Question 3
Once again the Preacher is honest about the troubles of life, both physical and psychological. He also has some advice for us: we should do what we can to remove discouragement from our souls and to minimize damage to our bodies. This is not a call to deny the very real suffering that everyone experiences. Nor is it a call to escape pain by living for pleasure. Rather, it is a call to take care of our mental and physical health. If we are getting discouraged by various vexations, and if we are tempted therefore to become depressed or disillusioned, we should do what the Preacher says and remove those vexations from our hearts. This starts with refusing to feel sorry for ourselves. Rather than dwelling on all the things that are going wrong, we should count our blessings. We should also seek the care of a pastor or the counsel of Christian friends—brothers and sisters in Christ who are sympathetic to our situation but also able to see our situation for what it is and tell us what we need to hear, especially from the Scriptures. But the very best remedy for vexation is to go to God in prayer, telling him all our troubles. “Do not be anxious about anything”—or vexed about anything, we might say—“but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” This command is then followed by a promise: “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). The Biblical way of removing vexation is to cast our cares on God.
– Philip Graham Ryken, Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters, Preaching the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2010), 267.
Question 4
When we are young it is so easy to forget the one who made us. It is so easy to think about ourselves. There are so many things to experience and learn and do. Well, here is the most important thing we can learn and do: “Remember your Creator”….To remember your Creator is more than to recall that there is a Creator, more also than to think about Him from time-to-time. To remember your Creator means to bring to mind daily what your Creator has done for you and to act on this knowledge. To remember your Creator is to make God central in your life and to focus your life on doing His will.
– 2 Sidney Greidanus, Preaching Christ from Ecclesiastes, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2010), 289.