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Chapter 1 |
Chapter 6 |
Chapter 11 |
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Chapter 2 |
Chapter 7 |
Chapter 12 |
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Chapter 3 |
Chapter 8 |
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Chapter 4 |
Chapter 9 |
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Chapter 5 |
Chapter 10 |
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All Bible readers
are acquainted with the record of Solomon, the author of this
book. He, the son of David and Bathsheba, was the third king
in the succession of the rulers of Israel. He was made king by
his father David at a very early age. In I Kings 3:5-14 the
record is given of God's gift of wisdom and riches to Solomon.
God made him the wisest mortal man, who ever had lived, or
would ever live on earth. Yet as we follow his career, as
recorded in God's word, we see that, in spite of this, he, in
his later years turned away from following the commandments of
God, and followed the lusts of the flesh. Not only did he have
many wives and concubines, but he was led of them away from
God to the worship of idols. There is no commandment in the
law God gave Israel limiting the number of wives a man might
have. But there is a prohibition against any Israelite,
whether king or commoner, marrying a woman of certain nations,
lest the wife lead him away from serving God to worshipping
idols. As the record shows, Solomon completely disregarded
this. And the result was that, he even built great houses of
worship for the idols of his wives. This is the man who wrote
Ecclesiastes. So when he says, "And whatsoever mine eyes
desired, I kept not from them," he is speaking the
literal truth. He did whatever he wanted to do. Surely, many
of the things of which he wrote are from his own experience.
He knew first hand the vanity of many of the things he had
done. He also knew the futility of trying to change that,
which has already been done. |
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Chapter
1
(Verse
1) The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
Thus
the writer identifies himself. And, since the only person fitting
this description is Solomon, we know that he is the author of this
writing.
(Verses
2 through 4) Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of
vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labor,
which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and
another generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever.
Notice
that Solomon gives his conclusion for this before he even asks his
question, or answers it. He declares that everything is "vanity
of vanities." This is an expression he often uses throughout
this writing. In his manner of using it, it seems to mean that
everything a man may do in this world, "under the sun," is
worthless, has no substance, and is a waste of time and energy. One
must keep in mind that his focus throughout this writing is, for the
greater part, on man's work and its effect, or lack thereof on the
world and its continuation. Rarely does he deal with man's
relationship with God, until he comes to his conclusion. So, in this
light, he asks, "What profit hath a man of all his labor, which
he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another
generation cometh: but the earth abideth forever." Although a
man may spend his entire life working, planning, worrying, and doing
everything he can to accomplish something, and sometimes even be
successful in his endeavor, he and his generation will surely pass
away, and be followed by another. But the world goes on as it has,
with nothing changed. So all his labor has been in vain, so far as
he is concerned. There is no profit to him from all his labor.
Sometimes a man is able to accomplish something that benefits
following generations. But he will not know anything about it. So it
is all vanity.
(Verses
5 through 7) The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and
hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the
south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about
continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the
place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
As
Solomon speaks of the elements of nature, we see that all of man's
labor has made no difference in their operation. He wrote this
almost three thousand years ago. Since that time every generation of
man has put forth much valiant effort: and he has been permitted to
accomplish many things. Some of them have been long lasting, and
many have been beneficial to man. But the generation that produced
these things passed away, to be followed by another. And the entire
accumulation of these things has had no effect upon the world order.
The sun still rises and sets where it always has. The winds change
from one point of the compass to another as they have from the
beginning. And all the rivers still run into the sea; but they do
not raise the level of the water thereof. Moreover the water that
goes to the sea is also returned to the source of the river to
repeat the journey. All of man's labor has made no change in that
order.
(Verse
8) All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it: the eye is not
satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
Whatever
man attempts to accomplish is filled with, or requires, effort to
bring it about. It would be beyond the ability of man to tell how
much effort, and even suffering, has been required in all the things
man has done. Still we have never reached the point at which man
says, "I never want to see anything else." Neither have we
arrived at the end of our desire to hear something. We may, at times
tire of seeing and hearing the same old things we have seen and
heard; but we still have the desire to see and hear something new.
We commonly consider that if a man reaches a certain level of
fortune or fame, or both, he is successful. But the only true
measure of success is satisfaction; and few indeed ever reach it in
this world. If they did, they would cease from striving for
something more than they have.
(Verses
9 through 11) The thing which hath been, it is that which shall be;
and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no
new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said,
See, this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before
us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be
any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall
come after.
Many
will immediately take issue with what Solomon has said here. They
will begin to name various modern inventions, and declare that they
are new, and have never been before. While, indeed, each of them may
be a new assembly, every particle of every one of them is made from
something that has been here since the creation of the world. And
the principles of operation for every one of them have also been
here since the beginning. Had they only known how to design and
assemble all the proper components, they could have had television.
The materials for all the components and the principles for its
operation have been here all the time. The only thing lacking was
the "know how." That only came by the gradual accumulation
of knowledge through the ages. The man, who invented the television,
only built upon knowledge already discovered by former generations.
However, I believe a little different approach to this matter will
be useful. In verse 8, Solomon introduced another matter, the quest
for satisfaction of seeing and hearing. So the question arises:
since man will never be satisfied until he sees and hears everything
there is in the world, how can he achieve this? Of course this can
be applied to any other field also; but since Solomon has introduced
this, we shall consider it as an example. The seeing of things in
this world until recent decades, except by pictures, which were not
always too clear, has depended upon our going to the site. This
brings us to the logistics of the matter, the getting from point
"A" to point "B." During my span of life, I have
seen this progress from walking, riding a horse, or riding in a
wagon, to traveling by automobile, by airplane, or, in the case of
our astronauts, by rocket ships. Yet that makes no change in what we
are trying to do. We want to get from here to there. Man will never
be satisfied until he can simply think where he wants to be, and
immediately be there. This is clearly shown in all the fairy tales,
which children have read through the ages. This, of course, he will
never achieve. Nevertheless his purpose and quest is the same it has
always been. There is nothing new. He still wants what he has always
wanted. Although he puts together what seems to him a new means of
obtaining his desires, he has to make them from existing materials;
and they work on existing principles, to accomplish the same old
purposes. He thinks he has a new toy, but it is only a different
arrangement of that which has been from the beginning. "It hath
been already of old time, which was before us." So far as
Solomon's declaration in verse 11 is concerned, some may argue that
we have remembrance of former things because we keep records of
them. What we read from the record, while it may be true, is not our
remembrance of the thing, or the event. About the best illustration
of this that I can give is this. Several years ago I was talking
with a friend, who had been in a certain battle in Italy, during
World War II. He described, in clear detail, that battle. From the
details he gave of it, I am sure he had remembrance of it as long as
he lived; but I have no remembrance of it at all. I can only
remember what he told me about it. And I am sure that he told the
truth. Yet I have no remembrance of it because I was not there to
see it or experience it. Whatever is done in, or by, this
generation, when this generation is gone, there will be no
remembrance of it. There may, indeed, be records thereof, but that
is all there will be. And it may be safely said that following
generations will not learn from these records; for they will repeat
the mistakes of those gone before.
(Verses
12 through 14) I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And
I gave my heart to seek out by wisdom concerning all things that are
done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of
men, to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are
done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and vexation of
spirit.
This
appears to be a slightly boastful declaration, amounting to about
what we often hear someone say today: "I've seen it all."
Yet when we consider that God had given to Solomon greater wisdom
than to any other man in the world, and had also given him great
wealth, so that he was able to go where he would to observe all the
works in which men engage, we find it only a declaration of fact. He
does not claim to have an all-seeing eye, as does God, but that he
has taken notice of all the various kinds of activities in which man
expends so much of his energy. Having done this, he comes up with
one conclusion concerning the whole: "All is vanity and
vexation of spirit." That is, in all these activities, man only
wears himself out, and accomplishes nothing. He still finds no
satisfaction, but continues to reach for something more until the
moment of his death. He never has the success of being satisfied.
(Verse
15) That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is
wanting cannot be numbered.
When
he says, "That which is crooked cannot be made straight,"
he has no reference to such things as a piece of steel, which has
been bent. We have machines today, and they had smiths in Solomon's
day capable of taking care of that. His reference is to the path
that is before us, or the path we have already traversed. Since we
do not know all that lies before us in life, we cannot chart, and
follow, a perfectly straight course. Many of the obstacles in life
are not even imagined until we come face to face with them. Some of
them we may be able to pass through, and continue on in the straight
course we have planned. However, there are sure to be some that are
such that our only way to get by them is to change our course.
Whether that change is a right angle bend, or a very slight turn,
the way has been made crooked. And there is no way to make it
straight. Every time we look back at it we will see that crook. As
he uses it, "crooked" does not mean evil, or dishonest,
but simply a crook in our path. And once made it cannot be changed,
no matter how much we may wish we could have gone on in the way we
planned. When we consider his statement, "And that which is
wanting cannot be numbered," we see that he does not mean that,
if we know how much of anything we have, and
how much it will take for whatever project we are planning,
we cannot compute how much we lack. Rather, his meaning is that we
cannot count, or depend upon that which we do not have. Just as a
general, who goes into battle, cannot depend upon the soldiers he
does not have, so we, without sufficient resources, cannot depend
upon what we do not have. We are all acquainted with the saying,
"Don't count your chicks until the eggs hatch." That is
the essence of what Solomon has said.
(Verses
16 through 18) I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come
to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have
been before me in Jerusalem: And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and
to know madness, and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation
of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth
knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Here
we find Solomon musing in his own heart concerning his situation.
God promised him such wisdom that in it he would be above any mortal
man who had ever lived, or would ever live. And this He has
fulfilled. Now consider the result. He has experienced wisdom,
examined madness and folly, and come to a remarkable conclusion.
They are all "vexation of spirit." Not one of them will
bring happiness; but all vex, or irritate the spirit. He is speaking
of the spirit of man, not the Spirit of God. We might readily agree
that madness and folly would vex the spirit of man, but wisdom?
Would it not calm the spirit of man? He says, "No. For in much
wisdom there is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge
increaseth sorrow." So, it seems that in direct proportion to
the increase of our wisdom and knowledge is the increase of our
grief and sorrow. It is surely no wonder that he declares all
endeavors and achievements of man to be vanity, or emptiness.
(Verses 1 and 2) I said in
my heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy
pleasure: and behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is
madness: and of mirth, What doeth it?
As
we continue through this book, we shall find that Solomon tried to
study and experiment with many different things. Here he tests
mirth, which, in this case is not to be considered simply as being
happy, but rather as pleasurable excitement. So he said to his
heart, "Take part in anything that will cause pleasurable
excitement." His conclusion from this experiment is:
"Behold, this also is vanity." There is no profit in it,
but it is completely worthless. A very popular saying of the modern
day is, "Laughter is the best medicine:" but he says,
"I said of laughter, 'It is mad:' and of mirth, 'What doeth
it?'" None can deny that he was an exceedingly wise man. Yet,
in spite of our modern ideas, he declared mirth to be insane,
("mad,") and laughter to accomplish nothing. Many people
today spend their money for pleasurable excitement or mirth; and
when it is over, what do they have to show for it? Only a little
thinner wallet. Likewise, laughter never accomplishes anything of
value. Many will argue that mirth and laughter are worthwhile,
because they may lower the tension of one's nerves. Even this is
very hard to prove. And both are addictive, and produce no lasting
benefit for those who follow after them.
(Verses
3 through 10) I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, yet
acquainting my heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I
might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should
do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great
works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: I made me
gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of
fruits: I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that
bringeth forth trees: I got me servants and maidens, and I had
servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and
small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me: I gathered
me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of
provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights
of the sons of men, as musical instruments of all sorts. So I was
great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem:
also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I
kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my
heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion in all my
labor.
This
is a rather long list of activities and projects done by Solomon.
