Ecclesiastes 1
The motto of Ecclesiastes (Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.) appears at the beginning and at the end of the book (12:8), and is reinforced over and over throughout the book. The word "vanity" literally means "vapor" and appears 29 times in this book. It is used here to emphasize the temporary nature of everything we know through our senses. The word "preacher" means "the gatherer" of the people of God for covenant assembly. "Fleeting, fleeting, all is fleeting!" says the one calling us to gather in God's presence - the Assembler. This is an interesting motto for an intriguing book!
We have talked about the beginning and end. The body of the book has three cycles. Each one begins with statements that seem to emphasize the futility of trying to build a lasting legacy in this world in which we live. While these verses may seem hopelessly dreary, they are an honest appraisal of the human condition. It will not help us to pretend that these problems do not exist. Living a life of pretense will not solve our problem. Everything is not all right.
The Assembler is going to explore the frustration and futility connected to even the best work and even the most diligent pursuit of wisdom. Both of these ideas are introduced at the end of the first chapter.
Concerning work:
"What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted." (1:15) There is evidence all around us of what is broken and what appears to be missing in this world of decay and loss. Furthermore, there will be no fixing of this even through our best efforts.
Concerning the pursuit of wisdom:
"In much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." (1:18) The more we explore wisdom, the more we are puzzled and even troubled.
There must be some answer for us to this honest opening assessment, for we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor 15:58). That answer must have something to do with the One who came from outside this fleeting world, and who wins for us solid joys and lasting treasures - the One who is both the Wisdom and Power of God (1 Cor 1:24) - Jesus Christ, the Covenant Mediator between God and man, and the Assembler of God's people.
The chapters ahead of us include more painful words and some very important answers in the midst of a refreshingly honest struggle. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Ecclesiastes 2
The book of Ecclesiastes has an introduction and a conclusion, both of which include the motto of the book. That motto - very loosely translated - says something like this:
"Fleeting, fleeting, all is fleeting!" says the one calling us to gather in God's presence - the Assembler of God's Assembly.
The body of the book is made up of three cycles, each with an introduction on futility. The cycles grow in complexity from the first to the third, but each of them has a gem at the center that contains something very important for us to learn as we honestly face the challenge of the human condition in the presence of the Almighty.
The center of the first cycle is chapter 2, an extended testimony of Qoheleth, translated "the Preacher" in the ESV. The Hebrew word is related to the word for the covenant assembly of God's people. Who is this gatherer of the gathered church of God? Who is this Assembler of God's Assembly? Ecclesiastes 2 seems to be something of his account of his own pursuits. He has already identified himself as the son of David, king in Jerusalem. He has also said, "I have been king over Israel in Jerusalem." Together with his account of his great wealth, wisdom, and women, it seems fair to see this man as Solomon, as most people have assumed.
Here, King Solomon, presumably after many years of consideration (12:1-7), tells us about his pursuits. He has gone after pleasure, great projects, and abounding possessions. He did what few can do. Whatever his eyes desired his hands acquired. What did he find?
Ecclesiastes 2:11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
He also considered the matters of wisdom, madness, and folly. While he concluded that wisdom was clearly better than folly, yet he was troubled by the fact that the same event (death) happens to both the wise man and the fool (2:13-14). The result of his exploration of wisdom was a deep grief that caused him to "despair" about what he confessed to be the "great evil" of human futility because of the great reality of death. He says:
Ecclesiastes 2:17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
But he also made this assessment from his own life - words that are more positive, while retaining the assessment of realistic truth of the mortality of man:
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
The importance of the testimony of this one man is that here we have one who had it all. We delude ourselves into thinking that our happiness or sense of purpose or meaning is just beyond our reach because of the constraint of resources. If we had a little bit more - more money, more and/or better relationships, more wisdom or intelligence or connections, then everything would fall into place. All would be well. Ecclesiastes 2 shows us that this is a false way of thinking. Even the life of a very wise and powerful man will run into the wall of death.
There is One Man who came from the place of wisdom and power, who in love consented to live under the sun, who denied himself for the greatest purpose. This great man has given himself for you, and He is no loser. He suffered death in order to defeat it for you. In his death and resurrection we find life. Believing in Him does not change the truth of Solomon's observations (both positive and negative). Nonetheless, something of the sting is gone for the one who believes.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 55 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ecclesiastes 3
In this chapter we have the end of the first cycle, and the introduction to the second cycle.
