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Lesson 170 All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12

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Page 1: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

Lesson 170

All Is Emptiness Apart From God

Ecclesiastes 1-12

Page 2: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

MEMORY VERSEECCLESIASTES 12:13“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear Godand keep His commandments, for this is man’s all.”

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:A wooden or metal rod to use as a scepter, a gift-wrap bow (placedon the end of the rod), a cassette of children’s worship music and acassette player.

As many Ecclesiastes sun glasses from the template as the numberof children in your class copied onto white card stock, clear tape orglue, string, scissors, markers, and colored cellophane.

ATTENTION GETTER!

A King or Queen for a Moment

For this game, you will need a wooden or metal rod to use as ascepter, a gift-wrap bow (placed on the end of the rod), a cassette ofchildren’s worship music, and a cassette player.

Have the children sit down in a circle. Play the music and have thechildren pass around the scepter until the music stops. Tell thechildren that whoever is holding the scepter is “king or queen for amoment.” They can give a command to the rest of the group andthey all must follow it. For example, they could say, “stand up andhop on one foot while scratching your head,” or “make a sillyanimal noise and act it out.” The rest of the group has to follow thecommand of the king or queen. After everyone has had a chance togive commands, stop and ask them how it felt to be king or queenfor a moment. What would it be like to be the king or queen over agreat nation and to have everything you could ever want? What ifyou did not have the Lord?

Page 3: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

Solomon was king over Israel, a great nation. Although he hadeverything that he could have possibly needed or wanted in hislater years, he discovered that, apart from God, life was miserable!

LESSON TIME!When Solomon became king of Israel, he asked God for wisdom (2Chronicles 1:7-12), and he became the wisest man in the world (1Kings 4:29-34). His reputation spread throughout the known worldand kings and leaders from other nations came to Jerusalem tolearn from him.

But with all of his practical insight on life, Solomon failed to followhis own advice; and as a result, his life began a downward spiral.Breaking the commandments of God, he found himself alienatedfrom God, “the Fountain of Living Waters.” In his backsliddencondition, he began a quest to find meaning and purpose “underthe sun”—in this world apart from God and the spiritualdimension.

So, the focus of Solomon’s writings in Ecclesiastes is on the naturalman, apart from God, searching for meaning and fulfillment in life.Denying the spiritual aspect—the need for man to know and beknown by God—he was aware only of his natural body appetitesand drives; thus, he searched to find reason and purpose throughall types of “natural,” worldly experiences. He found himself on acrazy merry-go-round, always searching, but never able to findsatisfaction and fill the emptiness inside. True happiness i sfound in God alone.

Page 4: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

We have gleamed much from Ecclesiastes if we understand theconclusion of Solomon’s search—“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity”—and we spare ourselves the bitterness of our own search formeaning apart from God. Everything apart from God is empty,hollow, and meaningless. True happiness is found in Godalone.

ECCLES IAS TES 1:2, 14; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 16; 6:9Li f e l eav es u s em p ty

“Van i ty o f v an i t i es ,” s ays the Preac her ; “v an i ty o fv an i t i es , a l l i s v an i t y .”

I hav e s een al l t he w orks that are done u nder thesu n ; and indeed , al l i s v an i t y and grasp ing f or thew ind .

Then I l ooked on al l t he w orks that m y hands haddone and on the l abor in w h i c h I had t o i l ed ; andindeed al l w as v an i t y and grasp ing f or the w ind .There w as no p ro f i t u nder the su n .

Theref ore I hat ed l i f e bec au se the w ork that w asdone u nder the su n w as d i s t res s ing t o m e , f or al l i sv an i t y and grasp ing f or the w ind .

For God gi v es w i sdom and know ledge and j oy t o am an w ho i s good in Hi s s i gh t ; bu t t o the s inner Hegiv es the w ork o f gather ing and c o l l ec t ing, that hem ay gi v e t o h im w ho i s good bef ore God . Th i s al so i sv an i t y and grasp ing f or the w ind .

Again , I s aw that f or al l t o i l and ev ery sk i l l f u l w ork am an i s env i ed by h i s ne i ghbor . Th i s al so i s v an i t yand grasp ing f or the w ind .

Page 5: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

There w as no end o f al l t he p eop le ov er w hom he w asm ade k ing; yet those w ho c om e af t erw ard w i l l no tre j o i c e in h im . S u re ly th i s al so i s v an i t y andgrasp ing f or the w ind .

