“There is not a man endowed with power of spirit who can withhold the spirit nor is he mighty in the day of death. Further, there is no release from war and wickedness will not deliver those whom it has mastered. All of this I have seen as I gave me heart to all the work which is done under the sun in which man has power over man to do evil to him.”

(Ecclesiastes 8:8-9)

When comes the day of death, no man has the power to retain his spirit — man cannot hold onto his days beyond that which God has numbered. It is neither our place nor our power. Further, as our dead bodies lay where they may — in hospitals, in beds at home, on battlefields, or in tragic circumstances — not one of our corpses is mighty or powerful. No matter the power we had in life; it is sacrificed in death. All this, Solomon says, he has learned as he has observed the works of men (note that some commentators consider verse 9 as an introduction to a new section, but I would hold that the “all of this” mentioned has to do with what has been already said, not with what is about to be stated).

And so we are left with an application of the text that is pretty straight-forward. Yet, we might suggest, in the hindsight of the New Testament, an additional reading of this text. For, when God has ordained that a man or woman be given a new spirit — regenerating the person — once again, a person is unable to stop God’s divine hand (we would call this “Irresistible Grace”). In other words, we might fight against the Spirit for a season, but who can withhold or restrain Him? Apart from regeneration, we are spiritually dead and the dead are not mighty, they just lay there unable to do anything on their own. Clearly, this is not the thrust of what Solomon is thinking about, but Jesus does remind us that the Spirit goes where he wills and no man knows where he comes or where he goes (John 3:8). Who can resist Him?

“The one who keeps a commandment does not know an evil thing; a time and a judgment the wise heart will know, because for every matter there is a time and a judgment for the evil of man is great upon him and because he does not know what is to be for that which is to be, who can declare it to him?”

(Ecclesiastes 8:5-7)

How do you know what to do when you are faced with making a decision? Surely, we do not know the end from the beginning…that is God’s purview (Isaiah 46:10). We do not know what tomorrow brings and there is no one who can tell us, for mediums and fortune tellers are an abomination to the Lord (Leviticus 19:31; Isaiah 8:19); they are charlatans and demon followers. So, where are we to turn when making judgments in life?

The only place we can faithfully turn is to the Lord, who is the maker of the heavens and the earth and who has ordained all things that are to take place. How shall we do that? We turn to His Word. Yet, when the word does not give us a clear indication on the decision we are to make, what then? The answer is that if we obey the commandments of the Lord that are found in the Word, then we will not be led into paths of evil. 

True, that is sometimes easier said than done. Nevertheless, that is God’s call upon his people and that is the counsel that Solomon is offering here — obey God’s commands and you will not know the evil thing. A wise man knows the time to act and that time is governed always and eternally by the very word of God. So, study the commandments that you might obey them and then obey them when you are faced with times of decision. Trust the outcome into God’s hands and know that evil will remain far from you.

“Do not make haste to go from before him; do not stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever he pleases. The word of the king is mighty. Who can say, ‘What are you doing?’”

(Ecclesiastes 8:3-4)

It amazes me that every election cycle there is a group of people who say, “If so in so wins the election, I am moving to Canada” or to some other part of the world. Yet, when said candidate wins, they never go anywhere. The fact is, they have it too good in America. Idle threats avail nothing.

Solomon says to us that we ought not hasten to leave the presence of the king — we ought not break our allegiances on a whim, in other words. Sometimes, because we do not see the big picture, we are tempted to protest what those in authority over us might be doing, but often those protests merely stem from the fact that we do not understand what said people understand. 

At the same time, do not stand for that which is genuinely evil or wicked. In other words, there are times to break allegiances; we just need to ensure that we break allegiances for exactly the right reasons. They must not be for selfish reasons or matters of preference, but instead for reasons where to stay would be to sin.

Yet, Solomon also gives us a word of warning. In a land with a king, the king’s word is law and there may be repercussions that follow from breaking allegiances. And, while most of us do not live in nations with a king nor serve a king directly, we sometimes forget that if we work for a private company, often our boss’ word is law. In the life of the church, word of Christ is Law (and the Elders’ have a divine commission to govern the church in that law!). And in America, at least in principle, the Law is meant to be king. Don’t break from these things too rashly; if you do, you will likely regret having done so. God’s law will never cause you to sin; but if man’s law does, that is the only context where Solomon is saying you must then break allegiance.

“I hold that you must guard the mouth of the king on the basis of God’s oath.”

(Ecclesiastes 8:2)

For the Christian, resorting to riots or refusing to submit to governmental authorities is not an option…no matter how much we might agree with or disagree with his or her politics. In America, regardless of what you might think of Mr. Trump or his character, the actions of those who opposed him were often quite shameful, at least from a Christian perspective. The Apostle Paul insists that we understand that God is sovereign even over the appointment of leaders (Romans 13:2) and that these are ministers of God (Romans 13:6). You might say, “Yes, but,” but when Paul was writing this, Nero was the Caesar over Rome and no matter what you think of Mr. Trump or Mr. Obama before him, neither hold a candle to the evil that Nero commanded during his years in power.

