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The Bible Breakdown
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The Bible Breakdown
Ecclesiastes 02: Contentment is Key
What if you’re chasing happiness in all the wrong places? Join us as we unpack Solomon’s deep dive into life’s pleasures, wealth, and achievements, only to find them utterly meaningless without a focus on God. Drawing inspiration from a hilarious Bob Newhart sketch where the therapist's advice is to simply “stop it,” we explore how much of our daily worries are unnecessary and how true contentment lies far beyond material possessions and fleeting joys.
Reflecting on Ecclesiastes 2, we'll challenge you to consider what robs you of your contentment and how to find lasting joy in what God has already provided. We'll journey through Solomon's wisdom, emphasizing that a well-lived life centers around fearing God and obeying His commands, as highlighted in Ecclesiastes 12:13. Tune in for an enlightening conversation and join our Bible Breakdown discussion group on Facebook to share your thoughts and takeaways.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Well, everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. Ecclesiastes, chapter 2, and today's title is Contentment is King, contentment is King. I don't know if you've ever done this before, but I was watching these YouTube videos of these old comedy shows that they used to call them variety shows, and there was one that had a guy named Bob Newhart and in it he was acting like he was a therapist and the person who comes in to receive therapy, talk therapy from this therapist. They're talking about all of these different anxieties that they have, and every time they would finish saying something. He would say well, I know exactly what to do. And he would just look at them and say really loud stop it. And they were like what do you mean? Just just stop it, stop it, okay, what else is your problem? And then this lady would say well, you know, I have a fear that if I go outside, something bad's going to happen. Okay, stop it. Okay, what's next? And his answer for everything was just to stop it, just just stop, you know. And at the end of it all, she kind of gets mad at him and he's like well, you need to stop that too. And it was just this whole comedy thing that, instead of someone actually trying to provide answers, they just say stop it.
Speaker 1:Well, psychologists actually say it's pretty wise advice and, honestly, a better way to say it would be to change the things you can and to not worry about the things you can't. Stop worrying about things you can't change. Well, one of the things that Solomon is going to do today is he's going to be kind of Bob Newhart and say listen, there's some things you're just going to have to stop it. And he's going to challenge us in a lot of ways. But before we get into that, if we jump in, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like share, subscribe to the YouTube channel and to the podcast, make sure you leave us a five Bible breakdown discussion on Facebook, because, man, the more we dig, the more we find, and I am so excited to hear what they come up with in the Bible breakdown discussion about Ecclesiastes and what your takeaways are as well.
Speaker 1:So if you have your Bibles and want to open up with me to Ecclesiastes 2, remember I was saying you know Bob Newhart, he was saying in a funny way, but it's a really true statement and that is a lot of things we worry about are never going to happen, and the things that do happen we can't control anyway. So why worry Now? That's a lot easier said than done, but as we read this together, remember this is Solomon who's writing this, this is the wisest man to ever live, and he's preaching a long sermon, and the theme of that sermon is the key to a life well-lived is a life full of God, and so he's going to talk about some other things that he considers meaningless, because it all comes back to what our focus is supposed to be, and I want you to think about that as we jump into this. So, if you're ready, ecclesiastes, chapter two, 2, verse 1, says this I said to myself come on, let's try pleasure, let's look for the good things in life. But I found that this, too, was meaningless, so I said laughter is silly. What good is it to seek pleasure? After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine and, while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience only the happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. Pause. According to other parts of the Old Testament, it may have taken him up to 14 years to build, to finish, his palace. Okay, that's what he means by big homes, a lot of homes, all right, verse 5.
Speaker 1:I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold and the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire. Lord, help us All right, verse 9. Concubines I had everything a man could desire. Lord, help us All right, verse 9.
Speaker 1:So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, the rewards of all my labors. But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless, like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. In other words, think about this for a moment. Imagine you were the richest person you knew. You were a Warren Buffett, an Elon Musk, jeff Bezos, this level person. Literally, you could have anything he's saying. I literally tried to find happiness, to find contentment in having whatever I wanted, which is what a lot of us think. Well, if I can only have whatever I wanted, things would be better. And he said no, it honestly did not help me find contentment. It was like chasing the wind. All right, let's keep going. Verse 12.
Speaker 1:So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness, for who can do this better than I, the king? I thought wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness, for the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark. Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate Both will die. So I said to myself, since I will end up as the same as the fool, what value is all of my wisdom? This is all so meaningless For the wise and foolish. Both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool In the days to come. Both will be forgotten.
Speaker 1:So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling, everything is meaningless, like chasing the wind. So pause again. So what he was talking about is he was talking about how many of us work so hard to try to make a legacy, to try to do something that lives beyond us. And what he's saying is unfortunately, how many people do you know that live 30 minutes away from you? Nobody right, and most likely you don't know any of the people that live five, six doors down from where you live. So he's saying that foolish and wise people most of them, when they die, unfortunately they're forgotten. So then what's the use in trying so hard? So he's really, like we said yesterday, he's like a dark rain cloud kind of guy. He's saying so many things that I thought made life, life is actually meaningless. So very cheerful guy, verse 18.
Speaker 1:I came to hate all my hard work here on the earth, for I must leave it to others Everything I have earned. Who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained. But my skill and my hard work under the sun. How meaningless. So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. Some people work wisely, with knowledge and skill. Then they must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn't worked for it.
Speaker 1:So too is meaningless, a great tragedy. So what do I get in this life for all this hard work and anxiety? Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief. Even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless. So here it is, verse 24. So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. So who can eat and enjoy anything apart from him? God gives wisdom, knowledge and joy to those who please him, but if a sinner becomes wealthy, god takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless, like chasing the wind. So really, what he was saying is is after all of this stuff and me worrying about all this stuff, I need to just stop it. Stop it, find contentment in the simple things of life, because I found that the simple things of life are the things that come from the Lord. Wow, so very challenging.
Speaker 1:So, to get ready to end our time together, I want to know in the comments down below in the YouTube video what do you find steals your contentment Solomon talked about. First of all. He said he tried to find it in pleasure. He thought by chasing the good life, chasing the things that everybody else chases, it would find contentment, but really he said it was just nothing. Then he tried to chase after wisdom, knowing more Basically in our world. It would be getting all of the degrees and having the expertise, only to find out it doesn't. Then he said he chased work. You know the idea of if I'm going to work harder than anybody, I'm going to be the hardest working person in the room. All this and he's like, really it doesn't. Until finally I realized that it was the simple things in life and I'm going to know in the comments below what is it that tends to steal your contentment and what would it look like in your life if, like in your life, if, instead of chasing after the wind, you chased after contentment?
Speaker 1:It doesn't mean that you don't want to do the best you can. It just means that the best you can is not where you find your joy. You find your joy in what God has already given. If God gives more, praise the Lord. But if God never gives anything more than you have, praise the Lord, because the key to a life well lived is a life full of God. Let's pray together, god. Thank you so much, lord.
Speaker 1:For many of us, we struggle with contentment Because there's so many things in our life and in our world that want to try to take it away. But I'm so very thankful that you never give up on us. You're always with us, you're always for us and you continue to teach us how to trust in you for everything in our life. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. And Ecclesiastes 12, verse 13 says now here is my final conclusion Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty. In other words, make God the center of your life, and that's what a life well-lived looks like. I look forward to hearing your takeaways from this. No-transcript.
