Ecclesiastes 1 – The Vanity of Life
The first chapter of Ecclesiastes frames the basic problem – what is the meaning of life?
Destined for a Throne
The king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of your Lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” (1 Kings 1:33-35)
Before he died, King David was anxious to proclaim Solomon as king and to do it in a way that would let everyone know he was really destined for the throne. David said, “Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king.” This was a rare Old Testament glimpse of all three offices in cooperation – prophet, priest, and king. All three worked together because David wanted the proclamation of Solomon as successor to be persuasive. He had five points to the plan:
– Ride on my own mule
– Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him
– Blow the horn
– Say, “Long live King Solomon!”
– He shall come and sit on my throne
We might say that God is just as concerned that we know that we are destined for a throne, that we are His sons, heirs, and that we will reign with King Jesus.
First, Jesus says to us “Ride on my own mule.” The mule was a special way of transportation – mules were rare in ancient Israel and had to be imported because of special laws against interbreeding. This was the ancient Israeli equivalent of the presidential motorcade. In the same way, Jesus says to the Christian, “Go the way I went – as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21).
In His own way, Jesus also says to His modern followers, “Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him.” He has anointed everyone of His followers with the Holy Spirit. As it says in 1 John 2:20, “you have an anointing from the Holy One.”
Jesus also wants to “Blow the horn” over His people today. He wants everyone to know about His special relationship with His people and He wants to proclaim it as loudly as possible. As it says in Hebrews 2:11, “He is not ashamed to call them brethren.”
We can also say that just as David wanted to proclaim, “Long live King Solomon!” so Jesus also wants to proclaim everlasting life and blessing to His people. As it says in John 10:28, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”
Finally – and perhaps most wonderfully – Jesus says of His people, “He shall come and sit on my throne.” We are invited to reign with Jesus as overcomers, as it says in Revelation 3:21: “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne.”
The point is beautiful – just as Solomon was destined for a throne and David wanted everyone to know it, so the Christian today is destined for a throne and Jesus wants everyone to know it. Much of what we experience in this life is simply preparation for that future reign with Jesus. Even if no one else gets the message, we who believe should know: we are destined for a throne.
Altare und Zelte
Von da zog er weiter auf das Bergland östlich von Bethel und schlug sein Zelt so auf, dass er Bethel im Westen und Ai im Osten hatte. Und er baute dort dem HERRN einen Altar und rief den Namen des HERRN an. (1. Mose 12,8)
Gott hatte Abram gesagt, er solle sein Land verlassen und zu einem Ort gehen, den Gott ihm zeigen würde. Gottes gibt uns selten die Begründung für Seine Befehle, auch wenn wir manchmal glauben, wir könnten die Gründe einfordern.
Auch wenn Gott uns selten den Grund für Seine Befehle gibt, gibt Er uns doch oft Vergheißungen dafür. Ohne zu sehr ins Detail zu gehen, verhieß Gott Abram ein Land, eine Nation und Segen. Wenn Abram das bekommen wollte, musste er Gott gehorchen. Auch wenn sein Gehorsam sich langsam entwickelte, tat er das.
Wahrer Glaube nimmt sowohl Gottes Verheißungen als auch Seine Befehle an. Der große schottische Prediger Alexander Maclaren sagte: „Der Glaube einiger Menschen erfreut sich an Gottes Verheißungen, jedoch nicht an Seinen Geboten. Das ist kein Glaube. Wer Gott beim Wort nimmt, muss alle Seine Worte annehmen. Es gibt keinen Glauben ohne Gehorsam; es gibt keinen echten Gehorsam ohne Glauben.“
Bevor Abrams Glaube die Verheißung für ein Land vollständig erben konnte, musste er Gott gehorchen und sein altes Land und seine Familie verlassen. Gott verlangt immer noch, dass diejenigen, die ein neues Leben in Jesus bekommen, sich von den zerstörerischen Aspekten ihres alten Lebens trennen. Du kannst nicht beides haben. Entweder wird dich dein Glauben von der Welt trennen oder die Welt wird dich von deinem Glauben und von Gott trennen.
1.Mose 12,8 zeigt, dass es zwei Symbole gibt, die zu einem echten Menschen des Glaubens gehören: das Zelt und der Altar.
