Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Ecclesiastes 1 - Searching for Satisfaction

Episode Date: February 24, 2022

In this series, Jonny Ardavanis explore the main themes in the book of Ecclesiastes. Follow along as Solomon searches for meaning and significance in a world of futility and brokenness.Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artavanis and this is Dial In. In this new series, we are going to look at a book in scripture that has played such a pivotal role in my own life and a book that speaks to every worldview under the sun. And as we understand it, Ecclesiastes will help us to live in the real world. Over the next couple months, I'll plan to release hopefully one episode a week exploring the major themes throughout Solomon's book, Ecclesiastes. Let's dial in. Everybody under the sun is asking a common question. Where can meaning be found? And here's their conclusion. Mick Jagger, one of the greatest

rock and roll singers of all time, his most famous lyric, I try, I try, and I try, but I can't get no what? Satisfaction. But not just artists who struggle with this question, also athletes. In June 2005, 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Croft spoke with the New England Patriots quarterback at the time, Tom Brady, about his success on and off the field. And here is what the young man at that time said about his life that surprised everyone. Tom Brady says, why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? He says, I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, hey man, this is it, you've arrived. I've reached my goal, my dream, my life. But I think, man, it's gotta be more than this. I mean, this can't be all it's cracked up to be. I mean, I've done it. I'm 27 and what else is there for me? Steve Croft from 60 minutes responds and says, well, what's the answer, Tom? And Tom replies, I wish I knew.

I wish I knew. This isn't just the opinion of celebrities or athletes or artists. The entire world is full of angst and searching for the answer to the question, where can meaning be found? One writer describing the baby boomer generation says, We live in a world where people are living longer, working longer, and then nursing their disappointment that they never became what they wanted. And now the self-aware are less self-fulfilled than they expected and consequently full of self-pity. But it's not just the generation that precedes younger millennials and Gen Zers. One writer describes the American paradox. He writes that people are growing up hearing that they can be anything they want to be, but they don't know what they want to be. And there seems to be no cause for their unhappiness, which makes them

even more unhappy. They are more connected to more people than anyone in all of history. And yet they have never felt more alone. The more they want to be accepted, the more alienated they feel. They have never had so much, and conversely, have never felt like they have so little. The world is looking for the answer to the question, where can meaning be found? And maybe this is your own question as you lie awake at night. You scan your phone, peruse some pictures, put it down, stare at the ceiling, re-fluff your pillow, adjust your sleeping position, try to sleep, can't sleep, pick up your phone again, swipe, scroll, and then stare at the ceiling and then repeat the following evening. Every worldview under the sun is trying to answer

this question. Atheism, communism, Marxism, humanism, all are searching for the answer to life's most fundamental question. How can my life be full? And into a world like this, the Bible speaks. And over the next few weeks, as we look at Ecclesiastes, we are going to see that the Bible is unfailingly and compellingly relevant. Ecclesiastes is found in the section of your Bibles that contains wisdom literature. This book is written by Solomon. It says the son of David, the king of Israel. And that's what we read in first one. But let's first ask the question, who is Solomon? Well, Solomon has more wealth, fame, women, pleasure, success, power, wisdom than you will

ever, ever have. And I want you to just picture this with me because sometimes we go, women, pleasure, success, power, wisdom than you will ever, ever have. And I want you to just picture this with me because sometimes we go, yeah, Solomon was rich, but how rich was he? Well, in second Chronicles nine, we read that Solomon received 25 tons of gold every single year. Like that was his allowance. When I was growing up, I got two bucks a week for taking out the trash. Solomon receives 25 tons of gold every single year. So how much does a ton weigh? Well, 2,000 pounds. So 25 tons equals 50,000 pounds of gold a year. Now, the price of gold currently fluctuates around $2,000 an ounce. So there's 16 ounces in a pound, $32,000 for every pound of gold, but he's got 50,000 pounds coming to him.

