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The Crooked Works of God Daniel Patz, Lead Pastor Grace Church, Sunday Worship Ecclesiastes 7:13-18 March 27th, 2011
INTRODUCTION From Ecclesiastes – Philip Ryken: One of the first people that I hope to meet in Heaven is the Scottish theologian Thomas Boston, who was the subject of my doctoral research in church history. I admire the man for the depth of his theology. Jonathan Edwards said that Boston’s work on the covenants distinguished him as a "truly great divine”. I also admire him for the breadth of his writing — twelve thick volumes on almost every doctrine of the Christian faith, taught from every book of the Bible. I admire Thomas Boston even more for his faithfulness as a pastor over twenty—five years in the same rural parish. But I admire him most of all for his perseverance through suffering. Thomas Boston was a melancholy man, prone to seasons of discouragement in the Christian life. He was often in poor health, even though he never missed his turn in the pulpit. His wife suffered from chronic illness of the body and perhaps also the mind. But perhaps the couple’s greatest trial was the death of their children: they lost six of their ten babies. One loss was especially tragic. Boston had already lost a son named Ebenezer, which in the Bible means "Hitherto hath the LORD helped us" (1 Samuel 7:12, KJV). When his wife gave birth to another son, he considered naming the new child Ebenezer as well. Yet the minister hesitated. Naming the boy Ebenezer would be a testimony of hope in the faithfulness of God. But what if this child died, too, and the family had to bury another Ebenezer? That would be a loss too bitter to bear. By faith Boston decided to name his son Ebenezer. Yet the child was sickly, and despite the urgent prayers of his parents, he never recovered. As the grieving father wrote in his Memoirs, "it pleased the Lord that he also was removed from me.” After suffering such a heavy loss, many people would be tempted to accuse God of wrongdoing, or to abandon their faith, or at least to drop out of ministry for a while. But that is not what Thomas Boston did. He believed in the goodness as well as in the sovereignty of God. So rather than turning away from the Lord in his time of trial, he turned toward the Lord for help and comfort. Boston’s perseverance through suffering is worthy not only of our admiration but also of our imitation. One way to learn from his example is to read his classic sermon on the sovereignty of God, which is one of the last things he prepared for publication before he died. Boston called his sermon The Crook in the Lot. It was based on the command and the question that we read in Ecclesiastes 7:13: "Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?"
SUMMARY of Text Ecclesiastes 7:13-18 ESV (13) Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? (14) In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. (15) 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. (16) Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? (17) Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? (18) 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.
Main Point of the Text: WE ARE TO TAKE A CLOSE AND HONEST LOOK AT THE HARD WAYS OF GOD AND RESPOND WITH REVERENT TRUST. This passage is in the context of under the sun – vanities – vapor… This passages tells us to consider the work of God and He gives us three different hard statements about the works of God. This passage then shows us three different responses to the ways of God. This passage will point us to the mysterious ways of God and we will see that: God often chooses to draw with crooked lines. And when God draws He draws straight. God draws straight with crooked lines.
MAIN POINTS/Outline 3 Statements Concerning the Ways of God:
(Ecc 7:13) Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked? The work “crooked” is also found in 1:15. It has to do with the way we see things in this world as broken and not right. Straight is that which is smooth, prosperous, sound and healthy. Crooked has the idea of dysfunctional, tainted, flawed, troublesome, adverse, difficult, etc. He begins by making this bold statement of God. Look around you and in your life – there are a lot of crooked things that you wish could be straightened – GOD MAKE THOSE THINGS CROOKED. This does not mean that He causes sin. This does not mean that God is wicked. But God is a sovereign God and nothing is broken or crooked about from His hand. Isaiah 46:9-11 ESV remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, (10) declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,' (11) calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
(Ecc 7:14) In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. Here he adds to verse 13 and he makes another observation about the ways of God. He does this by instructing us how we should yield to God’s ways. God brings prosperity and we should rejoice and praise God in those times. And God brings the opposite of prosperity into our lives – adversity and trial and lose -- and we should receive it and respond to it rightly. Many have this idea that the devil is all about the bad in our lives and God is all about the good. It is true that the devil does evil in the lives of people but it is actually credited to God’s hand ultimately. Job is a great example. Matthew 10:29-30 ESV Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. (30) But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
(Ecc 7:15) 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. Job struggled with this: Job 21:6-9 ESV When I remember, I am dismayed, and shuddering seizes my flesh. (7) Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? (8) Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. (9) Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. Solomon has observed that the system of justice in this world doesn’t always play itself out as we think it should. The righteous (those who fear God and trust in Him) live their lives but die young, while the wicked tempt God and live for a long time. Asaph struggled with this is Psalm 73. Why do the wicked prosper so long? Why do young godly mothers get taken from breast cancer or some disease while wicked rapists live a long life? This is from the hand of God. This is God’s doing in this life. Of course at any moment He can bring anyone to justice or keep the righteous from dying…but this is not the plan of God.
3 Responses to the Ways of God We are to respond.
(Ecc 7:16) Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? What he is not saying is this – “It doesn’t matter so be lukewarm. Don’t work yourself up over living for God.” Instead He is warning us of a sinful response that people take – “I see the righteous dying young and they live a righteous and wise life. I guess I need to take it a step further. If I can just do the right things God will bless me and keep me.” In this people embrace the standards that God doesn’t even give. They think it is ultimately up to them and they transfer what should be faith in God into faith in doing better so that they are safe. God will not be manipulated. It will not work. This is a laughable notion.
(Ecc 7:17) Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? Here is the reaction to the opposite extreme. “Well, if it really doesn’t matter – the godly die young sometimes and the wicked live long – I will do what I want and ignore God altogether.” This is a wicked and foolish response to God’s ways. He says – don’t be a fool. The wicked often die prematurely because of their wicked folly.
(Ecc 7:18) 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. This call in this passage is the call of this book – FEAR GOD INSTEAD. Embrace humbly and honestly the God who works in mysterious and sometimes twisted and crooked ways. Fear Him and don’t go after the folly of the world. Know who you are and who God is. He is God and we cannot change Him or His ways. As children – trust.
CONCLUSION Thomas Boston’s (1676-1732) 7 Reasons God’s gives us “Crooks in our lots” (affliction).
Psalms 119:67 ESV Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. Psalms 119:71 ESV It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
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