The most outstanding point of it all is shown in an expression he
several times uses in this list. He either says, "I made me_ _
_," or "I got me _ _ _." This shows clearly that his
interest in all of it was mostly selfish, and for self
aggrandizement and personal pleasure. Not once does he say anything
about doing anything for the glory of God, or for the benefit of his
fellow man. In everything he did it seems that his motto was one
that has become very popular in recent years: "Show me the
money," Or "Show me where is the profit in this." If
he thought he could find any pleasure in a thing, he tried it,
whether it was something as great as a big building project, or as
small as experimenting with wine. In spite of these activities, his
wisdom remained with him. So he was able to evaluate all these
activities; and he took great pleasure in the things he had done.
(Verse
11) Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on
the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and
vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
In
spite of the great pleasure he took in doing all these things,
Solomon, as he looked upon all these activities in which he had been
engaged, could find nothing worthwhile in any of it. "All was
vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the
sun." This seems to very strongly reinforce what our Lord said
about the rich man in Luke 12:21. "So is he that layeth up
treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." Everything
that rich man had, he considered only for himself: and that is
exactly Solomon's attitude toward everything he had and every thing
he had done. So, as he evaluated all these activities and
accomplishments by the wisdom that remained with him in spite of
them, he saw that they were all complete emptiness and vexation of
the spirit. They were good for nothing. In them was no profit.
(Verse
12) And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly:
for what can the man do that cometh after the king? Even that which
hath been already done.
Having
found all his endeavors and activities to be of no profit, but only
worthlessness and worry, he turns to examine three things, wisdom,
madness, (insanity,) and folly (foolishness). He does not give us
his conclusion concerning madness, or insanity, possibly, because he
realized that it is not an exercise of the mind, but a mental
condition beyond the control of man. He does, however, take up both
wisdom and folly, the two extremes of the spectrum. Since God had
given him such great wisdom, he was better qualified than others to
make this study. His reason for turning to the consideration of
these was that, since he had done everything there was to do,
whoever might come after him could do nothing new, He could only
repeat that which had already been done.
(Verses
13 through 17) Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as
light excelleth darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head; but
the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived that one event
happeneth to them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to
the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise?
Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. For there is no
remembrance of the wise man more than the fool forever; seeing that
which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how
doeth the wise man? As the fool. Therefore I hated life; because the
work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is
vanity and vexation of spirit.
The
first thing Solomon concluded from this study is that wisdom is as
much better than folly as the light is better than darkness. He
illustrates this by saying that "a wise man's eyes are in his
head; but the fool walketh in darkness." That is, the wise man
has the ability to see what lies around him, just as when a light
shines on the path he is traveling, enabling him to see the
obstacles in the way, and thus avoid them. At the same time, the
fool does not have such light, and is therefore subject to stumbling
over unseen objects that are in his way. All this seems very
comforting to one who feels that he has wisdom. But Solomon then
comes to a very disturbing point in his observations. He observes
the end of both the wise man and the fool. That is, their end, so
far as this life is concerned. "And
I myself perceived that one event happeneth to them all. He explains
that both the wise man and the fool die, and are forgotten. The wise
man is no more remembered than is the fool. It is to be kept in mind
that this discussion is in regard to man's relation to this world,
not his relation to God. From this perspective, the same thing
happens to the wise and the fool: both die. This caused Solomon to
question, "Why was I then more wise?" So he declares this
also to be vanity, or worthlessness. In this he, with all the wisdom
God had given him, was no better off than the fool. Since what is
being done today will, in days to come, all be forgotten, the wise
will be no more remembered than the fool. While it is true that the
scriptures tell us that God made Solomon the wisest of men, few of
the exercises of that wisdom are recorded. Everyone remembers that
the record declares him to have been an exceedingly wise man; but
almost no one can tell us any of his great acts of wisdom. So he
asks the question: "And how dieth the wise man?" His
answer is, "As the fool." For this reason he hated life,
and considered it all to be only, as we often hear said, "an
exercise in futility."
(Verses
18 through 20) Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the
sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? Yet shall
he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I
have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labor
which I took under the sun.
I
certainly have not had the experience Solomon had. That is, I have
not been an exceedingly wise man, who has built up a great fortune
by his wisdom, but I believe I can, to some extent, understand his
frustration as he takes stock of all the effort and worry he has
invested in all his works, and is faced with the knowledge that he
must die and leave it all to someone else. What makes it especially
frustrating is the realization that no one can tell him whether the
man who shall follow him will be a wise man or a fool. If he is a
wise man, he can build upon what Solomon has already done. If he is
a fool, he can quickly destroy it all. (The record shows that the
latter was the case.) This is the same question faced today, by men,
who have spent their lives trying to build up wealth, and as they
approach the time of their departure realize that no one can tell
them whether their heirs will be wise enough to be good stewards of
their estates or foolish enough to waste everything. This very
question has sometimes led men, who have accumulated great fortunes
to cut off the inheritance from their children, and leave it to some
charity. Because of this question Solomon was in despair concerning
all the effort and worry he had expended on the things he had done.
(Verses
21 through 23) For there is a man whose labor is in wisdom, and in
knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not labored therein
shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great
evil. For what hath man of all his labor, and of the vexation of his
heart, wherein he hath labored under the sun? For all his days are
sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in
the night. This is also vanity.
How
often this very thing occurs! A man, in some sort of business, will
have sufficient wisdom that, by making use of it and spending his
life in working, worrying, and planning, will build up a profitable
business. Then, as he either retires, or dies, the business is left
to another, who does not have the wisdom of the first man. Within a
few years that business is both destroyed and forgotten. Thus it
often is with humanity. This, Solomon says, is both vanity and a
great evil. He then asks, "For what hath man of all his labor,
and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath labored under the
sun?" That is, What lasting profit is there in the end of this
matter? All that the wise man had worked for is gone. All his life
he had spent in working and worrying, both of which only bring
sorrow and grief. He had even denied himself proper sleep and rest
so that he might achieve his goal: and now all is destroyed. Surely
this is emptiness.
(Verses
24 and 25) There is nothing better for a man, than that he should
eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his
labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. For who
can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
His
conclusion in this is that, since the fruits of our labors are gifts
from the hand of God, we should never deny ourselves the necessities
of life in order to heap up wealth to leave to someone else. We have
labored, and God has given us the fruits thereof. Therefore we
should enjoy the fruits of that labor as His gift to us. His
question in verse 25 simply means that, if God has given these
blessings to one, who can have a better right to them, than he to
whom they are given?
(Verse
26) For God giveth to a man that is good in His sight wisdom, and
knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner He giveth travail to gather
and heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This
also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
All
the way through this chapter, Solomon has dealt with the man, who
has devoted his life to the gathering and heaping up of wealth, only
to have to leave it to another. Here he says that God gives wisdom,
knowledge, and joy, to the man who is good in His sight, that is,
the one to whom it pleases Him to give them. At the same time, the
sinner, (and, in this case, "the sinner" is he who is only
concerned with worldly wealth,) is given "travail," or a
great burning desire to gather and heap up riches. Although this man
is not aware of it, he is only heaping them up to give them to
"him that is good in the sight of God," that is, the man
to whom God sees fit to give them. Therefore all that he who gathers
them gets out of it is the labor and travail of gathering them
together. So Solomon says, "This also is vanity and vexation of
spirit." This is the portion of the man who is striving to
accumulate the wealth.
(Verses
1 through 8) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every
purpose under the heaven: a time to be born and a time to die; a
time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time
to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to
build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and
a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather
stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from
embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a
time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to
love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Verse
1 holds the key to the proper understanding of all of this text.
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under the sun." Some seem to think that this text teaches that
God has appointed a specific moment for each of these things to be
done, and that each shall take place at the appointed time, and none
can change or hinder their doing so. While I am well aware that God
is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and totally Sovereign in all His works
and appointments, this text has nothing to do with that doctrine. As
verse 1 declares there is a season or time to not only these things
mentioned in the text, but to every thing, and "every purpose
under the heaven." And the inference of it all is that the
proper exercise of wisdom is necessary that we may recognize the
time or season for each. While it is true that, in being born, and
in dying, we are passive so far as being able to consider the
situation and make a choice of the time, every one of the others
involves the recognition of the proper season for each. "A time
to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted." Surely
we would not go to the field while it is covered with snow to plant
something that requires warm weather to come up and grow. Today many
have taken up investing in the stock market, which is a form of
planting. If all indications are that the stock in which one is
interested is about to make a big gain, wisdom says that it is time
to buy it, that is, "to plant." On the other hand, if all
pertinent factors indicate that it about to crash, it is time to
sell, that is "to pluck up that which is planted." We
could go through all the items Solomon has here mentioned, as well
as multitudes he left off, and the same principle will hold without
fail. Thus his message is that it takes wisdom to know when is the
season for any activity. This same writer tells us in Proverbs 9:10,
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the
knowledge of the Holy is understanding." So those who fear Him
are given the necessary wisdom to direct them in the proper use of
the times and the seasons.
(Verses
9 through 13) What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he
laboreth? I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons
of men to be exercised in it. He hath made everything beautiful in
his time: also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man
can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and
to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and
drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor, it is the gift of God.
Solomon's
question here is the same that he has asked several times before.
"What profit hath he in that wherein he laboreth?" If he
is looking for profit, or gain, at the end of the way, What is it?
Or where is it? He must leave it all after giving his life in
pursuit of it. He has been so busy and preoccupied with the pursuit
of wealth, that he has not taken time to enjoy the fruits of his
labors; and now he must leave it all to another. Where is his
profit, or gain? Then Solomon says, "I have seen the travail,
(suffering, or burning desire,) which God hath given to the sons of
men to be exercised in it." His often used phrase, "the
sons of men," simply means the human family. And its usual
reference is to them as they are in nature, with no reference to
anything spiritual. To these God has given a great desire to excel
in the gathering up of wealth, so much so that it even becomes a
travail, or an obsession. In it they are continually exercised. They
have no other goal. God has so made the world that every thing in it
is beautiful "in his (its) time."
That is, at sometime it appeals to, or is beautiful to
someone, because these sons of men have the world set in their
hearts. There is no man who can find out, or search out God's whole
work from beginning to end. Only that which He reveals will ever be
known by men. But Solomon says that he knows something. And,
apparently, it is something that these sons of men do not know. It
is that, the only good in all these things, after which men seek, is
"for a man to rejoice, and do good in this life. And also that
every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labor,
it is the gift of God." He is not saying that a man should be a
glutton, nor that he should engage in drinking binges, but that,
since God's gift to man is that he should enjoy the fruits of his
labor while he lives, he is not to be so obsessed with getting rich,
that he denies himself or his dependents the necessities of life,
for the sake of wealth. Instead, let him "enjoy the good of all
his labor, it is the gift of God."
(Verses
14 and 15) I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be done
forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and
God doeth it, that men should fear before Him. That which hath been
is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth
that which is past.
We
do well to carefully consider, not only what Solomon says here, but
also the sequence in which it is said. First, and most important, he
sets forth a truth that will forever stand the same. He tells us
that it is something that he knows; not something about which he
guesses, or something he thinks. That truth is: "Whatsoever God
doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be added to it, nor anything
taken from it." This we all ought to keep always in mind. There
is no stronger declaration of the sovereignty of God. Not only is
whatsoever He does everlasting, but neither can it be changed. It
can neither be augmented, nor diminished. In addition to this, all
of His works are to one end, or to one purpose, "That men
should fear before Him." The next verse is not a change of
direction, but a follow-up of these two declarations. Therefore the
reference is not to machines, gadgets, and other things that man has
been enabled to discover, or assemble, as time has progressed, but
to the works of God, which He has done that men might fear before
Him. "That which hath been is now." God, in the beginning,
created the heaven, the earth, and all the fullness thereof.
