Sermon Outline, Third Sunday After Epiphany

Sermon Outline, Third Sunday After Epiphany January 16, 2006

INTRODUCTION
How are we to live in this world of vapor? Solomon tells us again and again to rejoice (e.g., 5:19-20), and implies that this joy comes in community with others. That theme of community is explicit in chapter 4, as Solomon reflects on the evils that destroy neighborliness and the benefits of friendship.

THE TEXT
“Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, but they have no comforter – on the side of their oppressors there is power, but they have no comforter . . . .” (Ecclesiastes 4:1-16).


OPPRESSION
Power is not equitably distributed, and Solomon knows that those with power often use it tyrannically, while those who are oppressed have no power or powerful friends to help. The evil that Solomon highlights is the evil of suffering injustice without comfort, without friends, without support. Suffering alone is so bad that it is better not to have lived at all (4:3). But Jesus has redeemed even this: Because He suffered alone, abandoned by His disciples, we know that He is our Comforter in all oppression.

Over and over, Yahweh warned Israel that they were supposed to be different, defending the weak rather than preying on them (e.g., Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Proverbs 14:31; Zechariah 7:10). Yet, Israel and her kings frequently ignored these commands (cf. 1 Kings 21; 2 Kings 21). When Solomon notes how common oppression is, he is not encouraging indifference. Righteous living involves taking up the cause of the weak against the oppressive strong (Psalm 82:3; Isaiah 1:16-17).

ENVY
What makes people strive for the vaporous wealth of this world? Solomon says that envy is the driving force behind the vain pursuit of “gain” (Ecclesiastes 4:4). In our world, envy has become a virtue; discontent and covetousness is the oil that keeps our consumer economy running. Scripture repeatedly condemns envy (Mark 7:22; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 13:4; Galatians 5:21; Titus 3:3). Solomon says that envy is not only sinful, but destructive of community and the envious who attempt to be first in everything are trying to sculpt vapor and shepherd wind. Community cannot be built on rivalry; Christian community is built on mutual service. Paul envisions a body in which all contribute, and everyone benefits from the gifts and goods of everyone else.

WITHDRAWAL
If envy is one of the solvents of community, self-centered withdrawal is another. Solomon says that the fool does not extend his hands in work or in generosity, and in the end he eats up himself (4:5). The man who labors alone without regard for others is also restless (4:6). Solomon gives a vignette of the fool who labors in isolation, and suddenly realizes that he is dissatisfied with his wealth and has no one to share it with (vv. 7-8). No matter how financially successful, work that separates us from others (because we ascend to a higher tax bracket, or because we become ascetic workaholics, or because we are striving for superiority) is a “grievous task” (v. 8).

COMMUNITY, LABOR, AND STRENGTH
On the positive side, friendship and community has many benefits. It is a good thing to work for the benefit of another (vv. 7-8); work is good if it leads to generous love. Two, moreover, can accomplish more in their labor than one (vv. 9-10), and two can rest in comfort together (v. 11). Verse 12 takes us back to the issue of oppression: A man with friends can resist the oppressor.


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