord has also given you comfort in a very tangible way, and that way is His people, even your brothers and sisters in this church. So do not fail to take advantage of that gift, that tangible comfort from your Lord. And brethren, also be on the lookout for those who are suffering and alone. That means, of course, you have to get to know other people in this congregation. Sometimes you don't even know how much people are going through. It's not good for them to remain alone. You could help them. Do that. Let's do that. You can give them comfort and encouragement, or maybe just weep with them. That will be helpful. Life can be very hard. Solomon is not sugarcoating it for us, but life is still better together. Our first crucial lesson on companionship is that the comfortless life is miserable. The second lesson appears in verses four to six. Lesson two, the jealous life is miserable. Look at the first part of verse four. I've seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. Notice here Solomon is making another comprehensive statement about life. The topic is no longer oppression, but this new topic still involves human relationships. That new topic is the connection, I don't know if you've ever thought about this, but the connection between work and jealousy. Notice the word labor. This is the word we've actually seen already in Ecclesiastes. It's the Hebrew word for painful work, for trouble, for toil. Also, you see the word skill here. It has a more positive connotation. Could also translate as success or achievement. Solomon thus is making an observation about all work, both painful labors and satisfying successes. And that's only emphasized further by his double use of the word every. Excuse me. Every labor and every skill, he says, has a common aspect. All work is in Solomon's view. What is common to all work, according to Solomon? Sorry, I don't know why it's doing that. New American Standard Translation says that all work is the result of rivalry. Or more literally, all work is rivalry. All work is envy. All work is jealousy between a man and his neighbor. You say, what does that mean? What does it mean for work to be jealousy? That's not a readily understandable phrase in English, which is why the translators have added the phrase, is the result of. And surely that is part of what Solomon intends to say. Life's work, both painful and fulfilling, it really stems ultimately from jealousy of one's neighbor. You want what he has, you want to equal it or you want to exceed it, whether it's possessions or achievements. Thus envy really is the source of even great works in the world. But jealousy is not often just the source of labor, it is also the result of labor. Because you accomplished something great, and now your neighbor is jealous. So what does he do? He looks to accomplish something great too. He becomes jealous and he seeks to outdo you. So then what do you do? You try to equal and outdo him in return. So then he accomplishes something and then you accomplish something and then he gets jealous and then you get jealous and then what has happened? You ventured into this cycle of jealous labor that has no end. You're just going to continue to try and equal and outdo each other. This means that much of the work in the world that is done is not really necessary. It's not done to meet needs. It's not done to better the world, at least not ultimately. Why is it done? It's done to satisfy and glorify the proud self. Solomon says, this is what characterizes all toil and achievement in the world. Now there may be exceptions. And if we follow his wise way, we will be the exception. But he says, this describes man's work in general. That's kind of a striking, bold assertion. But can't we verify it by just our own observation? Look at toddlers. You see a toddler and he's totally uninterested in a certain toy until he sees another toddler become interested in it. And now he has to have it. And if he can't have that one, he needs to have his own or something better. And are we very much different, we who are adults? You didn't care about getting the high score in a certain game, I mean, it's just a game after all, until you saw your friend get a high score. And now you feel compelled to outdo him. Or you were content with your car or your house until you saw an ad for a better one. And you realize that other people, even people in your same socioeconomic bracket, they have stuff that's better than you do. Look at how much they're enjoying it. And so you start to feel bad, you start to think you're missing out, and so you start planning and you start working as to how you can catch up. when I'm only 30 or I'm already 40 and I don't have this stuff that my peers have? I need to catch up. Or are you into tech? Do you work so that you can have the latest and greatest devices? Or are you the opposite? You actually boast and congratulate yourself for how long you were able to use the oldest devices. Don't you see? It's as Solomon says. It's all rivalry. It's all jealousy. And Solomon has a word to say in response. Look at the end of verse four. This too is vanity and striving after wind. Don't you see, Solomon says, that your jealous striving is really for vapor? And it won't do you lasting good. It won't do you genuine good. So what if you get the highest score? It's only a matter of time before somebody exceeds it. And even if nobody does, you're going to die, and then what good will it do you? And so what if