Don't equate. That ladder with success. Don't equate success with your address. or your VIP access. And from the outside looking on, Solomon would have been the one who would have assumed, or you would have assumed, had arrived.
If anybody was the man, he was the man. If anybody had made it, he had made it. If anybody had caught the carrot, it was Solomon. How'd you do that? We want to follow you.
We want to imitate you. Give us the secret. Give us the steps. When you find someone who seems to have it made in life, It's tempting to want to learn the secret. In fact, if that man or woman were to write a book on how they got where they are, it would be a bestseller.
Go to your local mall. and you'll see dozens of people chasing after things they think will satisfy. But when they get it, they're still unsatisfied. what they truly desire seems just out of reach.
So, how can we find the satisfaction that truly lasts? Today, Stephen Davey opens Ecclesiastes for you with a message called Chasing a carrot on a stick. You've probably heard this phrase before. It has become. An expression.
That's rather common chasing a carrot On a stick. That's actually been around a long time. Picture, of course, that comes to mind of some unforgiving donkeys. Motivated to keep plowing by that stick over its head and a dangling carrot just. out of reach in front of his nose.
The expression, of course, has come to refer in our world to people chasing after something they really want to catch, but they can never quite. Make it. It's just out of reach. As I studied the passage we're going to look at. This Theme came to my mind, and rehearsing some of these truths in our study.
Through the Journal of Solomon, known as the Book of Ecclesiastes, if you're new to our study. You might want to make your way there. And while you're doing that, I came across a study done by the Harvard Business School just a little over a year ago. And the first time they had ever really done it, but they enlisted 4,000. Millionaires in their Or research to make observations.
Of course, they asked them rather predictable questions and got a host of what we would consider predictable. Answers. One of the things they asked them was on a scale of one to ten, ten being the most. happy, how happy are you? And very few made it to ten.
The majority of them answered the question: well, what would it take to get you to 10? It was interesting, most of them said. we would like to have twice as much of what we already have. And what was intriguing was it didn't matter if they had 1 million or 100 million, they all said the same thing. We just want to double it.
And if we can double it. We'll be happy. The lead researcher, Michael Norton. said they also discovered something that was a little surprising, an underlying issue. That was at play, they discovered the deeper issue wasn't so much: do I have enough?
But Do I have more Then does around me. In other words, even at about 100 million, they're still wondering: Am I ahead of the other guy? In fact, he illustrated their findings, Michael Norton did, by writing: if somebody had $50 million we found, but moved into a neighborhood where everybody obviously had more than that, they were suddenly no longer. Happy. It wasn't that they didn't have a lot.
They wanted more. And we're just like them, by the way. But it's really deeper. They wanted more than What somebody else had. They were watching.
and comparing This disease hasn't just infected Millionaires, it's the condition of the human Hard. Today is going to show up in the nursery, the toddler room down the hallway.
Some kids got two.
Now the kid's got none, but the kid that has two is happier. and the kid that has none and won't share.
So, they're going to work with your children, from what I've heard. Down there. to try to get him to share. It's gonna happen over here in the middle school. The one that's got the newest iPhone is going to be, you know, the NV.
of those that have what they thought they were happy with, but now suddenly it's not That's good. And it works all the way in here. In fact, advertisers are now well aware of the power of getting. Children. into chasing carrots.
Two. Companies are spending now billions of dollars a year targeting children between the ages of two And twelve. In fact, research has discovered that by the age of two, Children can recognize brand names and prefer them because of it. In fact, before they ever hit kindergarten, I read, children will influence three hundred billion dollars worth of purchases a year by telling their parents everything from what they want to wear to what they want to play with. to what they want to eat for breakfast.
It has nothing to do with going to a Christian school or a public school or being homeschooled. It has everything to do with a fallen heart and even before they ever hit schooling. They have figured out. How to chase. After a carrot.
The real issue is more than dollars and cents. and what you wear and and cereal you eat. The bigger, more dangerous. issue at hand is that that carrot happens to be a brilliantly disguised deception. Distraction.
Illusion. That if we can just get it. We're going to be happy. Whatever it is, people are chasing. It has the ability to distract the mind, deceive the heart, waste the energy of life.
And the reality of meaning and purposes God intended. In fact, I like to think of the carrot as one of Satan's greatest tools in distracting the human heart from the issues of life and death. He does it for those who do not believe, to keep them from thinking about. Ensuing, coming death. And he does it for the believer to get us to waste our time.
in not bringing God glory in what He does give us. Jesus referred to it as the cares of this world. And the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusting after other things. Mark chapter 4, verse 5. 19.
He also warned: what benefit is it if somebody. wins the whole world but loses their what?
Soul. In other words, somebody made it. They're at the head of the line, they actually won the whole world. They got it all. But then lost their soul.
