“Do not become excessively righteous nor inordinately wise. Why should you be brought to ruin? Do not become excessively wicked nor a fool. Why should you die when it is not your time? It is good for you to grasp this and also from the other to not let your hand rest. For he who fears God will come out from all of them.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:16-18)

Some might suggest that Solomon is establishing a kind of “Golden Mean” here in the text — don’t be too wise and don’t be too wicked, etc… kind of find a middle ground. Yet, in light of Solomon’s purpose in this book and in light of his writings elsewhere, that interpretation misses the thrust of Solomon’s intent. When he is using words like “excessive” and “inordinate” he is pointing to a state of mind that many people have which would suggest that they are not only wiser than all the people around them but that they are wiser than God as well.

You might be tempted to say, “How could someone really think themselves wiser than God?” Yet, when they hear the word of God preached or read the Word of God and they choose to do something different than that which the Word teaches, are they not considering themselves wiser than God? Either practice is self-destructive: picking and choosing from God’s word, essentially believing that you know better than He — or playing the fool and acting as if God does not exist by the way you behave and live out your life. They bring destruction and death.

The final phrase that Solomon gives us does not translate well into English, but the idea before us is to put one hand on righteousness and the other on wisdom. Seek them out and strive for them, but know that in neither of them will you be greater than God. Know too that in both of them there will be others who will exceed you. Don’t grow proud in your righteousness or wisdom, fear the Lord for he will order your steps.

“I have seen everything in the days of my vanity. The righteous is destroyed in his righteousness and the evil one lives long in his evil.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:15)

“That’s not fair!” Especially when my kids were younger, that was a common phrase in our home and most of the time, the phrase, “Life’s not fair” was the response. And the bottom line is that life is not fair. As Christians, we are often quick to point out (and rightly so) that if God were fair, we would all be sent to Hell. But even apart from eternal matters, looking at the world around us, life is not fair. People who do evil often get ahead and people who do the right thing out of principle often suffer. 

This is the very fact that Solomon is observing as he looks at the world around him and as he looks at his “days of vanity” (note that he is not saying that his whole life is vain, only seasons in his life). Yet, does this mean that God is not fair because he permits this imbalance? Most certainly not. Our world is fallen and has been plunged into the muck and mire of sin. Everything is splattered with it and tainted with it. Like a catfish that has lived all of its life in a polluted reservoir, even the meat of this world tastes of the muck. There is no escaping it; it clings to our being, fills up our pores, and its stench hangs in our nostrils like the odor of a dead skunk. It infects our being. So, what do you expect.

In fact, it is only a matter of God’s grace that sometimes the wicked see the justice they deserve and that sometimes the righteous do win the day. But, what is more important is that God, who has ordained all things that have come to pass, has ordered even what we perceive as injustices to conform the elect into the image of Christ. So yes, even though the evil sometimes live long lives and the righteous sometimes die young, God’s purposes prevail even in these things. So, do not despair when the wicked seem to prevail and those who seek to do justice fall short — do justice anyway. Love God’s mercies anyway. And walk humbly with your God. He has a plan and a design for these things anyway.

“Wisdom is good with an inheritance; it is an advantage to the one who sees the sun. For in the shadow of wisdom is like being in the shadow of silver; the result of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who masters it.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:11-12)

How often it is that wisdom and knowledge are paired together in the scriptures. It is what Solomon asks for when God asks of him what he would want as he becomes king (2 Chronicles 1:10) and in the Proverbs, Solomon regularly pairs them as coming from God alone (Proverbs 2:6; 8:12; 9:10). Isaiah refers to the Spirit of the Lord as both the Spirit of Wisdom and as the Spirit of Knowledge (Isaiah 11:2) and Daniel, like Solomon before him, affirms that both wisdom and knowledge come from the Lord (Daniel 2:21). Similarly, the Apostle Paul states that both come as gifts of the Holy Spirit to the church (1 Corinthians 12:8) and thus it is his prayer for the church of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:17; Colossians 1:9).

And thus, Solomon writes here that wisdom will preserve the life of the one who masters knowledge. Yet, this is not simply general knowledge, but it is the knowledge of the Word of God that is in sight here. Yes, there is a great deal of knowledge that can be gained as one looks at the world around them, but without the knowledge of God that comes from his Word, then all other knowledge is skewed and twisted, it is like looking through a window with warped glass. The atheist believes that he knows, but he is blind to his blindness and wisdom will not protect his life because he cannot truly master the knowledge he has without that knowledge being grounded in the Word of God.

And thus, wisdom is like that good inheritance that will protect and provide for you, even in your old age when you can no longer work and labor for your provision. But we must not stop there. The Hebrew viewed his inheritance as a sacred gift from God through his father — something that was eternally provided for him and for his family. Indeed, this was God’s gift to Abraham and that which God gives, he does not eternally rescind (though we might lose it for a season under his discipline). Note that this principle is one to which we cling as Christians as well (Hebrews 9:15). So, Wisdom too, Solomon says, is like an eternal inheritance — not to all mankind, but to those who come to God seeking knowledge humbly and in a place of worship (Deuteronomy 4:29).

