Ecclesiastes

Book Outhne

Key theme: Is life really worth living?

Key verses: ; ,

I. The Problem Declared: Life Is Not Worth Living! ()

A. The monotony of life ()

B. The futility of wisdom ()

C. The futility of wealth ()

D. The certainty of death ()

E. Enjoy life ()

II. The Problem Discussed ()

A. The monotony of life ()

1. Look up ()

2. Look within ()

3. Enjoy life (, )

4. Look ahead ()

5. Look around ()

B. The futility of wealth ()

1. Employing wealth ()

2. Enjoying wealth ()

3. Enjoy life ()

C. The futility of wisdom ()

1. We make life better ()

2. We see life clearer ()

3. We face life stronger ()

4. Enjoy life ()

D. The certainty of death ()

1. Death is unavoidable ()

2. Enjoy life ()

3. Life is unpredictable ()

4. Beware of folly ()

III. The Problem Decided ()

A. Live by faith ()

B. Prepare for judgment ()

C. Enjoy life (, )

D. Listen to the Teacher and fear God ()

Book Overview

It’s as if Solomon were telling us, “Life is filled with difficulties and perplexities, and there’s much that nobody can understand, let alone control. From the human point of view, it’s all meaningless and folly. But life is God’s gift to us, and He wants us to enjoy it and use it for His glory. So, instead of complaining about what you don’t have, start giving thanks for what you do have—and be satisfied!”

Our Jewish friends read Ecclesiastes at the annual Feast of Tabernacles, a joyful autumn festival of harvest. It fits! For Solomon wrote, “Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God” (). Even the apostle Paul (who could hardly be labeled a hedonist) said that God “gives us richly all things to enjoy” ().

Ecclesiastes contains a message for the faithful believer who wants to serve the Lord and have a fulfilled life in Jesus Christ. Solomon wrote, in effect, “Don’t bury your head in the sand and pretend that problems don’t exist. They do! Face life honestly, but look at life from God’s perspective. Human philosophies will fail you. Use your God-given wisdom, but don’t expect to solve every problem or answer every question. What is important is to obey God’s will and enjoy all that He gives you. Remember, death is coming—so be prepared!”

Life without Jesus Christ is indeed “vanity and grasping for the wind” (). But when you know Christ personally and live for Him faithfully, you can say, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” ().

“Be Transformed”

Ecclesiastes and its writer, Solomon, can best be understood by remembering the final written lines: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (, ). This is one story to read with the ending in mind.

The last phrase in , “for this is man’s all,” can be translated “this is the end of a person” (that is, a person’s purpose in life), or “this is for all people.” When Solomon looked at life “under the sun,” everything was fragmented, and he could see no pattern. But when he looked at life from God’s point of view “under heaven,” everything came together into one whole. If a person wants to have wholeness, he or she must begin with God.

We need to read Ecclesiastes with the purpose of the book as well as our own goals in mind. This book invites us to prepare for final judgment (). Solomon will introduce the idea along the way. “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work” (). “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment” (). People may seem to get away with sin (), but their sins will eventually be exposed and judged righteously. Those who have not trusted the Lord Jesus Christ will be doomed forever.

Six times in his discourse, Solomon will tell us to enjoy life while we can; but at no time will he advise us to enjoy sin. The joys of the present depend on the security of the future. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, then your sins have already been judged on the cross, and “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (; and see ). But if you die having never trusted Christ, you will face judgment at His throne and be lost forever (see ).

Is life worth living? Yes, if you are truly alive through faith in Jesus Christ. Then you can be satisfied, no matter what God may permit to come to your life. “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (). You can receive life in Christ and—be satisfied!

The Vanity of Life

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher;

“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

What profit has a man from all his labor

In which he toils under the sun?

One generation passes away, and another generation comes;

But the earth abides forever.

The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,

And hastens to the place where it arose.

The wind goes toward the south,

And turns around to the north;

The wind whirls about continually,

And comes again on its circuit.

All the rivers run into the sea,

Yet the sea is not full;

To the place from which the rivers come,

There they return again.

All things are full of labor;

Man cannot express it.

The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

Nor the ear filled with hearing.

That which has been is what will be,

That which is done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun.

10Is there anything of which it may be said,

“See, this is new”?

It has already been in ancient times before us.

There is no remembrance of former things,

Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come

By those who will come after.

The Grief of Wisdom

I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

What is crooked cannot be made straight,

And what is lacking cannot be numbered.

I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.”

17And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.

18For in much wisdom is much grief,

And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

The Vanity of Pleasure

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity.

2I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”

I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards.

5I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

6I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove.

7I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me.

8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds.

9So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.

I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,

For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;

And this was my reward from all my labor.

11Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done

And on the labor in which I had toiled;

And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.

There was no profit under the sun.

The End of the Wise and the Fool

Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly;

For what can the man do who succeeds the king?—

Only what he has already done.

13Then I saw that wisdom excels folly

As light excels darkness.

The wise man’s eyes are in his head,

But the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I myself perceived

That the same event happens to them all.

15So I said in my heart,

“As it happens to the fool,

It also happens to me,

And why was I then more wise?”

Then I said in my heart,

“This also is vanity.”

16For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever,

Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.

And how does a wise man die?

As the fool!

Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

18Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

19And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

20Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun.

21For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

22For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?

23For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.

25For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

26For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Everything Has Its Time

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,

And a time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what is planted;

3A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

4A 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;

A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

6A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

And a time to speak;

A time to love,

And a time to hate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

9What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?

I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,

13and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

I know that whatever God does,

It shall be forever.

Nothing can be added to it,

And nothing taken from it.

God does it, that men should fear before Him.

That which is has already been,

And what is to be has already been;

And God requires an account of what is past.

Injustice Seems to Prevail

16Moreover I saw under the sun:

In the place of judgment,

Wickedness was there;

And in the place of righteousness,

Iniquity was there.

17I said in my heart,

“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,

For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”

19For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

20All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

21Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun:

And look! The tears of the oppressed,

But they have no comforter—

On the side of their oppressors there is power,

But they have no comforter.

2Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,

More than the living who are still alive.

3Yet, better than both is he who has never existed,

Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

The Vanity of Selfish Toil

Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

The fool folds his hands

And consumes his own flesh.

Better a handful with quietness

Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.

Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:

There is one alone, without companion:

He has neither son nor brother.

Yet there is no end to all his labors,

Nor is his eye satisfied with riches.

But he never asks,

“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good?”

This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.

The Value of a Friend

9Two are better than one,

Because they have a good reward for their labor.

For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

But woe to him who is alone when he falls,

For he has no one to help him up.

11Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;

But how can one be warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.

And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Popularity Passes Away

13Better a poor and wise youth

Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.

14For he comes out of prison to be king,

Although he was born poor in his kingdom.

15I saw all the living who walk under the sun;

They were with the second youth who stands in his place.

16There was no end of all the people over whom he was made king;

Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.

Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Fear God, Keep Your Vows

Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

Do not be rash with your mouth,

And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.

For God is in heaven, and you on earth;

Therefore let your words be few.