Most of our translations render this — “the command of the king” respecting the context and that commands are issued by the mouth, yet the text more literally reads as it is rendered above. The more curious thing that we see within this verse is that it begins with the word אֲנִי (aniy) — “I,” but it stands alone, connected to “the mouth of the king” only by accent markings. To make sense of this, the translators tend to insert something to read, “I tell you:” or “I say:” The real question here is whether this is an instruction of Solomon or whether he is using this construction to remind the people that he is the king and that these words are coming from his mouth, so, pay attention. The answer to this is something we cannot provide on this side of the veil. It does seem to add some emphasis and to draw attention to itself — like saying to us, “folks, this is really important to understand.”

And why must we guard the commands or keep the commands of the King? It is because of God’s oath to the king — as is spoken of by Paul above. God has placed that king in control of that region — he has placed those Elders in authority in the church — he has placed that father in authority in your home — he has placed that manager in authority over you at work, etc… — so, obey his commands.

But, it raises the question, does one ever have the right to disobey the commands of the King? Peter gives us the answer — that if those commands would cause us to sin, we have a moral obligation to obey the commands of God and not the commands of man (Acts 5:29). Does this mean that revolution always must have a moral cause and not just a practical motivation? For the Christian, yes, it must. And so, even if we look back to the founding of our nation, our early American fathers found themselves at an impasse. On one hand, they had been elected to rule over the people and to protect those in their care. On the other hand, their superior, the King of England, was demanding that the people of the American colonies be treated badly. They identified that their Christian responsibility to protect and provide for the people outweighed their responsibility to submit to an immoral king. And so, on the basis of Biblical offenses, as is outlined in the Declaration of Independence, they declared their independence.

Might that happen again in America? Perhaps. My prayer, though, is that our politicians that represent us in the government can get beyond their prejudices and legislate rules and laws that govern us in a way that honors God and that enables us to live peaceful and quiet lives (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

“Who is like the wise and who knows the meaning of a thing? The wisdom of a man illuminates his face and the might of his face is made to change.”

(Ecclesiastes 8:1)

One could even translate the first part of this clause, “Who is like the wise and who knows the meaning of a word…” And indeed, this is the case. Wisdom reveals the meaning behind actions, items, events, and even words — whether it is simply a matter of knowing what is being said so that a proper response might be given or of reading between the lines when someone is seeking to guard their words carefully, wisdom is the tool that can reveal what is true from what is false. 

Now, when we begin with the reminder that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10), thus recognizing that only the believer is capable of wisdom and that wisdom grows and matures as one grows closer to the living God through his Son, Jesus Christ, then that helps us understand the language of a face so illuminated. For just as Moses’ face shone after being in the presence of God and speaking with Him (Exodus 34:29), so too the wise man’s face glows after immersing himself in the Word of God found in the Scriptures.

And thus, the might of his face changes — it changes from the arrogance of a man who knows things as a result of his own energy and efforts to the humility of one who knows things as a result of their deep relationship with the Almighty God. How indeed, when you sit with the wise, their face — their whole countenance begins to almost glow as they share truth with those in their midst. At the same time, how often, we take for granted the wise around us and do not use every opportunity to learn wisdom from them. 

“You need to see that this is what I have found, says the preacher: one to one to find a conclusion — that which my soul still continually seeks but I have not found — one man in a thousand I have found but a woman in all these I have not found. But see this alone I have found: God made man upright but they sought after great ambitions.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:27-29)

The phrase “one to one” is a figure of speech that refers to piecing a puzzle together piece by piece. Solomon, as a student of wisdom and knowledge, is saying that he has painstakingly done his research to arrive at a conclusion, something that he has not been finding with adequate success — that is a righteous man of wisdom. He says that perhaps there is one in a thousand, though even here, there is the implication in the tone of what he is saying that this is a stretch. And he goes on to say that of these, he is not finding women as such.

Does that mean that Solomon thinks that all women are harlots and wish to bind your hands as mentioned in verse 26. Certainly not. The scriptures are filled with women of noble character and Solomon closes his proverbs with a song to just such a woman. Indeed, even the Shepherd Girl of the Song of Solomon is a woman of integrity. He is saying essentially that if he is only finding one righteous man in a thousand, it is even less so amongst the women he has found. And we must remember the nature of most of the women that Solomon had around him — pagan treaty-brides who seduced him into sacrificing to their idols. It is pretty easy to see how Solomon’s perception may have been skewed somewhat.

But this alone, Solomon says he has found. God made man upright (think Adam and Eve), but man has sought after many plans, many schemes (as some Bibles render this) or, man has had great ambitions. Think the tone of the conversations around the building of the tower of Babel. Man seeks to ascend to the divine. It stems back to the sin of Adam and Eve and continues into our own day where people place their own reason and their own ideas over the revelation of God. How great is Babylon’s fall!