“Do not say, ‘What was in the former days is better than these,’ for that is not from wisdom that you ask this thing.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:10)

You know, Solomon is saying, the “good old days” were probably not as good as you remember them. How tempted we are to look back and reminisce about the things as they were back then…whenever the “then” happened to be for you. We remember the good parts and the joyful parts and we neglect to remember the hard parts and those struggles that took place at the time. 

About a decade ago I had the chance to sit and visit with a lady in Florida who was closing in on her 100th birthday. She was born and bred in that county and had watched changes take place over a period of a hundred years. We took many of her stories and turned them into a book of memories. There were memories of washing clothes by hand before the presence of automatic washing machines, memories of slaughtering pigs and pretty much using every part of the pig except for its “oink,” memories of infant mortality and having trouble accessing a doctor or a hospital, and memories of her mother’s first refrigerator — something her mother made out of wood because her father could not see the use of such a thing. It gives perspective.

The reality is that things change. In that change, some good things are lost and some good things are gained. Arguably, the challenge is to preserve more than you sacrifice. With technological advances comes increased ability to communicate and to collaborate on ideas, but with it comes a lot of junk and temptations. With improvements to transportation, we have entered into much more of a global economy, but with that families are spread further apart than they ever have been. Computers process data faster than my grandparents could have ever dreamed, but with computer development there are jobs that have become obsolete (how many of you know someone who operated a telephone switchboard? — I do). All this forces change.

And, whether you like the change or you do not like the change, the change is here and you cannot live in he past. So, you might as well adapt to the changing times, give God thanks for the advancements and improvements that have come with technological change, and preserve those things (like the centrality of the family) that are worth preserving from the way things were done before. Because, though the changes in technology are out of your control, you do still have much to say about the way your family lives and interacts with one another — if only by preserving family devotions and family meals wherever possible.

Solomon’s point is simple. The past has molded you but you live in the present. So, make the most of it because you can only move forward in time, not backwards. Wisdom does not wallow over how good it was back then, it focuses on making the most of what is now. And while technology changes take place at a seemingly exponential pace, we can be assured of one thing that never changes and that never becomes irrelevant — the Word of God. It remains relevant because its relevance is not based on the changes in technology. Its relevance is based on the character of God (who is unchanging) and on the character of man (and while our settings change, our sin and need for redemption never do). So, it remains relevant to every minute of every day you live…back then, now, and forever. So repent of all the times you have lamented that the “good old days” have passed — because that question and idea does not come from wisdom.

“Do not repeatedly hasten in your spirit to anger, for anger inhabits the lap of fools.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:9)

There is a commercial for a popular credit card that uses the tagline: “What’s in your wallet?” Solomon is raising much the same question and in a sense asks, “What’s in your lap?” What is interesting about this figure of speech is that to have the lap, one must be at rest. So, what he is asking us is, “When you are at rest, does anger still inhabit your life?” If it does, you are the fool.

Solomon is not telling us that there is never a time for anger — at least that there is a time and place for righteous anger. But not only should we not be quick to anger, but we should address that which has made us angry, right the wrong that was done, and then let the anger go so that we do not dwell on that anger. As Paul writes, “do not let the sun go down on your anger” (Ephesians 4:26). 

The Rabbinic Sages went as far as to teach that when you got angry you ought not show that anger — even if you are disciplining an errant child (see Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz’ commentary on this verse). There is great wisdom in this. How often we discipline too harshly if we discipline in anger; how often we react too sharply when our reaction to injustice is done in anger rather than with a sober and disciplined approach. How often we have spoken to harshly even to loved ones when we are angry. My mother used to say that you should never make a big decision when you are weary or angry because in either case, regrets will follow. That has been counsel that has served me well over the years.

So, do not develop a reputation for being rash or easily angered. Never let those in community with you think of you as someone who is easily provoked. And if you are easily provoked, don’t brag about it or use it to intimidate people, repent of it that you may not be labeled the fool. Seek peace and honor those who do the same.

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning and better is the patient spirit than the haughty spirit.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:8)

One of the mantras of our modern era is that the journey is more important than the destination. And, on a level, there is some practical truth that can be found in this statement. We often grow and mature along the way as we journey toward the end goals. And, as far as that goes, this too is good. Even so, from a Biblical perspective, it is the end goal that outweighs the journey itself in value. For when the goal is reached and the end has been attained, rest can be had and satisfaction in a completed goal can be enjoyed. 

Sadly, many of us never seem to get to find that satisfaction at the end of a journey to achieve an end. For some, retirement at the end of a fruitful career may indeed be just that, though for most of us, that seems a really long way away. When I taught High School, graduation always seemed to be that end that we strove for and the satisfaction that came from seeing young men and women whose lives you had sought to influence and mold, walk across the stage and receive their diplomas. When I installed carpet, the transformation of a living area that came from the new flooring was something to take satisfaction in.

