Is There But One Upright Man?

weeks to finish out the book of Ecclesiastes. And so we're today in Ecclesiastes chapter 7, starting with verse 15, and we'll read through verse 29, the words of Solomon, the wisdom of God, and the pursuit of wisdom. Solomon for us today, Ecclesiastes chapter 7, verse 15, and this is God's word. In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these, a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. Do not be over-righteous, neither be over-wise, why destroy yourself? Do not be over-wicked, and do not be a fool, why die before your time? It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes. Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city. There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you. 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your heart that many times you have been wronged, and you know in your heart that many times you have been wronged, and you know in your heart that many times you have been wronged, and you know in your heart that many times you have been wronged, and you know in your heart that many times you have been wronged, and you know in your heart that many times you have been wronged, and you know in your heart that many times you have been wronged, and you know in your heart that many times you have been wronged, until we truly find Christ. We're saved, but we're being saved, We're saved, but we're being saved, and we will be saved, and this is the truth of God's word. and we will be saved, and this is the truth of God's word. We must apply ourselves and connect ourselves to all the things that God is doing in this world. We must apply ourselves and connect ourselves to all the things that God is doing in this world. We must look at them and say, how is God acting in this particular circumstance? We must look at them and say, how is God acting in this particular circumstance? So we come to today's text, and we're immediately confronted by a puzzle that has stumped man throughout the ages. Look at verse 15, I have seen both of these, a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness. The paradox presented to us here is stark, The paradox presented to us here is stark, and the facts make no sense. Some righteous people, we know, who depart this world at a young age, Some righteous people, we know, who depart this world at a young age, while at the same time, there are ungodly individuals who live long lives. while at the same time, there are ungodly individuals who live long lives. And as Solomon points out, there are individuals who live long in their wickedness. They spit and they kick and they swear in the very face of God. They spit and they kick and they swear in the very face of God. And they do it all their lives, and they're known for it. And they go to the grave spitting and kicking and swearing. And they go to the grave spitting and kicking and swearing. In the book of Job, it's Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, who describes the one who would live long in his wickedness. Job chapter 15, verse 25. He shakes his fists at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, He shakes his fists at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, defiantly charging against Him. And yet, the ungodly live a long life while the righteous perish. And yet, the ungodly live a long life while the righteous perish. This just ain't right. The concern of the godly is that this just doesn't seem right. The concern of the godly is that this just doesn't seem right. In fact, it seems counter to what God has declared in His Word. Recall, for example, in the Ten Commandments. We're specifically referring to the fifth commandment, Exodus chapter 20, verse 12. Honor your father and your mother. Why? So that you may live long in the land that your Lord, your God, is giving you. So that you may live long in the land that your Lord, your God, is giving you. Remember the instruction Moses gave to the people. Instructions they were to follow once they entered the promised land. Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 33. And the Word says that we would walk in all the way that the Lord, your God, has commanded you. So that, why? So that you might live long, and prosper, and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. And as we know, the record of Scripture with regard to this is mixed. Some godly people in Scripture do live a long life. The patriarchs before the flood, they lived long lives. Abraham died at a good old age, the text says. Moses lived a long life. David died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor. At the same time, we know in the Scriptures that some people died young. Abel, we believe, died young when he was killed by his brother Cain. And in the New Testament, in Acts, we hold that Stephen must have been at a young age, a relatively young age, when he was stoned to death for his witness to Christ, of Christ. And of course, in our own lives, we know of individuals, men and women, and boys and girls, who sadly die young, all while criminals live to old age. Even a member of the Manson family, who killed people, now gets out of jail, because they lived a long time. This