The famous passage that closes the first cycle is made of 14 pairs of statements about time. Time is given to us. The reason why "there is a time" for various activities and emotions over the course of an individual life or the life of a community or nation is that there is a Sovereign God who rules over all.
At the center of this section is the end of couplet 7 and the beginning of couplet 8. Consider these statements in light of the work of God to gather His people for His own sovereign glory.
Ecclesiastes 3:5 ...a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace,...
If we search the Scriptures to consider any spiritual importance that these two images might contain, we make a startling discovery. God is gathering stones as He builds His holy temple. He has embraced us through the death of his son, the Bridegroom for His bride. These two analogies are used by God to talk about His plans and actions regarding the church. The Apostle Paul uses both of these ideas in his letter to the church in Ephesus.
Ephesians 2:19 - 3:1 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:31-32 31 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
As we move beyond cycle one into the introduction to cycle 2, the words in the remainder of Ecclesiastes 3 reinforce the message of fleeting futility that we examined in chapter 1 (see 3:9, 15, 16, 19-21) . But there is more sense of an answer given to us as we begin the middle cycle of the book. God is the Giver. We can and must enjoy the gifts He gives. God is also the judge who has put the yearning for eternity into the hearts of men (3:11).
Praise the Lord for the One who has gathered us and embraced us. We have the longing of our hearts satisfied forever only in the One who is both sovereign Judge and loving Husband.
Ecclesiastes 4
In this chapter we have the first part of the book's middle cycle, which offers reflections on futility and work. The third and largest cycle will consider futility and wisdom.
Today's reading takes us up to the point where we are ready to hear the most central passage of the entire book. In the next chapter extending to the first few verses of chapter 6, we consider the jewel at the center of the book (5:1-7) and the companion passage (5:8-6:7) to today's verses which lead us to the center of the cycle.
In the passage leading up to the center we consider scarcity under the sun, and then human rulers and arrogance. In the passage leading us out of the center we have the companion passages coming in reverse order; first some verses on human rulers and corruption, and then thoughts on abundance under the sun as a parallel to the earlier thoughts on scarcity.
Thoughts on Scarcity
Those who are oppressed have no one to comfort them. Wouldn't it be better not to see life at all than to live out that kind of misery?
Those toiling at their work are so often fueled only by envy. They lack what their neighbors have and so they go about their vain pursuits. Yet folding one's hands in avoidance of work only leads to hunger. To be satisfied with a little is better than having a lot with a lot of anxiety and strife (4:6)
Even those who have many goods may have no one to share life with. Oh the joys of having a companion! "A three-fold cord" of fellowship has surprising strength (4:12)
Human Rulers and Arrogance
The life cycle of a ruler is presented for our consideration. He goes from nothing to something and then back to nothing. What is it all for? Where is all his pride in the end?
The King Who Reigns Forever
Our King is beyond this world of scarcity. Yet He entered this world in order to win for us a great abundance through His blood. He lives forever to reign over His people. He is high but not in some false arrogance. Even now He intercedes for us.
Ecclesiastes 5
5:1-7 is the central passage in the middle of three cycles in this book, the cycle that addresses futility and work. This passage seems to come upon us very abruptly, and then abruptly it leaves us. At the very center of the center is verse 4:
When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.
Prior to this particular verse is a section about worship, many words , much work, and dreams (5:1-3), and after this center of the center these same topics return (5:5-7) before an abrupt switch to other matters.
What was the worship vow that verse 4 refers to? Today we use the English word vow to mean a solemn promise. There is something more in the Old Testament practice of making and paying vows. A vow was a conditional promise. "If, Lord, you grant me this earnest request, then I will give you thus and such." In the event that the Lord was not pleased to give the thing asked for in the "if" part of the vow, then there was no obligation on the part of the worshiper to perform the payment obligation. But if the Lord did what was requested, only a fool would then try to wiggle out of what was promised. The Old Testament worshiper, aware of the provisions in the law of God regarding making and paying vows, was here solemnly instructed to pay what he had vowed.