you keep up with the Joneses? Both you and they will have to give up everything one day. And what are you gaining for yourself in the meantime? a whole lot of stress, a whole lot of unhappiness, and a whole lot of discontentment, because you're so afraid of missing out and falling behind. Moreover, you end up regarding people not as friends who can help you, and not even people that you can minister to, but rather, competitors, enemies. They must be defeated, sabotaged, outdone. Solomon says, friend, this is vanity. It is all wasted effort and counterproductive. So what should we do instead? How should we respond to the world's envious striving? Solomon actually shows us two ways that we can respond, and he shows us via two proverbs. The first proverb appears in verse five. It says, the fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. One way to respond to the vanity of the world's rat race is with self-destructive laziness. The proud sluggard observes everyone jealously striving, competing, and he says, what fools, working themselves to death for nothing, while he himself commits to resting and doing no work. Rest is what Solomon is depicting in the first half of verse five. To fold the hands is to clasp them together so that you can use them as a pillow. That's what the lazy fool wants to do. He just wants to sleep, to lounge. He thinks he's smarter than all the envious ones who are consumed by their work. But he doesn't realize that he is also being consumed by his own laziness. The image in the latter part of the verse emphasizes this in a way that is both comical and tragic. The loafer is so lazy that he's not even willing to go work to obtain or find food. But he does get hungry, so he goes for the only food that is near and available to him, which is himself. The sluggard starts biting into his own body. It's a pathetic image. And lazy fools don't literally do this, but figuratively, they do. Because they're so committed to not working, because they love comfort so much, they end up destroying themselves. They squander whatever wealth and resources are given to them. They mooch off of others until they ruin those relationships. and life just gets harder and harder until they are totally ruined. This first proverb shows us a wrong way to react to the world's jealous striving. But the right way is presented in the second proverb in verse six. Solomon says, one handful of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind. The New American Standard does a good job of literally translating this proverb, but the sense remains a little bit obscure. Because after all, how does one compare a handful of rest and two fistfuls of striving? Two fistfuls of labor? intended sense of the proverb is better captured in the King James Version or the NIV. And that sense is one handful with rest is better than two fistful with toil and striving after wind. Or to say it another way, a little with contented peace is better than a lot with discontented striving. See, the way to respond to the world's ongoing, agonizing, envious struggle against one another in work is not with proud and isolated sloth, but with contented labor. Don't drop out of life. Instead, embrace the portion that God has given you and do the work set before you. Don't strive utterly to outdo your neighbor or to grasp after what he has. For you cannot ultimately win the rat race. Nobody can win. And even if you did, it wouldn't satisfy you. You're only making yourself miserable in the meantime. Instead, as you work, take time to rest, take time to enjoy the company of others, and enjoy what you have. for no matter how little you have, if you have God, it is enough. In fact, it's more than enough. It's a gracious gift. So we have two crucial lessons thus far, both showing us wrong ways to handle life and its relationships. Number one, the comfortless life is miserable. Number two, the jealous life is miserable. And now a third lesson, and our last lesson for today, appears in verses seven to eight. Lesson three, the miserly life is miserable. The miserly life is miserable. Verse seven says, then I looked again at vanity under the sun. Solomon's beginning a new lesson, and it involves a particularly heinous example of vain living. Verse eight, There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Notice the word dependent. The Hebrew literally is the word second. Solomon's describing a certain man who has no second, no second one, that is no partner to be with him or that to whom he can offer support. In other words, Solomon's describing a man who is all alone. He has no wife, no family, no close friends, no business partners, no one with whom to share his work or his life. Furthermore, he has no one to whom he can pass on a legacy. The text says explicitly he has no son or brother, no one who can carry on the family name, no one who can inherit his goods. Yet we're told, and again this should be a little shocking to us, there was no end to all his labor. Even though this man has no one to support except himself, he never stops working. He's what we would call today a workaholic. His motto is rest is for the dead. There's always work to be done, money to be made, deals to be struck. And he's probably pretty good at his work because he never stops doing it. But is he happy? Solomon adds in the next line, indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches. How very sad. Not only is he totally alone, but he doesn't even enjoy his