Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins....See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Ecclesiastes 7-11

Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins....See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.  Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29

I continue my study of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book. My focus this morning is a commentary assisted review of Ecclesiastes chapters 7-11 and the commentary's second division for these chapters - Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness.  

Excerpts from the commentary's second division Sin Leads to Brokenness and Meaninglessness:

• "When it comes to brokenness in this world, we need to realize two things. Sometimes we are broken because of our own sin, and sometimes we are broken because we live in a cursed, broken world."
• "Ecclesiastes makes something abundantly clear: all of humanity—including you—has sinned and departed from God’s wise design for the world. When we rebel against our design, we end up broken. We know this to be true experientially. After all, anytime you attempt to use something in a way that its designer did not intend for it to be used, it gets broken or does not work."
• "Some people think intimacy will fix their brokenness so they go from relationship to relationship trying to fill the void, but they end up hurt and unsatisfied each time as they look harder and harder for something they will not find. Others look to success in a job, or making lots of money, or hundreds of other things, but these things never bring lasting satisfaction. So much of our futility and brokenness is due to our own sin and our own idolatry in which we turn good things into ultimate things. We worship money, pleasure, sex, success, power, and much more. Instead of seeing those things as gifts from God to be used as He intended, we see them as ultimate and seek to get from them what they cannot give. So often the things we think we want so badly fail to provide what we think they will, and we end up empty. That is the brokenness of departing from God’s good design. We all sin, and we are all broken."  See also Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29, and Romans 3:9-20.
  
• "God made the world crooked in response to Adam’s sin (7:13), and man cannot fix it! Solomon says, “Consider the work of God, for who can straighten out what He has made crooked?” All humans experience the meaninglessness and brokenness of this world where things do not work right. Sin and brokenness are equal-opportunity destroyers."
• "Things do not work the way we think they should. The righteous suffer while the wicked prosper (7:15). The wisdom literature honestly recognizes that things do not always work out as they ought immediately in this world. Some scholars want to act like Ecclesiastes is a corrective to the overly optimistic wisdom of Proverbs, but that is simply not the case. Proverbs recognizes these discrepancies and points them out as well, but Ecclesiastes simply dwells on them more."  See also Ecclesiastes 8:10-17.
• "Shockingly, not only is there no justice, but sinners prolong their lives while the righteous receive the retribution the wicked deserve (8:12,14). We see this reality and we say, “That’s not fair!” But that is the world we live in. The problem is not just the random injustice of things not working out right but also the ultimate mystery that happens to all of us. Death is the ultimate problem, and it comes to all regardless of how we live. You may not experience brokenness until death, but it will come to all of us regardless of how successful we are in this life. Your effort makes no difference. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 that no matter how well you live this life, you will eventually be caught by time and chance. The Grim Reaper is faster than us all. He never grows weary, and when he shows up, we often never saw him coming!"

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6), the Living Water that you drink and will never thirst again (John 4:13-14), and He is the reason for the hope believers have (1 Peter 3:15).  Surrender your life to Him!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus for giving me faith, hope, and everlasting life!  I am not deserving...no way not by a long shot.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.