Yet, God, in his great wisdom, has insisted that we need times of rest and reflection more often than once in a year or once in a career. We need such times weekly, and that is one of the purposes of the Sabbath day rest. Sadly, in our society, we are often kept so busy that we do not take Sundays and rest as we ought. And this is a huge shame. We spend so much emphasis and time on continuing the journey that the goal simply becomes the preparation that leads to the beginning of another journey. And Solomon says, this is not good. As he spoke earlier, it is better to be in the house of mourning than in the house of celebration — the same principle applies here — it is better to be in that place of conclusion when you can think soberly and with introspection on the path and the goals that God has brought into your life than it is to be at the beginning of something new when you have potential, but don’t yet know what to expect. The notion is counter-cultural, but is is an important one for us to come to terms with in our lives.

“It is good to listen to the rebuke of the wise in contrast to the man who listens to the song of the fools. For as the sound of thorns under a pot, so is the sound of the laughter of fools. And this also is vanity.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:5-6)

How often it is that people surround themselves with those who will laugh with them but not with those who will cry with them. And the latter is so much more valuable. People who will tell you what you want to hear bolster the ego but they rarely bolster wisdom. How valuable it is when we have people in our midst who will tell us the difficult things we need to hear and who will tell those things to us in love and grace. 

The illustration that Solomon uses to make his contrast is that of placing a pot on the fire (presumably to prepare dinner). Those of us who have made fires, whether in the hearth or out at a campsite, know that while you might use some briars and softwoods to get the fire started, but that to sustain a good fire and have hot coals, one needs solid and dried out hardwoods. Furthermore, briars and other things like that pop and crack as they burn. They are noisy and unstable, producing light but no good heat. And in addition to that, they also put off a lot of soot, which, if you are cooking on an open pot, will go into your soup and can ruin the dish.

Those that would offer simple-minded laughter and agreement to anything that you say ought to be like the pops and cracks of thorns in the fire. One here or there is fine, but if that is the dominant sound, you need to change the makeup of the people you are spending time with and whom you have hired to work with you. Their voices should pop and crackle, whereas the voice of the wise (like good, seasoned, hardwood) should be welcomed. The wise will not always rebuke you and sometimes they will tell you what you want to hear (if you are right); at the same time, the rebuke of the wise, unpleasant in the moment as it might be, is far better and more productive than the songs of praise that come from the sycophantic fools.

“Grief is better than merriment, for with an evil face the heart does well.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:3)

Solomon continues the idea of contrasting the benefits of the house of mourning versus the house of merrymaking, yet here is focus is a little more personal. You see, here he seems to be focusing on the countenance of the individual and he observes that when you are celebrating and merrymaking, you do not tend to think deeply about life or about what you are doing. Indeed, often such places are devoid of any meaningful thought. Yet, when one grieves, one thinks more deeply and often ponders one’s words and actions carefully.

This should not be understood to read that one should always pursue mourning in life — one needs joyful laughter as well. But here, as in the previous verses, is a contrast of extremes being laid out. And, if one is to go to an extreme, this is better than that. Deep contemplation (even if as a result of sadness, exasperation, or weariness) is better than mindless folly. That is a very different perspective than most westerners seem to have today.

The Babylonian Talmud (Shabbat 30b) takes a somewhat different approach to this text and argues that the anger of God toward the righteous (God’s discipline) is better to receive than the mocking of God in derision. There is a great deal of truth to this principle (discipline is for our building up and God mocks his enemies who will one day be destroyed), but it seems a little forced to draw out from this particular verse and is not consistent with the larger context around the verse. So while this offers an important application of Biblical principles, I think we need to be careful in applying that principle here.

“A good name is better than a pleasant ointment and the day of death from the day of his birth.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:1)

Solomon continues to offer application in the form of proverbs and often, if we are only reading the passage on a surface level, he still seems to be rather pessimistic. Yet, do not look at this passage in terms of pessimism, but in terms of giving perspective on how one lives life as a whole.

And so he begins with a phrase that is very familiar to us in the western world — a good name is better than pleasant ointment. Your reputation in society rests on your good name. If you build a reputation that you can be trusted and that your word is your bond, you will go far in this life. If you develop a reputation that you are a rascal, well, society will give you a very short leash. And, the reputation you earn in life will be passed on to your children — they will inherit either your good name or your bad one. If they inherit a good one, they will be expected to preserve it. If a bad one, they will have to overcome it. The former is far easier than the latter.

The second piece of wisdom is related to the first, though it may not seem to be at the outset. When does one know the name that will be left behind? It will be at the day of one’s death. At the day of birth the community celebrates, but it celebrates potential. At the day of one’s death, while the community mourns, they will recognize the realization of that potential (or lack thereof). How sad it is when a person leads a life of reckless folly rather than walking with the wisdom laid out in God’s word.

Solomon will build on this idea as the passage continues; keep in mind that he is not pointing you to hopelessness, but reminding you that there is a hopefulness, but that hopefulness can only be found in God himself.

“For where there is much speech there is much vanity; how is this a benefit to man? For who knows what is good for man in life — numbering the days of his life is his vanity — they pass as a shadow. Who can declare to man what is coming after them under the sun?”

(Ecclesiastes 6:11-12)

Verses 11 and 12 begin with the particle, כִּי (kiy), which joins the idea of these verses to verse 10. So, why is it vanity to make speech after speech? It is because the one with whom you are seeking to contend is God almighty who knows all things — even the inmost secrets of your heart. What good does it do to heap up words with such a God as this? Of what benefit is this vanity?