3For a dream comes through much activity,

And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it;

For He has no pleasure in fools.

Pay what you have vowed—

5Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

6Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?

For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

The Vanity of Gain and Honor

8If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

9Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.

He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;

Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.

This also is vanity.

11When goods increase,

They increase who eat them;

So what profit have the owners

Except to see them with their eyes?

12The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,

Whether he eats little or much;

But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

13There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:

Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.

14But those riches perish through misfortune;

When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.

15As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return,

To go as he came;

And he shall take nothing from his labor

Which he may carry away in his hand.

16And this also is a severe evil—

Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.

And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?

17All his days he also eats in darkness,

And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.

Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.

19As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.

For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

2A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.

If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he—

4for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

5Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man,

6even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place?

7All the labor of man is for his mouth,

And yet the soul is not satisfied.

8For what more has the wise man than the fool?

What does the poor man have,

Who knows how to walk before the living?

9Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.

This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

Whatever one is, he has been named already,

For it is known that he is man;

And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.

11Since there are many things that increase vanity,

How is man the better?

For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?

The Value of Practical Wisdom

A good name is better than precious ointment,

And the day of death than the day of one’s birth;

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 take it to heart.

3Sorrow is better than laughter,

For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise

Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,

So is the laughter of the fool.

This also is vanity.

Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason,

And a bribe debases the heart.

8The end of a thing is better than its beginning;

The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,

For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Do not say,

“Why were the former days better than these?”

For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

Wisdom is good with an inheritance,

And profitable to those who see the sun.

12For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense,

But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.

Consider the work of God;

For who can make straight what He has made crooked?

14In the day of prosperity be joyful,

But in the day of adversity consider:

Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other,

So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

I have seen everything in my days of vanity:

There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness,

And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness.

Do not be overly righteous,

Nor be overly wise:

Why should you destroy yourself?

17Do not be overly wicked,

Nor be foolish:

Why should you die before your time?

18It is good that you grasp this,

And also not remove your hand from the other;

For he who fears God will escape them all.

19Wisdom strengthens the wise

More than ten rulers of the city.

For there is not a just man on earth who does good

And does not sin.

21Also do not take to heart everything people say,

Lest you hear your servant cursing you.

22For many times, also, your own heart has known

That even you have cursed others.

All this I have proved by wisdom.

I said, “I will be wise”;

But it was far from me.

24As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep,

Who can find it out?

25I applied my heart to know,

To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things,

To know the wickedness of folly,

Even of foolishness and madness.

26And I find more bitter than death

The woman whose heart is snares and nets,

Whose hands are fetters.

He who pleases God shall escape from her,

But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

27“Here is what I have found,” says the Preacher,

“Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason,

Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find:

One man among a thousand I have found,

But a woman among all these I have not found.

Truly, this only I have found:

That God made man upright,

But they have sought out many schemes.”

1Who is like a wise man?

And who knows the interpretation of a thing?

A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,

And the sternness of his face is changed.

Obey Authorities for God’s Sake

I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.

3“Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

Where the word of a king is, there is power;

And who may say to him, “What are you doing?”

He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful;

And a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment,

6Because for every matter there is a time and judgment,

Though the misery of man increases greatly.

7For he does not know what will happen;

So who can tell him when it will occur?

No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit,

And no one has power in the day of death.

There is no release from that war,

And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

9All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.

Death Comes to All

Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.

11Because the 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.

12Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.

13But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

16When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night,

17then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.

For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them.

2All things come alike to all:

One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;

To the good, the clean, and the unclean;

To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.

As is the good, so is the sinner;

He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5For the living know that they will die;

But the dead know nothing,

And they have no more reward,

For the memory of them is forgotten.

6Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;

Nevermore will they have a share

In anything done under the sun.

Go, eat your bread with joy,

And drink your wine with a merry heart;

For God has already accepted your works.

8Let your garments always be white,

And let your head lack no oil.

9Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

I returned and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,

Nor the battle to the strong,

Nor bread to the wise,

Nor riches to men of understanding,

Nor favor to men of skill;

But time and chance happen to them all.

12For man also does not know his time:

Like fish taken in a cruel net,

Like birds caught in a snare,

So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,

When it falls suddenly upon them.

Wisdom Superior to Folly

This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me:

14There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it.

15Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.

16Then I said:

“Wisdom is better than strength.

Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,

And his words are not heard.

17Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard

Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

18Wisdom is better than weapons of war;

But one sinner destroys much good.”

Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,

And cause it to give off a foul odor;

So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.

2A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,

But a fool’s heart at his left.

3Even when a fool walks along the way,

He lacks wisdom,

And he shows everyone that he is a fool.

If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

Do not leave your post;

For conciliation pacifies great offenses.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun,

As an error proceeding from the ruler:

6Folly is set in great dignity,

While the rich sit in a lowly place.

7I have seen servants on horses,

While princes walk on the ground like servants.

He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.

9He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,

And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.

10If the ax is dull,

And one does not sharpen the edge,

Then he must use more strength;

But wisdom brings success.

11A serpent may bite when it is not charmed;

The babbler is no different.

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,

But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;

The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,

And the end of his talk is raving madness.

A fool also multiplies words.

No man knows what is to be;

Who can tell him what will be after him?

15The labor of fools wearies them,

For they do not even know how to go to the city!

Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,

And your princes feast in the morning!

17Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,

And your princes feast at the proper time—

For strength and not for drunkenness!

18Because of laziness the building decays,

And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

A feast is made for laughter,

And wine makes merry;

But money answers everything.

Do not curse the king, even in your thought;

Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;

For a bird of the air may carry your voice,

And a bird in flight may tell the matter.

The Value of Diligence

1Cast your bread upon the waters,

For you will find it after many days.

2Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,

For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

3If the clouds are full of rain,

They empty themselves upon the earth;

And if a tree falls to the south or the north,

In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.

4He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

5As you do not know what is the way of the wind,

Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,

So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

6In the morning sow your seed,

And in the evening do not withhold your hand;

For you do not know which will prosper,

Either this or that,

Or whether both alike will be good.

Truly the light is sweet,

And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;

8But if a man lives many years

And rejoices in them all,

Yet let him remember the days of darkness,

For they will be many.

All that is coming is vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;

Walk in the ways of your heart,

And in the sight of your eyes;

But know that for all these

God will bring you into judgment.

Therefore remove sorrow from your heart,

And put away evil from your flesh,

For childhood and youth are vanity.

Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,

Before the difficult days come,

And the years draw near when you say,

“I have no pleasure in them”:

2While the sun and the light,

The moon and the stars,

Are not darkened,

And the clouds do not return after the rain;

3In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,

And the strong men bow down;

When the grinders cease because they are few,

And those that look through the windows grow dim;

4When the doors are shut in the streets,

And the sound of grinding is low;

When one rises up at the sound of a bird,

And all the daughters of music are brought low.

5Also they are afraid of height,

And of terrors in the way;

When the almond tree blossoms,

The grasshopper is a burden,

And desire fails.

For man goes to his eternal home,

And the mourners go about the streets.

Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,

Or the golden bowl is broken,

Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,

Or the wheel broken at the well.

7Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,

And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,

“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.

The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth.

11The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.

12And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.

For God will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing,

Whether good or evil.

Annotations for Ecclesiastes

Nowhere in this book is the author’s name given, but the personal descriptions included seem to indicate that the writer was King Solomon. He called himself “son of David” and said that he “was king over Israel in Jerusalem” (vv. , ), and he claimed to have great wealth and wisdom (; ; see ; ). In response to Solomon’s humble prayer, God promised him both wisdom and wealth (); and he kept His promise.

Whenever we use phrases like “life cycle,” “the wheel of fortune,” or “come full circle,” we are joining Solomon and a host of others in taking a cyclical view of life and nature. This cyclical view of life was a burden to Solomon. For if life is only part of a great cycle over which we have no control, is life worth living? If this cycle is repeated season after season, century after century, why can’t we understand it and explain it? Solomon pondered these questions as he looked at the cycle of life “under the sun,” and he came to three bleak conclusions: Nothing is changed (vv. ), nothing is new (vv. ), and nothing is understood (vv. ).

“All is vanity,” lamented Solomon. Solomon liked the word “vanity”; in fact, he used it thirty-one times in this book as he wrote about life “under the sun.” From the human point of view (“under the sun”), life does appear meaningless—futile and empty; we can easily become pessimistic.

What a relief to turn from these pessimistic views and hear Jesus Christ say, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (). Or to read Paul’s majestic declaration, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (). Life is not in vain if it is lived according to the will of God, and that is what Solomon teaches in this neglected and often misunderstood book.

Solomon approached the problem as a scientist and examined the wheel of nature around him: the earth, the sun, the wind, and the water. Solomon presented four pieces of evidence to prove that nothing really changes.

From the human point of view, nothing seems more permanent and durable than the planet on which we live. Nature is permanent, but human beings are transient, mere pilgrims on earth. The human pilgrimage is a brief one, for death finally claims us. At the very beginning of his book, Solomon introduced a topic frequently mentioned in Ecclesiastes: the brevity of life and the certainty of death. Individuals and families come and go, nations and empires rise and fall, but nothing changes—the world remains the same.

Catalyst

Whether we look at the earth or the heavens, the winds or the waters, we come to the same conclusion: Nature does not change. We see motion but not promotion. No wonder Solomon cites life’s monotony as his first argument to prove that life is not worth living ().

All of this is true only if we look at life “under the sun” and leave God out of the picture. Then the world becomes a closed system that is uniform, predictable, and unchangeable. In this world we experience no answers to prayer and no miracles, for nothing can interrupt the cycle of nature. If God exists in this kind of world, He cannot act on our behalf, because He is imprisoned within the laws of nature that cannot be suspended. But God does break into nature to do great and wonderful things! He does hear and answer prayer and work on behalf of His people.

When, by faith, we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, and God becomes our heavenly Father, we no longer live in a closed system of endless monotonous cycles. We can gladly sing, “This is my Father’s world!” and know that He will meet all our needs as we trust Him (). Christians live in this world as pilgrims, not prisoners; therefore, they are joyful and confident.

For some people, life may be monotonous and meaningless, but it doesn’t have to be. For the Christian believer, life is an open door, not a closed circle, with daily experiences of new blessings from the Lord. True, we can’t explain everything, but life is not built on explanations; it’s built on promises—and God’s Word is packed with His promises!

Go to the

Solomon moves from the cycle of birth and death on earth to the cycle of day and night in the heavens. Solomon pictures the sun rising in the east and “hastens” (literal translation, “panting”) its way across the sky in pursuit of the western horizon. But what does it accomplish by this daily journey? To what purpose is all this motion and heat? As far as the heavens are concerned, one day is just like another, and the heavens remain the same.

From the visible east-west movement of the sun, Solomon turned to the invisible north-south movement of the wind. He was not giving a lecture on the physics of wind. Rather, he was stating that the wind is in constant motion, following routes that humans cannot fully understand or chart. Even with the most modern equipment, people have only a limited ability to predict the weather. “The wind blows where it wishes,” our Lord said to Nicodemus, “but [you] cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes” ().

Solomon described here the water cycle that helps to sustain life on our planet. The cooperation of the sun and the wind makes possible the evaporation and movement of moisture, and this keeps the water circulating. But the sea never changes. The rivers and the rains pour water into the seas, but the seas remain the same. We may use and cooperate with the systems in nature, but we cannot control them.

At this point, Solomon stops being a scientist and becomes a historian.

People want something new. Why? Because everything in this world ultimately brings weariness, and people long for something to distract them or deliver them. They are like the Athenians in Paul’s day, spending their time “in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing” ().

, The world provides nothing new. Only God can create what is new, and He begins by making sinners “new creation[s]” when they trust Jesus Christ to save them (). Then they can walk in new lives (), sing a “new song” (), and enter into God’s presence by a “new and living way” ().

Why do we think anything is new? The answer is simple: We have bad memories, and we don’t read the minutes of the previous meeting. (See ; ; .) Someone has said that the ancients have stolen all of our best ideas, and this is painfully true.

The historian now becomes the philosopher as Solomon relates how he went about searching for the answer to the problem that vexed him. As the king of Israel, he had all the resources necessary for experimenting with different solutions to see what it was that made life worth living. In the laboratory of life, he experimented with enjoying various physical pleasures (), accomplishing great and costly works (), and accumulating great possessions () only to discover that all of it was only “vanity and grasping for the wind” ().

Life is tough, but it is the gift of God. Solomon described life as a “tragic existence” that only fatigues a person. Of course, when God first created human life, the world had not been cursed because of sin (.). Since the fall of humankind, “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (); this is one reason why life is so difficult. One day, when our Lord returns, creation will be delivered from this bondage.

Life doesn’t get easier if you try to run away from it. All the works that are done “under the sun” never truly satisfy the heart. They are “vanity.” Both the workaholic and the alcoholic are running away from reality and living on substitutes, and one day the bubble of illusion will burst. We only make life harder when we try to escape. Instead of running away from life, we should run to God and let him make life worth living.

Some things can’t be changed. If we spend all our time and energy trying to straighten out everything that is crooked, we will have nothing left with which to live! And if we try to spend what we don’t have, we will end up in bankruptcy. We must remember that God has the power to straighten out what is crooked and supply what is lacking. He will not change the past, but He can change the way that the past affects us. For the lost sinner, the past is a heavy anchor that drags him down; but for the child of God, the past—even with sins and mistakes—is a rudder that guides him or her forward. Faith makes the difference.

Wisdom and experience will not solve every problem. Those who go through life living on explanations will always be unhappy for at least two reasons. First, this side of heaven has no explanations for some events, and, second, God is not obligated to explain them anyway ().

Solomon had the means and the authority to do just about anything his heart desired. He decided to test his own heart to see how he would respond to two very common experiences of life: enjoyment (vv. ) and employment (vv. ).

