Ecclesiastes 12

OK. I need to finish Ecclesiastes. I find it so difficult, sometimes, to finish a project, especially a book. So, here's to accomplishing stuff.

Two observations:
1) Remember your creator.
12:1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;

What a great reminder--in the midst of the business of life, we need to remember our God. We need to remember our relationship with him. Too often, we remember when it is too late--or some trauma has to come into life to force us to remember--like a crashing stock market. The journey can be tough--and it is tougher without God. But when we stay in contact with God through relationship (scripture reading and prayer), then we will find joy in this journey.


2) Live for your creator

12:13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.

Solomon also writes in 12:12 'But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.' Knowledge only takes us so far. Ultimately, we must live the life that God gives us, with the knowledge that we can handle, and trust him through loving obedience and submission. The relationship that arises from this trust will guide us and bring joy in the journey.

Ecclesiastes 11: observations

Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. 2Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. 3If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. 4He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.6Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

Mysteries of God. 1) investing, giving, or letting go of resources actually brings reward--although it is delayed. Eventually it will find you. Don't believe in karma, although I do believe that you will reap what you sow. It is a mystery because we do not see how the gift comes back to us.

2) God's creativity is beyond our understanding, regardless of how much we can measure it and observe it.

3) Those who do not sow or reap will not benefit from the rain or from the harvest.

4) Timing is important, but hard work is even better.


7The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. 8Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.
I am starting to wonder if Solomon's emphasis on "futility" and "vanity" is his way of saying "don't worry." As in v. 8, rejoice in the light and remember the dark. Everything else, don't worry about it.

9Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

This does not communicate well to me. I have always considered that the youth should measure their days and choose paths that do not lead to judgment. Maybe Solomon is saying that all paths lead to some kind of judgment. Therefore enjoy the life that God has given. This seems to be one of Solomon's main themes: enjoy the life that God has given. Do not let worry or pain keep you from enjoying the gifts of God.

Ecclesiastes 10: Consider the cost

Solomon's observations turn to the irony of life. Hard work often leads to harder work. Maintaining an Empire can be more time consuming and expensive than building it. Sometimes, the plans of humanity do not end in the goals that were intended. Solomon observes that . . .

He who digs a pit may fall into it.

A serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall.

He who quarries stones may be hurt by them.

He who splits logs may be endangered by them.

All of these illustrate the fallen state of our world in this way: our own plans are finite and limited, and the material world that we live in suffers from sinful contamination. Thus, even the best laid plans can end in injury or death to the planner.

Solomon would not have us grow weary with planning. Instead, he observes the value of thinking ahead.


If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

If the serpent bites before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. So make sure you are prepared before engaging difficult circumstance.

Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him; Think about what you say.

The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. If you know the way, or ask for directions, you will have a better chance of arriving in a good state of mind, and in one piece.

Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness. Be careful about thinking with your stomach. It will consume your resources, then consume you.

Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.
If you build anything, it will cost you to maintain it.

Count the cost.

Ecclesiastes 9: Death and the Afterlife

Solomon finally dwells on a topic that he has touched on from time to time. He comments that The same destiny overtakes all (3). All will die, both he good and the evil.

Does it seem, then, that Solomon's understanding of heaven is rather limited in comparison to my own.
For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even the memory of them is forgotten.

Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun. (5-6)

Now, it is possible to see that Solomon does not mention heaven here, and he suggests that the dead know nothing. Thus, Solomon, and perhaps the majority of Israelites, do not have the same concept of heaven that we do. We suggest that when people die they go directly to heaven. At the very least, Solomon seems to think that the dead lie in the grave while their memory is forgotten. Either Solomon thinks that they wait for God to wake them, or he does not know of a heaven where people come back to life. And Solomon has yet to address the issue of what the dead might be waiting for.

Indeed, his focus throughout the book is on the here and now. He looks for justice in the present, he argues for obedience and pleasing God in the present. Solomon also argues that humanity needs to work hard now for there will be no work in the grave. (10) With his focus on the here and now, I think his point is this: You have the gift of life--do not waste it on foolishness and worry. Work hard today and please God today--that is all you have.

Since Solomon's emphasis is not on the future, he does not explain his idea of heaven here. This is not to say that he does not have a concept of heaven or future life--although his comments on there being no reward in the grave may lead some to think that he has no hope of eternal life beyond the grave.

However, the rest of the Bible teaches us of eternal life and heaven (see Colossians 1:5 for an example). Thus, it seems to me that Solomon's emphasis stops at the finality of death. He does not discuss the rewards of heaven, only the emptiness of the grave.