Therefore they have been, even from the beginning; and are they not
still here? Certainly they are. They have already been from the
beginning, and He has declared that they shall be to the end. So
"that which is to be hath already been." This is not to
say that He cannot, or will not, also do other works, but only to
declare that "Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever."
"And God requireth that which is past." In chapter 2,
verse 16, Solomon said, concerning men, "For there is no
remembrance of the wise, more than the fool forever; seeing that
which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten," This
is the way it is with the works of man. They are soon forgotten, But
it is not so with the works of God. He requires, or brings forth,
the past. That is, He causes His works that are past to be held in
memory, that men may fear before Him. He requires the past, and will
not suffer it to be forgotten.
(Verses
16 and 17) And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment,
that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that
iniquity was there. I said in mine heart, God shall judge the
righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every
purpose and for every work.
This
is a sad truth, and one that not only was seen in Solomon's day, but
is alive and well in ours also. The place of judgment is, of course,
the courts of the land; and the place of righteousness, in his day,
was the temple, and today the church. Often in our courts today
wickedness and corruption are found, and unjust verdicts are
rendered and unjust sentences applied. Also the churches, which
should be the place of righteousness, sometimes harbor iniquity.
Everyone has not turned away from the Lord, but many have. Yet we
can be sure of one thing: "God shall judge the righteous and
the wicked: for there is there a time for every purpose and for
every work." So God is fully aware of these things, and will,
at His time, bring all to judgment. And it will not be perverted
judgment, but will be righteous in every way.
(Verses
18 through 20) I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the
sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see
that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons
of men befalleth the beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the
one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so
that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All
go unto one place; all are of the dust, and shall turn to dust
again.
In
studying this, one must realize that this entire text is dealing
with the natural body, and natural life only. In fact, it does not
even embrace the natural spirit, or mind, of either man or beast.
So, from this perspective, man and beast are alike. In speaking thus
of men, Solomon says, "that they might see that they themselves
are beasts." He then declares that man and beast die in exactly
the same manner. When their breath is taken away they are dead. So
man is no better than a beast. (He has "no preeminence above a
beast.”) He says this whole study is vanity, or emptiness. Man and
beast both go to the same place, the earth. So, in that respect they
are all alike.
(Verses
21 and 22) Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the
spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Wherefore I
perceive that there is nothing better,
than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his
portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Having
concluded that, so far as the body is concerned, man and beast are
alike, and come to the same end in this world, Solomon asks,
"Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward; and the
spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" This is
not asked as an attempt to find someone who knows these spirits.
Rather, it the strongest manner of declaring that no one does know
them. That is, no one has seen either the spirit of man as it goes
up to God Who gave it, or the spirit of the beast as it goes down to
the earth. The only difference Solomon has shown between man and
beast is that the spirit of man goes up to God, and the spirit of
the beast goes down to the earth. Since these spirits are beyond the
ability of man to know, he concludes that, "there is nothing
better than, that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is
his portion.” Again, we emphasize that this entire discussion has
been of man in his natural state. Even to him God has given the
ability to rejoice in his own works; and, since no one can bring him
to see what shall be after him, the best he can do is to rejoice in
the present fruits of his labor.
(Verses
1 through 3) So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that
are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were
oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their
oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. Wherefore I
praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which
are yet alive. Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet
been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
Having
considered the emptiness of man's constant scramble to heap up
riches, which he can only leave to someone else, Solomon turns his
attention to another problem, which has been with man as long as he
has been on earth. That problem is the oppression of the poor, or
the weak, by those who are stronger, or richer than they. The
oppressors have all the power on their side. So, no matter how many
tears the oppressed may shed, they have no one to comfort them, or
deliver them from the oppressor. Someone will surely ask, "Will
not God deliver the oppressed?" He has indeed promised that He
will deliver them: but He did not say when, nor how He would do
this. He might choose to deliver them through death and the
resurrection, as He did His only begotten Son. However, Solomon is
not here considering God's hand in this matter, but only the dealing
of man with man. Since, as he considered this matter he saw no man
who would deliver the oppressed, or even comfort them, he concluded
that, those who were already dead were better off than those still
living under this oppression, and even better off than those not yet
born. The one who is already dead is free from the oppressor, while
the one still living is still suffering. And the one not yet born,
will have to face this same abuse when he is born. Those not yet
born have not seen the evil work that is done in the world,
"under the sun," but they will. There may be varying
degrees of this oppression, but it still continues today.
(Verse
4) Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for
this a man is envied of his neighbor. This also is vanity and
vexation of spirit.
He
turns his attention to all the travail (suffering, or hardship) that
accompanies the doing of things that are good, "every right
work." Even for this, for doing right, a man is envied of his
neighbor. The most outstanding example of this we can find is our
Lord Jesus. In speaking of Pilate when Jesus stood before him in
that mock trial, Mark says, "For he knew that the chief priests
had delivered Him for envy." (Mark 15:10) Every work He had
done was a "right work." Yet for the envy the chief
priests had against Him, they had Him tried and crucified. Surely
this is vanity and vexation of spirit.
(Verses
5 and 6) The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own
flesh. Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full
with travail and vexation of spirit.
Solomon
here speaks of both ends of the spectrum, so far as the drive for
amassing wealth is concerned. First, he says that the fool has no
interest in doing anything. He just folds his hands together and
does nothing that is at all beneficial, even to himself. As a result
thereof he has nothing to eat. "He eateth his own flesh."
This, of course, is not to be taken literally; but simply to mean
that his lack of effort leaves him with nothing. He will not even
put forth enough effort to provide food for himself. He has not even
accumulated the handful, of which Solomon next speaks. "Better
is an handful with quietness, than both hands full with travail and
vexation of spirit." That is, it is better to have only the
necessities of life without all the worry and vexation of constantly
driving for wealth, than to obtain that wealth at the expense of
being so worried and driven by ambition that one cannot enjoy that
which he does have. In the next two verses, he will give further
insight into this matter.
(Verses
7 and 8) Then I returned, and saw vanity under the sun. There is one
alone, and there is not a second; he hath neither child nor brother:
yet is there no end of his labor; neither is his eye satisfied with
riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labor and bereave my soul of
good? This is also vanity, yea, it is sore travail.
As
Solomon's attention returned to the general condition of humanity,
he saw a situation, which he considered noteworthy. He saw a man,
who was alone. No one was with him, or dependent upon him. "He
hath neither child nor brother." This man was so driven by the
desire for riches, that, no matter how much wealth he accumulated,
he could not be satisfied with it. He even denied himself the
enjoyment of the good things of life, only that he might heap up
more wealth, never considering for whom he made such sacrifices.
Since he has no family, and the inference of what has been said is
that he never will have. Who will be the beneficiary of all his
effort and sacrifice? It might be someone for whom he cares nothing
at all. Solomon's conclusion of this matter is, "This is also
vanity, yea, it is a sore travail." It only amounts to needless
suffering for no benefit.
(Verses
9 through 12) Two are better than one; because they have a good
reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his
fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath
not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they
have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against
him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not easily
broken.
Certainly,
these observations will stand of themselves, with no need for
explanation. But the lesson Solomon is setting forth is the same as
that which David has declared in Psalms 133:1. "Behold, how
good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity!" The apostle Paul also tells us the same thing, in
slightly different words, in Ephesians 4:1-3. "I therefore, the
prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith ye have been called, with all lowliness and
meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of
peace." Surely, the more there are who are in "the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace," the more readily and
successfully they can face the enemy.
(Verses
13 and 14) Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish
king, who will no longer be admonished. For out of prison he cometh
to reign; whereas also he that is born in the kingdom becometh poor.
The
"old and foolish king, who will no longer be admonished,"
or will no longer listen to his advisors, will certainly bring his
kingdom, including everyone in it, to ruin. He is like a man, who,
having been shut up in prison, is now released, and because he was
formerly restrained, is now determined to do exactly as he pleases,
with no regard for the consequences of his actions. Certainly, even
a poor child, if wise, would be a far better ruler than would he,
for he would listen to the advice of his counselors. Also under the
rule of the old and foolish king who will not listen to advice,
those born in his kingdom are brought to ruin. Neither the kingdom
nor any of its citizens can prosper.
(Verses
15 and 16) I considered all the living which walk under the sun,
with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. There is no
end of all the people, even all that have come before them: they
also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is
vanity and vexation of spirit.
Solomon
considers a "second child," who comes up (becomes king)
after the old and foolish king, together with all his subjects,
"all the living which walk under the sun, with the second
child." There have been so many before them that they cannot be
counted, "there is no end of" them. But the noteworthy
thing about this is that, "they also that come after shall not
rejoice in him." Just a little reading of history will convince
one that far more of the evil done by a bad ruler is remembered,
than of the good works done by a good ruler. A quotation from
Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" expresses that truth very
clearly. "The evil men do lives after them. The good is oft
interred with the bones." This is the same principle expressed
here. His conclusion is the same as he has often expressed.
"Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit."
(Verses
1 through 3) Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and
be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they
consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let
not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in
heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a
dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice
is known by multitude of words.
Verses
1 and 2 are extremely good advice for us even today, and should
always be kept in mind. When we go to the house of God, let us go
desiring and seeking to learn of Him, instead of going for the
purpose of telling something we think is great because it is our
"brain child." And let us do everything we can to make
sure that our conduct shows the proper fear and respect for God.
Just as dreams are often brought about by, and are evidence of too
much worry and striving about worldly things, so the multitude of
words, and continual talking of one shows him to be a fool. We have
all seen the one who always has to get his "two cents
worth" in on every subject. Usually what he says is not worth
two cents. In fact, it is often detrimental instead of being
valuable. This is "the sacrifice of fools" of which
Solomon speaks. Let us guard our tongues so that we make no rash
statements before God. We might also keep in mind that we are
continuously before Him, whether we are at His house, or over on
"the back forty." We cannot win in a confrontation with
Him: for He is in heaven, and we are on earth. So let our words be
few, and well selected.
(Verses
4 and 5) When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for
He hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better
is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow, and
not pay.
We
are to carefully select our words before God, and be sure that we
make no rash vows that we cannot, or will not pay. Judges 11:30-40
tells the story of a man who made a very rash vow to the LORD. He,
indeed paid that vow, but at what a terrible price! It is better not
to vow, than to make a vow that we cannot, or will not pay. Not only
must we pay whatever vow we make to Him, but we are not to defer it.
That is, we are not to put it off, but pay it on time. Only fools
try to get by without making payment, or without making it at the
due time. And God has no pleasure in fools.
(Verses
6 and 7) Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say
thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be
angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? For in the
multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities:
but fear thou God.
We
should always be careful about what we say, and what we vow, or
promise, even in the presence of men; but when making a vow to God,
this becomes doubly important. If we make a vow to God, and follow
through on it, all is well. But if we make a vow to Him, and fail to
keep it, the vow may have been all right; but the flesh sinned, in
that we did not pay it. Thus our mouth has caused our flesh to sin:
and be not deceived, God will require it of us. Let us not be
foolish enough to say to the "angel," God's messenger for
the collection of that vow, that we made the vow in error, or that
we did not realize what we said, or that we forgot, or any other
excuse we might think up. Remember that we are dealing not with man
but with God. And His anger can "destroy the work of our
hands." He is able to collect, not only that which we have
vowed, but also everything else that we have. The more excuses we
try to devise, the more worthless they are. "For in the
multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers
vanities." So the only course left us, if we do make a false
vow, is to fear God, confess before Him that we have sinned, and beg
for His mercy.
(Verses
8 and 9) If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent
perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the
matter: for He that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there
be higher than they. Moreover the profit of the earth is for all:
the king himself is served by the field.
Without
question, it disturbs us to see, or hear reports of, the oppression
of the poor, which is going on in the world. Nevertheless we should
not marvel, or be surprised, at such. It has been going on as long
as man has been on earth, and, most likely, will continue until he
is removed from the earth. Yet in all ages "He that is higher
than the highest regardeth." He may not bring immediate
judgment upon such, but at His appointed time it shall be judged.