Solomon specifically mentioned wine and folly as two sources of pleasure used in his experiment. We can easily imagine the king in his splendid banquet hall (), eating choice food (, ), drinking the very best wine, and watching the most gifted entertainers (). But when the party was over and King Solomon examined his heart, it was still dissatisfied and empty. Pleasure and mirth were empty, meaningless, so many soap bubbles that quickly burst and left nothing behind. Today’s world is pleasure-mad. Millions of people will pay almost any amount of money to buy experiences and temporarily escape life’s pressures and burdens. While nothing is wrong with innocent fun, the person who builds his or her life only on seeking pleasure is bound to be disappointed in the end.

In his quest for meaning, Solomon got involved in all kinds of projects, hoping to discover something that would make life worth living. He started with great works (vv. ), building houses (), cities (), gardens, vineyards, and orchards and forests () and the water systems needed to service them. Solomon also supervised the construction of the temple (.), one of the greatest buildings of the ancient world. But he found that these achievements in themselves were not enough to provide a continual sense of meaning to life.

Doing a great project can bring joy, but what happens when the task is finished? Solomon found delight in all his labor; but afterward, when he considered all his works, he saw only “grasping for the wind” (v. ). The journey was a pleasure, but the destination brought pain. We must not conclude that Solomon was condemning work itself, because work is a blessing from God. Adam had work to do in the garden even before he sinned. “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” (). But work alone cannot satisfy the human heart, no matter how successful that work may be ().

After all his futile activity, Solomon decided to view life from another perspective. So he looked at his wisdom (vv. ) and his wealth (vv. ) in light of the certainty of death. What good is it to be wise and wealthy if we are going to die and leave everything behind? The certainty of death is a topic Solomon frequently mentions in Ecclesiastes (; ; ; , ; ; ; , , ; , ). He could not easily avoid the subject as he examined life “under the sun,” for death is one of the obvious facts of life. Acknowledging our mortality can bring us a healthy amount of humility.

Despite the fact that all people must die, Solomon believed that wisdom is still of greater value than folly. They are as different as night and day. Wise people see that death is coming and live accordingly, while fools walk in darkness and are caught unprepared. But being prepared for death did not necessarily relieve Solomon of his burden about life; for it takes a person a long time to learn how to live, and then life ends. All of this seems so futile.

“I hated life,” concluded Solomon, but he was not contemplating suicide; for death was one thing he wanted to avoid. The healthy Christian believer certainly would not hate life, no matter how difficult the circumstances might be. Certainly some great men and women have wanted to die, such as Job (), Moses (), Elijah (), and Jonah (), but we must not take these special instances as examples for us to follow. All of these men finally changed their minds. The Christian should “love life” (, quoted from .), seeking to put the most into it and getting the most out of it, to the glory of God. We may not enjoy everything in life, or be able to explain everything about life, but that is not important. We live by promises and not by explanations, and we know that “your labor is not in vain in the Lord” ().

Catalyst

Not only did Solomon hate life, but he hated the wealth that was the result of his toil. Solomon was born wealthy, so great wealth came to him because he was the king. But he was looking at life “under the sun” and speaking for the common people who were listening to his discussion. He gave three reasons why he was disgusted with wealth:

We can’t keep it (v. ). The day would come when Solomon would die and leave everything to his successor. This reminds us of our Lord’s warning in the parable of the rich fool () and Paul’s words in . A Jewish proverb says, “There are no pockets in shrouds.”

We can’t protect it (vv. , ). Having to leave our wealth behind is bad enough, but even worse is that we might leave it to someone who will waste it! Suppose this person is a fool and tears down everything we have built up? Solomon didn’t know it at the time, but his son Rehoboam would do that very thing ().

We can’t enjoy it as we should (vv. ). If all we do is think about our wealth and worry about what will happen to it, we will be miserable. We do all the work and then leave the wealth to somebody who didn’t even work for it (v. ).

Go to the

Solomon stated clearly that not only were his pleasures from God, but even the enjoyment of those pleasures was God’s gift to him (v. ). He considered it evil if a person had all the blessings of life from God but could not enjoy them (). The important point is that we seek to please the Lord () and trust Him to meet every need. God wants to give us wisdom, knowledge, and joy; these three gifts enable us to appreciate God’s blessings and take pleasure in them. Merely possessing “things” is not enough; we must also possess the kind of character that enables us to use those “things” wisely and enjoy them properly. When God is in the picture, everything changes! (Note that God is not mentioned from to .) Life and death, wisdom and wealth, are all in His hands; He wants us to enjoy His blessings and please Him. If we rejoice in the gifts but forget the Giver, then we are ungrateful idolaters.

In fourteen paired statements, Solomon affirms that God is at work in our individual lives, seeking to accomplish His will. All of these events come from God, and they are good in their time. The inference is plain: If we cooperate with God’s timing, life will not be meaningless. Everything will be “beautiful in its time” (v. ), even the most difficult experiences of life. Life is something like a doctor’s prescription: Taken alone, the ingredients might kill you, but properly blended, they bring healing. God is sovereign and has a time and a purpose for everything (). This is not fatalism, nor does it rob us of freedom or responsibility. It is the wise providence of a loving Father who does all things well and promises to make everything work for good.

Things like abortion, birth control, mercy killing, and surrogate parenthood may give the impression that humans control birth and death, but Solomon said otherwise. Birth and death are not human accidents; they are divine appointments, for God is in control. We may foolishly hasten death, but we cannot prevent it when our time comes, unless God so wills it (). “In Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me” ().

Farmers may plow and sow, but only God can give the increase (). “A time to pluck” translates a word that may refer either to reaping or to pulling up unproductive plants. A successful farmer knows that nature works for him only if he works with nature. This is also the secret of a successful life: Learn God’s principles and cooperate with them.

Palestine is indeed a rocky land, and farmers must clear their fields before they can plow and plant. To hurt an enemy, you would fill the enemy’s field with stones (, ). People also gathered stones for building walls and houses. Whether stones are good or bad depends on how they are used. If your enemy fills your land with rocks, don’t throw them back. Build something out of them!

This tearing and sewing probably refers to the Jewish practice of tearing one’s garments during a time of grief or repentance (; ). God expects us to sorrow during bereavement but not like unbelievers (). At times we must get out the needle and thread and start mending!

Are God’s people allowed to hate? The fact that the next phrase mentions “war” and “peace” suggests that Solomon may have had the nation primarily in mind. But believers are expected to hate some things (; ; ; , , ).

In view of the travail that we experience from day to day, life may seem like a strange gift, but it is God’s gift just the same. We exercise ourselves in trying to explain life’s enigmas, but we don’t always succeed. If we believingly accept life as a gift, and thank God for it, we will have a better attitude toward the burdens that come our way. If we grudgingly accept life as a burden, then we will miss the gifts that come our way. Outlook helps to determine outcome.

Human beings were created in the image of God and were given dominion over creation (). Humans, therefore, are different from the rest of creation. God “has put eternity in their hearts” and we are linked to heaven. God accomplishes His purposes in His time, but only when we enter eternity will we begin to comprehend His total plan.