Why is it vain to do so? There are two reasons that Solomon sets before us. First, our days are fleeting — they are like a shadow in contrast to our eternal God. We might protest and say, “Look at this we have done or that we have established,” but what is that to God?

The second reason is that man (left unto himself) does not know what is good for him. Solomon’s life is a testimony to that as he sought time after time to find satisfaction in worldly things. No, God alone knows what is good for us. So, when the potter does something in our lives — or shapes us in a given way, our complaint and objection is vanity because what he is doing is what is best, right, and proper for our lives. And so, as chapter 6 is brought to a close, once again, Solomon is seeking to point us to the reality that if we are to find meaning, it will be found in submission to His will and His design for our lives.

“Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the soul — this too is vanity and exasperates the spirit.”

(Ecclesiastes 6:9)

There is an old saying that goes: “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” In other words, be satisfied with what you actually have than to risk losing for further gain. And though there is a great deal of debate in terms of how commentators understand this passage (Christian and Rabbinic alike), that seems to be the heart of what Solomon is communicating to us. It is better to enjoy that which God has already placed in your hands than to be constantly dreaming of “greener grasses” elsewhere and chase after a wandering spirit.

Perhaps, this is one passage that strikes at the heart of many of us who fancy ourselves dreamers and who don’t really “fit into the mold” that society around us sets before us. For, indeed, it is the dreamers who often change the world with their ideas. At the same time, even the dreamer must recognize that it takes tangible efforts to bring dreams into reality. And perhaps that is what we most need to take away from what Solomon is teaching us here.

Many years ago, while I was still teaching High School, I went to a teacher’s conference (continuing education and all that) and remember sitting in a seminar where the presenters were talking about this great plan to equip youth to rise up and be a clear Christian witness in the communities, the schools, and the colleges around them. On the surface, it sounded great, so in the question and answer segment, I asked, “What is your plan to accomplish this?” I was stunned and profoundly disappointed by the speaker’s answer. He said, “I don’t know, I’m just the motivational speaker.” Needless to say, I left the seminar and did not attend any more seminars that they had to offer.

That’s the problem with chasing after the soul and only chasing after the soul. At the end of the day, nothing tangible is put into practice. What does need to think, to dream, and even chase after the soul with ideas that are “outside of the box” somewhat; but at the same time, they must be grounded in reality if they are going to benefit anyone. So, set your sights on observable and tangible things even as you dream about what God is or may be doing with you. 

“For what benefit has the wise over the fool? What has the poor who knows how to walk ahead of the living?”

(Ecclesiastes 6:8)

So, what does the wise have over the fool? He has much in this life and arguably with the next. Rather than seeing this couplet as a parallel restating of the previous part, it behooves us to see this couplet more as a rhetorical question asked and answered. So, what advantage has the wise man over the fool (remembering that the fool says there is no God — Psalm 53:1)? He has the same advantage as the poor man who knows how to walk in a role of leadership (walking in front of means that you are leading others). Though he is poor, he provides more value to the world than the one who is a rich fool — infinitely more value.

Too often we westerners are taught to assume that wealth equates with wisdom and the blessing of God. Indeed, it does not. Often, wealth becomes a stumbling block for those who have it and for those around them (because we are often drawn to covet what our neighbors have). No, Solomon is making it clear that though we go to the same place in death, the wise man, regardless of his poverty, has great advantage in life and in death over the foolish man who is consumed by his wealth. Be careful as to what you choose to value.

“All of the anxiety of man goes to his mouth, even so, his soul is not filled.”

(Ecclesiastes 6:7)

Solomon continues to drive home this theme that so much of what we labor for does not serve us well because it either goes to waste or cannot be taken with us beyond the grave. At face-value, this can be discouraging and disheartening. And, this seems to be largely the focus of many of the Rabbinic commentators on the text — you labor to put food in your mouth, it is consumed and gone, and you are yet unsatisfied. 

Yet, in the context of the whole, there is more here than might be seen on the surface. Solomon’s choice to use the word נֶפֶשׁ (nephesh), which does not just encompass the flesh, but the whole of a person as well (hence it is sometimes translated as “spirit”). And here, we begin to see a more important application of Solomon’s words…for it is not just a matter of our body not being satisfied by the works of our hands, our souls…the totality of our being…will find itself unsatisfied with our earthly labors if we are not also laboring in spiritual ways to nourish and strengthen our souls.

As a pastor, I have spent more time than I care to keep track of, talking with people who seem to be trying to find eternal satisfaction in earthly things. Does that mean that earthly endeavors are bad or fruitless? No, of course not. What it does mean is that earthly endeavors must be put into their proper context. 

Here is an insight for you…if you spend some time in history, not just looking at the Great Reformation in Europe that spread throughout the world, but if you look at the “pre-reformers” like Waldo, Wycliffe, and Huss (to name but a few) and if you look at the times of great resurgences of faith (for example, in Liverpool with Bishop Ryle or in the areas where Puritanism took hold), there is one thread that unites each and every one of these movements: the conviction that the Word of God was to be studied and understood by every Christian in that Christian’s own language. 

