(A)
This is a very difficult book to understand – some in the past had ‘questioned’ whether it should be in the ‘canon’ – the whole message is ‘dark’, pessimistic and discouraging, looked from one point of view – yet it is one of the books under the Wisdom tradition in the Bible.
As I study this book over and over again, the pessimistic tone seems out of place in the Bible, a book which is vibrant with hope. Some personal conclusions, after much consideration, have helped me to ‘appreciate’ this book as a helpful ‘treatise’ and communication of the need of the gospel for fallen mankind in a fallen world.
We need, first of all, to note that the ‘preacher’ limits his search for life’s meaning to data gained by the senses within the material world and universe and this is reflected in the phrase “under the sun” which occurs some 29 times in the book.
The preacher relies exclusively on the power of human reason; he consciously ignored special revelation to find out if life holds any meaning apart from insights provided by God. The book resonates with the ’emptiness’ we all feel when alienated fromGood and demonstrates that apart from a personal relationship with God, life is indeed meaningless. Although nature does witness to God’s existence, and human experience commends a moral lifestyle (even for unbelievers who seem to know what is ‘right’ and ‘wrong’), only a living Word from God can pierce the darkness in which we live. His conclusion – reason apart from revelation is powerless to provide mankind with valid spiritual hope. In that regard, the preacher’s cry in his quest to find life’s meaning is truly valid – “utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!’
We need to remember that this book is a ‘word from one of history’s wisest men’ – some think the preacher is king Solomon while others think that he took on the ‘persona’ of king Solomon with the resources to search and experience extensively all that ‘life can afford’. It is also written without the understanding of ‘resurrection’ we have on this side of history.
Ecclesiastes, in that sense, is not a word from God. The preacher’s conclusions are eminently reasonable, but are frequently wrong! His conclusions are deductions from what man can observe but they are not true as made clear by other passages of Scripture and revelation. We need to look at this book as an accurate portrayal of the best reasoning of which man is capable as he looks at life in this materialistic world, a fallen world, without much understanding of God and His ways. Seen from this perspective, his deduction that man is powerless to affect his own fate and any sense of control man may have is only illusory is reasonable. His observations that man cannot escape suffering in this life; even success has its drawbacks; he cannot cross the boundaries that restrict him and even the end is death and ’emptiness’ – all these compound the meaningless of life on earth – everything is a chasing after wind!
We need to be cautious to take his conclusions as direct ‘teachings’ and ‘principles’ from God and His Word; we can contrast these conclusions with what the Bible and God’ revelation can offer in our applications but these come only after appreciating the preacher’s own views apart from understanding God and His revelation.
(B)
After the prologue which highlighted that life is meaningless and human experience is cyclical and also meaningless, the preacher launched into a carefully reasoned presentation of proof, explaining how he reached his gloomy conclusion (1:12-6:12).
He looked at those things and areas in life in which men suppose they can find meaning and found each empty and vain. He concluded that no ultimate value can be found in philosophy (vv12-16), in pleasure or wealth (2:1-11), in wisdom (vv12-16), or in personal accomplishments (vv17-23). In the last analysis, the preacher remarked that man has no control over his situation in this life (vv24-26). In other words, he was saying that if you look for meaning in the things this world has to offer you, you are doomed to disappointment and despair.
No earthly experience itself, apart from any link with God, can satisfy. There is a void or vacuum in every human life that only God can fill – these are the teachings from Scripture and from the experience of believers – in contrast to the despair put forward by the preacher. The book of Ecclesiastes is therefore helpful in the presentation of the gospel; it tells human beings that, without any doubt, life can hold no meaning without finding satisfaction in knowing God and believing in the gospel. If you think that you just came about on earth by chance when various ‘gases’ or ‘molecules’ interact, then the terrifying conclusion must be that you are of no intrinsic value – you are no better than all the lifeless things in this world. But the Scripture tells us that humans are made in the image of God and that we are valuable in the eyes of God; we are so valued that after the ‘fall’, God’s plan is to bring us back to Him and to recreate a new humanity and a new creation, by a loving sacrificial act of His Son Jesus, who took our place on the cross, and ‘drank the cup of God’s wrath’ meant for us so that we may, not only be forgiven, but be delivered from the guilt and power of sin, and be adopted to be God’s children.
If somehow, you really believe that if only you can be rich, you would be happy; or if you have status, pleasure, material things, you would be satisfied – take note that the preacher has tasted all these and more in abundance and yet, he found all these pursuits meaningless and unsatisfying ultimately.
To him, how can life be meaningful when the individual not only loses his self-awareness in death, but his existence is not even remembered as earth evolves on and on through its endless, weary cycles? He tested sensual pleasures; he undertook great building projects; he denied himself nothing his heart desired and all the while he felt empty as ever and there was no actual ‘profit’ under the sun.