Das Zelt steht für jemanden, der wie ein Reisender lebt; eine Person, die Gast oder Pilger ist. Ihnen ist klar, dass das Land, das sie bewohnen nicht ihr Zuhause ist; darum leben sie in einem Zelt und nicht in einem Haus. Jeder echte Mensch des Glaubens weiß, dass diese Welt nicht sein Zuhause ist; sie sind nur zu Besuch auf diesem Planeten. Sie sind Bürger einer besseren Stadt, des Neuen Jerusalems, das vom Himmel kommen wird und nicht auf dieser Erde errichtet werden kann. Sie leben und arbeiten auf dieser Erde, aber immer in dem Bewusstsein, dass sie in Wirklichkeit Aliens und Pilger sind. Eines Tages werden sie in ihr wahres Land reisen.
Der Altar ist das andere Kennzeichen einer wahren Person des Glaubens. Er steht für ein Leben in Anbetung und Opfer. Auch wenn diese Welt nicht unser Zuhause ist, beten wir Gott an und geben Ihm unser Leben als Opfer dar, während wir hier sind. Die Welt wird unsere Altäre der Anbetung sehen, und das wird für jeden ein Zeugnis sein, dass es Menschen gibt, die Gott ehren und anbeten in diesem Land, und dass es Menschen gibt, die Opfer bringen für ihren Gott.
Möge Gott uns die Kraft und die Gnade geben, solche Menschen zu sein, die für immer so leben, dass sie das Zelt des Pilgers und den Altar des Anbeters bezeugen.
Auf Gott setzen
„Denn für das Werk des Christus ist er dem Tod nahe gekommen, da er sein Leben gering achtete, um mir zu dienen an eurer Stelle.“ (Philipper 2,30)
Die Christen von Philippi hatten eine enge Beziehung zu Paulus. Sie schickten sogar einen besonderen Botschafter zu ihm, der ihm Ermutigung und Unterstützung aus Philippi bringen sollte, während Paulus im Gefängnis war. Der Botschafter, namens Epaphroditus, wurde auf seiner Reise krank.
Das edle Herz von Epaphroditus war offensichtlich, da er das Werk Jesu an erste Stelle setzte und seine persönliche Sicherheit an die zweite. Er war bereit, etwas Extremes für Gott zu tun. Paulus schrieb sogar, dass Epaphroditus sein eigenes Leben gering achtete – doch als er das schrieb, benutzte er einen bestimmten Ausdruck, der es wert ist, genau betrachtet zu werden.
Der Ausdruck „sein Leben gering achten“ wurde zur Zeit des Paulus in Spielerkreisen benutzt. Er bedeutete, dass man alles auf den Fall der Würfel setzte. Paulus meinte, dass Epaphroditus für Jesus Christus alles setzte. Was sind wir bereit für Jesus zu riskieren? Die Menschen heute riskieren unglaublich viel für Ruhm, Vermögen oder nur einen Adrenalinschub. Doch sind wir bereit, etwas für Gott zu riskieren? Vielleicht ist das ein guter Weg, um herauszufinden, wer oder was unser Gott ist – unser Gott ist das, wofür das größte Risiko eingehen. Was ist dein Gott?
In der Zeit der frühen Gemeinde gab es eine Gruppe von Männern und Frauen, die sich selbst „die Spieler“ nannten. Es ist dasselbe griechische Wort wie hier in Philipper 2,30. Ihr Ziel war es, die Gefangenen und Kranken zu besuchen, insbesondere diejenigen, die an gefährlichen und infektiösen Krankheiten litten. Wenn eine Plage eine Stadt heimsuchte, warfen die Gesunden die Leichen auf die Straßen und flohen in Panik. Doch die Spieler – diese Christen, die alles für Jesus riskierten – begruben die Toten und halfen den Kranken so gut sie konnten, und riskierten so ihr Leben, um die Liebe Jesu zu zeigen.
Wenn ein Spieler ein Risiko eingeht, besteht immer die Möglichkeit, dass er verliert. Aber wenn wir Gottes „Spieler“ sind – so wie es Epaphroditus war – können wir niemals verlieren. Was will Gott von dir, das riskant ist? Für manche von uns ist Gehorsam in einem bestimmten Gebiet zu riskant. Doch der einzige Weg zu gewinnen ist, den Einsatz auf Gott zu setzen und alles zu riskieren. Wir können nicht verlieren, wenn wir auf Gott setzen.