Rome fought hard against this because they saw the control of God’s word as the key to the maintaining of power. And thus, they sought to destroy all Bibles other than their own approved Latin edition. With the Reformation and the development of the moveable type printing press, they lost the battle. Now, Bibles are found across the globe in languages that almost anyone can access and in America, there are more translations of the Bible than you can shake a stick at and they seem to multiply annually. Yet, people are beginning to drift back to Rome at alarming rates. Why?

Could it be that the Bible is so accessible in America that no one bothers reading it anyway? Could it be that even in churches, that a kind of feel-good, surface-level theology is taught that no one can discern truth from error anymore? Could it be that the church has become so “polite” that it refuses to engage with the errors not only of Rome but of so many of the so-called “churches” that are out there? Could it be that Americans (even in the church) are as Biblically illiterate as were the medieval Christians who did not have access to the book? It seems to me that this is the only explanation for the trend of people to return to Rome.

Could it be that the solution to our problem is the faithful teaching of the meat of Word of God? I believe that this is the case. And I believe that is the heart of what Solomon wishes for us to understand. Regardless of your vocation, we are to pursue that vocation as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24). To do that, you must be a workman in the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). It is accessible to you; read it, study it, and apply it to every aspect of your life. If you wish to see a resurgence of faith in life in America, that is how it begins. Without that, Solomon will assure you, that your soul will never find satisfaction.

“Even if he should live a thousand years two times over, but goodness he has not seen, is it not to one place that every man goes?”

(Ecclesiastes 6:6)

No human being that has ever walked the face of the earth has ever made it to his thousandth birthday…none. Methuselah was the oldest recorded living man at 969 years with Adam “close” behind at 930 years, but no one hit 1000. And so, Solomon’s point is driven home — even if one were to live as long as Methuselah and then live that lifetime all over again, but has not enjoyed goodness which comes from God and a proper understanding of the works of our hands, his life was not worth living. He will go to the same spot as that stillborn baby.

There are two ways to apply this. The first would be to highlight the hyperbole that Solomon is making and illustrate the fact that no matter how many good works you do, no matter how many children you father (or mother), and no matter how much wealth you accumulate, you return naked to the grave and your corpse will return to dust. You cannot merit God’s favor, even if you had two-thousand years to do so (or, as Abraham ibn Ezra, the medieval Jewish commentator renders it… a thousand times a thousand years). Yet, this idea we have previously explored as we have worked through Solomon’s text, so we will leave this one as it stands.

The second way to apply this is to look at the text in its more literal application. Though no human being has ever lived 1,000 (let alone 2,000) years on the earth, we must remember that humans are immortal. Thus, in a real sense, one can talk about those who have “lived” (in the broadest sense of the term) for thousands of years. When one dies, his spirit goes either into the presence of God or the presence of Satan based and this anticipates a resurrection to life and a resurrection to death that will take place at the second-coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The believers will be resurrected to glorified bodies and the blessedness of life-eternal in God’s perfect presence. Unbelievers will be resurrected to bodies of death that will be able to sustain the eternal torments of Hell — always dying but never eternally dead or annihilated. 

And, in this latter case, we can talk confidently of those who dwell for ages, even millennia but who experience no goodness. And Solomon’s words echo back to us that this too is not worth living…it is a waste from the perspective of the one living that life. Truly, in God’s economy, there is no such thing as a truly wasted life, for even the wicked who will be under the wrath of God are so punished as a demonstration of God’s power (Romans 9:22-23).

John Piper wrote a book a few years back, entitled: Don’t Waste Your Life. Solomon’s response to this idea would be to say to us that if we live our lives devoid of the goodness of God, then our life is truly amongst the things we have wasted.

“If a man begets a hundred and he lives many years and the days of his years are great but his soul is not satisfied with the goodness and furthermore there is no-one to bury him, I say it would have been better for him to have been miscarried. Though in vanity it comes and in darkness it goes; though, in darkness its name is concealed. Even though it has not seen the sun and has not known it, to it is given more satisfaction than he.”

(Ecclesiastes 6:3-5)

At first glance, I must confess, this sounds hard. It is close to the old Tennyson quote, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” yet Solomon takes it to a higher level and is essentially saying, “Tis better to have never lived than to have lived but with no one to mourn your passing.” Knowing just how many people in our American culture die alone and are more our less outsiders to their family, these words should weigh heavily on our souls. 

The man that Solomon has in mind is not the one who died childless, but in this case, he had children or even many children (the hundred is meant to be hyperbole), but who has lived his life so poorly that for one reason or another, by the time of his death (even if it is at a ripe-old age), his children do not gather to bury his body. Here is the picture of the man who is a workaholic to such an extent that his children do not mourn his passing because they did not know their father in life. Here is the picture of a man who has abandoned his family for the lusts of his heart or who has lived so selfishly that he did not take responsibility for the children he ushered into this world. Here is the picture of a man whose demeanor and character is such that he alienated even those who were supposed to be closest to him. And this man — whichever category, or combination of categories in which he exists — is worse off than the miscarried child. For at least this child goes to his rest in peace and satisfaction.