This worship practice of vows is not found as a part of the order of New Testament worship. We make solemn promises to God in a variety of contexts, and of course we need to keep our word to the Lord, but we do not have a worship practice of making conditional promises. As with the practice of making animal sacrifices, the practice of conditional vows came to an end in the grand fulfillment of one great vow - one vow in which all Old Testament vow making and vow keeping found its fulfillment. Christ made this vow especially on the cross, when he quoted the opening of Psalm 22, a vow psalm that describes in alarmingly prophetic detail not only the sufferings of the cross, but also the extravagance of the worshiper's promise to God. No mere David could bring to the Lord the praise of the nations, including both those who had already gone to the dust of the earth and those who had not yet been born. But this is precisely what Christ has promised to do. He was heard on the cross when He made supplication for deliverance, and He will most certainly pay what He has vowed. The perfected church is the payment of the Lord's promise. The resurrection is the proof that the final Vow Maker was heard.
With that biblical background in mind consider the key verse quoted above:
When you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow.
Christ has made a vow. He will not violate Ecclesiastes 5:4. In accord with the center of the center of this book, we can know with certainty that Christ will surely pay what He has vowed. This is our great assurance: We will be fully sanctified and glorified together with the whole body of Christ.
What does all of this have to with futility and work? The work that is the ultimate fulfillment of the ultimate vow is not our work, but the work of Christ, the ultimate Worshiper of the Father. All our work is a striving after the wind in this futile world, but His work is sure and eternal. When our work is connected to His work, then our labor is in the Lord, and that labor will last. It is not in vain.
Even a powerful king may give in to the temptation to oppress the poor (5:8). And even those who have unusual abundance still face the loss of it all in death (5:15). We should enjoy the fleeting pleasures of this fleeting world as a gift from God, who keeps us occupied with simple joys that perish (5:20). Yet there is some work that will last, and will be established forever in the heavens. It is the work of our Messiah King, who made the ultimate vow, and who will one day deliver the Kingdom to the Father, as the final payment of the final vow. The One who will bring every deed into judgment (12:14) will Himself most certainly pay what He has vowed in the great Assembly of God's heavenly saints (Psalm 22:25).
Ecclesiastes 6
Ecclesiastes 6:1-7 is the wrap-up of the middle cycle of the book, the cycle about the futility of man's labors. The remaining verses in chapter six are the introduction to the final cycle. As with the introductions to the earlier two cycles, the same themes are repeated for us again as we enter the final cycle on the futility of man's pursuit of wisdom.
The specific issue addressed in the opening of chapter six (1-7) is the problem of abundance. This is ironic, because no one thinks of abundance as a problem. Earlier in this cycle we considered the problem of scarcity. That kind of problem people can appreciate... too little money, too few friends, not enough food to eat. Normally we think that if we had more of what we can get under the sun, then we would be able to enjoy life.
The fundamental issue is still death. Who can conquer it? What if God gives you wealth beyond your wildest imagination, but you do not have the time to enjoy it today and your life is taken away before tomorrow comes? How many people live for retirement, but sickness or the loss of a spouse never allow them to live out their dreams? Think of the Romanian despot of the 20th century who built for himself the largest palace in the world, but never got to sleep in it for even one night. Before it was finished he had been executed by his own people. How many buildings built as special places by corporate or political leaders are today being occupied and used by people who opposed them? Not only was the wealthy man unable to enjoy these things, but his enemies regularly inform visitors who it was who originally built this, and they all laugh. Of course, do not laugh too loudly, because you do not know who will take possession of the property after you are gone, or if the property will be an albatross rather than a jewel.
What about many children and a long life? How many people throughout history have had these gifts from God, yet when their lives are over they are hated more than admired, and are not even given a proper burial? Who can observe such things without wondering about the big question of meaning? The ultimate problem of death, or the more immediate symptoms of the scarcity of time and the loss of love or respect from those who matter most to us more than erase all the victories that we thought that we had through accumulation. Better a stillborn child, says Qoheleth. What a brutal shock!
After this conclusion to the middle cycle we get ready for the final cycle with a familiar chorus. The words are somewhat different but we recognize the same themes. There is no profit, no progress, and no legacy for man under the sun. Even the pursuit of wisdom will not ultimately satisfy us.