The Teacher hinted at contentment in and was careful to say that this enjoyment of life was God’s gift (see ; ; ). Solomon is not encouraging pagan hedonism but rather the practice of enjoying God’s gifts as the fruit of one’s labor, no matter how difficult life may be. Life appears to be transitory, but whatever God does is forever. So when we live for Him and let Him have His way, life is meaningful and manageable. Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, let’s enjoy what we do have and thank God for it.

The proper attitude for us is the fear of the Lord, which is not the cringing of a slave before a cruel master but the submission of an obedient child to a loving parent. (See ; ; , ; .) If we fear God, we need not fear anything else, for He is in control.

This verse helps us recall and gives us the assurance that God controls the cycle of life. The past seems to repeat itself so that “there is nothing new under the sun” (), but God can break into history and do what He pleases. His many miracles are evidence that the cycle is a pattern and not a prison. God’s own Son broke into human history through a miraculous birth. He then died on a cross and rose again, thus conquering the life-death cycle.

God will judge when history has run its course, but God is judging now. In the experiences of life, God is testing humans. (The Hebrew word means “to sift, to winnow.”) God is revealing what humans are really like; He is sifting them. For example, when someone leaves God out of his or her life, that person becomes like an animal. (See ; ; , .) He or she lives like a beast and dies like a beast.

Solomon calls us to accept life, enjoy it a day at a time, and be satisfied. We must never be satisfied with ourselves, but we must always be satisfied with what God gives to us in this life. If we grow in character and godliness and live by faith, then we will be able to say with Paul, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” ().

Solomon had been a wise and just king (), but he could not guarantee the integrity of every officer in his government. Solomon went into a courtroom to watch a trial, and there he saw innocent people being oppressed by power-hungry officials. The victims wept, but their tears did no good. Nobody stood with them to comfort or assist them. The oppressors had all the power, and their victims were helpless to protest or ask for redress.

Why did Solomon the king do nothing? If Solomon started to interfere with his government and make drastic changes, he would only create new problems and reveal more corruption. This is not to suggest that we today should despair of cleaning out political corruption. As Christian citizens, we must pray for all in authority () and do what we can to see that just laws are passed and fairly enforced. But a huge administrative body like the one in Israel probably would never be completely free of corruption, so a sole crusader could not improve the situation.

Solomon saw people who were not only busy, they were also skillful in their work and competent in all they did. They had mastered the techniques of their trades. So much for the worker’s hands; what about the worker’s heart? Here’s where Solomon had his next disappointment. The only reason these people perfected their skills and worked hard at their jobs was to compete with others and make more money than their neighbors. The purpose of their work was not to produce beautiful or useful products, or to help people, but to stay ahead of the competition and survive in the battle for bread.

, Solomon moved from one extreme to the other and began to study those who had no ambition at all—lazy “fools.” Perhaps the king could learn about life by examining the antithesis, the way scientists study cold to better understand heat. Solomon must have felt frustrated as he watched these fools, because Solomon had no sympathy for lazy people who would sit all day with folded hands and do nothing (see ; ; ).

Here are people whose lives are balanced: productive in work and also careful to take time for quietness. They don’t run in the rat race, but neither do they try to run away from the normal responsibilities of life. Current research suggests that fewer people today know how to keep life in balance. They are caught in the rat race and don’t know how to escape.

, Solomon noticed a solitary man, very hard at work, so he went to question him. The king discovered that the man had no relatives or partners to help him in his business, nor did he desire any help. He wanted all the profit for himself. But he was so busy that he had no time to enjoy his profits. And, if he died, he had no family to inherit his wealth. In other words, all his labor was in vain.

Solomon concluded, “This also is vanity and a grave misfortune.” God wants us to labor, but to labor in the right spirit and for the right reasons. Blessed are the balanced!

Two are better when it comes to walking. Roads and paths in Palestine were not paved or even leveled, and the fields had many hidden rocks. It was common for even the most experienced traveler to stumble, perhaps break a bone, or even fall into a hidden pit (, ). How wonderful to have a friend who can help us up (or out). But if this applies to our physical falls, how much more does it apply to those times when we stumble in our spiritual walk and need restoration (, )? We should be grateful for Christian friends who help us walk straight.

Solomon started with the number one (v. ), then moved to two (v. ), and then closed with three (v. ). This is typical of Hebrew literature (). One cord could be broken easily; two cords would require more strength; but three cords woven together could not be easily broken. If two travelers are better than one, then three would fare even better. Solomon had more than numbers in mind; he was also thinking of the unity involved in three cords woven together—what a beautiful picture of friendship!

Solomon had visited the courtroom, the marketplace, the highway, and the palace. Now he paid a visit to the temple, that magnificent building whose construction he had supervised. Solomon watched the worshipers come and go—praising God, praying, sacrificing, and making vows. He noted that many of them were not at all sincere in their worship and that they left the sacred precincts in worse spiritual condition than when they had entered. What was their sin? They were robbing God of the reverence and honor that He deserved. Their acts of worship were perfunctory, insincere, and hypocritical.

The worshiper needed to be more ready to hear, that is, to obey the Word of God. Sacrifices are not substitutes for obedience, as King Saul found out when he tried to cover up his disobedience with pious promises (). Offerings in the hands without obedient faith in the heart become the sacrifice of fools, because only a fool thinks he or she can deceive God. The fool thinks he or she is doing good, but he or she is only doing evil. And God knows it.

, If we were privileged to bring our needs and requests to the White House or to Buckingham Palace, we would prepare our words carefully and exhibit proper behavior. So much more important is preparing to come to the throne of Almighty God. Yet, so many pray flippantly; these people seem to know nothing about the fear of the Lord. When you pray, watch out for both “vain repetitions” and too “many words” (). The secret of acceptable praying is a prepared heart (, ) because the mouth speaks what the heart contains ().

The Teacher warned about two sins. The first was making the vow with no intention of keeping it, in other words, lying to God. The second sin was making the vow but delaying to keep it, hoping you could get out of it.

People make empty vows because they live in a religious dream world; they think that words are the same as deeds. Their worship is not serious, so their words are not dependable. They practice a make-believe religion that neither glorifies God nor builds Christian character.

Some people treat money as though it were a god. They love it, make sacrifices for it, and think that it can do anything. Their minds are filled with thoughts about money; their lives are controlled by getting it and guarding it. But the person who loves money cannot be satisfied no matter how much is in the bank account, because the human heart was made to be satisfied only by God ().

Catalyst

Solomon is not suggesting that working or eating is wrong. Many people enjoy doing both. But if life consists of only working and eating, then we are being controlled by our appetites, and that almost puts us on the same level as animals. As far as nature is concerned, self-preservation may be the first law of life. But we who are made in the image of God must live for something higher (). In the new creation (), self-preservation may well be the first law of death ().

Is Solomon telling us that we shouldn’t dream great dreams or have a burning ambition to accomplish something in life? Of course not, but we must take care that our ambition is motivated by the glory of God and not the praise from people. We must want to serve others and not promote ourselves. If we think our achievements will automatically bring satisfaction, we are wrong. True satisfaction comes when we do the will of God from the heart (). “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” ().