doesn't seem right to us. How can God allow such an injustice? So what's the answer? Well, it's certainly not just to walk away from God, to completely reject God, frustrated by His measure of justice. Verse 17 says, So that wisdom we understand, we are not to choose to be wicked, nor are we to choose to deliberately sin. But it's the verse previous that we have to stop and consider, when Solomon writes, I've never encountered those two words ever anywhere. I've never heard anybody ever use the word over-righteous in a sentence. Or I've never had a discussion where the word over-wise ever comes up. This is the only place I've ever found it. Let's think about this for a moment. Shouldn't we try hard to be better? Certainly the child of God must work harder. Shouldn't we do so to try to please God? Verse 16 seems to run counter to the rest of God's Word. And it runs counter to the rest of the Bible. Here we recall the teaching of Jesus. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And also later in that text, Matthew 5, verse 48, when Jesus says, So it seems that Solomon's wisdom contrasts with the statements of Jesus when He says, Do not be over-righteous, neither be over-wise. Understand that though God calls us to perfect righteousness, what do we know? Well, we know this, we're not capable of it. We will fall short of the mark. Throughout the Old Testament, it is clearly understood that man will never be able to save himself. Verse 20, in our text today, who does what is right and never sins. Period. There's no asterisk there. There's no note in your Bible that says, well, some people really, they're okay. Not there. It says, who does what is right and never sins, period. Man will never be able to save himself. That's the story of the Old Testament, right? Man will never be able to save himself. Man will need a Savior. So the teaching in this portion of the text, verse 18, it's good to grasp one and not let go of the other. We do not let go of the pursuit of righteousness. We do not let go of the pursuit of wisdom. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes. So we ask the question, well, how much is too much? We understand that God's call to righteousness and wisdom is granted to us by God. They cannot be achieved or earned by man. You can't gin up any more righteousness. And you can't figure out a way to be more wise. Because God gives it. It's a gift from God, not achieved by man. So we come to verse 21. And if anyone hearing the statement of the universality of sin rejects his truth, Solomon then revisits the question by offering a very practical example. Is there a practical example to everyone's sins? Sure there is. Notice verses 21 and 22. Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. Okay, we don't all have servants, but here's a way that we can make the comparison that we can all relate to. Anyone here, asking the question, you don't have to answer, can anyone here do this? You utter a few choice words when someone cuts you off on the bypass. Or when someone took up two parking spots at Walmart with a wheel over the line. I know no one in Indiana does that. Or when someone at crossroads reads their stop sign not as a requirement, but merely as a suggestion. A suggestion that they then proceed to ignore. I'm not talking about anybody in this room. I'm sure I'm not. None of you have those thoughts. You've never been cut off on the bypass, so you don't have to worry about saying something that you regret saying later about the person who cut you off on the bypass. Solomon here is determined to make sense of this paradox. Notice his statement in verse 23. We've all made the statements. We've all said the same thing. And we know we can't do it. But he does it anyway. He says, I am determined to be wise. I'm going to figure this thing out. I'm going to do whatever it takes. I'm going to beat my head against a brick wall. I am going to be wise. Solomon here is making no light statements. This is not a flippant remark. Solomon is determined to acquire true wisdom and complete wisdom. He first seems reasonably certain that it is attainable. He says, I am determined to do this. I will not stop until this is completed. But then he submits to reality. Notice his resignation then in verse 23 when he says, what? But this was beyond me. Thus Solomon concludes with verse 24. He says, Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and it is most profound. Who can discover it? So how far is too far? And how profound is too deep to be comprehended? Well, the Bible has an answer for this too. Here's how far. Here's how deep. Isaiah 55. For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. The reality is that God's reasons for doing what He does rests beyond our ability to comprehend. I often wonder, I've thought about this before, I often wonder if God sat us down and really gave an explanation as to why He did a certain thing. I'm telling you guys, sit down. I'm going to tell you. Here's the reason I did what I did. If God was to do that, I'm convinced that when He got finished the explanation would probably make no sense to us whatsoever. And we probably wouldn't like it anyway. We'd probably say, nope, that