wealth. No matter how much he makes, it isn't enough. The phrase, his eyes are not satisfied with riches, is literally, his eye does not eat its fill with wealth. His craving gaze is never full, never sated, never fulfilled. He wants more money, more possessions, more wealth, more achievements. And so he never stops, never stops his solitary work. Now the next line is very interesting. Solomon continues, and he never asked, and for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure? This question draws attention again to the lonesome nature of this man's existence. Since he has no one else to please or support, why is he working so much? For all throughout his work, we're told he's actually depriving himself of pleasure, depriving himself of good. That is, in order to save money and work more, he never takes time to actually enjoy the wealth that he has. In other words, this man is not only a workaholic, he is a miser. He's a penny pincher. All he's concerned with is making and saving money. He's the kind of rich person who will eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day and walk about in the same shabby set of clothes just to save money. He doesn't have time for people, doesn't have time for rest, and doesn't even have time for enjoyment. Really, he's the Mr. Scrooge of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. So the glaring question is, what is it all for? We already know that this man has no companions. It's not like he's even doing it for them. Why live this vain and ultimately miserable life? Now, if you're using the New American Standard, you may notice that the words, and he never asked, I think there's an equivalent in many other translations, it's listed in italics, which is the translator's way of telling you that the words don't appear in the original Hebrew, but they've been supplied to help make sense of what is there. And the reason the New American Standard translators supply this is because it's otherwise so jarring. It doesn't even make total sense. We go straight from this statement, his eyes were not satisfied with riches, to, and for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasures? There's no introduction to that statement. And did you notice there's another shift? He moves from talking about this man in the third person, he, to talking about him in the first person, I. And in so doing, Solomon introduces a certain amount of what I think is purposeful ambiguity in the text. Is Solomon reporting the dejected self-reflection of this miser in a sudden moment of clarity? Is Solomon observing the question the miser foolishly never asks himself as the new American standard would have us understand it? Or, in fact, is Solomon thinking about his own life in light of the miser's folly? He sees this man, he says, what a fool, but what about me? It's easy to shake your head at an Ebenezer Scrooge, but you need to ask yourselves, do you, in fact, live in a similar way? How devoted are you to your work? Is it to the point that you don't really have time for people? You work, you go home and veg a little bit, and then you go back to work. Are you so concerned about the future that you don't really have any time for rest or even enjoyment now? Maybe you tell yourself, yeah, it's true. I don't really get to see my family because I work all the time. But I do it for them. They know that I love them. Do they? Have you asked them about that? Might they not actually rather that you work less or work a different job so that you can spend more time with them? Yes, maybe it means you do live in a smaller house, or you only have one car instead of two, or maybe a cheaper car than the one that you have. My friends, we need to be careful when it comes to work, because as difficult as work is, it can become an addicting escape. Maybe there's some reality you just want to get away from. Maybe relationships are not great at home, and the work of restoration is too painful and difficult. Or maybe you just really love the commendations and that sense of greatness and accomplishment you get from doing your work. And so, you pour yourself into it. You ignore your family, you ignore your friends, you ignore your church, and think, just a little more money, just a little more achievement, and I'll finally feel whole, and that pain will go away. Solomon has sad news for you. You're not going to find what you're looking for. The more you achieve, and the more you have, the less satisfied you are. And those painful realities that you're trying to escape, you can never truly escape them. There's no hope in workaholism. The gain you're looking for in your work, it will never arrive. It is a mirage that you're chasing after. And meanwhile, you must sacrifice what makes life better just to try and grasp that vapor. Now it's true, in terms of monetary savings and productivity, the workaholic, miserly life, it's hard to beat. But the cost to your soul is too great. It's interesting, the end of verse 8 Solomon says, This too is vanity, and it is a grievous task. It's not worth it. But the phrase grievous task, it could also be translated bad business, which I feel like is quite ironic. You want to talk about a foolish financial venture, a bad business deal? It's the workaholic's life. It's the miser's life. All wealth, all achievement, it's vapor. And when worshiped, it is the false god. that will never satisfy, but it will doom your soul. Just as Jesus says, Mark 8 