Go to the

Keep in mind that Solomon was advocating neither poverty nor riches because both have their problems (). The Teacher was warning his listeners against the love of money and the delusions that wealth can bring. In the closing verses of the chapter, he affirmed once again the importance of accepting our station in life and enjoying the blessings that God gives to us. What is “good” () is to labor faithfully, enjoy life, and accept everything as the gracious gift of God. Solomon gave us this wise counsel before in ; , , ; and he will repeat it at least three more times before he ends his sermon.

Solomon added another important thought: the ability to enjoy life’s blessings is also a gift from God. Solomon will expand on this thought in the next chapter and point out the unhappiness of people who possess wealth but are not able to enjoy it.

To Solomon, a basic principle was that nobody can truly enjoy the gifts of God apart from the God who gives the gifts. To enjoy the gifts without the Giver is idolatry, and this can never satisfy the human heart. Enjoyment without God is merely entertainment, and it doesn’t satisfy. But enjoyment with God is enrichment, and it brings true joy and satisfaction.

These verses surely deal with a hypothetical case because nobody lives for two thousand years, and no monogamous marriage is likely to produce a hundred children. Solomon’s son Rehoboam had eighty-eight children, but he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines—like father, like son. (See .) The Teacher was obviously exaggerating here in order to make his point: No matter how much you possess, if you don’t possess the power to enjoy it, you might just as well have never been born.

The fact that God has decided “whatever one is, he has been named already” does not mean that our world is a prison and we have no freedom to act. Certainly God can accomplish His divine purposes with or without our cooperation, but He invites us to work with Him. We cooperate with God as we accept His pronouncements and do His will: sin is sin; obedience is obedience; truth is truth. If we try to alter those truths, we move into a world of illusion and lose touch with reality. This is where many people are living today.

Does anybody know what will happen many years from now? Despite what the astrologers, prophets, and fortune-tellers claim, nobody knows the future except God. Speculation is futile, a waste of time. God gives us enough information to encourage us, but He does not cater to idle curiosity. One thing is sure: death is coming, and we had better make the best use of our present opportunities.

“Better” is a key word in this chapter. Solomon’s listeners must have been shocked when they heard Solomon describe the “better” things that come to those who follow God’s wisdom.

Solomon is contrasting two significant days in human experience: the day a person receives his or her name and the day when that name shows up in the obituary column. The life lived between those two events will determine whether that name leaves behind a lovely fragrance or a foul stench.

Solomon advised the people to look death in the face and learn from it. He did not say that we should be preoccupied with death, because that could be abnormal. But there is a danger that we might try to avoid confrontations with the reality of death and, as a result, not take life as seriously as we should.

“A bribe” appears to be a quick way to get things done, but it only turns a wise person into a fool and encourages the corruption already in the human heart. Far better that we wait patiently and humbly for God to work out His will than that we get angry and demand our own way (v. ; see also ; ; ).

Today is better than yesterday. When life is difficult and we are impatient for change, we may long for “the good old days” when things were better. Someone has said that “the good old days” are the combination of a bad memory and a good imagination, and often this is true. Yesterday is past and cannot be changed, and tomorrow may not come, so make the most of today. This does not mean we shouldn’t learn from the past or prepare for the future because both are important. It means that we must live today in the will of God and not be paralyzed by yesterday or hypnotized by tomorrow.

Wisdom is better than a generous inheritance. Money can lose its value or be stolen, but true wisdom keeps its value and cannot be lost, unless we become fools and abandon it deliberately.

This is not a summons to slavish fatalism. Similar to , it is a sensible invitation to a life yielded to the will of God. If God makes something crooked, He is able to make it straight; and perhaps He will ask us to work with Him to get the job done. But if He wants it to stay crooked, we had better not argue with Him. We don’t fully understand all the works of God (), but we do know that “He has made everything beautiful in its time” ().

If one problem in life demands a mature perspective, it is “Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?” The good seem to die young while the wicked enjoy long lives, and this seems contrary to the justice of God and the Word of God. Didn’t God tell the people that the obedient would live long (; ) and the disobedient would perish (, ; )? Actually, the wicked appear to prosper only if you take the short view of time. This was the lesson Asaph recorded in and that Paul reinforced in and .

This passage warns us against self-righteousness and the pride that comes when we think we have arrived and know it all: “don’t be too good or too wise.” Solomon stated clearly in verse that no perfect people exist, so he cannot be referring to true righteousness here. He was condemning the self-righteousness of the hypocrite and the false wisdom of the proud, and he warned that these sins led to destruction and death.

Everyone is guilty of both sins of omission (“there is not a just man on earth who does good”) and sins of commission (“does not sin”). If we walk in the fear of God and follow His wisdom, we will be able to detect and defeat the wicked one when he comes to tempt us. Wisdom will guide us and guard us in our daily walk.

Even Solomon with all his God-given wisdom could not understand all that exists, how God manages it, and what purposes He has in mind. He searched everywhere to understand “the reason of things” but found no final answers to all his questions. The wise person knows that he or she does not know; however, this is what helps to make him or her wise!

We must not think, because of this passage, that Solomon rated women as less intelligent than men, because this is not the case. He spoke highly of women in Proverbs (; ; ; ; .), Ecclesiastes (), and certainly in the Song of Solomon. In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon even pictured God’s wisdom as a beautiful woman (; ; ). Remember that women in Solomon’s day had neither the freedom nor the status that they have today, and for a woman to have learning equal to that of a man would be unusual. For women to rule over the land was considered a judgment of God (; but remember Miriam, Deborah, and Esther, Old Testament women who had great leadership ability).

Yes, this evil world has many snares and temptations, but the person with godly wisdom will have the power to overcome them. Solomon has proved his point: Wisdom can make our lives better, clearer, and stronger. We may not fully understand all that God is doing, but we will have enough wisdom to live for the good of others and the glory of God.

The officer must be true to his oath of allegiance to the king and to God, who is the source of all authority in this world (). To disobey orders would mean breaking his promise to the ruler and to God, and that has serious consequences.

In matters of conscience and the law, devoted believers have pretty much agreed with Peter: “We ought to obey God rather than men” (). Christian prisoners and martyrs down through the ages testify to the courage of conscience and the importance of standing up for what is right. This doesn’t mean we can resist the law on every minor matter that disturbs us; it means we have the obligation to obey our consciences. How we express our disagreement with the authorities demands wisdom and grace.

, The wise servant “discerns both time and judgment” that must be considered in everything, and that discernment is needed to know the right procedure for the right time. The impulsive person who rants, overreacts, or storms out of the room probably only makes the problem worse. Wisdom helps us understand people and situations better and how to figure out the right action at the right time.

One thing is sure: A day is coming when wickedness will be judged (v. ), and even kings will not escape. No one can prevent the day of his or her death, and nobody can get discharged from the army when a war is on. Likewise, nobody can stop the inexorable working of God’s law.