can't be it. There's got to be something else. And there's a second truth here, an accompanying truth, God doesn't owe us an explanation anyway. He is God. And so He does whatever He pleases. And we need to learn to be okay with that. In other words, God is God and we are not. And there needs to be an understanding of that. So then we come to verses 25 and 26 and we find that Solomon's search for and the study of wisdom continues. Clearly Solomon is engaged and we could say perhaps obsessed with the search. We notice in verse 25 that Solomon has purposed what? He purposed to understand, to investigate and to search out. Now we know anytime that the Bible writer makes three references to the same thing in the same sentence that something serious is happening. And here it is. Solomon says, I'm doing this to understand, to investigate and to search out. Why does he have to say all three when one means the same thing? But he does it anyway because he's serious about this. His search is for the wisdom of God and he is making a diligent search. But notice what he finds in the text. The scheme of things, the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. How frustrating this has to be. Solomon seeks the wisdom of God but it seems that all he's finding is the opposite. But is this not truly also wisdom? Think about this one for a minute. And I know I'm not talking about anybody else here, so this is just a hypothetical. But how often in your life have you fallen headlong into some scheme which proved to be stupidity and madness? How often in your life have you fallen headlong into some scheme which proved to be stupidity and madness? Now, I've done it many times, numerous times, far too many times, far too many more times than I care to admit because if I did, you wouldn't have me as your pastor. And frankly, I am tired of falling for the scheme of things and the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly. I'm tired of it. I don't want to do it anymore. My prayer is like, God, please let me stop. But there I go. So how wise is wisdom? Good question. As we go through life and as we search for the wisdom of God, we know that His wisdom would tell us not only where to go and what to do, but also where not to go and what not to do. And this kind of wisdom I desperately need. May our prayer here be this. God, would you pour out such wisdom upon me and upon your people now, sufficient for the day, sufficient for our lives. Tell us where to go and tell us what to do and please tell us where not to go. Please tell us what not to do. And as we know, God's word does just that. So now we come to verses 27 through 29. Jesus in Ecclesiastes. So let's go back and let's consider a particular verse in today's text. I didn't skip over it. I was saving it for the end. Here it comes. The second half of verse 28 provides a challenge for us that we would do well to consider. So let's talk about this for a minute. First, let's consider the notion of a challenge that is before the church. Here we have a statement, verse 28. This is the one that says, I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all. Challenging text. Here we have a statement on the surface, appears anyway on the surface to draw perhaps from a notion of chauvinism, an attitude perhaps of male dominance. At least that's the way it might be portrayed in society, but even in the church as well. And we've had this discussion before, and it is an idea that pops up also when we consider the words of the Apostle Paul through the New Testament. Some of you studied Paul. Some of you studied, were in Anne's class for 1 Corinthians this spring. You know that question is there. But as you know, as you all know, we are not here to shy away from the challenges and the controversies that are present in our ongoing study of God's Word. We must face those challenges head-on because we do believe that God's Word will stand the test. We do believe that God's Word is authoritative, and we further believe that God's Word is inerrant and infallible. So then what do we do with verse 28? Verse 28, while I was still searching but not finding, I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all. And even among a congregation that is Presbyterian and Reformed and conservative and evangelical, we will have members with differing views on the matter of how to read and embrace a text like this one. So this should be our attitude when we study this text. If even one of our members has a concern with it, then it is to be a concern for all of us. Yes, we're responsible individually to study and believe, but we know that we grow in our faith and knowledge of God and in His Word in the corporate context. Right? We are the family of God and we are studying God's Word together and we're living God's Word together and we are growing together and we're serving together and God has brought us together. So we're not here by accident and we haven't stumbled in here and we haven't said, and then go somewhere else. No, no, no, no. God has brought us together and He's made us one. And He said, Right? There I go. You guys and gals are going to be studied together and figure this thing out. Okay, we can