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January 12 - January 18, 2021
The great Hebrew philosopher who wrote this book called Ecclesiastes calls us to joy, but to a joy which thinks, a joy which does not shrink back from the hard questions. He calls us to meditation, but to a meditation which does not despair. And as he points out repeatedly, shutting off every avenue of escape, only believers can enjoy the vanity which surrounds us on every side.
We see the outside of this sin described in the histories of Scripture. We also see the horrible consequences which afflict Israel in the centuries which follow Solomon. We see this sin from the inside, and the repentance following, in the pages of Ecclesiastes. What did the fall of Solomon—and the fall of Israel—mean? The surprising answer is that it meant nothing—vanity. Like all sin and unbelief, it came to . . . nothing.
In the first, Ecclesiastes 1:2–2:26, we see that Solomon’s experience shows that satisfaction cannot come from anything within the power or competence of man.
In chapters 3:1–5:20, he shows that God is sovereign over everything. He then goes on to answer objections to this (perennially offensive) doctrine.
Third, Ecclesiastes 6:1–8:15 carefully applies this doctrine that the sovereign God alone gives the power to enjoy this parade of vanity. Without an understanding of the Almighty, and without seeing His attributes, nature, and char...
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And finally, Ecclesiastes 8:16–12:14 removes various obstacles and discouragements, and addresses...
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Under the sun, vanity is God’s scepter (5:18; 8:15; 9:9). For those who fear Him, He gives the
gift of being able to actually enjoy this great big marching band of futility—the tubas of vanity bringing up the rear. God gives to a wise man the gift of watching, with a pious and grateful chuckle, one damn thing after another.
Sincere and thoughtful Christians need to resist two errors of interpretation as they seek to understand this small book of wisdom. The first is that of treating the word vanity as modern existentialists would treat it, meaning absolute meaninglessness. Of course, from beginning to end, including Ecclesiastes in the middle, the Bible rejects this error. And further, if Solomon were arguing the absolute meaninglessness of absolutely everything, then why should we trust his argument? It too is under the sun. How could anything, or any word, mean utter meaninglessness? Whenever anyone announces
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In many translations, this section begins with “Nothing is better . . .” Scholars have inserted the word better here, even though the Hebrew text does not have it. This is done because that phrase does occur several other times in this book and it has simply been assumed that it was dropped out here. As it stands, however, it should be translated, “There is not a good [inherent] in man that he . . .”
Also, verse 25 should not read, “more than I,” referring to Solomon, but rather, “apart from Him,” referring to God. This is the reading followed by eight Hebrew manuscripts, the Septuagint, the Syriac, the Coptic, and the translation of Jerome into Latin. This is also the reading which fits best within the context of the argument.
As we have considered, vanity does not refer to an absolute meaninglessness. We see now that it refers to an inscrutable repetitiveness. You washed the dishes last night, and there they are again. You changed the oil in your car three months ago, and now you are doing it again. All is vanity. This shirt was clean yesterday.
If God is not really here, then we cannot blame Him for the problem of evil.1 And so we reason to ourselves, thinking that man by his free will has made something crooked which God cannot, for various reasons, straighten out. The problem with this idea is that Solomon states it the other way. Man cannot straighten what God has made crooked. Contrary to our modern evangelical apostles of uplift, God has given us “sore travail” (v. 13).
We seek peace through eliminating the very idea of a moment’s peace.
Overview and Review First division (1:2–2:26): Satisfaction cannot come from anything within man’s power. This point can be confirmed in two places, settled in two ways. First subdivision (1:2–1:11): Nature shows an inscrutable repetition. Second subdivision (1:12–2:11): Empty experience shows Solomon that experience is empty. Second division (3:1–5:20): God is sovereign over everything that is. Everyone who holds this doctrine has always had to answer objections to it, and Solomon is no different. Third division (6:1–8:15): Doctrine is always meant for application and so Solomon applies his
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The gift of God does not make this meaninglessness go away; the gift of God makes this vanity enjoyable. But in the meantime, Look, we are told, at the boneheads to come. Because the wise die, they must leave what they have done to others. And will they be wise? Who knows? The result is distress (v. 17), despair (v. 20), sorrow (v. 23), burdens (v. 23), and restlessness (v. 23). Solomon turns his heart to this despair (v. 20). He despairs of any way out under the sun. Just as he gave himself to pleasure before, so now he gives way to despair.
