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FEAST OF TABERNACLES – Day 4 – 2004

Fred R. Coulter – October 3, 2004

And greetings, brethren. This is day four of the Feast of Tabernacles, 2004, which means we’re halfway through the feast already. And when there is a beginning, there is an ending. And this is what we also need to understand concerning God’s plan. And in teaching and helping the people all during the millennium, it is going to be a fantastic and wonderful thing to do. Now how much latitude they’re going to be given we don’t know exactly, because it says there in Isaiah 30 that if you turn to the right hand or to the left hand you’re going to see your teacher, and your teacher is going to say, “This is the way, walk in it.” But nevertheless there’s going to have to be a certain degree of choice and self-determination that they’re going to have to do. Not like it is today. Today we see the world run amok because it has what we might call the “philosophy of meaninglessness;” which really means that everything, regardless of the choice, right or wrong, good or evil, is ok.

Now Aldous Huxley wrote this in one of his books… (Sorry for the interruption. What you heard was the bookstand that I had collapsed.) And the book that this is out of that Aldous Huxley wrote is Means and Ends. Now there are various excerpts from pages 312, 315, 316, and 318. Here’s what he said. Now notice how similar this is to what Solomon did in his experiment. Not exactly the same, but very similar to it. But notice the attitude that he had in order to experiment and find out what was the best thing for him to do. He writes, “I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning.” Purposelessness. Not keeping your mind fixed on God and His way. “I consequently assumed that it had none, and was without any difficulty able to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. For myself, as no doubt most of my contemporaries, the philosophy of meaninglessness was an instrument of liberation...” When the world proclaims you are free, you are the slave of sin. Just remember that.

“…Instrument of liberation from a certain system of morality.” Not that Solomon completely went against all the commandments of God; but in order, as we will see in chapter 2, to experiment the way he did, he had to come right up on the borderline of this to do so. He said, “We objected to the morality because it interfered with our sexual freedom.” Well now, did Solomon have a lot of sexual sins as well? Yes indeed. And he didn’t relate in the book of Ecclesiastes all of the sexual experiments that he probably went through with his 300 wives and 700 concubines.

“We objected to the political and economic system because it was unjust. There was one admirably simple method of justifying ourselves in our politically erotic revolt: we could deny that the world had any meaning whatsoever...” And that’s the world we’re living in today. “Similar tactics have been adopted during the 18^th century for the same reasons. The chief reason for being philosophical was that one might be free from prejudices; above all, prejudices of a sexual nature…” Or, what they would say, prejudice against God’s commandments. “It was the manifestly poisonous nature of the fruits that have been forced upon me to reconsider the philosophical tree on which they had grown.” And so here’s a man going his way, seeking what he wants to do.

Now let’s come to the book of Proverbs and let’s see a proverb here which aptly describes what happens when this is undertaken; and aptly also describes what happened to Solomon. Because although during his accounting in the book of Ecclesiastes, he had not rejected God totally. How close did he come to it? We’re going to see that he gave himself over to certain things. Now, Proverbs 28:26: “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool…” And there’s also another kind of fool, Psalm 14:1: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” And then it lists how corrupt they are, and so forth. So: “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool…” Now here’s another one. Let’s back up, Proverbs 28:13: “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper…” Now Solomon, there’s no account that he repented of his sins and of his experimentations. And God had to divide the kingdom and take ten of the tribes away from his son, Rehoboam, who sat on the throne after he died. “…But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” And this is what we need to realize. We need to confess and forsake our sins to find mercy. “Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.” And I submit to you that all that Solomon did, and all that people do, and the things that they do, in experimenting and just trusting in their own selves, they harden their hearts, and they fall into mischief. Did Solomon fall into mischief? Yes. Verse 18: “Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once” (Prov. 28:13-14, 18, 26).

Now let’s come back to the book of Ecclesiastes, and let’s begin in chapter 2. And let’s see how profound that these things are in relation to what Solomon did. And as you will see, Solomon became what we would call a hippie. Remember in the ‘60’s what they started to do? Experiment with everything. And look what that led to. So let’s begin, Ecclesiastes 2:1: “I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.” Because what does it do? It’s a vain thing. In other words, you could say it this way: people who laugh all the time, this is also vanity and madness, isn’t it?

“I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?” Well, you can feel good for a while. But also, that ends in vanity. So he said, “Ok, here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to experiment.” “I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine…” Go ahead and drink as much as you want. Become a drunken fool. Have parties and everything that goes with it. “…Yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life” (verses 2-3). Is that why God created man, just to have fun, just to have pleasure? Now if we take what Solomon said here, “That which has been is what shall be” (Eccl.1:9, paraphrased). So just note the increase in television of “reality” shows, and of experimenting, and seeing all of the things that people can endure. For what sake? It’s all madness. Now I haven’t watched any of those shows myself, but I’ve seen some of the advertisements for it, and it’s absolutely foolish; like seeing who can eat so many worms. The same kind of thing here. So that’s what he did.