The answer to the brutal honesty of Ecclesiastes 6 is that the Son of God has conquered death. His cross work involved the cutting short of his life. Jesus did not have abundance of possessions. He had no descendants. He had wisdom that no one was able to understand, and at the end of his life a mob who had witnessed his miracles shouted for his murder. But by that one death he defeated death for us. He has won eternity, an abundant life of eternity, for a posterity of millions who own His name. They are willing to take whatever reproach may come to them today, simply to own the name "Christian." This is an amazing victory that more than swallows up the futility of this world and leaves us with the gift of hope - a hope that is not afraid to hear an honest assessment of the futility of even the most abundant life that could be lived under the sun. Even such a life will run into the problem of death. But Christ has conquered death for us.
Ecclesiastes 7
In Chapter 7 we now move past the introduction of the final cycle of the book and into the body of what Qoheleth has to say about the pursuit of wisdom. I find the structure of this third cycle the most difficult to discern. Perhaps there is something fitting here in the form of the author’s remarks that matches his message throughout this cycle: that the wisdom of God is unfathomable.
The seventh chapter includes both the observations that come from inquiry after wisdom, and the practical instruction that follows from endeavors to understand life. In all of this there is the note of surprise that things are not what people commonly assume them to be. The chapter opens with a series of these surprising observations. Man seems to naturally prefer things that make a body comfortable and things that are emotionally enjoyable, but these are actually not the best things for us.
Man wants life, but death is better. Man wants a wedding feast, but the house of mourning is better. Man wants laughter, but sorrow is better. Man wants frivolity, but a wise word of correction is better. Man wants to be proud, but patience is better. In all of this we should be able to enjoy these lesser gifts (laughter, entertainment, etc.) as they are given, while yet possessing the wisdom to discern that they are lesser gifts.
There is something about the human condition that makes these surprising facts true, though few seem to grasp these matters very much at all. Verse 14 gives this insight into the good use of both the pleasant and the difficult: “In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.” There is something in the way that God has made things that leads to limits, to adversity, to frustration, and hopefully to some measure of insight and humility. Life is a complex matter that is to be enjoyed in simplicity, but with some measure of wisdom that recognizes the importance of the sting of suffering.
What is the limit of the human condition that makes all of this so? It seems to be our inescapable unrighteousness. It is because of our sin that we need the day of mourning more than the day of feasting. “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.” In specific, Qoheleth seems to be reflecting on his own life experience when he recognizes that the delight of a man in a woman may lead to a mortal wound because of our sin and the sin of this other human being. “I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her.” Beyond this one example is a more general statement of our problem: “God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
We have seen much in this book about the problem of death, but now the pursuit of wisdom forces us to grapple with the sinfulness of our hearts. It is because of this that suffering can be better for us than joy. Imagine the indescribable joy of finding a way out of our own scheming desires. Imagine a door out of the depravity of the human heart that would lead us into a new world where righteousness reigns perfectly in every soul. This is what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us. Our hope in the resurrection of the dead is not just the achievement of unending life; it is the attainment of a whole new kind of life, a life without sin. What makes the resurrection our best hope rather than a horrible nightmare is that we and all who are citizens of that new world will be perfected in holiness. Jesus Christ is the only door to this new world of universal righteousness.
To deliver us from the bondage of the current order, the Man of Righteousness came. He was the One among thousands of thousands of thousands who did not seek out wicked schemes. He never sinned. He always did good. He was the One righteous man. He came to face the day of adversity for us. The day of His death was a horrible day of sorrow brought about by our own sin. This one worst of all days has now become for us better than thousands of days filled with the best pleasures that this life can offer. To see this day of the cross rightly and brightly is true wisdom.
Because of the proclamation of the gospel, finding this wisdom has in some sense become a very obvious and easy matter. Nonetheless, we would simply run from this greatest of all gifts if God had not given us a heart that was renewed and ears that can hear. This is how serious our sin problem is, but this problem has been decisively addressed. The Lord Jesus Christ has conquered not only death for us, but also sin.
