Joy at the End of the Tether: The Inscrutable Wisdom of Ecclesiastes

by Douglas Wilson

Everything that happens is caused by something; the Bible teaches that it is caused by Someone. To say that something happens by chance is simply to confess our ignorance of the cause.

We now come to an onslaught of proverbs. Solomon hammers his point home again and again with many nails, as he mentions later (12:11). Work hard, he says, before the Lord, and with an honest good sense. The proverbs spur us on to this good sense. Dead flies in the ointment have a lesson to teach (10:1). A little folly in a wise man is far more visible than a little wisdom in a fool. A wise man clearly has more to lose. Ketchup on a white shirt is highly visible.

Casting your bread on the water is not about feeding the ducks. Solomon urges us to treat alms like a business, investing in the Lord. The one who gives to the poor is in fact giving to the Lord. Thinking backwards can be fun sometimes (11:2). Some say that life is uncertain, so we should eat dessert first. Solomon says here that because life is uncertain we ought to give the dessert away.

The injunction is clear—enjoy and obey. Solomon turns to the young and encourages them to do two things—one characteristic of their age, and the other not. First he says, “Enjoy it now.” The light of day and the vigor of youth are truly sweet. Enjoy it (v. 7). For the young, this advice is easy to follow. And then he hits a more somber note—“while you can.” A man who rejoices for many years must still prepare for the coming many days . . . days of darkness and vanity (v. 8). We cannot get away from age by lying to ourselves about it; we must receive it from the hand of God—and with a clear head.