And that's the bigger issue. That mattered most. In my studies along this theme, I came across an artist's rendering of this very warning. It's it was drawn in 1918, I believe. It pictures the great deceiver Satan hidden under a cloak.
riding on a donkey, holding that stick out in front of the donkey. dangling from that stick a tantalizing Carrot. And all the while, the donkey is distracted. If you look carefully, it's moving closer and closer to the edge. of a cliff.
That's the human race. It's reaching It's a longing. It's distracted. Cleverly. From the reality This isn't all there is.
In fact, what we have is just a very, very short prelude to a very long eternity. These are the solemn issues, by the way, that They've been on the mind of of the author of this journal. He makes a new entry into his diary, and he's going to essentially describe. Chasing a carrot on a stick, and that's why it came to my mind as I studied this paragraph: the frustration as well of being beaten in the race.
Somebody gets there first, or seems to arrive, or they have it better. Ultimately wasting their lives at the end of the race. These are very serious issues. And I don't believe this is a coincidence that you're here. We're here together and we've arrived at this particular text together.
To hear the warning from God.
So take your copy, if you're not already there, to Ecclesiastes, we're in chapter 6. Let's pick up where we left off. And we're going to tour the next Three verses, beginning in verse seven. And while we do, I'm going to summarize what he's saying in the form of three warnings. Basically one perverse.
One per verse of Scripture. They're just by the way. They're just as true today as they were 3,000 years ago when he wrote them down. The first warning is this. Your life can be fall While at the same time your heart can remain Empty.
Notice verse 7. All the toil of man is for his mouth. Yet his appetite is not Satisfied.
Now the word for mouth Here is to be understood in terms of the material world. Physical needs. Nothing wrong with them, but so much of life goes into physical needs, filling the mouth, necessities of food and clothing and shelter. The word toil, we've encountered this already in this journal, is a reference to your job. The work you do for a living.
You work. You work hard, you get paid, you cash that paycheck, and it translates into everything from paying the bills. To Buying the groceries, whatever it is. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with succeeding.
In that, in fact, you may remember that Solomon told us earlier in chapter 5 that our jobs, what God has skilled us with and given us talents to perform, were a gift. from God. Don't shirk that opportunity. Invest it and use it for the glory of Of God and his gospel. But Solomon is referring here.
to more than a job uh that pays for physical Consumer needs. In fact, you could translate the last phrase in verse 7 where it reads, Yet his appetite is not satisfied to read, yet his longing for fulfillment. remains empty.
So, what he's saying is, you're working hard, you're giving your life over. to temporary things. Material things, your schedule never lets up. I mean, look at it, you're busy. You're busy.
You got things to do as soon as you leave here. The Hebrew word translated a longing. or appetite. Is nephesh. It's the Hebrew word for sow.
You're working hard. You're trying to get by. You're focused on material things, and at the same time that you're trying to get by and pay the bills. Guess what's happening? your nephesh, your soul.
Is longing. That's the word in the Hebrew mind for emotion and will and mind. We refer to it in the New Testament as heart. Your heart, the seed of who you are. is a longing So, what Solomon is saying is that life down here under the sun, and keep in mind now, this is the expression for life.
Without fellowship with God, it's life. living only for this life. A person can be busy and productive. and get all wrapped up in consumer Purchases Everything that satisfies their mouth.
So to speak. Without ever finding satisfaction. in their heart. And you know it as well as I do. Your life can be full.
And you can be running. on empty. Here's the second warning. Improving your station in life doesn't mean you're succeeding in life. The world says what you need to do is get a little higher on that ladder.
you're going to get that carrot.
Well, Solomon asked two rhetorical questions here in verse 8 to prove his point. Notice. He writes, For what advantage? Has the wise man over the fool And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Let's sort of unpack this.
Solomon is expecting us to say, no, none, none of these. uh individuals have any advantage. In other words, if somebody lives just to satisfy their mouth, their physical appetites, consumable things, even the wise man doesn't have an advantage over the foolish man. He's not any happier. And the poor man He didn't have an advantage.
Even though he doesn't have all the distractions, perhaps, or all the pressures. And even though he's figured out how to make it by his wits, you notice he expresses that he knows how to conduct himself before the living. He knows how to. To work the crowd. Even though we don't have any money.
Solomon asks and answers the question with this hard-hitting reality. Then, does anybody have any advantage over anybody else? In this race. For the carrot. And his answer would be nobody does.
And he uses these two illustrations to prove his point. What about Solomon. suggests, what about the smartest guy in the class?
Well what about The valedictorian. What about the 4.0 grade point average person? Is that equal? to happiness. And contentment.