Ecclesiastes 8
The prior chapter began the body of the third and final cycle of this book. There we saw the problem of sin. Wisdom in suffering is better than the pleasures that we crave because we live in a world of sin. Yet you are not to seek out suffering as a righteousness extremist. You would only destroy yourself, just like a person who dedicated his life to the pursuit of wickedness would die before his time. Here again there is a realization that we live in a world of sin and misery, and that we need to learn how to navigate as peacefully and profitably through this vain world as those who fear God and are the beneficiaries of His merciful and powerful work through Jesus Christ.
This is a very wise insight. Living in the light of this truth involves an awareness that in this fallen world God has ordained systems of human power, systems that are populated by sinners, but that these people are not safely resisted or ignored. In the eighth and ninth chapter we have two sections that speak of kings and two sections that speak of joy despite the inevitability of death for both the righteous and the wicked. In the eighth chapter the order is kings and then joy, and in the ninth chapter the order is joy and then kings. At the end of the eight chapter is the insight that is the main point of this section of the book.
First, concerning kings, you need to be aware that God has made things such that man has power over man. The word of the king is supreme among men, and you cannot say to the powerful, "What are you doing?" There is a time and a way for everything, and the servants of the Lord who navigate through this world need not only to be as innocent as doves, they also need to be as wise as serpents. More on kings in the ninth chapter.
Second, concerning joy, recognize that it will not ultimately go well with the wicked, but the timing of justice may not be easy for you to understand. Sometimes the lives of the righteous are cut short, and the sentence against a wicked man is not executed speedily. Despite these puzzling providences and your own coming death, you should enjoy the gifts that you have
been given by God in the midst of your toil and perplexity. More on joy in the ninth chapter.
Verses 16 and 17 are at the center of this third cycle on the pursuit of wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.
Even a wise man who thinks that he has figured out all the workings of this life is wrong in his assessment. He cannot find it out. God has made our lives to be beyond us and beyond our own ability to finally figure it all out. This does not mean that we are permitted to embrace folly and abandon our pursuit of wisdom. It does mean that we should not rest in a false confidence that we can fully understand the providence of God.
Our Lord, through whom all things were made, and who governs all things through the Word of His power, entered into such a world. In His human nature He was aware that He did not know the time of the culmination of all things. In that human nature he grew and became strong. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered." (Hebrews 5:8)
In His divine nature, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The wisdom and knowledge of God admit no possibility of variation. It is marvelous that He entered this world and died on a cross under the authority of a human ruler here below for our salvation. The exalted Christ, fully human and fully divine, knows the beginning from the end. Let us fear God, and humbly live in the order of the world that He has created, trusting that He will completely accomplish His perfect plan.
Ecclesiastes 9
The wisdom of God is beyond us. This simple point from the end of chapter eight is central to our service of God.
Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.
From that central observation we now begin our journey out of the third cycle of the book, the section that especially deals with the pursuit of wisdom. In chapter eight we had an observation about kings and then about joy. We hear two different but parallel observations in chapter nine which come to us in the reverse order as we head toward the conclusion of the book.
First, concerning joy, it is a gift from God that is to be appreciated, despite the fact that all men are headed toward the grave. Even the righteous and wise will face death. The same looming event happens to all men. Though we are in the sovereign hand of an almighty and personal God, we experience our lives as those who seem to be in the grip of time and chance, with only the certainty of death at the end. Yet we have bread, wine, garments, oil, a wife, work, thought, knowledge, and wisdom given to us in this fleeting world from the God who is able to accept us and our works. Bodies in the grave cannot enjoy these good gifts, so enjoy them today.
Second, concerning kings, Qoheleth makes another observation about kings in this futile world. A poor wise man can have more power by wisdom than a great king, though everyone may forget the wisdom of the poor man. This is part of the frustration of the present age. The key player in saving a city from the power of a great king may be a wise poor man who is easily forgotten. An unknown man's best deed might actually do more to preserve life and joy than all of the loud speeches of the famous, but this does not guarantee that the key idea that was softly spoken will be remembered. The wise advice might save the day, but the man who was in fact instrumental in these critical events may be quickly forgotten.
A man can live his life in a vain attempt to cling to what cannot be kept. A man can long for recognition from his fellows and find that it seems to elude him. At the end of it all he seems to have nothing left and is soon forgotten by history. If he lives long enough, even the people who might tell great stories at his funeral may all be gone. Two of the most admirable people I have every met, great in their service of God and man, had almost no one at their funerals. Even the man who seems to make his mark is soon forgotten, but few rise to that level.