This testimony is sad on two levels. First, it is sad because many people (especially men) do abandon their families for their careers, their personal goals, or for the lusts of their heart. And, in the end, these men often die very much alone. Second, it is sad that we as the church, often do a very poor job of reaching out to such folks and bringing them back into the community of those who will speak truth and wisdom into their lives and who will help them reconcile their broken family relationships. So, folks, the blame is not merely one-sided, but it is one we all share.

The reality is that getting involved in people’s lives can be inconvenient and messy. At the same time, has not God gotten involved in ours, messy as we are? Has not God engaged us through others who have pulled us out of bad situations? Have there not been people in our lives that have put up with our stubbornness and have been used by God to teach us wisdom? Ought we not show our gratitude to God by getting involved in the lives of others — even if that means being the one who will mourn a lonely man’s passing? 

“There is an evil which is seen under the sun and it is great upon man: A man whom God gives wealth and affluence and great distinction and who lacks nothing before him — even all that he desires — but whom God does not give the opportunity to eat from it because a foreign man eats it. This is vanity and it is a sickening evil.”

(Ecclesiastes 6:1-2)

We have already seen the situation of a man who has great wealth but had lost them in a poor business decision or who had gambled them away. Here we see the parallel notion being worked through by Solomon. Here is a man who had great wealth but who had no opportunity to enjoy that wealth himself because a “foreign man” would consume it. Several Rabbinical scholars would suggest that this speaks of a man who labors all of his life (we would call him a “work-a-holic”) but who dies without close heirs and then his wife’s second husband is the one who enjoys the fruits of his labors (hence a “foreign” man)

Yet, given Solomon’s use of language here, I would suggest that נָכְרִי (nakriy) is best understood in the more literal sense of someone who is an outsider not to the family, but to the people as a whole (this is the consistent use of the term in the Hebrew Old Testament. Thus, if we understood the term in this fashion and if we understand that the history of the Israelites is marked by being conquered by one invader after another (read the book of Judges, for example), then the evil of which Solomon speaks is that of the nation being overridden by foreign raiders or invaders. And, whether killed in the fighting or taken away into captivity, one will not be able to enjoy the fruit of his labor.

But we would be remiss if we ended there and did not pose the question as to why God permitted all of these invaders to override the land and to create such an evil consequence. And why did this happen? Time after time the people fall into idolatry — basically following the worship of the nations that surround them. God, we are told by God himself, is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5) and he will not share his worship or his glory with any other. And, while we in the west do not typically bow down to idols of gold, silver, stone, or wood, when we import into our worship and practice ideas that are from pagan traditions, then we are guilty of doing much the same as the Israelites did during the time of the Judges. And in turn, God’s judgment upon us as individuals and as a culture will be that we will not enjoy the fruit of our labor. And yes, while we do not have an invading army gobbling up the fruit of our work, between the high taxation imposed by the government and soaring prices for essential goods and services, we might as well be under siege from outside. This too, Solomon says, is vanity and an evil that sickens the stomach when contemplated.

“For there is not much that he will remember of the days of his life; for God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:19 {5:20 in English Bibles})

There is some debate in terms of how to interpret the first line in this verse. Some commentators suggest that what the person is remembering is that the days of his life are limited and “not many” — thus he will enjoy them. Others suggest that of the days of his life, there will be not much that is remembered. In the end, the same counsel is received: enjoy the lot that God has given you during the time you have it. Further, in the scope of eternity, however many days we are given are short, plus we will not remember everything. One of the interesting things about the way that God has made us is that oftentimes, as time distances us from times of trauma, we remember the traumatic aspects less and less. I recall the pain an suffering my wife went through with the birth of our first child, but gratefully as time passed, her memory of that pain dulled which was certainly a blessing as we moved toward the birth of our second child.

Solomon also affirms a principle that God will keep us busy with the joy of our heart. This may seem a bit odd in the context of what Solomon has been reflecting upon unless you remember that for Solomon, the ultimate joy and good for us is found in spiritual and earthly things. The first lasts and the other passes away; the first is eternal and there are seasons that govern the other. The study of God’s word, the pursuit of God in prayer, and the living of a life marked by good works — there is a joy in these things that will indeed keep our heart occupied even in the most challenging and discouraging of times. God is gracious with these things and in this way, he draws his wayward children back into the way that honors Him. May we all indeed find our joy in the things of God. As the old gospel refrain goes:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face,

and the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

In the light of His glory and grace.”

— Helen Lemmel

“Also, every man to whom God has given wealth and affluence and the opportunity to eat from them and to take his portion and to rejoice in his anxieties — this is his gift from God.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:18 {5:19 in English Bibles})

It seems to me that people today are talking a lot about what they call “income inequality.” What they mean by that statement varies from person to person, but in the broadest sense, it simply means that some people have more money than others. And, were this a simple observation, it would not get a lot of press or excitement. Where it gets press and excitement is that there are some who think that they can change the scales, as it were, and take money from some to give it to others as a way of leveling the playing field. Of course, when the government mandates this, that is a form of socialism and socialism, as a political and economic movement, has been one of the most oppressive and murderous movements in the history of mankind (and normally creates an even greater distance between the “haves” and the have-nots” as it eliminates the middle class). 