Those who are actually carrying out the "oppression of the
poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in the
province" may not alone be responsible for this. For
"there be higher than they." The responsibility goes right
on up the chain of command, even to the king himself. Yet "He
that is higher than the highest regardeth." God is greater than
the highest in the chain of command; and He is watching the whole
matter. "The profit of the earth is for all: the king himself
is served by the field." It is not so stated, but there is here
the implied threat, that if He deems it necessary to His purpose,
God will cut off the profit or increase of the earth, so that even
the king will be made to suffer. Remember that God has power over
all things. He is fully able to bring down the oppressor, whether he
is a low ranked local official, or the king himself. They may fancy
themselves above the law. But they are not above God.
(Verses
10 and 11) He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver;
nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good
is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with
their eyes?
The
natural greed of man is such that, no matter how much wealth, such
as silver and gold he may accumulate, he will never be satisfied
with it. He always wants more. Yet, the more he gains the more
"friends" he will have to help him spend it, or, as
Solomon says, "When goods increase, they are increased that eat
them." This brings us to his question: "What good is there
to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their
eyes?" All they gain from these goods is that they see them as
they are gathered up. But their problem is that they immediately see
them go out again. This seems to be in keeping with what the Apostle
Paul said to Timothy. (I Timothy 6:6-10) "But godliness with
contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world,
and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and
raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall
into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful
lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of
money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they
have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows."
(Verses
12 through 17) The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eat
little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to
sleep. There is a sore evil, which I have seen under the sun,
namely, riches kept by the owners thereof to their hurt. But those
riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is
nothing in his hand. As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked
shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his
labor, which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a sore
evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit
hath he that hath labored for the wind? All his days also he eateth
in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.
This
is like much of the rest of this book, in that, Solomon is looking
at the man in nature, and assessing his profit, or lack thereof, in
his effort to obtain material gain. In this view, he sees a man, who
has not yet gained enough wealth to be affected by it, but is
primarily dependent upon his daily labor for his subsistence. This
man is not yet so engrossed in the pursuit of wealth, but is so
exhausted by his labor that he has sound and restful sleep at night.
His sleep is sufficiently sweet that as he is tired out by his labor
during the day, he looks forward to the night for sleep and rest. At
the same time the man, who has grown rich, is so worried about
holding what he has, and gaining more that he cannot sleep soundly.
This causes Solomon to conclude that this is a sore evil. He says
that this keeping of riches has gone so far that it works evil to
the owner instead of good. Then those riches "perish by evil
travail." That is, through bad management, or some other means
the owner loses this wealth. Then, he has a son born to him; but his
fortune is all gone. He has nothing in his hand. With all the wealth
he once had, now he has nothing with which to support the son that
is born to him. And as he passes on through life, and finally comes
to the end thereof, he still has no wealth, and if he did, he could
not take it with him in death. He must return to the earth as he was
born, with nothing in his hand. And he leaves nothing for the son
that was born to him. "And what profit hath he that hath
labored for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and
he hath much sorrow and wrath in his sickness." Not only was
there no profit to him in all this labor "for the wind,"
but his whole life was full of darkness and sorrow; the earlier part
was too much entangled with his schemes to get rich, while his later
days were filled with sorrow for having lost it all. So he did
"eat in darkness," and he had much sorrow and wrath with
his sickness.
(Verses
18 through 20) Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely
for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor
that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God
giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath
given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof,
and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor, this is the
gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life;
because God answereth him in the joy of his heart
This
seems to be a conclusion based upon what Solomon has already said in
this chapter, and is to be considered from the same perspective. In
the light of this he concludes that a man should not deny himself
the enjoyment of the wealth God has given him, be it much or little.
He should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of his labor. This does
not mean that he should go to excess with his eating or drinking,
but that he should not deny himself these for the sake of gaining
more wealth. For this is God's gift to him. It is his portion. There
is no profit in hoarding wealth for wealth's sake; because when
death has come, he will have "not much" memory of the days
of his life. In fact, he will have none. God only gives him the
present in which to enjoy the good things of life, which He has
given him.
Chapter
6
(Verses
1 and 2) There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is
common among men: a man to whom God has given wisdom, wealth, and
honor, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he
desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a
stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.
The
first thing we wish to notice is, that Solomon uses the word,
"evil," not to mean that God has done something wrong, but
only that men look upon it as something they think is unfair. As we
often hear the question asked, "Who said, 'Life is fair?'"
This situation is that God has given a man wisdom, and has let him
gain wealth and honor, but has permitted a situation to develop,
under which that man is not able to enjoy that which he has gained.
Of course, there could be many ways in which he could be deprived of
this ability; but the result would be the same. Someone else is
permitted to enjoy that for which the first man had labored. To men,
this seems to be unfair. So Solomon concludes, "This is vanity,
and it is an evil disease."
(Verses
3 through 6) If a man beget an hundred children, and live many
years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not
filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an
untimely birth is better than he. For he cometh in with vanity, and
departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.
Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known anything: this hath
more rest than the other. Yea, though he live a thousand years twice
told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?
In
this modern age, with its emphasis on what it calls "Family
Planning," and reduction of the population growth, it may be
hard for some to understand the importance of having many children.
Besides the obvious advantage of having more children to work in the
business of making a living, there would also be, when they were old
enough to go to war, more to fight for the defense of the home, the
community, and the nation. So the prevailing attitude was that every
man should father as many children as possible. This is the basic
reason that polygamy was accepted as a normal way of life. So a man
who fathered a hundred children and lived many years would be for
that reason considered great. But this alone is not enough to be
worthwhile. If during this long life, his soul is not filled with
good, and when he dies, there is no burial with its attending
mourning and lamentations for him, he is, according to Solomon's
conclusion, worse off that an untimely birth, one who is stillborn.
When Solomon says, "and his soul not be filled with good,"
he has no reference to the man's moral character, but his meaning
is, "If he cannot enjoy his life." This is in keeping with
what he has said in verse 2. Although this man has lived many years
and has a big family, he gets no joy out of life, and when death
overtakes him, there is no honor, not even that of a burial,
bestowed upon him. Although he has had a long life, it has been
without joy. So it must have been one of suffering and sorrow; and
this is something all men would prefer to avoid. Therefore, with his
life so miserable, the stillborn has the advantage over him. The
stillborn comes into the world with nothing, departs in darkness,
and his name is covered with darkness. Indeed often he is not even
given a name. He never sees the sun, and never knows anything. Yet,
since he has not known anything, he has never been disturbed by the
suffering and sorrow endured by the man already discussed. If that
man had lived two thousand years, and all his life was without any
joy, it would only have amounted to more suffering. So his situation
is less desirable than that of the stillborn. "Do not all go to
the same place?" When considered only from the natural
perspective, surely they all do go to the same place, the dust.
(Verses
7 through 10) All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the
appetite is not filled. For what hath the wise more than the fool?
What hath the poor that knoweth to walk before the living? Better is
the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also
vanity and vexation of spirit. That which hath been is named
already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with
Him that is mightier than he.
Some
might consider verse 7 as an over simplification of the matter. But
if we consider all Solomon has said before it, we will find it a
reasonable conclusion. Indeed some may be striving to lay up riches
instead of only laboring to obtain food. Yet their efforts are for
the appetite of their greed; and it is never satisfied. The fact
that a man is wise does not, necessarily, make him rich, while
sometimes the fool becomes rich. So, in this respect, "What has
"the wise man more than the fool?" If that wise man is
poor, though he has sufficient wisdom to "walk before the
living," that is, to lead them, what advantage does this give
him? He is still poor. Obviously, Solomon is still considering these
things from the viewpoint of natural man. He declares, "Better
is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire."
That is, that which is actually before us, "the sight of the
eyes," is better, because it is really present, than the
"wandering of the desire," that for which we are
constantly wishing, but cannot obtain. The wandering of the desire
will never be satisfied. This is also emptiness and worry.
Certainly, there may also be things other than man that "have
been," and have also "been named already," but the
one he has been discussing from the beginning of this book is man.
And he has come to a very profound conclusion concerning him.
"neither may he contend with Him that is mightier than
he." From the beginning of man's time on earth, he has tried to
contend with God, "Him that is mightier than he," only to
lose every skirmish. Yet he, apparently, has never learned this
truth. In fact, none ever learn it, except those to whom God reveals
it. Then, and then only, can man see his true relation to God.
Nothing else will stop his vain contentions against God.
(Verses
11 and 12) Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is
man the better? For who knoweth what is good for man in this life,
all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? For who
can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
As
will be seen, after this chapter Solomon begins to turn slightly
away from a purely materialistic view of man and his efforts, to a
consideration of some things God has done, and will do for man. So
this is an ideal conclusion for the first half of this book, which
deals almost exclusively with the materialistic. He questions,
"Since all these many and various things for which man strives,
become such a burden, or such an obsession, to him that he deprives
himself of the enjoyment of that which God has given him, what
profit, or benefit does he have from them?" His next two
questions concern man only, not God. For, surely, God can answer
both. He can tell man what is good for him in this vain life which
he spends as a shadow, and what shall be after him under the sun.
But both are beyond the knowledge of man. So, from the perspective
from which Solomon asks the questions, there is only one answer to
both, "No one." Let man search as he may, he can never by
his own wisdom find the answer to either.
(Verses
1 through 3) A good name is better than precious ointment; and the
day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the
house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is
the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow
is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the
heart is made better.
Here
we see a slight turning from materialistic consideration to those of
more nearly spiritual value. First, Solomon says, "A good name
is better than precious ointment." Even today we use ointments,
sometimes for healing abrasions and wounds, and sometimes for
overcoming offensive odors. Some of these ointments might even be
considered precious, or valuable. And that was especially true in
Solomon's day. So this statement can be readily understood. But the
next declaration may be a little difficult to accept. "And the
day of death (is better) than the day of one's birth." When a
child is born, to look at it from the viewpoint of that day, this is
potential strength to that family, the community, the tribe, and the
nation, as we have earlier pointed out. Almost always there is
rejoicing that another member is added to the human race, with none
considering how much toil, worry, pain, sorrow, and suffering, may
await that child. When one dies, there is usually great sorrow for
the loss of a loved one. We claim that we are mourning that person,
but we are not. Our grief is selfish. We are mourning our loss, not
his. Yet this mourning should cause us to consider the brevity of
human life, and because of this make better use of our lives while
we have them. It should also cause us to remember another truth God
has had recorded for us. "The righteous perisheth, and no man
layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none
considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.:
(Isaiah 57:1) Especially when a young person dies, someone is sure
to say, "What a pity! He had his whole life ahead of him."
The truth is, that no matter how short it has been that person's
whole life in this world is behind, not ahead, of him. Not only so,
but if he had continued to live, who can tell us how much sorrow and
suffering he would have had to endure? So, in spite of our aversion
to the thought, "The day of death is better than the day of
one's birth." As we go to the house of feasting, we get caught
up in the revelry, and lose sight of the serious and important
things of life. But when we go to the house of mourning, we are
reminded that death awaits each and every one of us, because it is
the common end of all mankind. And it may come upon us at any time,
without warning. Then we will lay it to heart. We may prefer
laughter above sorrow; but sorrow is more worthwhile to us, because
sorrow, "the sadness of the countenance," will make us
consider in our heart the more important things of life, thus making
our heart better.
(Verses
4 through 6) The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but
the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better to hear
the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of
the fool: This also is vanity.
