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Ecclesiastes 8-9 Sermon 12.pdf

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• Life "under the sun" is unpredictable, unfair, and beyond our full control.
• Ecclesiastes 8–9 provides realistic wisdom—not solutions to life's mysteries, but guidance on navigating them.
• We'll apply the complete U.S.H. method (Reality, Understanding Limits, Submission, Hope) to selected proverbs.
• The U.S.H. method is a four-step approach to help navigate Ecclesiastes 7-10:
  • R - Reality: Acknowledging life's actual conditions without denial or wishful thinking.
  • U - Understanding Limits: Recognizing the boundaries of human control and knowledge.
  • S - Submission to Reality: Accepting circumstances we cannot change while finding wisdom to live within them.
  • H - Hope: Maintaining trust in God's ultimate purpose beyond immediate circumstances.

I. Ecclesiastes 8:8 – Our Lack of Control Over Life and Death

Note: Rudyard Kipling borrowed and slightly revised the phrase "no discharge in that war" in his poem "Boots." He used it as a refrain to emphasize that sometimes there is no escape or solution to one's circumstances.

"We're foot—slog—slog—slog—sloggin' over Africa Foot—foot—foot—foot—sloggin' over Africa -- (Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up and down again!) There's no discharge in the war!"

R – Reality: No one controls their own life or moment of death (Psalm 139:16, Job 14:5, James 4:13-15, Luke 12:20, Hebrews 9:27).

U – Understanding Limits: Human power is completely limited regarding death’s inevitability.

S – Submission to Reality: Accept death’s inevitability rather than live in fear or denial.

H – Hope: Our inability to control life and death leads us to trust in God, who alone gives meaning and hope beyond death.

II. Ecclesiastes 8:14 – The Problem of Injustice

R – Reality: Life is unfair; the righteous often suffer unjustly, and the wicked prosper (Job 21:7-13, Psalm 73:3-12, Jeremiah 12:1-2, Malachi 3:15).

U – Understanding Limits: Our righteousness cannot control outcomes or prevent injustice.

S – Submission to Reality: Accept injustice as part of life’s current reality, avoiding bitterness or despair.

H – Hope: Our ultimate hope rests in God's promise of future justice beyond earthly experiences.

III. Ecclesiastes 8:17 – The Limits of Human Wisdom

R – Reality: We can never fully comprehend God's ways or life's complexities (Job 38:4-7, Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 11:33-34, 1 Corinthians 13:12).

U – Understanding Limits: Human wisdom inevitably falls short; God's purposes exceed our understanding.