do that. Let's do it. We're responsible individually to study and believe, but we know we grow in our faith and knowledge in the corporate context. So a concern for one is a concern for all. A challenge for one is a challenge for all. If even one takes umbrage at verse 28, then let's bear this burden together. That being said, let's consider verse 28 in this context. Okay, who's the author? Well, Solomon, who also writer of the book of Proverbs. And we recall that Proverbs is structured around representations of three women. There's three women that primarily featured in Proverbs. In Proverbs we read throughout the text of the personification of wisdom. And we notice that the personification of wisdom is always presented to us in Proverbs in the feminine gender. And also, beginning with chapter five, we're confronted with warnings about the adulterous woman. And then in chapter 31, at the end of the text, Solomon ends the book with a celebration of the virtuous woman. Now Solomon may have had particular women in mind when he developed these characters, but all the Bible scholars generally hold that these three women portrayed are representative. And the same logic carries over in Ecclesiastes. So it's here in our text in verse 26 when Solomon writes, This verse does not describe a particular woman, nor does it describe women in general. Here Solomon describes sin, and he's describing the temptation to sin, and he articulates it in a manner that we might comprehend. And so he describes sin and temptation personified. And here in verse 28, Solomon is painting a picture for us of the status of his search when he says, That's what Solomon's saying in this text. So let's further consider Solomon. Who is Solomon? Well, he was king, he was the son of David, and he was the third king of Israel and Judah, but also Solomon is a sinner. He is a broken product of the fall. Solomon says he's looking for a righteous man and a righteous woman, but would he know one if he found one? This is a guy with 600 wives and concubines, and one who acquired slaves, male and female, and one who assembled a harem, which are female slaves, which are maintained solely for the purpose of sex. That's the only reason you have a harem. Solomon's mind clearly, just like yours and mine, Solomon's mind is corrupted. His understanding is distorted. His lens is cramped, and it's broken, and it's out of focus. So would Solomon know a righteous man or a righteous woman if he met one? So we must be willing to assemble together as the people of God so we might together consider the descriptions and the roles of men and women as each are distinctly portrayed and articulated throughout the Bible. We must not shy away from the discussion, and we can and must do so confidently knowing that the Bible is the Word of God, that it is inerrant and infallible and authoritative, and therefore it is wholly sufficient to communicate the truth of the Word of God. That having been said, we should not hold Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 28 in contempt, and we shouldn't even hold it at arm's length. This verse is not ground for that battle. Let's not be distracted from the wisdom that God's Word communicates here, because God's Word is communicating wisdom. Let's make sure we see it. So what does God communicate here? How should we comprehend this verse? How should we properly read it? Well, let's not read Ecclesiastes chapter 7 and verse 28 as a principle to follow. Rather, let's read it as a statement of a man doing the best he can, but coming up short, because Ecclesiastes is a book not so much about the wisdom of God, but instead it's a book about the pursuit of human wisdom, a wisdom that always fails, and a wisdom that pales in comparison to divine wisdom, the wisdom that is from God. Solomon is seeking the righteous man and the righteous woman, and isn't this the right and proper posture to take? It is wisdom that is under the sun that tells us that each of us can be the righteous person, and therefore each of us must strive to be the righteous person. And we must do this because certainly it must be that God is looking for the righteous person in order that God can reward the righteous person. Isn't this how everything is supposed to operate? And when we look at this world today, this dark and degrading and sinful world, does not the Bible stand out as the clarion call for righteousness? Yes it does, and certainly it must be that we of all people must continue to call men and women to live lives of righteousness. But what does wisdom that is under heaven say? What does the wisdom of God hold? It says this, and you know this, none are righteous, no not one, none seek after God, not even one, Psalm 14. And Solomon has already communicated this to us, we just read it a little while ago, verse 20, there is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins. Now you and I might like to volunteer for Solomon's survey, right? We might like to step forward from the line and raise our hand and say, here you go Solomon, over here, I'm one righteous person and you can count me because you can count on me. Isn't that the right and proper and holy thing to do? Then