The
wise man does not, enjoy being in the house of mourning, nor does
he, necessarily, go there by preference. But because he understands
that sorrow, affliction, and even death, are a part of our lot in
this world, he has no reservations about going where they are. At
the same time, the fool only wants to be entertained. So he goes to
the house of mirth, not realizing that, although he will not go to
the house of mourning, the mourning is sure to come to him. When it
does, he knows not how to deal with it. It is certainly more
profitable to "hear," or pay heed to, the rebuke of a wise
man, that to hear the song of fools. The rebuke of a wise man may
sting a little. But if we pay heed to it, it will surely help us;
whereas the song of fools is worthless, and can teach us nothing of
any value. "For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is
the laughter of fools." In the dry areas of Israel there were
many places where thorn bushes were about all that would grow. In
order to curb their spread, they were often cut down and left to
dry. Then they were used as fuel around a pot in which water was
heated. As they burned, they would crackle loudly. But the fire
would be short lived, and leave little ash, because the thorns had
little substance. So it is with the mirth and laughter of the fool.
It has no more lasting substance than do the thorns. Solomon says,
"This also is vanity." It is completely without substance.
(Verses
7 through 10) Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift
destroyeth the heart. Better is the end of a thing than the
beginning thereof; and the patient in spirit is better than the
proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger
resteth in the bosom of fools. Say not thou, What is the cause that
former days were better than these? For thou dost not inquire wisely
concerning this.
When
a wise man sees, or is subjected to oppression, it makes him mad.
That is, it so upsets him that he cannot reason with the same wisdom
that he could use in thinking objectively about the matter. As long
as a wise man is only observing the plight of one who is oppressed,
he may be able to reason wisely concerning that person's problem.
But when it becomes his own problem, he can no longer reason
objectively concerning it. Also a gift, or, more properly, a bribe,
destroys the heart, or especially the integrity of the heart. A
judge may have his heart set on rendering justice to all who come
before him, until someone presents him with a bribe. He may even
resist it for a while; and some, indeed, will not let themselves be
thus corrupted. But most members of the human race, in spite of
their good intentions, can finally be corrupted. So the gift
destroys the heart. The end of any matter is better than its
beginning, because at its beginning, no one knows what will be the
outcome, while at the end thereof all doubt is removed. Most people
can much better endure something very bad, once they know the full
truth of it, than they can while it is, as we often say, "in
limbo." Certainly Solomon's next statement is clear enough
without explanation. "And the patient in spirit is better than
the proud in spirit." Oh, how often it is that we allow
ourselves to quickly become angry! Then we will invariably do, or
say, something that will be hurtful to ourselves, or to someone
else. So, "Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger
resteth in the bosom of fools." We certainly would not like to
be called, "fools," but when we permit our anger to rise
up quickly, we prove ourselves to be such. In verse 10, he gives us
a caution, which, perhaps, none of us takes as seriously as we
ought. It is certainly not unusual for us, or someone else to fondly
remember former days, and, perhaps, even ask, "Why were they so
much better than the present?" Solomon says this is not a wise
question for us to ask. Those days are gone forever; and inquiring
about them will not bring them back. In addition to this, our
memories are not always accurate; and those things we remember so
fondly, may not be exactly as our memory portrays them. So our best
course is simply to be thankful for present blessings. And though we
may remember the past, let us not dwell upon it, and thus build it
up in our minds to be better than it was.
(Verses
11 through 14) Wisdom is good with an inheritance; and by it there
is profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom is a defense, and
money is a defense: but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom
giveth life to them that have it. Consider the work of God: for who
can make that straight which He hath made crooked? In the day of
prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also
hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should
find nothing after him.
No
matter what one might inherit, it will do him little good if he has
not the wisdom to take care of it. One of the big troubles with man
is that he is more concerned about getting material wealth, by
inheritance, or otherwise, than about learning how to wisely take
care of it, if, and when, he does get it. Thus it may do him little
good; and it could even do him harm. So wisdom is profitable
"to them that see the sun" (all living). For wisdom is a
defense, and money is a defense." This might lead one to
believe that, if he can just obtain money, or wealth, he will be
hedged in, or protected, whether or not he has wisdom. So Solomon
tells us the difference between the value of wisdom and that of
money. Although both are a defense, wisdom is greater, because
knowledge gives life to them that have it. Here, he uses
"wisdom" and "knowledge" as interchangeable,
although we sometimes consider them to have a technical difference
between them. Certainly he is not saying that people without life
have wisdom or knowledge, and it makes them alive. He is only saying
that wisdom will teach those who have it how to survive through the
troubles of life. This, money without wisdom will not do. Therefore
wisdom is the more excellent of the two. Solomon then tells us to
"consider the work of God." That is, pay special attention
to the course of things as they take place through the days and
years. How often the whole course of one's life is changed by
events, which he neither planned, nor could foresee. These are the
work of God, which he says we are to consider. Review your life, and
see how often such has caused your path to turn in a different
direction from that which you had planned. Thus the work of God has
made crooks in your path; and you cannot change a single one of
them. When he says, "Who can make that straight, which he hath
made crooked?" he is not using "crooked" to mean
evil, or dishonest, as we often use it, but he is only speaking of a
crook, or turn, which has been made in your path as you travel
through life. Sometimes that crook has made things more pleasant, in
the long run, for you; and sometimes it may have been more
unpleasant than you think life would have been in the way you
planned. But in either case, there is nothing you, or anyone else
can do about it. The crook cannot be straightened. So give close
consideration to this work of God, and you will come to this result:
"In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of
adversity consider." When things are going well for us, and our
path seems to be straight ahead, let us be joyful, or happy. And
when there is adversity, do not become angry, and, especially, do
not become angry against God, as some seem to sometimes do. Instead,
consider the matter soberly and wisely. Although it may even put a
crook in your path, that may prove of value to you later. "God
also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man
should find nothing after him." God has so balanced
"prosperity," or, in particular, the achieving of our
goals, with "adversity," our falling short of them, that
no man is able to study their sequence, and determine what shall be
next. God will still work events to suit Himself, and not according
to any schedule man may think he can set up by his studies.
(Verses
15 through 18) All things have I seen in the days of my vanity:
there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there
is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. Be not
righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest
thou destroy thyself? Be not over much wicked, neither be thou
foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? It is good that
thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, from this withdraw not thine
hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.
In
spite of the fact that God will, at His time, justify the righteous
and punish the wicked, He sometimes, for reasons of His own, permits
variation from this in this life. Solomon declares that in his
lifetime, "the days of my vanity," he has seen both
extremes of this variation. He has seen a righteous man perish in
his righteousness, and a wicked man grow old in his wickedness. He
makes no effort to give a reason for this. He only reports it as a
fact. So if, and when, we see such, we are not to become
discouraged, and think that God has abandoned the righteous and
exalted the wicked. Although He does not always reveal His purpose
to man, He has a purpose in everything He does, or permits to be
done. Verses 16 and 17 are never to be taken out of context for
consideration. The answer to them is in verse 18. In verse 16
Solomon says, "Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself
over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?" This seems to
mean, "Do not be such a stickler for the righteousness of the
letter that you cannot have compassion on one who makes a mistake.
And do not give yourself to such a study of wisdom that you forget
how to be practical. In either case you will incur the hatred of
those around you, and destroy yourself so far as any influence for
good is concerned." Then he says, Be not over much wicked,
neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy
time." Although they have not always been enforced, since man
has tried to have any form of government, he has made laws against
wickedness. In most cases the penalty for extreme wickedness has
been death. Thus to be over much wicked is to court death. Also to
be "foolish" (without understanding) can lead to the same
end. Why then should one do such? As said earlier, verse 18 gives
the definitive answer to both of these situations. "It is good
that thou shouldest take hold of this, yea, also from this withdraw
not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them
all." It is good, or to our benefit, to take hold of this
answer and not let it go. It will sustain us through all things. It
will prevent our going to either of the extremes set forth above.
The principal wisdom anyone needs is to fear God. Those who do will
be found striving to do His commandments. And they, when reduced to
their simplest form are: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is
the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matt. 23:37-39) What
a wonderful life we would have if we constantly adhered to these two
commandments. We would, indeed, "come forth of them all."
(Verses
19 through 22) Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty
men which are in the city. For there is not a just man upon the
earth that doeth good, and sinneth not. Also take no heed unto all
words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: for
oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself hast
cursed others.
Although
man has always wanted to rely upon the strength of brave men for
protection in time of danger, wisdom makes one wise man stronger
than ten who have only their physical strength upon which to rely.
In the whole world there is no man so righteous that everything he
does is always right. He is certain to make a mistake at one time or
another. In addition to these observations, Solomon tells us to pay
no attention to everything we may happen to overhear. For in so
doing, we might hear our servant, or someone we think to be a
friend, bring forth some criticism against us. This could, possibly,
infuriate us. But we should remember that we have many times
criticized others, and that, perhaps, without cause.
(Verses
23 and 24) All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise;
but it was far from me. That which is far off, and exceeding deep,
who can find it out?
By
the wisdom God had given him, Solomon has proved all these various
observations. His next statement seems to indicate that he had
decided to acquire wisdom by his own efforts: and when he attempted
this, he could not reach it. So he concludes, "That which is
far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?" Indeed, he
found that there are things too far off, and too deep for man to
understand. He must try to content himself with the understanding
that some things are, and always will be beyond the reach or
understanding of man.
(Verses
25 and 26) I applied my heart to know, and to search out, and to
seek wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of
folly, even of foolishness and madness: and I find more bitter than
death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as
bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner
shall be taken by her.
As
he set his heart to seek out wisdom, Solomon discovered some truths,
which he presents. He learned that folly is actually wickedness, and
to act like a fool is madness, or insanity. He also saw that the
wiles of a woman who is set to snare a man, are stronger, "more
bitter," than death itself. Those to whom God grants favor
shall escape her, but those without His mercy will be snared.
(Verses
27 through 29) Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher,
counting one by one to find out the account: which yet my soul
seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but
a woman among those have I not found. Lo, this only have I found,
that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many
inventions.
From
this it seems that Solomon was making the same search that was made
by the old Greek philosopher, who carried a lantern around in the
daylight, searching for an honest man. Solomon was searching for an
upright man. But he had little success in the search. As he counted
them one by one to establish the number, he had found one man in a
thousand, and no woman at all that measured up. In spite of his lack
of success in this, he did discover another truth: "that God
hath made man upright; but they have sought out many
inventions." To sum up his findings: God is not to be blamed
for man's evil condition. He made man upright. Men alone are at
fault, because "they have sought out many inventions."
Chapter
8
(Verse
1) Who is the wise man? And who knoweth the interpretation of a
thing? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of
his face shall be changed.
The
two questions here asked are to the same intent, and simply point
out that the wise man is the one who knows the interpretation of a
thing, or things. Also the wisdom of the wise will cause his face to
shine, that is, in a friendly manner, or with a smile. Instead of
retaining a bold countenance, which is the badge of fools, and will
often place them in jeopardy, he changes that boldness to a friendly
appearance, knowing that such will make whatever mission he serves
have a greater chance of success.
(Verses
2 through 5) I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that
in regard to the oath of God. Be not hasty to go out of his sight:
stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatever pleaseth him.
Where the word of a king is there is power: and who may say unto
him, "What doest thou? Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel
no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and
judgment.
So
Solomon's advice, which seems very reasonable, is, "Do what the
king commands you, even if he requires you to take an oath of God.
Do not be in such a hurry to leave his presence that it shows
disrespect for him, and do not contend against him for that which he
does not want. Remember that he does whatever he pleases. And when
he speaks, he has the power to back up what he says. There is no one
who can question what he does." This seems to be ample reason
for being very circumspect in his presence. Anyone who keeps his
(the king's) commandments is safe from punishment. And a wise man's
heart is able to understand the situation, and exercise proper
judgment for his own safety.