Solomon reported on a funeral he had attended. The deceased was a man who had frequented the temple and had received much praise from the people, but he had not lived a godly life. Yet he was given a magnificent funeral, with an eloquent eulogy, while the truly godly people of the city were ignored and forgotten. As he reflected on the matter, Solomon realized that the deceased man had continued in his sin because he thought he was getting away with it (v. ). God is indeed longsuffering toward sinners and doesn’t always judge sin immediately (). But God’s mercy must not be used as an excuse for a person’s rebellion.

How should a wise person respond to the inequities and injustices in this world? Certainly we should do all we can to encourage the passing of good laws and the enforcement of them by capable people, but even this will not completely solve the problem. Until Jesus Christ sets up His righteous kingdom, the world will always have injustices. This is one of the facts of life that we must accept without becoming pessimistic or cynical.

For the fourth time, Solomon told his congregation to enjoy life and delight in the fruit of their labors (see ; ; ). Remember, this admonition is not the foolish “eat, drink, and be merry” philosophy of the unbelieving hedonist. Rather, it is the positive faith outlook of God’s children who accept life as God’s special gift and know that He gives us “richly all things to enjoy” (). Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, we give thanks for what we do have and enjoy it.

The outcome of life and death are “in God’s hands” (v. ), and only He knows our future, whether it will bring joy or sorrow. Solomon was not suggesting that we are passive actors in a cosmic drama, following an unchangeable script handed to us by an uncaring director. Throughout this book, Solomon has emphasized our freedom of discernment and decision. But only God knows what the future holds and what will happen tomorrow because of the decisions we make today. How people deal with the reality of death is revealed in the way they deal with the realities of life. Solomon pointed out three possible responses that people make to the ever-present fear of death.

The fact of death and the fear of death will either bring out the best in people or the worst in them; too often it is the worst. When death comes to a family, it doesn’t create problems; it reveals them. In the face of death, people will get drunk, fight with their relatives, drive recklessly, spend large amounts of money on useless things, and plunge into one senseless pleasure after another, all to keep the Grim Reaper at arm’s length.

When confronted by the stern fact of death, not everybody dives into an escape hatch and shouts, “Let’s eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!” Many people just grit their teeth, square their shoulders, and endure. Faced with tragedy and grief, this approach may help us cope for the short term, but life is not intended by God to be simply a joyless endurance race.

Solomon listed some of the common experiences of home life: happy leisurely meals (v. ), joyful celebrations (v. ), a faithful, loving marriage (v. ), and hard work (v. ). What a contrast to modern society’s formula for happiness: fast food and a full schedule, the addictive pursuit of everything new, live-in relationships, and shortcuts guaranteed to help a person avoid work but still get rich quick.

Those things that fill our schedules in this life will not be present in the grave, so we should make the most of our opportunities now. One day our works will be judged, and we will want to receive a reward for His glory (; ).

, Our abilities do not guarantee success. While generally we find that the fastest runners win the races, the strongest soldiers win the battles, and the smartest and most skillful workers win the best jobs, these same gifted people can fail miserably because of factors out of their control. The successful person knows how to “discern both time and judgment” (), but only the Lord can control “chance” and “time” ().

Of course, Christians don’t depend on such things as luck or chance because their confidence is in the loving providence of God. Christians trust God to guide them and help them in making decisions, and they believe that His will is best. They leave “chance” and “time” in God’s capable hands.

In this vignette, the “little city” was besieged, and the wise man could have saved it; but nobody paid any attention to him. Verse suggests that a ruler with a loud mouth got all of the attention and led the people into defeat. The wise man spoke quietly and was ignored. He had the opportunity for greatness but was frustrated by one loud, ignorant man.

Before concluding his message, Solomon thought he should remind his congregation once again of the importance of wisdom and the danger of folly. (The word “fool” and related terms are used many times in this chapter.) Verse lays down the basic principle that folly creates problems for those who act foolishly. Solomon had already compared a good name to costly perfume (), so he used the image again. What dead flies are to perfume, folly is to the good reputation of the wise person.

A boss may be foolishly angry, or rightly so. Either way, a wise employee doesn’t impulsively quit, but holds his or her tongue, overcoming the mistake with a quiet spirit.

A ruler who is too pliable is also a fool. Lacking character and courage, this person will put fools in the high offices and qualified people in the low offices. The servants will ride on horses while the noblemen will walk (see ; , ). Rulers who appoint incompetent advisors are almost certain to govern the nation unwisely.

Solomon seems to be describing people who attempt to do their work but suffer anyway. One man digs a well, but he falls into the pit himself. Why? Perhaps because he lacked wisdom and failed to take proper precautions. Frequently Scripture uses this as a picture of just retribution, but that doesn’t seem to be the lesson here (see ; , ; ; ; ; ; ).

The wise person will speak gracious words that are suited to the listeners and the occasion (; ). Whether in personal conversation or public ministry, our Lord always knew the right thing to say at the right time (). We should try to emulate Him. But fools blurt out whatever is on their mind and don’t stop to consider who might be hurt. In the end, “the lips of a fool shall swallow him up.”

Because fools’ ideas “begin with foolishness,” what they say doesn’t make sense. And the longer they talk, the crazier it becomes. Their conclusions will be “raving madness.” They would be better off to keep quiet because all that they say only lets everybody know that they are fools (). Paul called them “insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers” ().

, Folly is boastful. Foolish people talk about the future as though they either know all about it or are in control of what will happen. “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (). Several times before, Solomon has emphasized humanity’s ignorance of the future (; ; ; ), a truth that wise people receive but fools reject (see ).

A fools “multiplies words” without realizing that they are saying nothing. “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (). The person who can control his or her tongue is able to discipline the entire body (, ). Jesus said, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” ().

, An immature king will gather those who will indulge his immaturity. But noble leaders surround themselves with noble officers who will put the good of the country first. Real leaders use their authority to build the nation, while mere officeholders use the nation to build their authority. They use public funds for their own selfish purposes, throwing parties and having a good time.

This verse declares the personal philosophy of foolish leaders: Eat all you can, enjoy all you can, and get all you can. They are totally indifferent to the responsibilities of their office or the needs of the people. In recent years, various developing nations have seen how easy it is for unscrupulous leaders to steal government funds in order to build their own kingdoms. Unfortunately, this has also happened recently to some religious organizations.

The familiar saying “A little bird told me” probably originated from this verse: “For a bird of the air may carry your voice.” You can imagine a group of these officers having a party in one of their private rooms and, instead of toasting the king, they are mocking him. Of course, they wouldn’t do this if any of the king’s friends were present, but they were sure that the company would faithfully keep the secret. Alas, somebody told the king what was said, and this gave him reason to punish them or dismiss them from their offices.

Catalyst

Solomon used two activities to illustrate his point: the merchant sending out his ships (, ) and the farmer sowing his seed (vv. ). In both activities, a great deal of faith is required, because neither the merchant nor the farmer can control the circumstances. The ships might hit a reef, meet a storm, or be attacked by pirates and the cargo lost. Bad weather, blight, or insects might destroy the crop, and the farmer’s labor would be in vain. If the merchant and the farmer waited until the circumstances were ideal, however, they would never get anything done! Life has a certain amount of risk to it, and that’s where faith comes in.

