THE SACRIFICE OF FOOLS

SERIES: “UNDER THE SUN.”

TEXT: ECCLESIASTES 5:1-20.

If you want to find real joy in life despite its hardships, look beyond religion, rulers and riches, look to the Lord your maker.

True wealth comes from the right attitude, not the right amount of money you have. So how can you learn to enjoy life despite your financial situation? How can you find joy despite its hardships? How can you rejoice even in your toilsome labour? Ecclesiastes five answers this question. The preacher starts with how to worship God. First draw near to God and listen well. Second, be quiet and stay calm, avoid careless praying-Matt. 6:7; Luke 18:10-13. Thirdly if you make a vow, keep it-Matt. 5:33-37. Just like extreme busyness causes people to dream, excessive words turn people into fools, so listen more than you speak, especially when you go to the place of worship-Matt. 6:7-8. “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without heart”-John Bunyan.

Some people think God will bless them more if they make a lot of promises to Him, but Solomon calls such promises, “The sacrifice of fools.”

Such people “are doing evil” because such people rarely keep the promises they make to themselves every year.

People fail to keep the promises they make even to themselves.

Solomon tells such people-5:4, “when you vow to God, do not delay paying it, for He has no pleasure in fools, pay what you vow.”

So keep your promises to God-5:5-6. The messenger in this context is the priest-Malachi 2:7.

The law of God says, “If you make a delay the Lord your God shall not delay fulfilling it. For the Lord your God will surely require it of you; and you will be guilty of sin”-Deuteronomy 23:21; Eccl. 5:7.

Dreamers and babblers come and go like the wind. The only imperative is to fear God. Only the fear of God is expressed by silence rather than by aimless chatter or deluded day dreaming. So if you want to find real joy and happiness in life despite its hardships:-

LOOK BEYOND RELIGION.

• Refrain from making promises to God expecting Him to bless you for it.
• Listen more than you speak in the house of God, because your empty words will leave you empty in the end.
• Some people make a promise, “God first, family second, work/career third.”
• As years go by, they find out it was the other way round, “career first, family second and God third.”
• If you want to find satisfaction and joy in life despite it hardships look beyond religion.

LOOK BEYOND RULERS AND POLITICIANS-Eccl. 5:8-9.

• The whole political systems is corrupt! Never think that political corruption is a new phenomenon.
• Solomon talked about political corruption 900 years before the birth of Christ, 2,900 years ago.
• There has always been a “deep state” of one sort or another.
• The ordinary man (mwananchi) is squashed by a government bureaucrat, who feel pressure from an even higher bureaucrat yet above him, who is forced by the president or king. The highest bureaucrat is the president who exploits the land for as much wealth and power as he can gain.
• The prophet Samuel warned Israel about the idea of kings when they demanded their first king-1^st Samuel 8:10-18.
• This happened during the reign of King Saul, then King David, King Solomon himself and worse still Solomon’s successor.
• His son Rehoboam increased taxes on the people telling them, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke, my father disciplined you with whips but I will discipline you with scorpions”-1^st Kings 12:14.
• Even good government ship into deep corruption from the lowest to the highest levels.
• So, don’t expect any satisfaction from government bureaucrats.
• If you are looking for justice look beyond government bureaucrats.
• If you want to find real joy in life despite its hardships look beyond religion, look beyond rulers and politicians and then:-

LOOK BEYOND RICHES AND WEALTH-Eccl. 5:10-12.

• Look beyond the wealth of this world, in fact expect material prosperity to disappoint, damage and desert you.
• The common laborer sleeps well after a hard day’s work, but the rich man cannot sleep because his wealth fails to satisfy him-Vs. 10.
• The money he makes disappoints him so he is always on a quest for more.
• The more goods he acquires, the more people consume his riches.
• All the rich man can do is watch his money come and go.
• More money fails to bring greater satisfaction in the long run. It may bring fleeting happiness but never any lasting joy.
• Wealth fails to satisfy, but even worse, wealth hurts the wealthy, money damages those who love it.
• Ecclesiastes 5:13, “There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun riches where kept by their owner to his heart.”
• Money makes people miserable and may ruin them morally.
• Money can damage you morally if you are not careful.
• Rich people steal more than poor people.
• People who make more money shoplift more than those with very little money.
• Because wealth fails to satisfy the wealthy; wealth hurts the wealthy-1^st 6:17.
• Wealth leaves the wealthy, money deserts those who live to acquire it-5:14.
• The rich may lose their money in a bad business venture, but they most certainty lose their money when they die-Eccl. 5:15-17.
• The only thing a rich man gains is a lifetime of “vexation, sickness and anger” then he dies and leaves his wealth behind.
• There is absolutely no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery.
• The nature of wealth is “easy come, easy go,” it is here today and gone tomorrow.
• Wealth fails to satisfy the wealthy, it ruins the wealthy and it leaves the wealthy.
• So if you want to find real joy in life, despite it hardship, look beyond, religion, look beyond rulers and politicians, look beyond riches. Instead:-

LOOK TO THE LORD-Eccl. 5:18-20.

• Find joy in a relationship with God. Get true satisfaction through personally knowing Jesus Christ.
• The verses 18-20 mention God four times. Verse 8-17, there is no mention of God.
• When all you have is money, life is miserable, but when you bring God into the picture it makes all the difference in the world.
• God gives real joy and satisfaction with or without wealth.
• Make no mistake, wealth (riches and money) is not bad in itself, it is God who gives people power to make wealth but only those who have a relationship with Him, only those who put Him first in their lives get satisfied.
• If you want to find joy and satisfaction look beyond religion, look beyond rulers and politicians, look beyond money and wealth, look to the Lord to find real joy in life despite it hardships.

CONCLUSION

• What about you? Is your trust in Jesus Christ or your possessions?
• Put your trust in the Lord and find true satisfaction.
• As for us we would rather have Jesus than silver or gold, worldwide fame, power or pleasure.