Yet, that goes beyond our purpose as we look at this verse. Here, if you wish to view Solomon’s perspective on Income Inequality, we find it right here. Some will be poor and work hard for the bread they eat and others will be successful. This, Solomon says, is God’s doing — it is our portion in life, so enjoy what God has provided and give him thanks for it. With both wealth and poverty come advantages and challenges; make the most of them and glorify God in them. Don’t try and use power to steal from those who have more — theft is a sin as is covetousness. 

So, while some in our society will always rail against the wealthy, as Christians, let us hear the wisdom of Solomon and not be tempted into sin and evil. And, one of the glorious things about the American society is that for those who are willing to work hard and to sacrifice, there are always opportunities to work your way up from one economic class to another. In addition, when the free-market system in America is working the way it is supposed to do, then those who are lazy, corrupt, or who seek to manipulate the system always have the opportunity to lose everything, falling from one economic class to a lower one. That too may be our lot. Use it to the glory of God.

“Behold, I saw that which is good and which is beautiful — it is to eat and to drink and to see the goodness of all his anxiety for which he works hard under the sun for the number of days of his life which God has given him — for it is his portion.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:17 {5:18 in English Bibles})

In the west, fewer and fewer professions demand genuine tradesmen. Manufacturing is highly automated or is done through repetitive activities on an assembly line. Much of the construction that is done consists of tract housing and even in my former trade of carpet installing, so much of that is basic covering a floor with the carpet being “flat and fuzzy side up” and not a lot of fancy borders or inset designs. Custom craftsmanship requires time and skill but sadly most people either cannot afford or do not wish to pay for skilled craftsmanship.

Currently our church is having its stained glass windows redone — they are 90 years old and the lead is breaking down — here is an instance where all the craftsmanship is done by hand as they must custom remake every piece of lead which mounts the colored glass in place — none of which are regular and none of which can be automated. It is taking a bit longer than we expected going into the project, but at the same time, we can see the pride in craftsmanship taken by those involved in the process. 

There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from a completed job that has been done well — when you have crafted something with your own hands which is distinct from all other things. And this is an experience that much of our society does not relate to…sadly, in many cases, jobs never seem to come to an end, but just continue on week after week, month after month, and year after year — and then we wonder why people are anxious to retire and don’t feel like there is a lot of meaning in their labors.

Solomon has addressed this before and will come back to this theme again, but his simple answer is that since we do not know how many days our God has given us in this world — take satisfaction in the things you accomplish and in the provision that you earn from those labors. In the end, that will bring joy to your life; it is your portion in life — make the most of it. 

“Also, all his days he eats in darkness; he is greatly vexed — he suffers and is frustrated.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:16 {5:17 in English Bibles})

In every case where Solomon uses the word חֹשֶךְ (choshek) in his writings, he uses it in the figurative and not in the literal sense. Those who forsake what is upright walk in darkness (Proverbs 2:13); the one who forsakes his parents will be put out into utter darkness (Proverbs 20:20); darkness is compared to foolishness (Ecclesiastes 2:13-14), to the ignorance of a stillborn babe (Ecclesiastes 6:4), and to seasons of trial and difficulty (Ecclesiastes 11:8). 

Thus, we ought not read this, as some do, that the man obsessed with wealth only eats at night, after dark. This, in and of itself, can be wearying to a person’s soul. Yet, what Solomon has in his sight is even more weighty. Those so obsessed will find themselves consuming frustration, foolishness, and the utter darkness of being alone. For, when you are so consumed with wealth and its accumulation, who can you really trust? Whom will you truly love? Will not your eyes darken and you find that you rob yourself of those events in life that are eternally important — friendships, celebrations, and spiritual rest? Such brings little more than suffering and frustration into a person’s life. Beware dear friends, beware!

“There is an evil that I have seen that makes me sick under the sun: wealth that is kept by its owner to his own evil. And the wealth was lost in an evil venture; he begat a son but had nothing in his hand. Just as he came from his mother’s womb, naked he will return — going as he came — not anything to take for his toil to go in his hand. This too is an evil that sickens. It all is like the way they came — thus they go. What gain does he have who exasperates the spirit?”

(Ecclesiastes 5:12-15 {5:13-16 in English Bibles})

“A good man leaves an inheritance for his son’s sons and hidden up for the righteous is the wealth of the sinner.”

(Proverbs 13:22)

Solomon shifts his tone from one of general observation to one of personal disgust as we move into these verses. He has lamented the dangers that come along with an obsession for money (one is never satisfied), now he speaks of those who have earned wealth, but who have wasted it away. Whether a man makes poor investments or decisions or whether he gambles away his earnings, the family he is called to support suffers and this very literally sickens Solomon. The term that he uses here is חלה (chalah), which means to make one sick to their stomach, ill, or otherwise nauseated and here is the only time in the book of Ecclesiastes where Solomon employs the term. Arguably it is a reminder that in this case, you not only harm yourself, but the family for whom you are to care as well.