Contrast this with the words of Jesus: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For what can a man give in return for his life?” (Mark 8:36-37). “..I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Our hearts yearn for something that nothing in this life can satisfy. But Jesus is telling us that there is abundant life in Him and there is life after death; we are not meant to be mortal but there is immortality, life and true joy and pleasure with God in Jesus Christ. Meditating on Ecclesiastes, if we are sincere and honest, can lead us in the pursuit of God and truth, and cause us to examine the true meaning of life, as intended by God.
(C)
From 1:12 to 6:12, we saw how the preacher presented his ‘proof’, explaining how he reached his gloomy conclusion that everything is meaningless – his reasoning, observations and experiences of many aspects of life on earth made his conclusion inevitable.
Perhaps, at this point, it may be helpful to highlight some of the prominent areas he examined and his verdict of ‘life on earth is vanity and utterly empty of meaning’.
The well known passage in 3:1-8 – ‘A time for everything’ – which was even set to music and sung – what did the preacher derive from this observation of seasons and the flow of time?
He sensed the ‘frustrating effect of time on human life and labour’. The passing of time and seasons, to him, imposes its order on our lives – that is, time is the actual master and not man – time ridicules our sense of importance and we are not in control of it, and we cannot change whatever patterns that have been established. Even our time to die is not within our control, and we cannot ‘avoid’ the flow and changes of time imposed on us from without.
Human beings are created with a capacity for eternal things, and a realisation that this life here cannot be all there is – time ‘does not end here’. The preacher acknowledged that God has set eternity in the human heart – yet the frustration is that nothing much is known by man regarding what is beyond.
What a burden to bear: to yearn for eternity and yet not know and understand what it is all about. Reason cannot prove the human personality is eternal. The preacher concluded that death is the same for man and animals. There is no proof that the spirit of man or animal continues after death.
Note that this ‘frustration’ comes about because God has intended for man to live forever with Him, and death (physical and spiritual) comes about because of sin and rebellion against God. Even after the fall, this sense of the ‘eternal’ still somewhat resides in the heart of man. Those who do not believe in God have to logically conclude that they are just here on earth ‘by chance’ or ‘by accident’ and there is nothing beyond this – yet even in their deepest awareness and thinking, this seems rather unacceptable as far as their longing and desire are concerned – they, if they are honest’, find this conclusion rather revolting and meaningless. Somehow, there must be a better explanation and answer – this is the frustration and dilemma faced by ‘fallen man’ who thinks there is no God and no eternity.
Notice that this sets the stage to share the gospel and the real meaning of life as intended by God; it gives room to explain ‘sin’, the eternal plan of God to make right what is wrong in creation and man, and also the presence of an enemy and evil. God has revealed all this in the Bible, and if man chooses to ignore this revelation by God, he condemned himself to live without hope and without salvation. Hence, the preacher even concluded that it is better to be dead than alive, and even the unborn is in a better position than those who are alive for this short meaningless period of time.
The preacher argues that man’s passion for success and wealth is motivated by a desire to surpass others and thus validates one’s own importance. This explains the presence of ‘envy’, ‘jealousy’, quest for status and position in life. But if life on earth is meaningless, all these passions and desires are also meaningless. If man is just a combination of molecules of amino acids, nucleic acids and what have you, what is the meaning of all these urges in man?
The teacher sums up his observations: even the man who has everything leads an empty life (6:1-60. Wise and foolish alike live only a “few and meaningless days”, passing through life like a ‘shadow’ and leaving nothing behind (vv7-12) and not even being remembered by others after them.
Perhaps, it takes ‘more faith’ (if we can use this term) to believe that there is eternity and meaning beyond, and that there is God, rather than to hold on to the thinking that we are just here by accident and that we are here for ‘only a few and meaningless days’.
Ecclesiastes is in a way leading us to the path that is more logical and meaningful by proclaiming the ‘meaningless’ of life here on earth, under the sun, and hinting that perhaps there is ‘life above the sun’, if we care to investigate.
A wise godly man once said: “God holds the key that opens the door to the meaning of life and eternity but He does not give us the key”. Hence we need to trust Him and have faith in Him that in His good time and ways, He would grant the key to those whom, He decides, should have it.
Ecclesiastes does reveal, in a way, that man is finite and God is infinite and transcendent. Also what is obviously clear is that life is an enigma – it is mysterious and very difficult to understand – wholesome truth and mystery are in God’s bosom, and even for believers, there are things and areas we cannot fully fathom and understand – what is revealed is for us – but what is hidden and remain a mystery belongs with God. Yet,God, in His grace and goodness, sees it fit to reveal what is necessary for us to know here on earth, and what is necessary and needful for us to know the way back to Him.