The merchant (, ). “Send your grain across the seas.” Solomon himself was involved in various kinds of trade, so it was natural for him to use this illustration (, ). The ships would take months to return with their precious cargo; but when they did, the merchant’s faith and patience would be rewarded.

The farmer (). Farming has never been easy work, and this was especially true in the Holy Land in Bible days. The Hebrews tilled a rocky soil, and they depended on the early and latter rains to nourish their seed. Nobody can predict the weather, let alone control it, and the farmer is at the mercy of nature.

James picked up this last theme by highlighting that a key evidence of faith is patience. “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (, ).

Go to the

What a joy it is to anticipate each new day and accept it as a fresh gift from God! Solomon especially instructed the young people to take advantage of the days of youth before the “days of darkness” would arrive. He was not suggesting that young people have no problems or that older people have no joys. He was simply making a generalization that youth is the time for enjoyment, before the problems of old age start to reveal themselves.

This is Solomon’s reminder for young people to enjoy the special pleasures that belong to youth and can never be experienced again in quite the same way. Those of us who are older need to remember that God expects young people to act like young people. The tragedy is that too many older people are trying to act like young people!

Privileges must be balanced by personal responsibilities. Young people must put anxiety out of their hearts () and evil away from their flesh (). Even youthfulness, if lived only “under the sun” without the fear of God is meaningless. If we are living in the will of God, we will have the peace of God in our hearts ().

This instruction to “remember . . . Your creator” means more than “think about God.” It means “pay attention to, consider with the intention of obeying.” This is Solomon’s version of : “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” How easy it is to neglect the Lord when we are caught up in the enjoyments and opportunities of youth. We know that dark days () and difficult days () are coming, so we had better lay a good spiritual foundation as early in life as possible.

Solomon describes a golden bowl—a lamp—hanging from the ceiling on a silver cord. The cord snaps and the bowl breaks. The fragile “cord of life” is snapped and the light of life goes out. Only wealthy people could have such costly lamps, so Solomon may be hinting that death is no respecter of persons.

For the last time in his discourse, the Teacher said, “Vanity of vanities . . . All is vanity.” The book closes where it began (), emphasizing the emptiness of life without God. When we look at life “under the sun,” everything does seem vain; but when we know Jesus Christ as Savior, we know “that [our] labor is not in vain in the Lord” ().

People often point out that life is like a school, except that sometimes we don’t know what the lessons are until we have failed the examination. God teaches us primarily from His Word; but He also teaches us through creation, history, and the various experiences of life. Solomon explained the characteristics of his own work as a teacher of God’s truth. Our experiences, good and bad, can be effective and unforgettable teachers.

Solomon sought to be careful in his teaching, so he used “acceptable words.” This means gracious and “wise” words () that would win the attention of his listeners and readers. Yet at no time did he dilute his message or flatter his congregation. Solomon always wrote the words of truth. (See .) Like our Lord Jesus Christ, the king was able to combine “grace and truth” (; ).

Ecclesiastes ends where the Book of Proverbs begins (), with an admonition for us to fear God (see ; ; ; , ). The fear of the Lord is that attitude of reverence and awe that His people show to Him because they love Him and respect His power and His greatness. The person who fears God will pay attention to His Word and obey it. He or she will not tempt the Lord by deliberately disobeying or by playing with sin. An unholy fear makes people run away from God, but a holy fear brings them to their knees in loving submission to God. The fear of the Lord must result in obedient living; otherwise that “fear” is only a sham. The dedicated believer will want to spend time daily in Scripture, getting to know the Father better and discovering His will. “Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” ().

God created life and He alone knows how it should be managed. He wrote the instruction manual, and wise is the person who reads and obeys. “When all else fails, read the instructions!”

Ecclesiastes 1

1:1

1:2 , ; ;

1:2 [, ]

1:2 Or Absurdity, Frustration, Futility, Nonsense; and so throughout this book

1:3 ;

1:4 ;

1:5

1:6

1:7 []

1:8

1:9

1:11

1:13 [; , ]

1:13

1:15

1:16 ,

1:17 , ; ,

1:18

Ecclesiastes 2

2:1

2:1 [; ]

2:1

2:3

2:3 [, ; ; ]

2:4

2:8 ; , ,

2:8 Exact meaning unknown

2:9

2:10 ; ;

2:11 ,

2:12 ;

2:12

2:13 , , ; ;

2:14

2:16 ;

2:18

2:22 ;

2:23 ;

2:24 , ,

2:25 Following Masoretic Text, Targum, and Vulgate; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, and Syriac read without Him.

2:26

Ecclesiastes 3

3:1 ;

3:2

3:4

3:5

3:7

3:8

3:9

3:10

3:11

3:12 ,

3:13

3:14

3:15

3:16

3:17 []

3:19 []

3:20

3:21

3:21 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate read Who knows whether the spirit . . . goes upward, and whether . . . goes downward to the earth?

3:22 ;

3:22

3:22 ;

Ecclesiastes 4

4:1 ;

4:2 ,

4:3

4:5 ;

4:6 , ;

4:8 []

4:8

Ecclesiastes 5

5:1

5:1 []

5:2

5:3

5:4

5:4 ,

5:5

5:6

5:6 Literally voice

5:7 []

5:8

5:8 [; ; ]

5:13 ,

5:15

5:16

5:17

5:18 []

5:18 ;

5:19 []

5:19 ;

Ecclesiastes 6

6:1

6:2

6:3 ,

6:3

6:6 ,

6:7

6:9

6:10 ;

6:10

6:12

Ecclesiastes 7

7:1

7:2 []

7:3 []

7:5

7:6

7:7

7:8

7:9

7:11

7:12

7:13

7:14

7:15

7:16

7:17

7:18 ; ; ,

7:19

7:20

7:23

7:24

7:25

7:26 ,

7:27 ,

7:28

7:29

7:29 ,

Ecclesiastes 8

8:1

8:2

8:3

8:4

8:6 ,

8:7

8:8 ,

8:8

8:10 ;

8:10 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, and Vulgate read praised.

8:11

8:12

8:12 []

8:14

8:14 ; ;

8:15

8:17

Ecclesiastes 9

9:1

9:2

9:2 Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read good and bad.

9:5

9:7

9:9

9:10 []

9:10

9:11 ,

9:11

9:12

9:14

9:14 Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read bulwarks.

9:16 ,

9:18

Ecclesiastes 10

10:1 Targum and Vulgate omit putrefy.

10:3 ;

10:4

10:6

10:7 ;

10:8

10:11

10:12

10:14 []

10:14 ;

10:16 , ;

10:17

10:18

10:19

10:20

Ecclesiastes 11

11:1

11:1 []

11:2 [, ]

11:2

11:5

11:5 Or spirit

11:7

11:8

11:9

11:9 ;

11:10

Ecclesiastes 12

12:1

12:4

12:5

12:6 Following Qere and Targum; Kethib reads removed; Septuagint and Vulgate read broken.

12:7

12:8

12:9

12:11 Literally masters of the assemblies

12:12

12:13 [; ]

12:14

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