The Strange Boast
I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (1 Corinthians 15:31)
Paul’s general topic in 1 Corinthians 15 is the resurrection of Jesus and the resurrection of the Christian. Some among the Corinthian Christians denied the resurrection of the believer, and Paul referred to the resurrection of Jesus as proof of the coming resurrection His followers. That wasn’t the only proof Paul offered to affirm the principle of the resurrection. He also used his own life as an example, essentially saying “I would be crazy to live this life of sacrifice and difficulty unless there was the hope of resurrection to make it worth it.” It’s in this context that Paul decided to brag a little bit.
When Paul wrote, “I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord” he let the Corinthian Christians know that he would brag a little bit. His boasting was both “in you” (that is, in the Corinthian Christians) and “in Christ Jesus.” What did Paul boast about? That he would die daily.
For most of us, it doesn’t seem like anything to brag about. I suggest that Paul turned the Corinthian obsession with image and success on its head. They bragged about their intellect and their secret knowledge and their spirituality and even their great love, but they would never brag about dying daily.
The Greek commentator Vincent said that the sense of “I die daily” is “I am in constant peril of my life.” Paul’s life was so on the edge for Jesus Christ that he could say I die daily. His life was always on the line; there were always people out to kill him. An example of this is in Acts 23:12-13, when more than forty men took a vow that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. With enemies like that, no wonder Paul could say, I die daily – and that was his boast!
It is important to understand that when Paul says, “I die daily” he did not mean the spiritual identification he had with the death of Jesus. He did not speak of the spiritual putting to death of the flesh. He meant the constant imminent danger to his physical life. It is important and useful for a Christian to daily reckon themselves dead to sin with Jesus Christ (as in Romans 6:11, Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord). But to use this statement “I die daily” to support that truth isn’t correct, because in context Paul wrote about the danger to his physical life.
That made sense for Paul and perhaps also for those brave Christians around the world today who face persecution. But what about us? How can we die daily in this sense? Charles Spurgeon gave some ways to do this in a sermon titled Dying Daily.
– Carefully consider the certainty of death
– Hold this world with a loose hand
– Every day, seriously examine your hope and experience of God
– Just as you did at conversion, come every day to the cross of Jesus as a poor and guilty sinner
– Live in such a manner that you would not be ashamed to die at any moment
– Have all your practical affairs in order so that you are ready to pass from this world to the next
This week, ask God to help you to die daily – and do it in full hope and assurance of our resurrection.
Colossians 1:1-20 – The Person and Work of Jesus Christ
David Guzik Sermon on
Colossians 1:1-20 – The Person and Work of Jesus Christ
Altars and Tents
And Abram moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 12:8)
God had told Abram to get out of his country and go to the place God would show him. God’s commands rarely come with reasons, though sometimes we feel the right to demand them.
Though God rarely gives reasons, He often gives promises with His commands. Without going into great detail, God promised Abram a land, a nation, and a blessing. However, if he was to make them his own, he had to follow through and be obedient to God. Though his full obedience was a slow in coming, it came.
True faith will embrace both God’s promise and His command. The great Scottish preacher Alexander Maclaren said: “Some people’s faith says that it delights in God’s promises, but it does not delight in His commandments. That is no faith at all. Whoever takes God at His word, will take all His words. There is no faith without obedience; there is no true obedience without faith.”
Before Abram’s faith could fully inherit the promise of receiving a land, it had to obey God’s command to separate from his old country and his family. God still requires that those who will receive new life in Jesus separate themselves from the damaging aspects of their old life. You really can’t have it both ways. Either your faith will separate you from the world, or the world will separate you from your faith and your God.
Genesis 12:8 shows there are two emblems that can always be associated with a true man or woman of faith: the tent and the altar.
The tent speaks of someone who lives as a traveler; a person who is a sojourner or a pilgrim. They recognize that the land they are in is not their home; therefore they live in a tent, not a house. Every true man and woman of faith recognizes that this world is not their home; they are only visiting this planet. They are citizens of a better country, of a New Jerusalem that will come down from heaven, not one that can be built on this earth. They live and work on the earth, but always with the consciousness that they are really aliens and pilgrims; they will one day travel on to their true country.
The altar is the other mark of the man or woman of faith. It speaks of a life of worship and sacrifice. Though this world is not our own, while we are here we will worship our God, and give our life to Him as a sacrifice of service. The world will see our altars of worship, and they will testify to everyone that there are those who honor and worship God in this land, that there are those who will sacrifice in order to please their God.
May God grant us the power and the grace to be such examples, and to forever live lives that testify to the tent of the pilgrim and the altar of the worshipper.