Bet t er i s the s i gh t o f the eyes than the w ander ing o fdes i re . Th i s al so i s v an i t y and grasp ing f or the w ind .

King Solomon had everything one could ever want in this world.He had wisdom, power, riches, honor, and reputation. Yet, hebegins the book of Ecclesiastes with the declaration that will runthroughout the book and ultimately be the conclusion of hissearch: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” In life apart from God,Solomon saw nothing as worthwhile; everything was futile (lackingserious value). Vanity actually means, “that which vanishes” oremptiness.

Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”When the wind blows by, we can feel it; but, we can’t catch hold ofit, or keep it. Everything we try to hold on to in this life is like thewind--it blows by us. Though Solomon tried to find satisfactionand meaning in life from the joy of accomplishment and thepursuit of pleasure, his final conclusion was that it wasmeaningless and a chasing after the wind.

Looking in the MirrorSolomon was a very wise man, but unfortunately he lost sight ofthe Lord in his older years. He began to look at himself and othersinstead of the Lord. The Bible tells us that we need to look at themirror of God’s Word if we want to understand what is really truein life (James 1:25). Let’s play a fun game to remind us to “mirror”the Lord, not ourselves or others.

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Have the children form pairs. Decide who will be the person doingthe action and who will be the person “in the mirror.” The personin the mirror has to mimic all of the actions of the other person.The children should sit down facing each other. They should lookat each other in the eyes and not remove their eyes from oneanother’s. Have the child doing the action begin and the otherchild mirror them. After a couple of minutes, switch roles.

Next, gather the group together again and ask them if it was easy ordifficult to be the mirror. Is it sometimes difficult to mirror theLord? What are some ways that we can grow in mirroring Jesus?

ECCLES IAS TES 2:1-14, 24, 25; 7:23-25; 8:16,17Li f e l eav es u s s earc h ing

I s aid in m y hear t , “Com e now , I w i l l t es t you w i thm i r th ; theref ore en joy p l easu re”; bu t su re ly , th i sal so w as v an i t y .

I s aid o f l au gh ter—“M adnes s !”; and o f m i r th , “Whatdoes i t ac c om p l i sh ?”

I s earc hed in m y hear t how to grat i f y m y f l esh w i thw ine , w h i l e gu id ing m y hear t w i th w i sdom , and howto l ay ho ld on f o l l y , t i l l I m igh t s ee w hat w as goodf or the sons o f m en to do u nder heav en al l t he dayso f the i r l i v es .

I m ade m y w orks great , I bu i l t m yse l f hou ses , andp lan ted m yse l f v ineyards .

I m ade m yse l f gardens and orc hards , and I p l an t edal l k inds o f f ru i t t rees in them .

I m ade m yse l f w at er p oo l s f rom w h i c h t o w at er thegrow ing t rees o f the grov e .

Page 7: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

I ac qu i red m ale and f em ale s erv an t s , and hadserv an t s born in m y hou se . Yes , I had great erp os ses s i ons o f herds and f l oc k s than al l w ho w ere inJ eru sal em bef ore m e.

I al so gathered f or m yse l f s i l v er and go ld and thesp ec i al t reasu res o f k ings and o f the p rov inc es . Iac qu i red m ale and f em ale s ingers , the de l i gh t s o f thesons o f m en , and m u s i c al in s t ru m ent s o f al l k inds .

S o I bec am e great and exc e l l ed m ore than al l w how ere bef ore m e in J eru sal em . Al so m y w i sdomrem ained w i th m e.

Whatev er m y eyes des i red I d id not keep f rom them .I d id not w i thho ld m y hear t f rom any p l easu re , f orm y hear t re j o i c ed in al l m y l abor ; and th i s w as m yrew ard f rom al l m y l abor .

Then I l ooked on al l t he w orks that m y hands haddone and on the l abor in w h i c h I had t o i l ed ; andindeed al l w as v an i t y and grasp ing f or the w ind .There w as no p ro f i t u nder the su n .

Then I t u rned m yse l f t o c ons ider w i sdom andm adnes s and f o l l y ; f or w hat c an the m an do w hosu c c eeds the k ing?—Only w hat he has al ready done .

