Sunday, October 13 – Ecclesiastes 6, 7 – Additional Reading, Prophets and Kings* Chapter 5, “Solomon’s Repentance”

1. According to the Preacher, what does man labor for? (Ecclesiastes 6:7)

2. What does “Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise” mean? (Ecclesiastes 7:16)

Commentary and Reflection:

The discourse in Chapter 6 seems pessimistic and bitter. The preacher repeats the complaint about the evil he has seen under the sun, a phrase that becomes a refrain in the book. While what he says is true in this world of sin, his perspective is negative. He observes the realities of life and comments on them from the viewpoint of someone who has drifted away from God, has tried everything, made mistakes, wasted years and blessings, and is now bitter.

Solomon wrote Song of Solomon and Proverbs in the early part of his life, before his apostasy, and Ecclesiastes after his waywardness and in his later years. This explains the different styles in writing Ecclesiastes.

The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary says: “The book of Ecclesiastes is “a record of his folly and repentance” (PK 85), a delineation of “the errors that had led him to squander for naught Heaven’s choicest gifts” (PK 80). It is “full of warning” (PK 82) and contains much that was not intended by Inspiration as an example to be followed, but rather as a solemn warning.

Those portions of Ecclesiastes that relate the experience and reasoning of his years of apostasy are not to be taken as representing the mind and will of the Spirit. Nevertheless, they are an inspired record of what he actually thought and did during that time (see PK 79), and that record constitutes a sober warning against the wrong kind of thought and action. For instance, the cynical attitude toward life expressed… is far from being a model for the Christian (see also chs. 1:17; 2:1, 3, 12; etc.).” (SDA Bible Commentary, Introduction to Ecclesiastes, Theme)

He, who had wealth, was king for 40 years, and lived to satisfy his desires, concludes that “this is vanity and a grievous evil.” The truth we can learn and apply from his words is that none of these things bring happiness. It is worthless to have everything the world can offer and everything one could desire if God does not give the ability to enjoy it (6:2), if the “soul is not satisfied with goodness” (6:3), or if “the soul has not seen goodness” (6:6).

Whatever one has, whether much or little, God can give the ability to enjoy it; if He does not, it doesn’t matter what one has. Happiness is found only in enjoying goodness and, if God allows, in satisfying the soul with it. “Goodness” is not a “something” but what is healthy and wholesome in life, which comes as blessings from God.

Chapter 7 seems more positive. It contains gems of wisdom that I pray we may treasure.

A good name is the fragrance of life and is much better than a perfume that can be bought in a store. Speaking of a pleasing fragrance, Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16).

The Preacher says that “the house of mourning,” sorrow, and grief are better than feasting, laughter, and “the house where joy reigns.” He argues that contemplating the end of life and its sorrows helps us to reflect. He sums it up well when he says, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better” (7:3).

What excellent advice this is: “Do not say, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For you do not inquire wisely concerning this” (7:10). Especially those of us who are older tend to make this mistake. First, the idea that the past was better is not accurate but only a perceptual distortion, and second, it is neither productive nor wise to compare current times with previous ones.

What practical advice: “Also, do not take to heart everything people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known that even you have cursed others” (7:21-22). Do not pay too much attention to what people say; if you happen to hear someone speak ill of you, do not give it much importance except to learn from it. It is a common human practice to talk about others. It is better to cultivate the habit of doing so positively.

This part of the discourse ends in a paradox: “Adding one thing to another to find out the reason, which my soul still seeks but I cannot find” (7:27). Here is the answer: “Truly, this only I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (7:29).

May the Lord grant you to walk uprightly, enjoy your life, and be satisfied with goodness.