36, for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? Solomon is exposing for us foolish ways to approach life and to approach our relationships in it. And in contrast, consider the wisdom of God's way. You know what actually is the best way to enjoy your work and even to enjoy whatever wealth you have? It's by sharing it with others. It's not by being devoted to work. It's not by hoarding wealth. It's by sharing it with others. And can't we again verify this by our own experience? Good food, it tastes better when you eat it with someone else who's enjoying it. Or a joke is funnier when your friends are also laughing. And work is more satisfying when you complete it as a team. The miser has it all backwards, so we must not. This is the wisdom of God to you today. If you really want to be wise, if you really want to enjoy life, then you must realize life is better together. Don't suffer alone. Don't jealously strive against others. And don't ignore others for the sake of chasing after some vapor. There's a better way. It's walking with God and accepting the gift of companionship. Now, you won't be able to do that. You won't be able to accept this wisdom as long as you still believe in a false God. That is to say, as long as you believe there is some ultimate good, some gain in this world, that if you just received it, you'd be happy, you'd be secure, you'd be saved. Solomon has already shown us that such does not exist in this fallen world. And if you keep searching for it, seeking after it, striving for it, you're only gonna be frustrated. The only true gain in this world is really something outside of this world, and that is God. That is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is good and the source of all good. If you know Him, And if you have Him, you already have the greatest treasure. That's what Jesus says, right? John 17, 3. This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. If you want gain, that is the only gain there is. You have to give up your own ideas of what gain should be. You have to stop looking for it in this world. It's only in God. But once you find that, once you embrace that, You repent of your old foolish way, and you instead, by faith, take hold of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Once you do that, then you can actually accept and enjoy the gifts of this world, the little gifts, including companionship. Life is better together. Now perhaps this sermon is starting to sound a little bit like a Christmas movie to you. You know, those Christmas movies, they're always about how, you know, it's all about others, life is better together. And I think part of that is just God's grace. Even people in the world understand this truth to a certain extent. But the problem with the Christmas movies is that they make too much of companionship. They make life all about companionship. And that is also an error. Actually, that's what we're going to see when we come back to this passage. Companionship is a gift, but it's not gain. It's not the way to lasting gain, because even your companions will not be everything you want them to be, and they can't do everything that you would like them to do. Even companions are something that we should not look for too much out of. Nevertheless, they are a gift from God to us. We should make sure we receive and enjoy that gift. So this morning as we end, ask yourselves, do I seek companions? Do I accept companions? Or do I try and go through life alone? Even if I have people around me, am I really just trying to go it alone? That's why we love gathering together as a church. That's why we'd like to see more people gather together with us as a church. That's part of a life that is better together. As I said, companionship is a gracious gift of God. Make sure you're not neglecting it. Let's make sure we're not neglecting it as a church. Let's pray. Lord God, we thank you for this word. We thank you for the church. We thank you for the friendships, the companionships, just the way the different people minister to us and that we are able to minister to them in our lives. And this has been made possible by your kindness and by the Lord Jesus Christ, because he, first of all, Jesus, you, first of all, became our friend. You are a relational God. And you not only became a friend, but you became our Lord, you became our Savior, you became our God, and you brought us into a new family. Jesus, we thank you that you are with us always, those of us who know you. Father, we thank you that you have come and made your home with us. Spirit, we are thankful that you also are with us and empowering us, strengthening us for every day. But oh God, if there's anyone here who does not really know what it is to have you as their God, does not know the saving friend who is the Lord Jesus, I pray Lord that they would see the folly of looking for gain in all the vapors of this world. Instead, repent of that. Repent of a foolish way, really an evil way as your other scriptures testify. and come to you, come to you for mercy, come to you for kindness and salvation. Lord God, I pray that we would, having experienced that, now be living it out in the relationships we enjoy with one another. Not for ultimate gain, but as part of the gift, part of our calling that you've given us, even really part of the way you've designed us as being made in your image to live life together. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, please stand as we sing a few songs together.