And he said, “Ok, I wanted to have bigger projects. These other things I did on the side while I watched my big projects.” So, “I made me great works…” Yes he did – built the temple of God, built the city of Jerusalem; built temples for all of his wives’ gods. “I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me…” (verses 4-7). He was just getting everything - get, get, get, get, get.

“I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me” (verses 8-9). So he kind of was a double-minded man at this point, trying to experiment and see what was the greatest thing that could be. Now in the final analysis he says, “Let’s hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl. 12:13). but he himself did not follow his own advice. So somewhere all of these things were the beginning of Solomon going into mischief. And in the end he sort of recovered himself a little bit at the end of all these experiments. But before he died he gave himself over to all the debauchery that had been there. After all, when you go out and do these things there are certain things that you do in your life which are a one-time thing. And so if you go out and you destroy your mind, and destroy your emotions, and go through all the experimentations that Solomon did here, then you understand that all is vanity. Well, Solomon did learn some things.

Now let’s see what he did here: “And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.” So then he stepped back and he said: “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (verses 10-11). Now what did Jesus say? Jesus said in John 6: “The words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life. The flesh profits nothing. It is the Spirit that quickens” (John 6:63, paraphrased). So here Solomon was going against everything of God, spiritually. And he ended up frustrated, vain, empty, hollow, unfulfilled, though he just satiated himself with everything that could possibly be given to a man; or that a man could do, or that a man could do with women, or that a man could do with projects, and buildings. And he found it all vanity and vexation of spirit. He was just frustrated. Because that inner – how shall I put it? That inner spiritual longing – or itching, if we could put it that way - that God put in every man (which He did) is so that they would realize that in this physical life there has got to be more beyond. And so we can be thankful for Solomon for writing these things down for us.

Now he certainly did experience all these things. He wanted to learn by experience. And one of the greatest lessons that we can learn is this, and I never will forget this, because it was the first assembly that we had when I joined the army in 1956. So this was the summer of ‘56, and we’re down at Fort Ord and all the recruits were there. And out comes a general with all of his pomp and ceremony, and all of his medals, and so forth. And he spoke to all of the raw recruits. And he said, “I want to tell you something.” He said, “It is true that you can learn by experience.” Same way as Solomon here. You can learn by experience. And that’s what Solomon was trying to do. He says, “The one who learns by experience is a wise man.” He said, “But I want to tell you something else which is even more important: the wiser man is the one who learns from the experience of others.” And so God intends us to learn from the experience of others as written in the Bible so that we can learn.

And every young person, and every teenager, and every young adult, please understand: in exercising your free choice, before you exercise it, learn from the experience of others. You don’t have to experience it yourself in a sinful way to know what is right and wrong. You don’t have to steal to know that stealing is wrong. You don’t have to hurt and harm others to know that it is wrong. You don’t have to commit sex sins and adultery to know that it is wrong. Learn by what is in the Bible. And don’t think, as Solomon apparently thought here, that the commandments of God are a straightjacket for you to deny you choice, to deny you pleasure, to deny you good. No. The commandments, and statutes, and judgments of God, and all the teachings of Christ and the apostles are given so that you may channel your life experience so that you will find the good things of God without all of the pain and the sorrow which comes from self-experiment, as we find here that Solomon did. Yes, you can learn lessons. Yes, experience can teach you. But experience is the hardest teacher of all because you also have to suffer. So if you can learn by the experience of others and understand what is right and wrong, then you’re going to be so much further ahead, and you’re going to be in right standing with God. How many people really have done that? Very few indeed.

In the New Testament you have the parable of the prodigal son, don’t you? What did he do? Well, he said, “Father, give me my inheritance and let me go. I want to go experience life for myself.” Now as we’re growing up, yes, we want to experience life for ourselves. But he decided to give up what his father had taught him, the ways of God, and everything. And so, because there’s free choice, his father said, “Ok. We’ll divide the inheritance and give it to you.” So what did he do? He went off into a strange country. And he thought he’s going to eat, drink, and make merry and have all the women he can have. And it says there that he spent all of his inheritance in riotous living. So he ended up with nothing. Yes, he was learning by experience. And so what happened? He had to sell himself as an indentured servant to feed swine. Now imagine a Jewish young man feeding swine, those unclean things, and that they were being fed better than you. And you couldn’t even steal a portion of the corn that was going to the swine.