And the answer is No. Not at all. Our world is filled with Brilliant. College graduates. and PhDs.
who are unhappy. Happiness wasn't attached to the diploma. In fact, somebody who thinks if I just get there. Yeah. Be happy, realizes.
It isn't true. What about the poor man? The implication in the text is: the poor man didn't have a chance to get an education. He couldn't afford. Dogota.
UNC or NC state. Or Campbell or Wake Tech or Or Wake force, am I leaving anybody special out here in this list?
Okay. What about the guy that couldn't afford that? But He's got street smart. He he He knows how to conduct himself among the living. He makes connections.
He seems to be getting ahead. All right, so that guy, that's the guy with the advantage. That's not equivalent to happiness either. In fact, he's going to get frustrated, he's not moving fast enough and not making enough good connections. And then somebody else is going to get the raise or somebody else is going to get the promotion.
Or somebody else is going to get the better deal. And this poor guy can't get a break. But Solomon is illustrating here People on both ends opposite ends of the spectrum. And he's essentially saying that the carrot isn't any closer to that brilliant member of the Academy. Than it is to that poor man who never got an education.
Neither one of them had any advantage over the other. And everybody in between. And his point is: just because you're gonna try to improve your station in life. Don't think for a moment that when you get one more rung up, whatever that ladder happens to be, that you are succeeding. And with that comes happiness.
There are plenty of CEOs. and celebrities To prove this point. Here's another warning. It's closely tied to the others, but it gives a little insight into what's really going on. Warning number three: there will always be something above and beyond what you already.
Yeah. He's addressed this before. He says it a little differently here. Look at verse 9. Better is the sight of the eyes, that is, better is what you can see, what you have in your hand.
Better is that Then the wandering of the appetite. This also is vanity and a striving. After Win.
So what do you see? In other words, what do you see in your hand? Right now. What does God allowed you to have Right now.
Well, you want to chase the wind? You want emptiness, you want resentment, you want joylessness, then chase after things that you can only dream about and ignore what's in your hand. That's his point.
Now he's not telling you to not dream big or attempt something ambitious or accomplish something impactful in life. He's simply saying that it's better To have a little. And enjoy it, then dream about what you'd love to have if you could just edge the other guy out. Oh, that's just empty futility. He's simply saying that it's better to have a little that God has given you than Then pursue that.
Carrot. By the way, the words here translated the wandering of the appetite. is literally The traveling Nephesh, there's that word again, the wandering heart, the wandering soul. The heart that keeps on wandering in its travels for satisfaction. What came to my mind as I read that text was that song about the rambling man.
Why don't you settle down? You've got to be over 50 to appreciate that illustration. Unsatisfied, restless. Call whatever you will. Poet.
The seven-year itch. Call it. And the grass is greener on the other side. Call it a midlife crisis. Whatever you want to call it, it's simply a reflection of the same issue.
Uh an empty heart. Built around selfish desire for things. We don't have. There's no need to have a midlife crisis. There's no need to pursue the Grass on the other side.
All that is, is simply the culmination or the arrival of the point in a person's life where they say, I don't like what I've got and I want something I want something above and beyond Whatever it might be. These expressions betray our fallen hearts. By the way, it began as early as Preschool. And it's going to dog our heels. It's a Solomon, frankly, to a T.
Solomon, you read his biography of discontent in 1 Kings. He didn't have a seven-year itch, he had a seven-minute itch. He he he could never Ever settle down. He could never. He never settled down with one wife.
I want one more. How many you got? 699. I want 700. He could never Settle down with one shipment.
of gold and ivory. And wildlife and greenery, I gotta have one more shipment. In fact, his tribute and his taxes. Wore the people out, and when he's coming to the end of his life, people beg for relief. No, I got to get one more shipment of gold.
He He never had enough houses. How many do you need? He got bored with one and he'd build another. He was the ultimate. Wandering.
Soul. And he's honest. In writing, really, what's a self-portrait, he calls it what it is here in verse 9. Notice it's vanity. You come across that word again, it's emptiness, it's futility.
It's striving after wind. He's saying I couldn't catch the wind in this analogy. He says, even with everything I had, I couldn't quite Catch that. Carrot. This is the human heart.
This is your heart and mine. Apart from being satisfied with Jesus Christ, it is earth bound instead of heaven bound. And for the believer here, there's Certainly, the warning, and this is the remembering daily that Christ is to be enough. If the will of God is not interesting enough, and if the word of God isn't good enough, and if the presence and the pleasure of God isn't satisfying enough. Nothing will ever be enough.
There's always going to be something, even for the believer, above and beyond.
something you don't own, something you want, some approval, some accomplishment. You didn't win the race. Seems like everybody else around you is. In fact, church can be incredibly discouraging if we come here to compare ourselves to each other.