Jesus comes along. What did he say? Now we studied this a few months ago, and here it comes again. Luke chapter 5, verse 32, Jesus said, I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. The truth of the gospel, this is gospel just as much as you need to be saved, you need to love Jesus, Jesus died for your sins, this is also the truth of the gospel. The truth of the gospel is this, that none are righteous. That's also the truth of the gospel. The truth of the gospel is that none are righteous and none of us can ever expect to achieve righteousness if we expect and demand that we achieve righteousness on our own, but the promise of the gospel is that the one who repents, the one who turns away from the sin of this world and the sin that lies within each one of us and turns to Christ, that's the one who finds the righteousness of God. Let us again recall the words of the apostle Paul found in Romans chapter 1. This is why I'm so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile, for in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed. A righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written the righteous will live by faith. We think that we can claim righteousness through the imposition of man-made laws and regulations that on the outside project piety while really hiding a self-centeredness and a self-determined accomplishments. But here's the deal, and we've talked about this when we studied Luke back in March, a difficult truth but the truth nevertheless, and it's this. If you're maintaining your own righteousness on your own terms, know that Jesus says that He has not come to call you. If you think you're going to get to God, you'll have to get to God on your own. The problem is you can't get to God on your own. It doesn't work because if you're holding on to a self-righteousness then Jesus hasn't come to call you. The call of Jesus comes to those who then respond by faith and repentance. Your repetition of fasting and praying won't do it, and your self-righteousness won't do it either. Yes, and my self-righteousness won't do it either. Know that there certainly is nothing wrong with fasting and praying, but from a self-righteous heart all the fasting and praying in the world won't get anyone anywhere. We notice how Solomon concludes this lesson. Look at verse 29. This only have I found. God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes. You know, before the fall, man and woman were upright. After the fall, we've all been on a constant trek to figure out how to get back into a right relationship with God as if it were something that we could achieve. And yes, our response is never as it should be. Our response will always be insufficient. Yes, it is. Nevertheless, we rejoice. Why? Because sufficiency isn't found within us. Sufficiency is found in Christ our Savior. That's sufficiency. You and I must always be eternally grateful that we are among those who have been called by Jesus. Solomon searched for the righteous, and he couldn't find them. Couldn't find them. Christ came, and He searched for the sinners, and He found them. He found you, and He found me, and He called from among them so that we would find our place in the forever family of God. Amen. Let's bow our heads and pray, shall we? Father, Solomon seems to be around the bush a lot, and Solomon seems to be frustrated at times, and Solomon clearly doesn't know everything. And how could he? Because Jesus hasn't yet died on the cross when Solomon writes, and so the full truth has not been revealed. Yet we're thankful that by your Spirit you have so moved upon Solomon that he would write that which he was inspired to write. And the truth that he writes tells us that Solomon knows that there has to be more. Solomon understands. He's got great wisdom in that way. He understands there has to be more. And he searches and he searches, and he can't find it yet because it's not available to him yet, but he knows there's more. He's trusting in my faith that you would fulfill the promise you made. The promise you made back in the garden, the promise you made to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, the promise you made to Moses, the promise you made to David, the promise you made through Jeremiah, the promise you made through all these people on down the line. Solomon's looking for that promise, too. That's what he has to hang on to. God, we are so thankful that we live on the other side of the cross, and you revealed the truth to us about Jesus. You have shown us the Savior, and he's accomplished the work of salvation. Thank you for revealing this truth to us. Father, give us a burden to communicate this truth to this world, and help us to always remember this truth. In times that we fail, in times that we doubt, in times that we despair, in times that are challenging, Father, we hang on to the gospel, and remember the love you have for us, the love you've shown to us through Jesus, and you've made us your children, and we hang on to this truth, and we thank you, Father, that you will never forsake, that you will never fail or forsake your children. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand together for our final song.