And then it says, “And when he came to himself…” In other words, when he came to himself and repented. Then he said, “Look, even my father’s servants have more than I. I’m going to go back home and say, ‘Make me one of your servants, Father, and I’ll just work for you.’” Well, the father was merciful, kind, and forgiving, and you know the rest of the story. He was received back. But still, nevertheless, even though he was forgiven and received back, look how he destroyed his life. Look what he did.

Now let’s compare that with Solomon. Ecclesiastes 2:12: “And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done. Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.” Well he did learn by experiment, didn’t he? Yes, but that wasn’t the best way to learn. He should have trusted God all along. “The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity” (verses 12-15). Because if you live your life even as perfect as you can live it and you die and go in the grave and there’s nothing more after that. That’s why a lot of people say, “Eat, drink, and make merry, for tomorrow we die.”

Well, he goes on. He’s lamenting here. He’s depressed. And all of this kind of activity will make you depressed. “For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever…” of course, unless it’s written down. But how many real wise men are written down in history? Not many. Here’s a few here and there. “…Seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten…” (verse 16). How many people were under Solomon’s rule and reign? Where are they? Does anybody remember any of them? Oh, maybe a name or two as written in the Kings and Chronicles and Proverbs. But where are they? Where are the rich? Where are the poor? Where are those who were famous in the world?

Now just this summer we had a famous actor die, didn’t we? His name was Marlon Brando. And now they’re finding out that there were many, many things wrong in his life, and now there’s going to be a great fight over his estate, just like it says here in the Proverbs. Now whether he was wise or whether a fool, we don’t know. But it says, Solomon wrote: “And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.” You give up your breath of life, and that’s it. He said: “Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun…” Everything that he was proud about here. He looked at it and because it was unfulfilling, he hated it. How many rich people are frustrated, vexated, have hatred, and are bitter because everything that they pursue ends up in vanity and frustration? All the works that they have done, all the things that they have performed: vexation, and frustration, and vanity.

So he was lamenting. He said: “…because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool?...” (verse 19). And he was even prophesying of his own son. Now hold your place here and let’s come back to the book of I Kings 12, after it indicts everything that Solomon had done, and his taking and splitting the kingdom was God’s judgment for it. And let’s see what his son did. And the people of Israel came to him and said, “Now look, ease up on the taxation. Don’t be like your father.” Because it says here in verse 4: “Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.” Now he had a chance to be wise. I don’t know if Solomon was one of the first Democrats in taxation or not. I couldn’t say that. But it just reminds me, or Rehoboam also, because Rehoboam wasn’t going to let up on the taxation. He turned out to be a fool. And Solomon was lamenting, “Who’s going to know what the man is that comes after me, and what he will do?”

So, verse 6, after waiting three days: “And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people…” So he had wise counsel, didn’t he? Yes indeed. “…If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them…” And isn’t that the whole point of being a ruler, or a king? Is that not the whole point of God having us to be kings and priests to reign under Christ, to serve the world, to serve the people? Yes indeed. So they gave good advice.

“…And answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:…” “Well, I’ll go to all my buddies.” So here’s the new generation. “And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter? And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s loins. And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions” (verses 6-11).

So they all came back with Rehoboam the third day: “And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him; and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform His saying…” (verses 13-15). So God hardened their heart. Now we can learn a lesson with that, can’t we? What happened in the church when the hierarchy was confronted with all of their sins and excesses, to repent and not have the hierarchy so harsh? What did they do? They made the idolatry even worse. And that’s why it had to fall. Just like the kingdom was taken from Solomon, so everything that the church had was taken from it. And now all the property is sold, and strangers have it. And now they are having an auction on-line as we prepare this tape.

All the excesses and all of the things that were experimentations in the flesh to spend money on things in the flesh to be important are now being auctioned off. And many of us do not even know or realize what some of these things were. Let me just read you one here. Here’s an item: “Parlor suite, French gilded, three pieces. Floor-standing pair of candelabra, 7’3”. Bearacate parcel guilt and cut crystal, 20^th century, 800-plus hand pieces of crystal used by the late Shah of Iran during the celebration of the 2,500^th anniversary of the Persian Empire.” What was the church doing with that? Then there are some bronze statues of Horowitz and other performers that performed in the Auditorium.

So when the church decided to follow the world in pursuit of riches, in pursuit of indulgence, in pursuit of those things to declare itself absolutely Laodicean, God had to intervene just like He did with Solomon. And who was the one that succeeded? Was he wise, or was he a fool? Well history shows that he was a fool, both his father and his son, and turned the church of God into that like which is a church in the world. And so God is taking every last vestige of that away; because the people were just as responsible as the leaders, because they committed idolatry and worshipped the man, and worshipped the property, and worshipped the things. So we need to understand: no one is going to mock God.