(Verses
6 and 7) Because to every purpose there is time and judgment,
therefore the misery of man is great upon him. For he knoweth not
that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
Since
every purpose (every project or enterprise) requires both time and
judgment for its accomplishment, it puts man in a great misery for
lack of one element required for perfect planning. That element is
knowledge of what the future holds. No man can tell him either what,
or when it shall be. So he is in misery, knowing that, in spite of
all his planning, working, and worrying, to bring about his purpose,
something unknown, and even totally unexpected, may take place, and
cause the failure of his entire project. All he can do is to put
forth the effort, and wait for confirmation, or failure.
(Verses
8 through 10) There is no man that hath power over the spirit to
retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and
there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver
those that are given to it. All this have I seen, and applied my
heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time
wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. And so I saw
the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy,
and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is
also vanity.
The
New English Bible translates the first statement of verse 8 thus:
"It is not in man's power to restrain the wind." We have
been told that, in the Hebrew language, the same word means,
"spirit," "breath," or "wind." Yet it
seems better, in the light of the next statement, to maintain the K.
J. V. reading, which actually makes both statements have the same
meaning, although, certainly, no man can restrain the wind. But that
seems to be so foreign to the subject of verse 8, that it is left by
itself, when thus translated. No man has power to retain the spirit,
or to resist death when it lays hold of him. "And there is no
discharge in that war," seems to mean, and is usually
interpreted to mean that in the battle against death, which begins
at birth, and continues until death, there is no discharge until it
is over, which is, of course, when death overcomes us. It is also
true that those who are given to wickedness cannot be delivered from
death by that wickedness. The New English Bible changes
"wickedness," in this text, to "wealth." But
neither will that deliver one from death. There is no escape. In
verse 9 Solomon declares that in his study of "every work that
is done under the sun,” he has not only seen what he has already
reported, but that he has even seen the time when one man ruled over
another to his own hurt. It is usually considered that he who rules
over another has the advantage of the situation. Nevertheless
Solomon says it can work in reverse. As he continued his
consideration of things, he saw another sight. Wicked men, who had
usurped the place of the righteous, "coming and going from the
place of the holy," had died and were accorded the respect and
ceremony of burial. And in the very city where they had lived so
wickedly, and pretended to be so holy, their actions of wickedness
were forgotten. He declared this also to be vanity, or
worthlessness.
(Verse
11) Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do
evil.
There
surely can be no misunderstanding of this, in spite of the great
reluctance of the modern generation to recognize it. The greatest
deterrent to the perpetration of evil deeds is the swift execution
of the penalty against those who are guilty of doing them.
(Verses
12 through 14) Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his
days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them
that fear God, which fear before Him: but it shall not be well with
the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a
shadow; because he feareth not before God. There is a vanity which
is done upon the earth; that there be just men, to whom it happeneth
according to the work of the wicked; again there be wicked men, to
whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said
this also is vanity.
We
have all been taught that right will prevail. Solomon declares this
to be true, but not, necessarily, in the present life. He gives us
an example. He speaks of a sinner, (and since all men, even at there
best, are sinners, his meaning, evidently is, "a wicked
man,") who continues to do evil many times without being
punished. In verse 14, he repeats this example contrasted against
its opposite, a righteous man who receives the penalty one would
expect the wicked to receive. This, he also declares, is vanity.
That is, it is totally meaningless to the natural mind, that
considers things from only the "short term," or
materialistic, viewpoint. In short, to the human, or natural, mind,
it seems unfair. Yet he declares that, though the wicked might do
evil a hundred times and escape the penalty for it, "It shall
not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days,
which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God." In
this declaration he is looking beyond the present life. The wicked
man's life may be spared, in that he does not immediately have to
suffer the consequences of his wickedness. But he cannot prolong it
forever. He will have to die; and, of course, he must then face the
judgment. On the other hand, Solomon says, "Yet surely I know
that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before
Him.." Although the righteous may, in this life, receive even
the penalty, which we think should be executed upon the wicked, it
will, in the final end, be well with him. For Malachi has said,
"Then they that feared the Lord hearkened and heard it; and a
book of remembrance was written before Him for them that feared the
Lord, and that thought upon His name. 'And they shall be Mine,'
saith the Lord of hosts, 'in that day when I make up my jewels; and
I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth
him.'"
(Verse
15) Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under
the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall
abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God giveth
him under the sun.
This
is Solomon's conclusion as he thought upon the things just brought
forth above. The key to it is in the words, "the days of his
life, which God giveth him under the sun." That is, the present
life. If that is all the foundation upon which one considers these
things, the only thing that will abide with him therein is the
satisfaction of his sensual appetite. This by no means negates what
Solomon said in the first six verses of Chapter VII.
(Verses
16 and 17) When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the
business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that
neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes) then I beheld all
the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done
under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he
shall not find it; yea, farther; though a wise man think to know it,
yet shall he not be able to find it.
As
Solomon considered his efforts to "know wisdom, and to see the
business that is done upon the earth," that is, the works of
man in his twenty-four hour per day effort, he found nothing man had
achieved to be worthy of consideration. So he turned his attention
to the works of God, and considered them. As he did so, he
discovered that the work of God, even that which is done under the
sun, or in the lives of men, cannot all be found out. Even though a
wise man apply himself to the search, he shall not be able to find
out all of it. God's work and ways are so much above those of man,
that man can never understand them. The only glimpse he gets of them
is that which God sees fit to reveal according to His own good
pleasure.
Chapter
9
(Verses
1 through 3) For all this I considered in my heart even to declare
all this, that the righteous and the wise, and their works, are in
the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is
before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the
righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to
the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth
not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he
that feareth an oath. This is an evil among all things that are done
under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart
of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart
while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
This
continues in the same vein as most of what Solomon has already said
in this book. He has, almost exclusively, been concerned with the
material advantages, or disadvantages, of men in this life, or as he
has often expressed it, "under the sun." Only rarely has
he even hinted at anything in the life to come; and he has never
directly and positively mentioned such. From that same perspective,
he says that he has found, "that the righteous, and the wise,
and their works, are in the hand of God." That is, He directs
them all. Yet no man is able to look upon their works and discern
whether His direction of them is based upon His love, or His hatred
of them, because "all things come alike to all: there is one
event to the righteous, and the wicked; _ _ _ and madness is in
their heart while they live, and after that they go to the
dead." Everything he says between the first and last segments
of this quotation only reinforces his statement that both righteous
and wicked experience the same things in this life, and come to the
same end, death. Solomon says this is "an evil among all things
that are done under the sun." Again, remember that he is
speaking from natural man's perspective of the matter. How often we
hear someone say, "It just isn't fair!" But who are we to
judge the work of God? He is the One, Who has established these
things. And there is always a good purpose in everything He has
done, does, or will do. Our problem is that we do not understand His
purposes in some of those things that He does.
(Verses
4 through 6) For to him that is joined to all the living there is
hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living
know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither
have they anymore a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished;
neither have they anymore a portion forever in anything that is done
under the sun.
This
is obviously continuing in the materialistic view of things. With
this view of the matter, it is no wonder that most people will fight
so hard, even to the use of artificial means, to stretch life as far
as possible. Although the dog has long been called, "man's best
friend," it has never commanded the respect and admiration
accorded to the lion. Yet, a living dog is better than a dead lion,
because whatever power and dignity may have been ascribed to the
lion in life, is not there in death. So even a poor man, who is
still living, is better than a dead king. In death one has no more
reward and no more portion in this life, "under the sun."
No matter how much we may try to honor the dead, it means nothing at
all to him. Even his emotions, such as, love, hatred, envy, etc.,
are all gone. He can no longer feel them. The living may not be very
wise, and, in fact, they may know very little indeed, but they do
know that they shall die. On the other hand, the dead do not even
know that. They know nothing at all, in spite of whatever wisdom
they may have had in life. So, in this respect, anyone still living
is better, or has more advantages, than any who are dead.
(Verses
7 through 10) Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine
with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy
garments be always white; and thy head lack not ointment. Live
joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of
thy vanity, which He hath given thee under the sun, all the days of
thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labor
which thou takest under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,
do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest.
Having
considered all men according to nature, and having declared that all
come to the same end, death, Solomon gives advice to all those
"under the sun," that is, those living under the
conditions he has described. The expression, "Go thy way,"
actually means "Quit worrying about the situation, and go ahead
with your life." Then he advises that we receive the food and
drink which God has provided with a glad, or thankful heart, because
it is evidence that He still accepts our works. That is, He still
spares our lives. Further, he says, "Let thy garments always be
white; and thy head lack no ointment." This is very nearly the
same instruction given by our Lord in Matthew 6:16-18, except that,
Solomon makes no mention of our heavenly Father's seeing our secret
fasting and sorrow. He only tells us to not let our worry cause us
to neglect our grooming so that we would go around with ashes on our
heads and our garments which was the common practice in mourning.
Then he tells us to let our family relationship be one of joy,
because this is the portion God has given us for our benefit in this
life. Last, but by no means least, he tells us to put forth full
effort in everything we set forth to do. There is no profit in
trying to reserve our strength; because in the grave, which is the
destination for each of us, "there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom." So it is foolish to reserve these for
later use. The grave may be closer than we think.
(Verses
11 and 12) I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not
to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the
wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men
of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. For man also
knoweth not his time; as the fishes that are taken in an evil net,
and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of
men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
As
Solomon continued his studies, he found something that might seem a
little strange. "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle
to the strong." This does not mean that, ordinarily, the swift
will not win the race, or the strong will not win the battle. It
simply declares that other things, such as, "time and
chance," do also enter in. I Kings 22:34 says, "And a
certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel
between the joints of the harness." The account tells us that
this was the death blow to Ahab, although he did live until the
evening of that day. But the point we wish to notice is that the
archer "drew a bow at a venture." So far as either he or
king Ahab was concerned it was an accident. Ahab was a strong
warrior, and he was also wearing a protective armor. But he did not
win the battle. We, no doubt, can find examples of wise men, who
have not been able to accumulate any wealth, but are almost on
starvation. A very popular attraction for many people today is
professional baseball. All have seen a pitcher, who everyone knows
is very skilled, go to the mound, and be unable to "find the
strike zone." With all his skill, the favor is not to him. This
will apply in all fields of endeavor as well as to sports.
"Time and chance happeneth to them all." The reason for
this is that man does not know his time. That is, he does not know
beforehand what will be. Therefore he has no more defense against
failure than the fishes have against the net in which they are
caught, or the bird has against the snare. So when an "evil
time" falls suddenly upon them they also are snared.
(Verses
13 through 16) This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it
seemed great to me: There was a small city, and few men within it;
and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built
great bulwarks against it: now there was found in it a poor wise
man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered
that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength:
nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are
not heard.
Solomon
says that the illustration he is about to use shows a wisdom, which
he considers to be great. As given in the K. J. V., there was a poor
wise man living in a little city of few inhabitants. When a great
king and his army besieged the city, the wise man by his wisdom
delivered the city. Then, as people usually do, because that wise
man was poor, they immediately forgot all about him. The New English
Bible gives a slightly different translation. According to it, the
poor man was wise enough that he could have delivered the city, but
no one remembered to call upon him. I personally prefer the K. J. V.
translation. However, no matter which translation one might take,
Solomon's conclusion remains the same: "Wisdom is better than
strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his
words are not heeded." Although wisdom is better than strength,
people usually ignore the wisdom of the poor. In our day they,
probably, would not consider him "politically correct."
(Verses
17 and 18) The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the
cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of
war, but one sinner destroyeth much good.
Certainly,
this presents an important truth. When wise men quietly speak their
judgment of an affair, they are accorded far more respect than all
the shouting the commander of a whole army of fools can do. It is
much better to have wisdom than to be armed with weapons of war. Yet
"one sinner," or one who fails to carry out his part in
the execution of a project, destroys much of the good planning that
has been done on it.
(Verses
1 through 3) Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send
forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in
reputation for wisdom and honor, A wise man's heart is at his right
hand; but a fool's heart at his left. Yea, also when he that is a
fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to
everyone that he is a fool.