(D)
From chapter 7, the preacher, after going through a varied list of observations, reasoning and experience on various aspects of life on earth and coming to the conclusion that everything is utterly meaningless, now suggests ‘rules’ and ‘modified ethics’ he believes can provide some guide to life here on earth.
These suggestions reflect his own conclusions that in a ‘meaningless society’, a person must act prudently (according to his own assessment 7:1-29), and learn to adjust to the imperfections that exist here and now (8:1-17). Moreover, life must be lived in full awareness of the certainty of death (9:1-18).
The ethical conclusions of the preacher are defensive in nature. He advocates no zealous pursuit of good, no commitment to unrealistic ideals and in this, he differs from the teachings of Scripture. What he was promoting are somewhat akin to the statements made by many today that it is no point being so zealous in your Christianity – after all, total commitment borders on being too idealistic and unrealistic in this life – as long as you are moderate in your outlook and outworking, it should be alright.
The preacher pointed out that the more eagerly a man searches for life’s meaning, the greater will be his disappointment and frustrations. To him, realism is a better guide. It is best to be aware of the dark side of life and to live with reality than to deceive yourself and to build your life on illusion. The preacher advised the ‘students’ to step back and not be too involved; if you do not care, you cannot be hurt too much. He added that we should be resigned to take what comes, enjoy the ‘good’, and try to survive the bad.
Moderation is the key, the preacher exclaimed, it does not pay to be wicked, and it does not pay to be overly righteous either.
If we look for our reward in this life, what the preacher advocates seems right; but if we look beyond human experience to revelation from God in Scripture and in other avenues, and rely not on reason but on faith, (the just shall live by faith), then the conclusions would be very different indeed.
The preacher did make some statements about God – he cautioned that one has to be careful when coming before God (apparently during worship rituals); he reasoned that God has awesome powers and it is only wise to be respectful before Him and not to make foolish vows and statements which cannot be kept or verified.
There is a certain kind of ‘fear’ (unwholesome though) of God in the attitude and approach of the preacher, with the awareness that God is a mystery, causing him not to make bold theological statements.
For believers today, we know that love, not fear, is the motivating force in our desire to know God and to serve Him; knowing only enough about God to fear Him never frees a person from a sense of life’s meaninglessness. We must know enough about God to love Him. Then we will see in His love the guarantee of eternal life that gives meaning to our existence, beyond time and throughout eternity.
The preacher’s advice is to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of life while we can. To him, life is ultimately meaningless, so hold on to it as long as we can and shape life in view of the certainty of death (9:1-18).
In Ecclesiastes, the preacher confidently began a search for life’s meaning, relying on his own reason and powers of observation. The more he applied himself the more meaningless life seemed to be. Rather than turn to God, the preacher accepted his own conclusions as truth. And then the disappointed man worked out his own systems of protective and defensive ethics, intended to help him make the best of a meaningless life. All who reason, limiting themselves to the same resources, will reach the same conclusion. But the person who knows God and counts on HIs promises is truly free. For believers, life can be vital and exciting, and we can commit ourselves to carry out God’s will.
The last chapter is another statement of the fact that man grows old and dies (12:1-5). The description of the process of growing old and dying is rather graphic – it is a ‘wake-up’ call for those who refuse to consider the prospect of growing old and dying – those who live as if they will go on forever here on earth and those who refuse to entertain the subject of death, thinking that they will be forever young, should look at this chapter soberly and realise their vulnerability and end.
For the preacher, even reason suggests that man’s only hope is some attachment to the eternal and the hope that man’s spirit “returns to God who gave it” (vv6-8). Whatever expectation a man has must lie beyond this world; so man’s best hope is to fear God and keep His commandments (vv9-14).
But this conclusion of the preacher should not be taken as a ‘conversion’ or a return to faith on hls part. This, to him, is the only reasonable and logical conclusion he can arrive at as he looks at life “under the sun”.
Some of his earlier conclusions can be seen to be rather bizarre and cynical:
‘Do not expect justice, and you would not be disappointed” (10:5-9)
“Money would not buy happiness but it would buy most other things. You are much better off with it; after all, you may as well enjoy your misery (10:19)
“What you do not say cannot hurt you. What you do say, might -so keep your thoughts to yourself” (10;20)
“Do not ever think that you have got a foolproof plan. You do not understand the processes of nature. What makes you think you can predict how God will act?” (11:5)
The final conclusion: Every reason leads back to God. Proverbs begin with “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom”. Ecclesiastes reluctantly has to end with the same statement – ‘ the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom’ – but it took the preacher a long and arduous ‘journey’ to reach this conclusion. If we are truly wise, from God’s point of view, let us acknowledge this truth as early as possible in our life.