Ecclesiastes 12:9 – And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.

Ecclesiastes 12:10 – The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.

Ecclesiastes 12:11 – The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 – And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Hello all, listen to the preacher of God’s word. Today we will be going through the verses quoted above. They are worth a read and a re read. They are Bible. They are God’s word. Preachers are people sent by God to declare God’s word. That’s what a preacher is meant to be, but so many are not. This last part of Ecclesiastes is talks about the preacher. If you are a preacher, what should you preach? If you are a hearer, what preacher should you listen to? We should understand answers to these questions more as we have a look at these few verses. But more than that, today we want to get some wisdom from God’s word on who a preacher of God’s word is, what they should preach, and what we need and should want to hear.

The preacher was wise. You know, wisdom comes from God. What makes the man of God wise? Because he taught the people knowledge. That’s what preaching is. It’s thus saith the Lord, pointing the flock to God’s word. So much preaching today is not really preaching at all. The flock doesn’t know anything. They are unprepared, unequipped, and have no understanding. In Hosea 4:6 the Bible says my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. You know, if you know the Bible, you can’t be deceived, you can’t be led astray, you can build a life based on truth.

If you read Proverbs, it is all about wisdom, knowledge and understanding. We find those things in God’s word. The more you read, the more you search the scriptures, the more you wait on God for those things… you will get them. A wise preacher teaches people God’s word. He gives them what they need… what we truly need is God’s word, not the word of man. See, this is why this guy is wise, this preacher. He SOUGHT out. He doesn’t speak of himself, he doesn’t speak out of his heart… he goes to God’s word and gives people something that will really help someone else. Let God be true and every man a liar. You’ve found some wisdom when you realize it’s God’s word that matters, not yours, not mine.

Here’s something else a preacher can do. He can set in order many proverbs. What does that mean? He can help you understand God’s word. He can open the Bible to you and talk to you out of it. In Acts 8, Philip talked to a eunuch who was read the scripture, and he didn’t quite understand it. Acts 8:35 – Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. Philip wouldn’t have been able to do this if he wasn’t saved and had been shown what these things meant by God first. Understanding comes from Jesus Christ, how can you explain things to others, if you don’t know the one from whom wisdom comes? You see, a preacher doesn’t rely on himself, but he relies on Jesus Christ… just like he doesn’t offer what he thinks… but what God says. Preachers declare God’s word. The Bible says it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. But is that a preacher who is just saying what he thinks… no. The preacher seeks out God’s word, that word which is spirit and life, and delivers it, spreading it like the sower casting the seed.

You know, the Bible can be quite hard to understand. A proverb to someone can be a dark saying, it can be a hard saying. The Bible is spiritually discerned. So without the Holy Spirit how can the scripture be opened by someone to you? God has given preachers, people who know God’s word, who have the Holy Spirit. An amazing thing happens when someone preaches God’s word, because as the word goes forth, the Holy Spirit honors the word of God, and if there are hearers there who are willing, the Holy Spirit takes the word of God and ministers it to their heart. You see, when you give people God’s word, the Holy Spirit is actually the teacher. The Holy Spirit always honors the word of God. When the Holy Spirit preaches, people get saved, people think… hey something is different here. What are proverbs in the Bible become plain speech to the hearer. Jesus had the meaning to his parables remember, he explained them to the disciples.

The preacher sought out acceptable words. See the preacher… he’s seeking out what to say. That’s wisdom. Seeing we don’t have the answers, let’s go to God’s word which does. Where are the acceptable words? We have them. They’re the Bible. Furthermore the verse goes on to say that that which was written was upright and the words of truth. What a preacher this guy in Ecclesiastes is. He seeks out the Bible, he gets in it, he delivers it. Because he was wise. You see, not many preachers are wise. Wisdom comes from Jesus Christ, because not many people have been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 – Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. These were men who had been with Jesus, they heard him speak, Jesus had taught them, Jesus had given them understanding. That’s why, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, Peter could stand up at Pentecost and deliver a sermon that made a difference, God’s word pouring out, leading to salvation.