In
modern usage, we consider "apothecary" to mean the same as
"pharmacist." Solomon's use of the word actually means
"a maker of perfumes." Although his perfumes and ointments
may, when properly cared for, have a very sweet smell, if he allows
flies to fall into them and die, their odor will soon be offensive
instead. Just so, a man who is held in reputation for wisdom and
honor, will soon ruin that reputation if he engages in doing foolish
things and giving foolish counsel. Since in the history of mankind,
there have usually been more right-handed men than left-handed ones,
the idea developed that the right hand is the hand of both power and
favor. It is from this that to be at the king's right hand is to be
in his favor. So Solomon's meaning seems to be that the wise man is
always ready to bestow favor upon others, while the fool is
concerned only for himself. In verse 3, Solomon declares that a
fool, even when only taking a walk along the way, will be betrayed
by his folly. If he has any wisdom at all, it will desert him and
both his words and his actions will reveal the fact that he is a
fool. He cannot hide it.
(Verses
4 through 7) If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave
not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offenses. There is an
evil, which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth
from the ruler. Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in
low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as
servants upon the earth.
Verse
4 seems to address one whom the ruler has placed in some office in
his government, although it will apply anywhere that there is
someone in authority over us. If he who is in authority is angry at
us, we should not also become angry, and "walk out," as is
sometimes done. Neither should we contend against him in the matter.
Rather, we should follow the advice given us by the Apostle Paul, in
Ephesians 6:5-8.This is in perfect harmony with the advice of
Solomon. Yield to the one in authority, even when we think he is
mistaken: "For yielding pacifieth great offenses." Now
Solomon sets forth an evil for which he says the ruler is to be
blamed. It actually proceeds from him. The ruler has set folly, or
those who follow it, in a place of great dignity, and the rich in a
lower place. Since his consideration of the situation has only the
material good of the kingdom in view, it is easy to see that this
practice will bring ruin upon it. Further, he has seen servants
riding horses, while the princes, or leaders in the kingdom were
reduced to walking. All this, he says, is an evil.
(Verses
8 through 10) He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso
breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. Whoso removeth stones
shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be
endangered thereby. If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the
edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to
direct.
It
can readily be seen that this is a short collection of truisms
Solomon has set before us. His meaning is not that literally every
person who attempts any one of these things, which he has mentioned,
will be hurt thereby, but that everyone who does so places himself
in position to be hurt; for the danger is there. Therefore, to use
these things as metaphors, they mean that we should never "dig
a pit," in the sense of setting a trap for our neighbor.
Neither should we try to break down that which protects him, as does
a hedge, nor should we try to remove "the stones," or
markers that identify his sphere of authority. We have all heard the
saying, "Those who live in glass houses should not throw
stones." Solomon's statement, "He that cleaveth wood shall
be endangered thereby," has exactly the same meaning. Anyone
who has ever tried to split wood, knows that there is always danger
that a stick, or splinter of the wood will fly off in an
ungovernable direction. It may strike someone who is nearby, or it
might even strike the one wielding the ax. Verse 10, in the literal,
means, of course that it takes more effort to cut with a dull blade
than with one that has been properly sharpened. As a metaphor, it
means that if our address of a matter is not properly prepared, we
must work harder to get our point across to the other person.
Nevertheless, in either case, "wisdom is profitable to
direct."
(Verses
11 through 15) Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and
a babbler is no better. The words of a wise man's mouth are
gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The
beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of
his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words; a man
cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell
him? The labor of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he
knoweth not how to go to the city.
They
are not so common on our streets in this part of the world; but in
both the Middle East and the Far East, snake charmers have been, and
still are a very common sight. They keep one, or more, poisonous
snakes in baskets with lids, and they also carry some sort of a
small musical instrument. With the music of this instrument, they
seem to be able to "charm" the snake. Then they can handle
it in the manner to which it has been accustomed. If they try to
handle it without first charming it, it will bite them as readily as
it would anyone else. Just so a babbler, (one of the definitions of
this word is "one who tells secrets,”) who is not in some way
held in check, is no better than the snake that has not been
charmed. He will bite; and his poison can be extremely dangerous. A
wise man's words are gracious, because they are words of truth and
wisdom; but the words of a fool are so totally lacking in wisdom,
that they will even cause the destruction of the speaker. The fool's
speech starts as foolishness; and the longer he speaks the worse it
gets. So that the end of it is such insanity that it causes
mischief, or evil. A fool is always full of words. Ask him what you
will; and he will give you an answer. However, the greatest trouble
with this is that the answer may be far from the truth. For " a
man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can
tell him?" The fool is not satisfied to work, as do others, to
accomplish his goals. His labor tires him so, that he will not
continue it very long, "because he knoweth not how to go to the
city." This last expression is very similar to one we often
hear, and has the same meaning. "He doesn't have sense enough
to come in out of the rain."
(Verses
16 and 17) Woe unto thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy
princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king
is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for
strength, and not for drunkenness.
To
"eat in the morning" has no reference here to such
activity as eating breakfast, but to a feast, which begins in the
morning, and continues until everyone is so filled with food, and so
drunken that no one is capable of attending to the necessary affairs
of state. The king, being a child, or having no more wisdom than a
child, has no ability, nor desire to restrain the
"princes," or leaders of the kingdom from so wasting their
time and talents. In such a scenario, nothing but evil can come to
this kingdom. So "Woe unto thee, O land! when such is the
case.” On the other hand, the kingdom is blessed when the king is
of noble lineage and conduct, and when all feasting is reserved to
the proper time to give strength, and not drunkenness. Then the
princes can give proper attention to matters of state. And the
kingdom will prosper.
(Verse
18) By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness
of the hands the house droppeth through.
Just
as a house upon which the owner will put forth no effort toward
maintenance will decay, and finally fall down, so it is with any
project one may start. This is in harmony with the advice he has
given before, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with
thy might."
(Verse
19) A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money
answereth all things.
This
is another of Solomon's declarations of how things are, not,
necessarily, how they ought to be. The purpose of a great feast is
to have a great time of mirth; and the wine makes the partakers
thereof merry. But, so far as the natural man is concerned, money is
the answer to all things. Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul told
Timothy, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which
while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and
pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (I Timothy 6:10)
(Verse
20) Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the
rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice,
and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
The
first thing to be said about this is that, although
"curse" can mean the use of what we call profanity, its
primary meaning here is "to speak evil against" someone.
Solomon tells us not to do such against the king, or the
"rich," even under what we think to be the most private,
or confidential, circumstances. In this statement, "the
rich" may refer more to those in authority than to those who
have wealth. In either case it is not wise to speak evil of them. No
matter how confidentially the one to whom we tell such may promise
to keep the matter, it will somehow get out, as if a bird carried
it.
(Verses
1 and 2) Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it
after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for
thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
Verse
1 has no reference to taking a loaf of bread and throwing it into
the sea, or lake, or other body of water. The only positive thing
that could do is to feed a few little fish. He is telling us to be
generous in helping the hungry and needy. They may not be soon able
to repay us. In fact, they may never repay us; but that should not
deter us from helping them. If we have done so for the love of our
Lord, it will surely be more than repaid, even if it may be a long
time in coming. The number seven is one of those usually considered
as a "complete number" in scriptural references. Thus, we
might think it to mean, in this instance, "all that we deem
worthy of our help." But we are told not to stop there, but to
give "also to eight." Perhaps then, we should consider
this to mean, "Do not try to judge the worthiness of him who
asks, but give to all. "For thou knowest not what evil shall
come upon the earth." In fact, it might even come upon us. Then
we might be asking for a hand out. The best answer to the question
of whether or not I should consider one who asks for help to be
worthy is this: "Did Christ Jesus die for me because I was
worthy?" You and I both know there can be but one answer to
that question. "NO." Why then, do I bother to ask is this,
or that person worthy of my help?
(Verses
3 and 4) If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon
the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the
north, where the tree falleth, there it shall be. He that observeth
the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not
reap.
The
first two statements here show the inevitability of what is to be.
If the clouds are full of rain, all that man can do will not prevent
their emptying it out upon the earth. Also in whatever direction a
tree may start to fall, man cannot stop it, and turn it in a
different direction. This principle is true, not only concerning
rain clouds and trees, but also with every event that will take
place. True enough, we do plan events, and they do sometimes take
place; but only because God let them come to pass as we had planned.
Everyone knows that he has planned things that in spite of all his
efforts, he could not bring to pass: but not so with God. What He
starts, He finishes. Consider how many disasters, such as storms,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, etc. have taken place; and
man has not been able to stop even one of them. So, when the clouds
are filled with rain, they will empty it upon the earth, and where a
tree falls, there it shall lie. As Solomon said earlier,
"Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight which
He hath made crooked?" Now he says, "He that observeth the
wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not
reap." This is true, not only in farming, but also in every
walk of life. There is an old saying with which we are all
acquainted. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." If we wait
until we are absolutely certain of success, we will never start a
project of any sort. And, of course, if we never start it, we surely
will never reap from it.
(Verses
5 and 6) As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how
the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou
knowest not the works of God Who maketh all. In the morning sow thy
seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest
not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they
shall be alike good.
Solomon
declares two things that we do not know, in order to prove that we
know nothing about the work of God Who makes all things. In Chapter
12, verse 7, he says, "Then shall the dust return to the earth
as it was: and the spirit shall return to God Who gave it."
Someone will immediately say, "Surely the spirit goes up,
because God is in heaven; and heaven is up, above the earth. But the
problem is, "No one knows which direction is up. You may think
that you will have a "field day" denying this, and showing
up my ignorance; and perhaps you will. But let us examine the
situation. First, consider that the earth is a sphere, or ball. Now,
take a ball and a pin. Stick the pin in the ball at any point,
setting it as nearly perpendicular to the surface of the ball as you
can at the point of contact. Then take another pin, move to some
other point on the surface of the ball, and repeat the process.
These two pins represent two persons standing at different points
upon the earth, and each pointing "up." The questions are:
first, are both pointing "up?" Each would declare that he
is. Second, are they pointing in the same direction? The answer can
only be, "No." This would bring us to even a third
question: "Who is right?" No doubt, the spirit goes up to
God. For He is far up, above the earth. But we still do not know
which way the spirit must go to God. Neither do you know how the
bones grow in the development of a child before birth. Yet we know
that when the spirit leaves the body it goes to God, and every child
is brought to a point of development before it is born into this
world. Both of these events have been repeated multitudes of times
since man was placed upon earth. Even as we do not know these
mysteries, neither do we know how God works His other wonders. Since
we do not know how God works His miracles, we do not need to claim
sufficient wisdom to know whether it is better to sow in the
morning, or in the evening. Both may prosper equally. By the same
token, both may fail. We are still fully dependent upon God's
blessings. It is He, Who made, and makes, all things.
(Verses
7 and 8) Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for
the eyes to behold the sun: but if a man live many years, and
rejoice in them all; yet let him number the days of darkness; for
they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
This
should be one of the easiest texts of this entire book to
understand. How the man, who was born blind, but to whom our Lord
gave sight must have rejoiced when he saw the light, and his eyes
beheld the sun! Surely it was sweet and pleasant to him. Of course,
we also can apply it to our experience when the Lord brought us out
of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son.
However, Solomon's continuing statements indicate that his primary
concern was for the natural light of the sun. He declares that even
"if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all," he
should still keep in mind "the days of darkness; for they shall
be many." His choice of words in the usage of "years"
and "days" indicates that, though a man's life be mostly
pleasant, so that he does rejoice in all his years, there will still
be enough sorrows, "days of darkness, " that he will do
well to remember them, lest he forget that there is also a serious
side to life. This too, according to Solomon, is vanity, or
emptiness.
(Verses
9 and 10) Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart
cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine
heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all
these God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow
from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and
youth are vanity.