“I turned around and set my heart to know and to explore and to seek wisdom and the end of things, but to know wickedness of foolishness and the foolishness of blindness and I found something more bitter than death: the woman who sets nets to snare the heart and binds the hands. The one who is good before God’s face is liberated from her and the sinner is captured by her.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:25-26)

It seems to me that Solomon had some firsthand experience in this area as he has with so much of what was before. Indeed, his downfall was the snares that women set for his heart. How sad it is when the great ones fall into traps of the heart.

There is a piece of practical wisdom that we can apply more broadly of which we ought to take note. Notice Solomon’s purpose — he was seeking to know and explore wisdom as well as the “wickedness of foolishness” and the “foolishness of blindness” (think spiritual blindness here, not physical blindness). And so, Solomon is trying to discern the depravity of man. How often it is that when people find themselves surrounded by the context of sin, they get pulled in. I am sure that the first time that Solomon sacrificed to idols he must have felt guilty. Yet he kept going back with his wives and sunk deeper and deeper into wickedness.

How often we too, will say, “just one more drink…” or “just one more piece of cake…” or “just one more snooze on the alarm clock…” or “just one more look at that pornographic site…” or “just one more lie…” and we can go on and on. Woe to the man who seeks out the depth of depravity for it can be assured that he will fall into it and find himself bound and fettered.

“All of this, I examined with wisdom and I said, ‘I will be wise!” Yet, that was far from me. What exists is far — it is truly deep; who can discover it?”

(Ecclesiastes 7:23-24)

Isn’t it interesting that God often teaches us wisdom on his own terms rather than on our terms. How often we seek out wisdom and we try and make ourselves wise only to become fools in our living and actions. And, how often, when we least expect it, God brings things into our pathway that stretch us and make us wise when we least expect it. How often, also, we wish to grow in wisdom during easy and comfortable times but instead, God grows us through difficult and trying times. Indeed, God’s design and plan is far off from us and it is truly deep — who can know it on his own terms? No one but God.

I have always been struck by the language of James where he speaks of God giving wisdom to those who ask for it, yet, in the context of that very passage, James is also talking about suffering. So, in essence, what he is saying is that if we want to grow wise, ask knowing that wisdom and maturity of faith comes through suffering. So, what we are really asking for is that God would bring more suffering into our lives so that we might become wise. Who can know it?

Does this mean that we ought not pursue wisdom? Of course not. It just means that God works on his terms and not on ours. 

“Also, as to all of the words which are repeatedly spoken, do not take them to heart lest you should hear your servant cursing you; for there have also been many times (as your heart knows) when you have cursed others.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:21-22)

I suppose that this is one of those areas where it is “easier said than done.” Whenever you are in a position of authority over others, there are times that the decisions you make will not make people happy. Most of those “unhappy” people will not say a word and most of those who will say a word will not say those words to your face. But, boy is there a temptation to want to listen, yet, when we hear them disparaging us for the decision we have made, it can strike to the core. 

In some senses, this is why we are told that leaders need to have thick skin. The danger with thick skin is that you can become calloused and a calloused leader is not a good leader — no matter the ideologies that leader might hold. When you become calloused you move from the thick skin which has been toughened by complaints to an impenetrable skin that is unwilling to listen to the heart of those who have genuine complaints (to whom you would be wise to listen). A better approach is to develop a mature prayer life, for in that you have a place to go when that skin of yours has been pierced by the criticisms of those you are called to lead.

The truth is that you will not make everyone happy…and if you are honest, you have not always been made happy by the decisions of others, so the fingers point both ways. If you are a leader, the best advice that can be given is to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do — always. You will have your critics for doing such; listen to their criticism but do not take it to heart. And, if you are not in that position of leadership, when your leaders make decisions with which you disagree, then seek out the underlying reason for their decision before you start whining and complaining like a spoiled child that does not get his way. If you do this, wide roads of communication and relationship (even trust) will be built, which is of benefit to all in the long run.

“Wisdom is the strength of the wise man — more so than ten powerful people who support him in the city.”

(Ecclesiastes 7:19)

This little verse can easily slip by unnoticed in the long list of the balance between wisdom and foolishness, but it reminds us of a great truth. How often we tend to form alliances. We make friends, we get people on our side, and we seek to operate from a place of human strength. In business, we call this networking. In the military world, this is a matter of treaties and alliances. In politics, this is how you build your voter base.

Now, don’t get me wrong, Solomon is not saying that alliances, networking, or relationships you have with people of influence are not important. They are very important on many levels. Yet, what he is saying is that wisdom is more valuable than these powerful friends alone. History is marked by many frail alliances, friendships are often temporary, and business relationships can be fleeting if service falters or prices cease to be competitive. Wisdom will not fail you and it will not flee. It will also provide you the strength to weather the barrages that your enemies throw in your direction.

So, the error of man is not in building those relationships, the error comes when one rests in one’s relationships with others to find strength rather than seeking strength in the Wisdom that comes only from the mouth of God. Indeed, this must be our strength.

“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.