So that means Solomon's rough allowance is $1.6 billion. But then you have to consider that we have to adjust for inflation, 3% a year for the last 3,000 years. So $1.6 billion times 9,000%. And you come up with a rough allowance of $14 trillion for King Solomon. And Solomon says, come at me, Bezos and Elon. I'm rich. Second Chronicles 9.22 says, King Solomon, watch the words here, became greater than all of the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all of the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. But not only was this dude wealthy, 1 Kings 11.3, you know this, Solomon

had 700 wives and 300 concubines. This is our preacher king, the author. And here's the chipper introduction to his book. Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. If anyone should have found satisfaction and meaning in life, it would have been King Solomon. But the introduction to his book reads vanity of vanities. Now this Hebrew word habel is often translated as meaningless in some translations of the Bible, but this translation falls short of the accurate meaning of the text. So what does King Solomon mean when he says everything is vanity? Well, in order for me to explain this, I want you to picture a memory, if you will, of my childhood. When I was growing up in Chicago, I used to go outside in a cold

winter morning. And what's the first thing that I would do when I got outside? Well, I would breathe into the cold air to see my breath. But as quickly as I did, that breath would soon disappear. And this is how Solomon describes life. This is how he describes your life. He is saying life is like a breath into cold air. It's fleeting. It's like trying to grab smoke when you blow out a candle or your breath on a cold winter morning. Life is elusive. It's like a whisper spoken into the wind. You try to grab it, but it's gone.

Life is the merest of breaths, says Solomon. And scripture elsewhere is going to say that we are also like grass. Psalm 103 says, as for man, his days are like grass. Psalm 103 says, as for man, his days are like grass. When the wind passes over it, it is gone and its place knows it no more. Solomon says, this is life. This is your life. This is my life. Life is a breath like a blade of grass here and then blown away by the wind. And because life is so fleeting and transient, Solomon is going to ask a question in verse three that sets up the rest of this chapter. He says, what advantage does man have? What gain does he have in all of his work under the sun? Now, this idea here of under the sun is going to be used nearly 30 times in this book. And it's referring to life from an earthbound perspective. It has nothing to do with the weather, but it has to do with

life in the material world and life without considering eternity. Solomon, after considering the fleeting reality of life, asks the question in verse three, what actually lasts? And when he asks the question, what does man gain? He's not talking about paychecks. I believe he's talking about something else. And I'll tell you what that is. But first, let me tell you about my pet hamster. When I was growing up, we had a pet hamster.

And all day long, that hamster would be running in its cage and running in the little wheel that he had. And where would the hamster be going? Well, absolutely nowhere. He'd be huffing and puffing on the thing all day long, going absolutely nowhere. And this is what Solomon is alluding to. He's saying life is like a race on a hamster wheel.

You run and you run and you run, and then you absolutely go nowhere. And he's frustrated by the reality and the inevitability of his looming death because he's asking, what actually lasts? What's the lasting monument of my life until I'm buried six feet under? Solomon is frustrated because no matter how high he ascends, he will eventually descend six feet under in a box. Death is the great equalizer. So when he asked this question, what does man gain? He is asking, what is my lasting contribution? Then Solomon is going to say in verses 4 through 7, its circular courses, the wind returns. All of the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full.

To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again. Solomon is drawing our attention, think with me, to the cyclical nature of life. It's rhythmic repetition. He says the wind goes around and around. The sun goes up and down. All of the streams flow into the sea, yet it's never Solomon is saying everything is on this cyclical circuit. It's like a treadmill, and this is the way that life is conducted, and it'll continue to be conducted in that manner even after he has died. Four years from now, your alarm will go off, and maybe if you're a student or if you're already in this rhythm, your alarm will go off and you'll brush your teeth. You'll drink some coffee. You'll

drive to work. You'll have meetings at work. You'll go to lunch, eat Chipotle, come back, go back to work, drive home, sit in traffic, debate. If you want to go to the gym, listen to the same playlist you've been listening to for the last year, you'll get home, sit in traffic, debate if you want to go to the gym, listen to the same playlist you've been listening to for the last year. You'll get home, eat dinner, watch TV, go to bed, and then the next day you'll do the exact same thing over and over again. And Solomon is saying this is how life is. It's cyclical. And one writer says, we go to school so we can work, so we can eat, so we can stay alive, so we can keep on working, so we can keep on eating, so we can stay alive. And Solomon draws