Having
considered the many efforts of man, and having found them all to be
emptiness, Solomon gives advice to the young. They should rejoice in
their youth. That is, rejoice in the fact that they are young. This
is the answer to one of the greatest problems of present day youth.
Instead of rejoicing that they are young, and not yet faced with the
more serious problems that come with maturity and responsibility,
they are borrowing trouble by trying to do what neither they nor
anyone else can do. They are trying too hard to look into the
future. And because they are not able to know what lies ahead, they
become depressed, sometimes even to the point of committing suicide,
or hurting someone else. The only future for them, or for us, is
God. He alone knows what will be, and is able to take care of it,
and us, when it comes. The young should rejoice in their youth, and
follow, not what they see on TV, or even on the streets, but, in
short, "act their age," be children, and cheer up in the
days of their youth. They should do the things which appeal to the
hearts and eyes of children, and not be trying so hard to be
"little adults." At the same time, let them keep in mind,
"that for all these things God will bring thee into
judgment." This is not a threat, but a promise. He does not
mean that God is going to condemn you for all these things; but that
he will evaluate you in all these. He will just as faithfully
approve and reward the good, as he will disapprove and punish the
evil. He is a merciful God. Therefore lay aside sorrow from your
heart, and put away evil from your flesh. This is the best advice
that can be found. God knows that childhood and youth are not the
productive years of humanity, but only the time for development.
Yes, they are vanity. But so also are all the days of man, whatever
his age.
The
first six verses of this chapter make up one sentence. Verse 1 tells
us what to do before we reach the stage in life wherein we cannot
take advantage of what is our present opportunity. The remainder of
the sentence describes, by the use of many metaphors, what those
"evil days" will bring.
(Verse
1) Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil
days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have
no pleasure in them.
Solomon
has given much effort and energy to the study of things in this
life, as he often says, "under the sun." He now gives
advice concerning what we should do, as he has, by the wisdom given
him, and the study he has made, determined is for our good. That
advice is to do something while we can. What we should do is to
remember our Creator in the days of our youth. As he continues, we
see that it would not be amiss to say that we should do this before
it is too late. I realize that many do not like this expression.
Certainly nothing is ever too late for God to do that which He has
purposed; but it can easily become too late for us to do that which
we would like, and sometimes too late for us to do that which is for
our benefit. The days of our youth are not only the days when our
bodies are stronger and more active, but also the days when our
senses are more acute and our interest in the things around us more
intense. The young may not believe it, but when they grow old, the
time will come when they will lose a great deal of their zest for
life. Many may reach the point at which they will indeed say,
"I have no pleasure in them" (the days of life). The
extreme of this, which I have seen, is the man or woman, who through
all the active years of life, had worked to raise and provide for a
family, but now broken by age and failing health is made to sign
over any assets he, or she, has to the children, and is then carried
to a nursing home, left there, and seldom, if ever, visited by the
child, or children, who now have control of whatever worldly
possessions the old person had. Then, indeed that elderly person
will not only say, "I have no pleasure in them," but will
even pray to God for an end to his, or her, days of existence in
this world. As we mentioned, this is the extreme of this condition;
and it should never be done. But we have seen it happen, and more
often than most would think. Even if it does not come to this, the
days will come when you will enjoy life far less than you did in
youth. We often hear someone say of an elderly person, "He, or
she, lives in the past." There is a fully legitimate reason for
this. The past is far more pleasant to him than the present. He can
remember the joys he had when younger, and in his memory, even feel
some of the zest of life he enjoyed when doing those things.
Whereas, if he tried to do the same things today, he would not get
the same joy from them.. So, "Remember now thy Creator in the
days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw
nigh, when thou shalt say, 'I have no pleasure in them.'"
(Verses
2 through 5) While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars,
be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: in the day
when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men
shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few,
and those that look out the windows be darkened, and the doors shall
be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and
he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of
music shall be brought low; also when they shall be afraid of that
which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree
shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire
shall fail; because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go
about the streets:
Thus
Solomon describes the person who has grown old and is weakened down
by age, and is soon to meet his death. He uses metaphors, which in
some instances may be a little obscure, but are, for the greater
part, fairly clear. In verse 2, he is pointing out the fact that
most people lose much of their ability to see, as they become old.
Their vision becomes much dimmer, so that it appears that the light
of the sun, moon, and stars has become dimmed, or darkened., and
instead of seeing the bright blue sky after the rain has passed,
they see so dimly, that they think the clouds have returned after
the rain is over. Today, we might think such a person could be
helped by wearing glasses, and well he might. But in Solomon's day,
no such help was available. All one could do was to endure the
dimness, and consider it a part of aging. "In the day when the
keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow
themselves," might need a little explanation. Let us consider
the conditions and lifestyle of the people of Solomon's day. They
had none of our modern weapons of battle. Every weapon was for hand
to hand fighting. Since the keeper of the house is he that defends
it, and the hands and arms were the members of the body used to hold
the weapons of defense, the safety of the house is greatly
diminished when they begin to tremble from weakness. Likewise such
fighting requires strong legs, "the strong men." As the
weakness of old age sets in, the legs began to bow from weakness
also. So, with weakened arms and legs, one cannot put up much
defense, and is no longer able to keep the house. "And the
grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out the
windows be darkened," tells us that most of our teeth may be
gone, leaving us with few with which to "grind," or chew
our food. This metaphor might be lost on many today, because now it
is not at all unusual for one to have all his teeth pulled, and
dentures made with which to replace them. However in the days of
this writing, the man who lost his natural teeth had to do without.
There were no replacements. Again he refers to the decline of our
ability to see as he says, "And those that look out the windows
be darkened." In verse 4 he tells us, "and the doors shall
be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and
he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of
music shall be brought low." Whether "the doors in the
streets" shall literally be shut, or not, he will have lost his
ability to go out into the streets because of his weakness. So they
may as well be shut, so far as he is concerned. Again Solomon refers
to the man's ability to eat having been greatly reduced, "the
sound of the grinding is low." He also becomes so weak that
even the voice of the bird will startle him, possibly because his
hearing has reached the point to which it is reduced in many. He may
be able to hear sounds, but not able to distinguish them as to what
they are. So the sound of the bird is heard, but not recognized. So
it startles him. He can no longer enjoy the singing that he may hear
for the same reason. So the sound of the daughters of music is
brought low. In verse 5, Solomon brings us to the final scenes of
old age. "Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high,
and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish,
and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail."
Although people of Solomon's day led a very active life, often even
climbing mountains, and other high places without fear, and fearing
nothing that might be in the way in which they were going, when the
weakness of old age set in, they came to fear "that which is
high," that is, just as is often the case with old people
today, they were afraid of heights. Also they, because of the
weakness of old age, had many fears, however brave they may have
been. Although our K. J. V. says, "And the almond tree shall
flourish," those who understand the Hebrew language say that it
should have been translated, "When the almond tree shall
blossom." When it does blossom, it is covered with white, just
as the head of an old person. So this is just another metaphor that
is used to describe an elderly person. "And the grasshopper
shall be a burden, and desire shall fail," is our K. J. V.
translation of the next statement. From this it seems that weakness
has so beset the one of whom he speaks that, although in his younger
days he would not even have noticed a grasshopper as it alighted
upon him, now even that is a burden. And in addition to this, he has
lost all zest for life. The New English Bible gives this translation
of this: "And the locust's paunch is swollen and caper-buds
have no more zest." To me, the K. J. V. translation seems to
make more sense. But I cannot speak concerning the correctness of
either translation, because I know nothing of the Hebrew language.
Now he tells us what is, at this point, taking place with this man.
"Because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about
the streets." All these things are leading up to, and are
caused by his dying. Since in this book Solomon's focus has been so
much on the natural, it seems reasonable to interpret "his long
home" as his grave. In Chapter 9, verse 3, he says, "and
after that they go to the dead," and in Chapter 9, verse 10,
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for
there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the
grave, whither thou goest." Then, when man dies, the mourners
go about the streets.
(Verses
6 through 8) Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl
be broken, or the wheel be broken at the cistern. Then shall the
dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return to
God Who gave it. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; all is
vanity.
Perhaps
it might better fit our modern usage of words, to change the phrase,
"Or ever," to "When," and "be" to
"is" in verse 6. For the significance of the whole
expression is that, "when the silver cord is loosed, the golden
bowl broken and the wheel broken at the cistern," man is dead.
The loosing of the cord, the breaking of the bowl, and the breaking
of the wheel are all metaphors for death. They point to the complete
cessation of all activity of the body. The loosened silver cord will
no longer hold spirit and body together, just as a broken bowl or a
broken wheel is no longer usable. Thus when death overtakes us, the
body, "the dust," returns to the earth as it was; and the
spirit returns to God Who gave it. This is in perfect keeping with
Solomon's perspective on all the "things under the sun."
He discusses all from only the viewpoint of nature. Nothing is said
about any future life for either the righteous or the wicked. He
leaves both for others to discuss. It is certainly no wonder that,
viewing all things from that perspective, he pronounces all,
"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." If there were no life
beyond this world, all would indeed be emptiness and worthlessness.
The Apostle Paul tells us, "If in this life only we have hope
in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." (I Corinthians
15:19)
(Verses
9 and 10) And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still
taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out,
and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out
acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words
of truth.
Solomon
is here approaching the close of this work. As he does, he tells us
that because he was wise, he taught the people knowledge. In his
teachings, he gave special attention to all things, and studied, or
"sought out," many wise sayings to set before the people.
He also assures us that, his teaching has been in suitable words,
words that can be understood, and that what he has taught is the
truth.
(Verses
11 and 12) The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened
by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one Shepherd. And
further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there
is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Goads
were sticks with a sharpened end, which were used to make oxen or
donkeys put forth more effort in pulling their loads. And, of
course, nails fastened by masters of assemblies, or master
carpenters, are nails put in the proper places to add strength to
the assembly. So the words of the wise will cause us to put forth
more effort in whatever we are trying to do, and will add strength
the finished project. And all wisdom is given by "one
Shepherd." Although, at this point, he does not say so, it is
obvious that this Shepherd must be the LORD. Solomon cautions us to
be warned, or admonished by these sayings. He further declares that
the number of books that can be made is endless, so there is no need
for one to think he can make, or write, enough books to cover
everything in the world. Not only will an excess of study tire the
mind, but the body also, Perhaps, all of us should do more studying
than we do; but to be a "bookworm" may not be so
profitable to us as a more rounded regimen of activity would be.
(Verses
13 and 14) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God,
and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For
God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing,
whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
The
conclusion of anything is the end of it. If, in a discussion, a
conclusion is reached, there is no more room for discussion. That is
what Solomon now sets before us. The whole matter that he has been
discussing in this writing has been brought to the place where there
is no more profit in the discussion. The only thing to do is to
announce the substance of the conclusion. That is that there is only
one thing God requires of man. Man's whole duty is summed up in this
one thing. "Fear God, and keep His commandments." To fear
God is to hold Him in the highest respect, and remember that He is
fully able to not only demand, but fully enforce obedience. And to
keep His commandments is to do what He has told us to do. Since He
has left with us His written word, it leaves us with no excuse for
not knowing what He has told us. The Jews had a habit of writing
some of His commandments upon scraps of parchment or paper, putting
them in little boxes, and hanging them on their bodies, usually on
their arms or near their hearts or heads, to signify that they were
keeping His commandments with their affections, thoughts, and works.
This is not required. What is required is to do what He has said for
us to do. This then, is the whole duty of man. And there is
something more for us to remember. That is that, "God will
bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it
be good, or whether it be evil." We may be able to fool men, or
we might be able to persuade them to render judgment in our favor,
in spite of the evidence. But God cannot be fooled, and neither can
He be bribed. His judgment is always true, and will stand forever.
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