If this present life were everything, what an injustice and futility it would all seem to be. How is it that anyone could have hope? Yet we do have not only the temporary joys of the good things that God gives to us day by day. Because the Lord of heaven has come as a poor man, because he has given up all earthly joys including his own life in the accomplishment of his sacred covenant task, now we have a sure hope that cannot be taken away from us. Because of the wisdom and power of Jesus, our labor in the Lord is not in vain, and even our death is precious in the Lord's sight.
Today remember the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and remember the promise that He is the first to rise among what will be a great resurrection host. Enjoy the good gifts of God, even doing your small part for peace, order, and goodness, knowing that the suffering that we face here below is not worthy to compare with the unfading glory which shall one day be revealed.
Ecclesiastes 10
In chapter 7 as we moved into this cycle on the pursuit of wisdom, we were given many insights and illustrations regarding wisdom and folly in a world of sin. Now on the way out of this cycle in the parallel passage that makes up chapters 10 and 11 we have more sayings and analogies on wisdom and folly. Many of these point to the distressing power of folly, and the challenge of folly in high places.
A little folly unfortunately goes a long way. Perfume is made to produce a wonderful scent, but just a few dead flies can make it stink. In the same way just a little bit of folly can overwhelm much wisdom and honor. The truth is that most of us have more than just a little bit of folly. We don't have to search very far to find it, since folly can be spotted in a fool when he is simply walking along the road.
A fool may even have been raised to a position of prominence and power. It is best to keep a tight reign on your emotions and conduct when dealing with such a person, for your own folly or the folly of a ruler can quickly lead to your demise. The fact is that there are many fools that are set in high places, and they are not without the power to bring you low.
Even in the process of attempting to do things that seem to be orderly and productive, we can be quickly struck by the power of folly. Like a snake that is not quite charmed yet, or an ax that is not as sharp as it should be, or a random animal or falling log, folly is all around us when we try to do something that we think is wise or worthwhile. We are not wise to pretend that the world is a place where we are safe from the danger of folly. We are surrounded by foolish lips, and are not above the disease ourselves. A little foolishness can quickly be multiplied into a torrent of raving madness.
This is particularly the case when whole societies seem to have been given over to madness, when those who should be low are placed in the position of rule. Such men exercise their power and use their resources to satisfy their own base lusts. They have no sense of time, place, or position. They rise up in the morning and gorge themselves with food and drink. They would solve every need and fulfill every desire with the wealth of the kingdom that has been placed in their hands. Even so, you are a fool if you quickly speak against them, not recognizing that they have been placed in a position of power and can do you much harm.
There is much to be said for not saying much. We see this kind of restraint in our Lord as He is placed in the hands of religious and civil rulers who have more than a few flies worth of folly mixed into the ointment of their words and deeds. His words and ways were always pure. Sometimes that required saying nothing at all. Sometimes it meant making a judicious exit in the midst of a murderous crowd. Often it meant that even his acts of goodness he did in an amazingly quiet way.
All this he did with perfect wisdom, even when at just the right time he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, he opened not his mouth. At just the right time He was cut off from the land of the living. We now see his marvelous wisdom in submitting to the folly of friend and foe who consented to his unjust death. He was making His soul an offering for sin. This was the day that the Lord had made, the day when the sacrifice was bound with cords to the altar.
How often do we say foolish things, and find ourselves tied up in the net of our own words and deeds. Thanks be to God, who through Christ has rescued us from much folly through his own blood.
Ecclesiastes 11
As we move toward the conclusion of the book in the next chapter, Qoheleth seems to be directing his thoughts toward a younger man called "my son" in the closing verses of Ecclesiastes. This brief chapter examines the way of wisdom in a life where there is much that we do not know. It is one of the challenges of youth that we de not adequately consider the fact that there is much that we do not know. What is the wise way for us to live our lives in the face of our overwhelming ignorance of the important details of God's unfolding providence?
