The Careful Expression of Truth, v.9-10. The Careful Expression of Truth, by this wise man was: To teach knowledge. (9a) To arrange many proverbs. (9b) To present the truth. (10) Jim Winter writes, “Knowledge amasses information, but wisdom interprets it and applies it for the good.” Take the scriptures and give them deep and careful thought. Do not allow yourself to be content with your own thoughts. Seek out the conclusions of others and compare them with your own. Then take the information gathered, and lay it out in an orderly way. Solomon wanted his message to be pleasing, yet was not going to sacrifice truth for the sake of entertainment (v. 10). Michael Eaton says, ‘To be upright but unpleasant is to be a fool; to be pleasant but not upright is to be a charlatan.’ In addition to writing with logical clarity, Solomon also wrote with literary artistry. He sought to find “acceptable words”. Ryken writes that Solomon was able to do this, but still use words which, “please the ear, inspire the imagination, fascinate the mind, and delight the soul.” The Core Effort of Man, v.11-12. Truth, handled as Solomon has laid out, will produce actions. We are given two specifically: Goading. (11a) Fastening. (11b) Up against this Solomon writes about the exhaustion of intellect that never turns into action. (12) The Core Effort of Man is to act and produce actions, not just information. The goads were sharp pointed sticks used to drive an animal in the direction required by its keeper. The purpose of the Book of Ecclesiastes is not to drive us to despair, but to shepherd us into the presence of God. And what is the action of a well fastened nail? It holds. These truths should hold those who trust in them. MacArthur says, “Two shepherd’s tools are in view: one used to motivate reluctant animals, the other to secure those who might otherwise wander into dangerous territory. Both goads and nails picture aspects of applied wisdom.” What do we have if such actions are never the outcome? (12) Without the prodding into making changes in life, the wisdom would simply weary us. Without the wisdom nailing down truth in our lives to the point of holding us fast…we would grow weary of it. Then consider all the books about these books! Wiersbe said, “Indeed, there are many books; and studying them can be a wearisome chore. But don’t permit man’s books to rob you of God’s wisdom…These “nails” are sure and you can depend on them. Don’t test God’s truth by the “many books” written by men; test men’s books by the truth of God’s Word.” The Chief End of Man, v.13-14. The Baptist Catechism from 1689 tells us Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. “Glorify” does not mean make glorious. It means to reflect or display as glorious. Man’s “end” could also be said as “goal” or “purpose”. Solomon ends his book with two main thoughts: First, in v.8 he repeats how he began in 1:2 and throughout the book — all in this temporal life is vanity (meaningless, like grasping for the wind). Second, Fear God, and keep His commandments. This, he says, is the conclusion of the whole matter. We fulfill our purpose (end, goal) when we live in a way that glorifies God. We don’t own our lives. We are stewards of our lives, and one day we must give an account to God of what we have done with His gift. Some people are only spending their lives; others are wasting their lives; a few are investing their lives. Corrie ten Boom said, “The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration but its donation.” How can we glorify God and enjoy Him forever? Fear God and Keep His Commandments. This is the whole duty of man. (Our chief end) Oswald Chambers wrote, “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that, when you fear God, you fear nothing else; whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” How can we gauge our fear of God? By being honest about how well be keep His commandments. Prov. 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” God will judge every work. (14) Ryken says, “The final message of Ecclesiastes is not that nothing matters but that everything does. What we did, how we did it, and why we did it will all have eternal significance. The reason everything matters is because everything in the universe is subject to the final verdict of a righteous God who knows every secret.” Conclusion: The Conclusion of the Whole Matter is the Chief End of Man. Fear God and Keep His Commandments. Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever. This comes through the Careful Expression of Truth carried over into the Core Efforts of Man. This is the message of Ecclesiastes. The temporal is vanity when lived for the temporal alone. But when we live for the eternal, even the temporal is glorious. The message of Ecclesiastes is: Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” John 6:27, “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.” 1 Cor 10:31, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”