My parents used to say to me, growing up, “Don’t bet anything you cannot afford to lose.” I cannot honestly say that I have always followed their counsel, but overall, it has been a good rule of thumb for me to follow. In particular, when I moved from being single to being married with a family, this charge took on new life. People over the last two decades have often heard me say, “I’ll wager you a nickel….” And indeed, that is all I will wager because that is all I can afford to throw away. 

One of the things that concerns me the most about gambling is not the higher end gambling that some do as entertainment so much as the gambling aimed at the poor and the elderly…things like state-run Lotto programs and lottery tickets. Folks that purchase these tend to be those who can least afford to throw away their money on such things…yet, the promise of great wealth seduces them to do so. While gambling is not condemned as a sin in scripture, Solomon is stating very clearly that when the righteous man throws away his wealth, it is indeed an evil thing. It is one thing for a man to be naked when he came into the world and return to the grave naked, but it is entirely a different matter for a man to enter into this world naked, work hard and earn his keep, but leave nothing for his children or for his children’s children because he foolishly threw it away on evil schemes. Therein it becomes sin.

“There is profit in the land in all things; he who is king serves the field.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:8 {5:9 in English Bibles})

I have a bumper-sticker that I keep on the back of my truck that reads: “No Farms — No Food.” And indeed, therein lies the interpretation of this verse. Everyone is indebted to the ones who work the land. Without the farm, we have very little we can put on our table and without food on the table, even the king will wither and die. In some of the Science-Fiction shows they depict man eating things that are little more than a processed tablet, but how appealing is that? Food is more than medicine for the body, but it is a tool that blesses fellowship as it brings people together around a table to partake of it.

So, here is the check and balance that we mentioned in the previous passage — there are overseers of the overseers, etc… yet, the king is indebted to the land (and to those who work the land) for his own survival. So here is meant to be one more motivation to ensure that justice is done to those who labor in the fields and on the farms. 

One of the often neglected parts of the American Dream is the idea that we can own our own land. When we own our land, not only do we have space to build a home, but we have something of real value on which we can also produce things to sustain our family and to trade with others. The family farms that dot the landscape of our nation is a testimony to this reality, but even those with smaller parcels of land can establish gardens or small family businesses on that land they own. Many people that I have known in the deep south have plots of land simply covered by evergreen trees, which they periodically log to sell the lumber. 

It is getting more and more difficult to make a sustainable living from the land in our culture today. When you join that with high taxes and regulation, the benefits of the American dream are diminishing and getting harder to attain. One day, they may sadly be out of reach even to the hardest working and most industrious citizen. Then, America as our forefathers knew it will cease to be. It will be a tragic day.

In our technical society, people often look down on the farmer. It is hard work and it is not glamorous work either. Yet, it is essential work. If you doubt that, the next time you sit down to a meal, ask yourself, “Where did this food come from?” In most every case, you will be forced to conclude that it came from a farm. Even the king is indebted to the land.

“If you see the oppression of the poor and theft of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished about the situation; for a high one is over the high one who watches and higher ones yet over them.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:7 {5:8 in English Bibles})

I am reminded of Jesus’ words that we will always have the poor in our presence (Matthew 26:11); it seems that such is the condition of this fallen world in which we live. Solomon has already addressed this matter at least from a human perspective, now he points out that there is a hierarchy in place…the foreman answers to one higher up than he and that man answers to others that are even higher up. In Solomon’s day, this pattern followed its way all of the way up to the King. In Jesus’ day, this tended to go up to the Sanhedrin. Yet, in any event, the highest judge of all is God himself who holds both King and Council accountable for that which goes on under their watch.

And so, Solomon writes, do not be surprised at this. Sinners abuse their power and rob people of justice and righteous consequences for their work (the workman deserves his wages — 1 Timothy 5:18). In principle, God establishes checks and balances to guard against this, but once again, where the checks and balances fail, God will bring judgment and recompense (Deuteronomy 32:35).

There is one observation and one application that ought to be made here. The observation is simply that were humans “basically good” as so many people in our society seem to think, we would not need all of these layers of oversight. Yet, we are sinners and corrupt to the core (Romans 3:10ff). And thus, there must be judges and courts both in the civil arena of life as well as in the spiritual realm. The first is established in the magistrate and the second in the church. It is no irony that Elders in the church are also called ἐπισκόποι (episkopoi): “overseers.”

The application is directed more toward the church than toward the civil magistrate. While it would be nice were all the magistrates God-fearers, we should make no assumption that will be the case. We can, though, make the assumption that all leaders — in particular, Elders — in the Christian church are born-again believers in Jesus Christ who have a healthy fear of God and a reverence for His Word. Yet, this often does not happen. Understand something. A judge is not a law unto himself. The civil judge must submit to the authority of civil law and the Overseer in the church must submit to the Law of God. We may not call something right unless God’s word pronounces it so and we may not call something wrong unless God’s Word does the same. All things must be in submission to the Word of God. 

I grant, it is true that sometimes people “talk a good talk” and work their way into positions of oversight and have no fear before God or reverence for his Word. How great a judgment will befall such people as this. Indeed, as Solomon affirms, there is a God who is the great overseer of all and he will punish the wicked for their wicked actions. Again, we ought not be surprised at this — only recognize that we live in a fallen world and God will make an end of the wicked.