Show Notes
Phil unpacks Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 as one of his favourite sections in Scripture, framing Solomon’s counsel through three virtues: grateful enjoyment of God’s good gifts (food, drink, clothing, marriage), humble acceptance of our limited lot and short life under the sun, and eager wholehearted living—“whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” He balances the call against both naive positivity and excessive asceticism, then roots it in the gospel: justification by faith, resurrection hope, the coming feast, and Jesus as the passionate Bridegroom and high priest who loves his people and works with gusto. "Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going" (Ecc 9:7-10).
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Solomon presses further into life under the sun in Ecclesiastes 9:1-6: the righteous and the wise are in God’s hand, yet we cannot read from circumstances whether that hand is acting in love or hate; the same fate—death—comes to all alike after hearts full of evil and madness; yet the living still have a real share and limited hope that the dead no longer possess. Caleb moves from the tension of unreadable providence, through the leveling sting of death rooted in the fall, to a call to live the years we still have in Christ, who entered the common fate, broke its power, and holds his people while conforming them to himself.
Solomon’s ancient wisdom in Ecclesiastes 8:14–17 provides a candid look at the inherent injustices and mysteries of life under the sun. This sermon explores the human tendency to obsessively attempt to solve the world's problems, offering instead the counterintuitive, biblically grounded path of finding joy, eating, drinking, and resting in God’s provision amidst the toil. Rather than seeking a human-made utopia, listeners are invited to find contentment and purpose in the sovereign work of God, ultimately pointing toward the greater wisdom and satisfaction found in Jesus Christ.
This sermon on Ecclesiastes 8:10–13 confronts the reality of wicked people in a fallen world. Solomon observes that the wicked often abuse sacred things, are celebrated by society, and seem to prosper because judgment is delayed. Yet he insists they are still mortal, their time is limited, and ultimately it will not go well with them. In contrast, it will be well with those who fear God. Philip moves from this stark realism to the hope of the gospel: Jesus was counted among the wicked, buried, and raised so that sinners who trust him might receive eternal life and a heart that turns toward God rather than evil. "Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity. Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God"(Ecclesiastes 8:10-13).
Brandon Hill opens Ecclesiastes 8 by asking what true wisdom looks like and how the wise person should relate to imperfect earthly authorities. Solomon calls us to keep the king’s command because of God’s sovereignty, while also urging caution, patience, and righteousness rather than hasty rebellion. Even though governments often cause hurt and we have little control over the future, the wise response is joyful, gentle submission where possible, and trust in the greater King. The sermon points to Jesus as the true wise man who perfectly submitted to earthly powers in order to save us, and invites believers to the Lord’s Supper as they place their trust in him. "Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. I say: Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him. Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be? No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. All this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt" (Ecclesiastes 8:1-9).
Philip Brown continues through Ecclesiastes 7 with a series of hard-edged but realistic observations about life under the sun. Solomon warns that the rankings of life will often be off—the righteous sometimes perish while the wicked live long—and that we must avoid the twin ditches of being overly righteous and overly wicked. Wisdom is more valuable than bureaucracy, every person is sinful, and we must thicken our skin against the inevitable gossip and criticism of others. He also addresses the difficult verses about men and women, insisting that sin does not discriminate by gender. The sermon lands on Christ as the one truly righteous Man among a thousand, whose death and resurrection give hope to sinners of both sexes. "In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them. Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins. Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others. All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out? I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes" (Ec 7:15–29).