Then I s aw that w i sdom exc e l s f o l l y as l i gh t exc e l sdarknes s .

The w i se m an ’s eyes are in h i s head , bu t the f oo lw alk s in darknes s . Yet I m yse l f p erc e iv ed that thesam e ev en t hap p ens t o them al l .

Page 8: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

N oth ing i s bet t er f or a m an than that he shou ld eatand d r ink , and that h i s sou l shou ld en joy good in h i sl abor . Th i s al so , I s aw , w as f rom the hand o f God .

For w ho c an eat , o r w ho c an hav e en joym ent , m orethan I ?

Al l th i s I hav e p rov ed by w i sdom . I s aid , “I w i l l bew i se”; bu t i t w as f ar f rom m e.

As f or that w h i c h i s f ar o f f and exc eed ingly deep ,w ho c an f ind i t ou t ?

I ap p l i ed m y hear t t o know , t o s earc h and seek ou tw i sdom and the reason o f th ings , t o know thew ic kednes s o f f o l l y , ev en o f f oo l i shnes s andm adnes s .

When I ap p l i ed m y hear t t o know w i sdom and to s eethe bu s ines s that i s done on ear th , ev en thou gh onesees no s l eep day or n i gh t ,

then I s aw al l t he w ork o f God , that a m an c annotf ind ou t the w ork that i s done u nder the su n . Forthou gh a m an l abors t o d i s c ov er i t , ye t he w i l l no tf ind i t ; m oreov er , thou gh a w i se m an at t em p t s t oknow i t , he w i l l no t be abl e t o f ind i t .

Imagine if you had all the money and power you could ever want.How would you use your wealth and power? Solomon used hiswealth and power to embark on an endless quest for life’s meaning.First, he tried pursuing pleasure (vs. 1-3). Then, he began grandpublic works programs, bought slaves, had many wives andconcubines, set his mind on complex matters, became extremelywealthy, organized musical groups and supported the arts (verses4-10). But none of these things gave him the satisfaction he was

Page 9: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

seeking (verse 11). His search for happiness left him empty. Hisgreat wealth, power, position, wives, and accomplishments couldnot fill the void he had inside.

Some of the pleasures Solomon sought were wrong and some wereworthy, but even the worthy pursuits left him empty. All thepleasure money could buy could not bring him happiness (5:10).Yet, the world tells us to demand happiness, to do all we can toattain it, and to make personal satisfaction our chief goal in life.Though many people spend all their energy pursuing pleasure inhope of finding happiness; happiness does not come by directpursuit. Only God can fill the emptiness inside. The Psalmistwrote, “In your presence is fullness of joy; in Thy right hand thereare pleasures forever” (Psalm 16:11b).

Even Solomon, in his great wisdom, concluded that man cannotdiscover the work which has been done under the sun (8:16, 17).With access to the entire world’s wisdom, the wisest man wouldknow very little. There seems to always be more questions thananswers to life. Human wisdom will leave us empty and void ofknowing the true meaning of happiness. In fact, wisdom apartfrom God brings grief rather than satisfaction. Our intellect willnot satisfy our desire for fulfillment in life. True happiness i sfound in God alone.

ECCLES IAS TES 3:11-15; 5:18 – 6:2; 12:13,14Li f e l eads u s t o t ru s t God

He has m ade ev ery th ing beau t i f u l in i t s t im e . Al so Hehas p u t e t ern i t y in the i r hear t s , exc ep t that no onec an f ind ou t the w ork that God does f rom beginn ingto end .

I know that noth ing i s bet t er f or them than tore j o i c e , and to do good in the i r l i v es ,

Page 10: All Is Emptiness Apart From God Ecclesiastes 1-12childrenfiles.cccm.com/OTTeacherGuidePDF/CUROT170.pdfemptiness. Solomon describes life as both empty and “grasping for the wind.”

and al so that ev ery m an shou ld eat and d r ink anden joy the good o f al l h i s l abor—i t i s the gi f t o f God .

I know that w hatev er God does , i t shal l be f orev er .N oth ing c an be added to i t , and noth ing t aken f romi t . God does i t , t hat m en shou ld f ear bef ore Him .

That w h i c h i s has al ready been , and w hat i s t o be hasal ready been ; and God requ i res an ac c ou nt o f w hat i sp as t .