Joy is a crowning gift of God in this meaningless world. The seraphim experience joy in the presence of God, but honestly, that is to be expected. It is not the angels He helps. We are given the privilege of experiencing joy here, in the midst of ongoing disobedient and imbecilic chaos. Joy, yes, but mirabile dictu, the joy is here.
The basis for this joy is the principle of divine sovereignty. Now the days of our lives are in the hands of God. The first verse here says that there is a time and season for everything under heaven (v. 1). So who apportions these times and seasons? All these tasks which follow are God-given (v. 10); He makes everything beautiful in its time (v. 11); God’s inscrutable actions (v. 11) are forever (v. 14). If it is good, then God gave it. If it is travail, then God gave it also.
When looked at from our vantage under the sun, everything (including the ebb and flow) is vanity. But when we remember that God has placed all things where they now are, everything (including the ebb and
flow) is beautiful (v. 11). A careful reader looks ahead to verse 14. God does all this that men should fear. A man who reads without trembling has forgotten the living God.
Rather, this is a description of God’s determinations.
We are being told that we have been placed in a world that we did not create or fashion, and that this world has various repetitive cycles, to which cycles we have been assigned by someone else. We are under the authority of these repetitions and have been placed under that authority by the hand and purpose of God.
When calamity comes, and the tears follow, the Lord was in it. When rejoicing brings relief, the Lord was in it. This doctrine has a hard edge and more than one person has cut himself on it. But denial of the doctrine does not remove the light and darkness, the peace or evil. It just removes the possibility of finding any solace.
In all this, in every aspect of our lives, the Lord God is exhaustively sovereign. This is not said in order to quarrel with those unhappy brethren who dispute it. This is said because it is the foundation of Solomon’s argument, which in turn means that it is the foundation of all possible intelligent joy.
Eternity has been placed in our hearts. God has made us in relation to Him, and nothing we can do will alter this. He is always our Maker and we are always made. He is always Creator and we are always created. The fact that the “world” has been placed in our hearts does not mean that we understand the world. The reality is quite the reverse. No man can find out the work which God does from the beginning and to the end. The believing response is to throw up one’s hands in faith (not despair) and have a good time. This cannot happen unless one of the works God is doing is the impartation of true
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God has placed eternity in our hearts (v. 11), which gives us a desperate thirst without water. But even with this thirst for the eternal, man is not the starting point of knowledge and cannot be. We must begin with God and not just any old divinity. We must begin with the God who rules all things, the One who places everything in a beautiful place. We must worship the One who orients all things to His ultimate glory. Even sin and evil? Even the monstrous and the ugly? The answer must be yes—we are called to remember the list which wisdom gives includes healing and killing, war and hate,
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How can we say that God sits on the throne of High Justice when our judges, who are appointed on earth to reflect that justice, do not care to do so (3:16)? How can He be up there when they are down here? Problems in the judiciary did not begin with our liberal justices in this century; Solomon knew of many who twisted words behind the bench. Now the wickedness of our judges provides material for this common slander against the truth. However, Solomon hastens to add that God will put it all to rights in the final judgment (3:17).
So the answer to the objection founded on the existence of judicial oppression is that the gift of God bestows knowledge of the final judgment. This knowledge of ultimate justice puts every judicial monstrosity in perspective. In a day when judicial monstrosities grow like thistles in sunshine, we need the encouragement.
Men know they are in a separate category from the animals. Solomon’s point is that they cannot consistently know this, given their epistemology. Look what happens to the carcasses of each. The imago Dei does not retard the process of corruption. Consequently, if that is where we look in order to discover that image, then we will come to nothing but despair. In the last analysis, scientism can only measure how fast we rot. Knowledge of the final judgment and how men as men will stand there before a great throne does not come from dissecting frogs.
The uniqueness of man can be denied, but cannot be made to disappear. Men will always be men, but apart from an acknowledgment of the final judgment, they cannot hope to give a reasonable account of themselves as men.
So we must remember to look ahead to 12:7. The answer to this mortality objection is that the gift of God bestows knowledge of our life after death.
We are born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. Nothing can be accomplished by denying the existence of this trouble; the only thing we are to do is look forward to death when we will be out of the oppressors’s reach. Solomon has already reminded us of the judgment, and he will remind us of it again. If we understand this, if we remember, then we will leave this wilderness and come to comfort.