We come to something interesting, The Bible says that the words of the wise are as goads. What is a goad? A goad is used to prod and poke and animal to make him go somewhere. God’s word prods and pokes doesn’t it? God’s word gets a reaction. Goading someone is used when you annoy someone and get a response. Don’t poke the bear they say. You know, God’s word is a goad. Many people hate it. God’s word isn’t to annoy, but it does annoy. God’s word is to wake people up, but people that don’t want to be woken… they’re not too happy. If you’re spiritually asleep, do you really welcome the goad of God’s word? God’s word cuts straight to the heart… why did they stone Stephen? Because his sermon cut them to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth and dragged him out the city and stoned him. There’s real power in God’s word, it’s alive. That’s why it’s a goad. The power of God is in God’s word. God’s word that created the heaven and the earth. God’s word means a lot. We have it, and we ought to give it to others. What brings light flooding in? God’s word, just like in Genesis 1… let there be light. Just like in Genesis 1, when God’s word comes into your life is when the light will turn on. When God’s word comes in, that’s when the separation between light and darkness will come. When God’s word comes in, there is a new creation… Jesus said ye must be born again, the gospel brings a new birth!

The words of the wise are as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies. You know a preacher should be able to assemble the Bible, a little here, a little there. When someone’s been in the Bible, you know. Bible bounces of Bible, harmonizing perfectly. Furthermore, nails are used to secure things, nails are what secured Jesus to the cross. What better way to put your life together. Nails join things together, by getting in God’s word, you can piece it all together for yourself and help others to do so in their lives. In Judges, Jael smote a nail through Sisera’s head. Spiritually speaking, a nail is fastened in the hearer, not easily removed, when God’s word comes. You can’t unhear God’s word, you can’t escape it. It leaves a mark. The nails left a mark on Jesus’ hands. Start getting things absolutely nailed down in your life. What better way to nail things down in your life than by getting in God’s word, hearing and obeying it.

The end of this verse says the words of the wise are given from one shepherd. God’s word comes from one person, Jesus Christ. They don’t contradict, they are his word. The author is the Holy Spirit, that’s why God’s word is what we need. God has given us his word, why do we settle for less? The preacher recognizes the importance of God’s word, the wisdom of God’s word, who God’s word comes from, and who he is representing, Christ. It’s not about the preacher, it’s about Jesus Christ. He is the great Shepherd of the sheep. You want to be shepherded by Jesus? Get in his word. Stop straying from the fold going your own way. We have God’s word given to us by God. What more could you want? These are the words we need to know, and hear and obey.

The Bible says my son. You know what will create a son? The gospel of Jesus Christ. When you believe, you become a son of God. When you are born again, that birth is into the family of God. Jesus is the Son of God, and through Jesus we become sons of God. What a privilege to be called my son by God. What a father is our Heavenly Father. These are the words of the Father to us. What did Jesus say? John 12:49 – For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. Jesus came with the word of God, and if Jesus came with that, shouldn’t a preacher come with God’s word? Words carrying the seal of heaven? Be admonished by them. Admonishing refers to warning of a fault, to reproving, to instructing, to directing, to counseling against evil, to caution, to advise. We should take our direction from no less than God’s word. To be admonished means to come under the authority of someone or something greater. That’s why people won’t be admonished, because they don’t like the authority of God’s word, the word of the loving Father to his son.

Finally, the verse finishes by saying “of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” You know, this is incredible. We tend to go to a never ending stream of books… but we don’t settle on the Bible. What a weariness to spend your life looking for what can be so easily found plainly written in God’s word. What a waste to spend your life ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. There is no end to people’s faith searches and planning to “look into it” and searching for meaning and purpose and relevance. They go past God’s word, they go past that wise preacher who holds forth the word of life, certain, sure, faithful words… and there is no end. Arrive at the truth, or just keep going around and around in circles. This is what Solomon, the preacher, had done. He’d gone through a vain life of endless searching for fulfillment, happiness and meaning… when he had the answer all along. God’s word. At the end of it, he settled on God’s word, he says … fear God and keep his commandments. How are you going to know who to fear? How are you going to know his commandments? It’s all found in the Bible, the book of life, God’s life manual. This is the whole duty of man he said. Solomon concluded the whole matter, such a simple conclusion. One which you may take a lifetime, and still not truly arrive at. We have a preacher in God’s word, he is preaching God’s word, surely listen to the preacher of God’s word. This is a preacher who gave good heed, who sought out, who found God’s word and gave it to others. Listen to the preacher of God’s word.

Isaiah 34:16 – Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

Blog Bible Christ Christian Faith God Gospel Holy Spirit Jesus Lord Religion Salvation Saved Spirit Truth