our attention to the cyclical silliness of life. And then in verse eight, he says, all things are wearisome. Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. Solomon is saying, I just want more. Question for you. Do you ever wonder at your constant maneuver to outdo boredom? Solomon draws our own thinking to the reality that life under the sun has a huge appetite. Then in verse nine, Solomon is going to say that which has been is that which will be, and that which has been done is that which will be done. So is there anything new under the sun? Solomon draws our attention to the reality that

humans long to come across something that breaks the cycle of the repetition he has already mentioned. We long for novelty. So we seek something new, a new exploration, a new invention. And you might be saying, Solomon doesn't get it. I'm going to change the way medicine is done. But Solomon says, hey, it's already been done. How many of you know the name Wilson Greatbatch? Yeah, I didn't think so. Well, Wilson Greatbatch. Yeah, I didn't think so. Well, Wilson Greatbatch invented the pacemaker and 350 other medical patents, and you don't even know his name. People used to say, well, hey, I'm going to be the first to walk on the moon. Well, here is Dr. Lewis Thomas writing for Harvard following the moon landing in 1969. He says, you can walk on the moon,

but there is nothing to do there once you arrive except for look at the earth. Solomon draws our attention to the reality that there is nothing new that can break the cycle of repetition that can truly and permanently satisfy our souls. The moon no longer scratches the itch of exploration. It must be Mars. In verse 11, Solomon says, there is no remembrance of earlier things and also of the later things which will

occur. There will be for them no remembrance among those whom will come later still. The preacher king says that our life is like a sandcastle to be wiped away by the next tide. He says there will be no remembrance of us. Now, question, how many of you guys know the name of your great-great-grandfather? Well, maybe a few, but how many of you know the name of your great-great-great-great-grandfather? Hardly any of us. Solomon alludes to the reality that would be later penned in the song by the band Kansas. Listen to these words. Now don't hang on. Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky. It slips away and all your money won't another minute by dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind. This is what Solomon is saying. There will be no remembrance of us. Why? Because we are

like dust in the wind. We are like sand castles. Solomon is saying that all of life is on this cyclical rhythmic repetition. Wind goes round and round, sun goes up and down, sea goes into the sea but never full, and when I die, the earth and nature itself won't pause for my departure and no one will remember my name. Now, the question is, what is Solomon getting at? Well, one author says this, David Gibson. He says, without the sobering perspective of

Ecclesiastes, people might assume that they're dissatisfied with life because they haven't arrived yet. They'll believe that the key to their happiness lies in reaching the goals they've set for themselves, whatever those might be. They'll medicate their symptoms by doubling down on their work, their buying, their pleasure seeking, or whatever else. In other words, they'll keep blowing more and more air into the balloon. But the problem isn't what we haven't achieved. It's not that we haven't arrived. The problem is where we are going. And David Gibson will draw our attention to what Solomon is getting at. Death is the ultimate certainty that we try to erase from our minds and busy our lives trying to avoid. We fill our life with distractions and diversions in order to

suppress the only thing in life that is certain, death itself. And in contemplating our own brevity and our own departure from this earth, Solomon is to teach us how to live as we would wish we had when we come to die. Because our end is certain, the question Solomon seeks to answer throughout the book is, how do I live my short life well? Is there life before death? Now, maybe the question Solomon asks is one that you have asked before. How should I live my short life well? Your question then, and Solomon's question, is the question you must ask because God is the one who has hardwired that musing within your mind. Ecclesiastes 1.13 says, And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven.

It is a grievous task, watch this, that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with. God is the one who gives the grievous task of searching for meaning in an otherwise meaningless world. God provides us with this baffling truth. And any attempt to unscramble the riddle of life under the sun without the revelation of God's truth is destined to emptiness. And this is why Augustine says, oh God, you have made us for yourself. And our hearts are restless until they find our rest in you. When we try to find meaning in the things of the world, regardless of the endeavor, no matter how new or novel it may seem, it is at best broken efforts by broken people in a broken world. But when we

consider the vanity of everything around us, including our own life, we are prompted and impelled to look for meaning beyond the sun. It is only then that after considering the vanity of everything around us that we see the value, if you're in Christ, that Jesus brings to those who find their hope, identity, and purpose in him. Solomon asks the question, is there life before death? And Jesus responds in John 10, 10, I have come to give you life and life to the fullest. Stay dialed in.