Somebody's going to have it better.
Somebody's going to seem happier.
Somebody's going to be more accomplished. That's why Paul says when we compare ourselves with one another, we are not wise. And I came across a Fascinating study along this theme of Research done. Kind of amazes me. I love reading research of what people do, and it amazes me what they research, but this particular research.
was a study of Olympic medalists and their attitude while standing up there On the stand. I mean, who studies that? But they did. They they discovered the bronze medallists We're happier. Then silver.
Metalists And here's why. Silver medalists were focused on how close they came to winning gold. And they weren't satisfied with silver. The bronze medalists were focused on how close they came to not winning anything at all. They were really happy just to be there.
We need to be bronze medalists. Just happy to be there.
So here are three warnings. From a man who lived through All of these repeated the same mistake over and over again for decades. Let me go through them again and just add another touch of warning. As we wrap it up, warning number one: your life can be full while at the same time your heart can remain empty, so don't be deluded. Don't be duped into thinking that because you're busy You're involved in things that are essential.
We're all busy and Busyness is not sinfulness. But what I mean is the point Solomon is attempting to make here: let's make sure that what God is. Doing With our lives It is to be the overflow of what he is doing in our hearts. In fact, the priority of God's work in your life and mine. Is in our hands, it's our hearts.
And I don't know about you, but I need that reminder. I like to be busy with my hands, my life. And I get away from the schedule for about three days, and my wife says, Okay, honey, I can see it coming here. You're you're one to get back. God wants to be busy In my heart.
Don't pursue a full, busy life while ignoring the transforming work of God's Spirit. And your heart. Warning number two: improving your station in life doesn't mean you're succeeding in life.
So don't be deceived, don't equate. One more rung up. That ladder with success. Don't equate success with your address. or your VIP access.
Now, from the outside looking on, Solomon would have been the one who would have assumed, or you would have assumed, had arrived. If anybody was the man, he was the man. If anybody had made it, he had made it. If anybody had caught the carrot, it was Solomon. How'd you do that?
We want to follow you. We want to imitate you. Give us the secret. Give us the steps. Yesterday In the male I got my Copy of Time magazine.
I subscribe to Time magazine so I can stay irritated in life. At some point. Actually, I kind of want to know what the perspective of the world out there is and what they're doing. And this issue. listed the one hundred Most influential.
women in the world. I have seen the lists of the 100 most influential men. in the world. Several of them I knew openly defied, denied the gospel of Christ. It grieved my heart because I I pitied them.
Can you imagine? And I thought as I stood there having Your name listed in the 100 most influential. Women or men in an internationally acclaimed publication, to have a name that's a household name of influence but not have your name written in the Lamb's book of life. The tragedy, too, and this is where I felt so sorry for them. Many of them.
It's because they're applauded. The world is cheering them on. The deception is even that much more tragic along the way. Imagine being applauded on earth and miss. Heaven.
This is what the Lord said. You got the world. And you lost. Your soul. Don't be deceived.
Especially If the world is applauding That might even add to the deception. Warning number three. There will always be something above and beyond what you already Have It started early. Isn't going to go away. Until you and I are home with Christ, perfected and glorified in holiness.
Won't that be great? Won't that be great? I'm not going to look at your crown and go, man. I wanted that gem. Isn't that great?
I'm going to be so glad you have one. Don't be distracted. Don't be blinded. Don't get enamored. Don't become engrossed.
Life isn't about a carrot. It's about Jesus Christ. His will, His word His pleasure We need the wisdom of Solomon gained at the end of his life as the Holy Spirit spoke through him and he turns around and he tells us: oh, look, don't chase those. Don't chase them. Don't do that.
Find your satisfaction. as he will wrap up his journal eventually with us. pursuing fellowship. With God. If you've already spent a portion of your life chasing after what the world has to offer, Yeah.
you know that what Solomon discovered and wrote about is true. Those things don't satisfy. I hope this time in God's Word will encourage you to pursue that which does bring true and lasting satisfaction. Jesus Christ. Thanks for joining us today here on Wisdom for the Heart.
Stephen Davie is in a series from Ecclesiastes called Surviving Evil Under the Sun. The lesson you just heard is called Chasing a Carrot on a Stick. We have one more message to go in this series. And that'll be next time. In the meantime we'd love to hear from you.
You can send Stephen a note if you address it to Wisdom International. P O box three seven two nine seven Raleigh, N Carolina, two seven six two seven. You can also send an email to info at wisdomonline.org. Once again, that address is Wisdom International. P.O.
Box 37297 Raleigh, North Carolina So, I think it's a very good thing. Thanks for spending the last half hour with us. Please join us next time for another message from God's Word. right here on Wisdom for the Heart.