So here, let’s come back to Ecclesiastes 2 and let’s see, what did he do? He did all of these things, and he said, the last part of verse 19: “This is also vanity.” Isn’t it vain, everything that was done? The only good thing out of it all is that through the scattering and the trials that have come upon the people of God, the true brethren who were really converted, love God, kept His commandments, held fast to the truth; did not give away to the indulgences and the luxuries and things that were just absolutely blasphemous before God.

Now, you can understand some of this if this were just riches and wealth that was in the world. But to take the tithe money of God and to use these things, to buy these things, and to say that this is all the will of God is as much nonsense as Solomon saying that everything that he did was the will of God. No, it was of his own – of his own vanity, of his own self, from his own heart. And all the people went along with it. Now you see, that’s why it’s important for us to understand this today. Because this, what we find in the book of Ecclesiastes, is going to be the number one example of all the problems we will be confronted with in helping and teaching people during the millennium.

Now let’s come back here to Ecclesiastes 2:20: “Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair [just give himself into a depression] of all the labour which I took under the sun. For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil” (verses 20-21). Because Solomon couldn’t take a thing with him. He left it all. And his son was a fool, which is fitting that a fool should follow the wisest man in the world, because of the foolishness of the wisest man in the world.

“For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity” (verses 22-23). So he just put himself through every conceivable thing, didn’t he? So then he comes to a little bit of sense. Out of it all, from everything he experimented with, he came up with a little bit of wisdom. It really makes you wonder, God gave him all this wisdom, all this knowledge, all this understanding, that even all the kings of the earth would come and seek the wisdom of Solomon. And yet he turned to this folly and self-indulgence. It makes you wonder, what goes on in the minds of men when they allow carnality, and selfishness, and lust, and greed to take over? It’s an amazing thing, isn’t it?

So he finally got a little bit of wisdom here. He said: “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.” In other words, if you live your life the way that God intended you to, you will enjoy life without being self-indulgent and vain. This is also from God. “For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?” (verses 24-25). He says, “After all of what I’ve done, no one’s done more than me to find this out.” And the thing is this: can we learn by the experience of Solomon, that we don’t have to go through it ourselves? Can we learn this as a matter of character so that when God gives us the responsibility for teaching and training people that will be under us during the millennium, that we will be able to show them the right way? That we will know and understand that vanity and foolishness is not the way to go? See, Solomon did not eat off the tree of life. He ate off the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And what brought him all of the frustration? Let’s come back here to I John 2:15 (FV), and let’s see what God tells us today: “Do not love the world...” And that is where the church got itself in trouble, right? They began to love the world. They began to love the riches in the world. They began to love the honor and flattery that other men would give. They began to do the same sin as Israel by showing off their wealth and indulging in things that they should never have gotten involved in. Is it any wonder that God had to take it all away, just like He had to take away the kingdom from Solomon? Yes indeed. Solomon loved the world and the things in the world. Now notice what happens if you do that: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” So when he gave himself over to do these things, where was God’s Spirit? Where was his understanding of God’s way? Did not God just give him over to this and let this experiment run its course? Even though at the end we will see he recovered himself a little bit, his life ended up with the sentence of death and the removal of the kingdom, and the removal of his wealth, and everything that he had gotten. Is that not vanity? “Vanity of vanity, says the preacher, all is vanity.”

Now let’s continue on here in verse 16: “Because everything that is in the world—” Because to experiment the way that he did is to indulge in lust and to indulge in self experimentation. So John writes: “[All] that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes...” And that’s what Solomon did, wasn’t it? He just gave himself over to lust. “...And the pretentious pride of physical life—” And that’s just the pretentiousness of physical life, which is vanity and vexation of the spirit. John writes: “…[This] is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world and its lust is passing away, but the one who does [is doing] the will of God abides [dwells or lives] forever” (verses 16-17, FV). And isn’t that what happened in the church? Now all these things will be auctioned off by the time you hear or view this tape. But isn’t it a shame. A church that took in $140 million a year no longer exists because the wealth blinded their eyes. Yes indeed. True as Christ said, “I will spew you out of My mouth.” And that’s exactly what happened to Solomon.

Now let’s come back here to the book of Ecclesiastes again, and let’s see that he did learn a little bit. Just like the false gospel that was preached to the leaders of the world - the gospel of “give and get,” that’s not the gospel of Christ, it’s repentance of sin. Well, he was able to teach some, just like Solomon was able to learn a little bit like he says here, Ecclesiastes 2:26: “For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner He giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” So he learned a little bit. Quite an amazing thing. Here, one that God appeared to twice was given profound wisdom and knowledge and understanding. He had everything he could possibly need, and he could have been one of the greatest rulers in the world and cause nations to follow the way of God had he not conducted himself in this way of folly and self-experimentation through lust and greed.