Here i s w hat I hav e s een : I t i s good and f i t t ing f orone t o eat and d r ink , and to en joy the good o f al l h i sl abor in w h i c h he t o i l s u nder the su n al l t he days o fh i s l i f e w h i c h God gi v es h im ; f or i t i s h i s her i t age .

As f or ev ery m an to w hom God has gi v en r i c hes andw eal th , and gi v en h im p ow er t o eat o f i t , t o rec e i v eh i s her i t age and re j o i c e in h i s l abor—th i s i s the gi f to f God .

For he w i l l no t dw el l u ndu ly on the days o f h i s l i f e ,bec au se God keep s h im bu sy w i th the j oy o f h i shear t .

There i s an ev i l w h i c h I hav e s een u nder the su n , andi t i s c om m on am ong m en :

A m an to w hom God has gi v en r i c hes and w eal th andhonor , so that he l ac k s noth ing f or h im se l f o f al l hedes i res ; ye t God does not gi v e h im p ow er t o eat o f i t ,bu t a f ore i gner c onsu m es i t . Th i s i s v an i t y , and i t i san ev i l af f l i c t i on .

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Let u s hear the c onc lu s ion o f the w ho le m at t er : f earGod and keep Hi s c om m andm ent s , f or th i s i s m an ’sal l .

For God w i l l br ing ev ery w ork in to j u dgm ent ,inc lu d ing ev ery s ec ret th ing, w hether good or ev i l .

What did Solomon discover through his long, painful search forlife’s meaning? Life apart from God is empty and meaningless--itcannot deliver satisfaction. The quest for happiness is an elusivegoal. God would spare us the painful and bitter experiences thatSolomon endured in order to come to his truthful conclusion:“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

God created man for fellowship with Himself. He has a vacuuminside that only God can fill. He will never be satisfied apart fromGod; for his thirst is a spiritual one. In Romans 8 we read, “For thecreation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Himwho subjected it in hope.” We are wise if the emptiness anddriving thirst we experience causes us to look beyond life “underthe sun” (the things this world can offer) and to the one whocreated us. Jesus came to restore the relationship of man to hisCreator. In John we read, “…Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "Ifanyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes inMe, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers ofliving water" (John 7:37,38). Jesus promises us an abundant (full,rich) life if we will embrace Him: In John 10:10, Jesus states: “Ihave come that they may have life, and that they may have it moreabundantly.” True happiness is found in God alone.

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Though much of Solomon’s writings in Ecclesiastes are the flawedconclusions of a man relating to life apart from God, chapter 12:13is a good conclusion, “Fear God and keep His commandments.”Those of us who lack purpose and direction in life should turn toGod, respecting Him and following His principles for living. Noneof us are exempt from this responsibility, for God will review everyperson’s life to determine how he or she has responded to Him(verse 14).

Solomon was right: true happiness cannot be achieved. It must be“received” through a right relationship with God. End your searchwith Him, and you will find endless joy.

Ecclesiastes Sun GlassesFor this craft, you will need as many templates as the number ofchildren in your class copied onto white card stock, clear tape orglue, string, scissors, markers and colored cellophane. Before class,copy the sunglasses template onto white card stock. Make enoughcopies for all of the children in your class. Pass them out to thechildren and have them cut out the three pieces for the sunglasses.Allow the children to color or decorate their glasses as they wish.

Next, tape the sides of the glasses to the front. Poke a hole throughthe holes indicated on the sides of the glasses. Place string throughthe holes (long enough for the children to wear the glasses aroundtheir necks). Cut out the areas for the eyes. Cut coloredcellophane in large enough pieces to cover the holes. Tape or gluethe cellophane to the glasses.

How we see life is important. Just like a pair of sunglasses willmake us see differently, what we believe will make a difference inhow we see life and the conclusions we make. Solomon writesEcclesiastes from the perspective, the outlook, of a natural manseeking meaning only in this life, “under the sun.” As Christians,we see life from a different perspective (outlook). Taking into

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account the spiritual dimension of man, we realize that the thirstman has is for God. Those who embrace a relationship with Godthrough Jesus Christ will find life rich with meaning and purpose.

PRAYERLead the children in a prayer of commitment and surrender oftheir lives to the Lord in order to find true meaning and happiness.If there are any children who have not yet responded to the Gospel,give them opportunity.

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Template - Ecclesiastes Sun Glasses