The chapter begins with an instruction to be generous. What seems like a meaningless casting away of your bread upon the waters today has a way of coming back to your own aid in a future day that you cannot yet see. God has made you like a cloud full of rain today (a good thing for a dry land below). Do what a decent rain cloud should do. Give forth life-giving water so that the ground that needs your resources can prosper and be fruitful. You do not know when the storm will come that will bring down the tree of your life. May it be when you are about the work of living generously. Be up and about the work of mercy as a matter of personal responsibility. See it as a field of opportunity that must be actively tended. You do not know whether you will prosper more from the business of kindness or from the planting and gathering of your own wheat and corn.
Enjoy the light while you can still see. The pleasures of it are fleeting, but wonderful. But remember that God will bring you into judgment. Do not seek trouble or suffering, but do not foolishly imagine that the earthly pleasures that God gives you every day will never end. These early years of your life are quickly gone, and you do not know the day of your death, just as you do not know the day when you might need the generosity of a friend or neighbor who you once had the opportunity to help.
We think that we know everything and that we have our destiny in our own hands. Our lives begin in the womb of our mothers. Secretly the Lord causes the spirit of life to come to the tiniest of human beings. Can you explain the union of the spirit and the flesh in this youngest one among men? You say, "I do not know how that happens." You are right about that, and you also do not know the secret providences of God that will unfold in His future works that will make up the challenges and opportunities of your life.
Blessed be God who gives life and who knows all His wonderful decrees. Blessed be God who knows the need of His beloved children even before we are born. Blessed be our generous God who took action on our behalf and sent His Son to us as the Bread from Heaven. Blessed be the One who knew that He was walking toward the day of His death, who could have called upon legions of angels to slay his rude enemies in a moment of deserved destruction, but who instead faced death for our sakes that we might live securely in His presence forever.
Cast your bread upon the water, today. You do not know if this day will be your last in this fleeting world. Thanks be to God for the assurance that we have of eternal blessing in heaven because of the incomparable generosity of the One who saved us.
Ecclesiastes 12
"Remember your Creator." This is the solemn word that Qoheleth gives to his son. Your old age is coming and beyond that your death looms. While you are young you may foolishly think that those days are so far off that they can be easily ignored, but this is not wise.
A time is coming when your pursuit of pleasure will not be as pleasurable. Then your eyes will not take in what is beautiful as well as they once did. Your hands will tremble, and you will find it difficult to stand up straight. Some of your teeth will be gone. Your sleep will be disturbed by the smallest sound, though your ears will fail you once you are awake. Your mind will be full of fears in those days because you will be quite aware that your death is near. In that day you will fear death even though your experience of life will be burdensome.
Finally the end for you will actually come. The analogies Qoheleth uses to refer to death have a severity about them. The silver chord is snapped. The golden bowl is broken. The pitcher is shattered. The wheel will no longer spin at all. All is now beyond repair, for you have reached the destiny of all men. Your body that came from dust finally returns to the earth, and your immortal spirit returns to God who gave it to you while you were being formed in your mother's womb.
But what will your destiny be in that day when your spirit returns to God? Remember your Creator today before it is too late. Don't wait until you have been diagnosed with dementia to decide that you should consider the things of God.
Finally we return to our opening motto. "Vapor of vapors, says the gatherer of the Lord's assembly; all is a fleeting vapor." These words have a powerfully sobering effect after 12 challenging chapters of our consideration of the human condition and our own fleeting lives. We should be running again to the center of the center of this book. Is there something that will stand the judgment of God? Only the person and work of the Messiah will last. He has made an unchangeable vow to gather and perfect the church, a vow which He will most certainly keep. He will gather the stones of His temple. He will embrace His bride forever. Though you cannot understand very much of what He is doing in this passing world, you need to understand this: You must be found in Jesus Christ, the only Redeemer of God’s elect. Your life, your work, your wisdom must be in Him, so that your life and death will not be in vain. He has conquered death and He lives.
Solomon was soon gone. He was a great man. He wrote many wise and delightful proverbs, but that did not change the fact that he too faced the day of death. If good came through his words, it is because they were the wisdom of the One Shepherd. Hopefully these nails of truth will yet make their mark on the conscience of many a son. The book of Ecclesiastes must end, just as the flesh of man must one day give up in weariness.
Hear the final conclusion: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil." Draw near to Christ today. Receive His gift of perfect righteousness by faith. And work the works of one who has heard and believed the truth. Be wise and live.