So another objection comes. “But . . . men are envious and lazy.” This really is the flip side of the previous problem: before, we saw the powerful kicking the powerless, but now we see the powerless spitting at those who have exercised a creative dominion. When a man works hard and accomplishes much, his neighbor envies him (4:4–6). The man who envies is often a cannibal, devouring himself (v. 5). But hard work alone can also be unsatisfying (v. 6).
wise man hates all forms of envy. The answer given by Solomon is that the gift of God bestows satisfaction in your own toil.
Working together is satisfying; it is fruitful, prevents harm, keeps you warm, defends, and keeps unity (4:9–12).
So the answer is that the gift of God bestows companionship.
As Augustine put it, in our great affairs, the dead are always replaced by the dying. The currently unpopular are always replaced by those who are not yet unpopular.
The answer here is that the gift of God bestows acceptance with Him.
Fools love thoughtless vows as well. Talking about what you will do is a good, low-cost way to enhance your reputation down at the church. Think of a similar tactic employed by the late Ananias and Sapphira. This section of Ecclesiastes addresses a financial pledge, and then when a temple messenger comes to get it, the story told by the one who vowed is all different now (vv. 4–7).
Theological liberals come almost immediately to mind. It takes a certain kind of mind to think that world peace can be ushered in if we all hold hands and think happy thoughts. Arms are for hugging, and visualizing world peace is thought by some to be having quite an impact. But look around; look at the newspapers. Men are oppressed all the time—the wise are not amazed or embittered when it happens (vv. 8–9). The problem goes all the way up. But also remember that the king is as dependent upon agriculture as anyone else.
The conclusion of this cynical line of argument is peace and joy. In verses 18–20, the crucial phrases are these: and given him power to eat of it and this is the gift of God. God, as part of the goodness of His grace, keeps a man occupied with his stuff, giving him joy. The fact that some men can just take it as it comes, without agonizing all the time over the ultimate meaning of things, is the gift of God (v. 20).
The ultimate explanation is that God does all things to glorify His name and exalt His majesty. But regardless of various reasons for the crookedness of the world, the fact remains that the Bible affirms God’s sovereignty over the crooked. He truly is the only Lord.
We are not to be autonomous, whether it is autonomously good or autonomously bad. We are not to be self-willed in evil. It is suicide. But neither are we to be self-willed in doing what we
define as good. It is self-destruction (vv. 16–17). We all know about those characters who shake their fists at heaven and how there is then a sharp intake of breath all around the sanctuary.
While ultimate wisdom comes from beyond the sun, Solomon had seen much by wisdom under the sun (v. 23). He proved and tested it by wisdom.
What should a man do in a world of powerful kings and wicked men who look as though they got away with it? He should prepare to make merry; he should enjoy himself—he should eat, drink, and be merry all his days under the sun (v. 15). Again, Solomon comes to an unexpected conclusion. The fact that men wield power, sometimes unrighteously, is occasion to make merry and enjoy life with anyone else who has been given the gift of this wisdom.
First division (1:2–2:26): The power of enjoying anything does not arise from within man. Second division (3:1–5:20): We know that God is sovereign over everything, but because some do not like knowing it, Solomon answers objections to the doctrine. Third division (6:1–8:15): God alone gives the power to enjoy vanity. The teaching is applied. First subdivision (6:1–7:15): We must evaluate the outward condition of men properly. Second subdivision (7:16–29): We must also evaluate men properly. Third subdivision (8:1–15): The sin of powerful men can block the view. Fourth division (8:16–12:14):
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But a man cannot know. The result was that he saw “all the work of God,” and he also saw that a man cannot know what God is doing (v. 17). This is wisdom, wisdom discovered by a very wise man. The wise know how to identify what cannot be known. Solomon is not referring to the actions of God on the other side of the universe (which, of course, no one thinks we could know), but rather His governance of our lives here and now. He sets the limitation upon any man (v. 17) and not just upon himself and his own endeavors. Look around as you please, you do not know what is happening.
Turning to relationships, Solomon says that men are to live joyfully with their wives for all their stupid little days. We think this would sound terrible on an anniversary card—because we are governed more by sentiment than by wisdom. How is this possible? Apart from the grace of God it is not possible. The language of sentimental romanticism is not the language of the Bible. When men understand the futility of earthly existence, and they understand it in the way Solomon presents it to us, they are then equipped to enjoy their bread for perhaps the first time. They may consider the redness of
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Time and chance each take their shot. We are to work hard now, because the night is coming when no man can work (9:10). We are called to the duty of work and not to the duty of predicting results. The Hebrew word for chance here (pega) does not refer to philosophical randomness, but simply means “occurrence.” The event is not planned by us. As far as we are concerned, anything can happen.