Let eveyone who hears, then, make the right choices in this life--for there will be no time or opportunity to correct them in the grave. I think this is Solomon's emphasis: enjoy God's gifts now and please him. The future is out of our hands.

Ecclesiastes 8: Justice

Three themes seem to appear in this passages.

First, the authority of the king is mentioned. Obey the king's command (v2) because he does whatever he pleases (3). In the end, the wise heart will know the time and plan (4). There are powers in the world, ordained by God, which are above the wisdom or authority of man. Some issues are bigger than the individual, and we must all submit to the sovereignty of God in these situations. As such, the wise man will know the right time to act and how to act at that time. Solomon suggests that no harm will come to the man who trusts in God and wisely chooses his time to discuss matters concerning the king.

Not all kings are bad, but they are all imperfect. Eventually, authority will corrupt. Yet, there is a time to act against corruption, and there is a time to trust God and silently do what is right before God in the face of authority and corruption.

But, what is a Christian to do when the king or authority forces unfaithful acts? Where is the protection then?

Secondly, Solomon addresses injustice. When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong (11). Punishment is important, not only for payment and balance in the system, but also for learning in society. When the punishment does not fit the crime, then more people will test the system.

But where does mercy fit into this? Is mercy not a good a teacher as punishment? Can punishment be merciful, and mercy detrimental?

There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve (14).

Is Solomon specifically speaking of death, an early demise in life? Solomon is convinced that the righteous will come out ahead in life, and that the evil will not benefit from their doings (13). Yet he notices that evil brings temporary benefit while the righteous suffer.

Makes me wonder what Solomon means by righteousness and evil. He watched the evil worship and sacrifice in the Temple (10) and then meet their demise. He recognizes that evil will eventually capture those that it ensnares (8). However, I think that this life does not reveal all of the spiritual ends that our decisions lead us to So, we are left with only an understanding of part of the story. Solomon finds this limited knowledge frustrating. I do as well.

Finally, we are reminded of the paradox of wisdom again. The more the wise man sees, the less he understands about events under the sun. In the end, wisdom can relieve and enlighten the soul (1), and yet the wise must acknowledge that the meaning behind the wisdom is still out of reach (17). Anyone who does not acknowledge this is not very wise.

Gems from Ecclesiastes 7

Verses from Ecclesiastes 7

7 Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

Can you say "Politics!" No wonder people are sick of church politics. They have no place in the kingdom of God.

10 Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions.

How many times have I heard this in the church, or in general conversation. Now I have a biblical comeback.

12 Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter. The advantage of knowledge is this: wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.

Conclusion: money will eventually collapse on its owner--or it will devour him.

14 When times are good, be happy. When times are bad consider this: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

We cannot know all of God's plans. We can only accept that he is in control in all circumstances. Is this a comfort to you?

18 The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.

Literally, the God-fearing man will hold onto his God and his humanity equally, avoiding the extremes of self-righteousness and wickedness.

21 Do not pay attention to every word that people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you. For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

Ouch! It is true. We need to let others vent without our knowing, and if we heard all things, then we would certainly fall under the weight of the words. However, God hears all things and understands them all. That is too much for me to grasp . . . .


29 This one thing I have found: God made men upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.

Oh wondering heart. If only I could be satisfied with God's plans and wisdom. But I search for my own plans, with little understanding.

Solomon on Worship: Ecclesiastes 5

Solomon on worship:

1. Be cautious when you enter the house of God. He hears your vows--your commitments. It is better not to utter a commitment than to say you will serve and then fall short of your vow.

Reminds me of Jesus: Matthew 5:33-37. 33"Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 34But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or’No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil."


2. Listen when you enter God's house. Are your words more valuable than God's Word?

3. Stand in awe of God. He builds and he tears down. He holds your present and your future in his hands. Honor him.

4. Love God and him alone. He who loves money never has enough. His wealth does not permit him peace. (5:10, 12) Money comes and goes (5:14-15). God is forever. Love God alone.

5. Praise God for his provision and peace. He gives money and possession, and enables the receiver to enjoy the gift--to accept his lot and enjoy his work. This is a gift from God. Happy is the man who seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. (5:19-20)

The futility of greed/The blessing of contentment: Ecclesiastes 4

So, Solomon again looks out over creation and notices that the oppressed have no comforter (4:1). Yet I wonder to myself, "Isn't the king supposed to have the power to initiate justice?" When did Solomon become powerless? Is it only in his final days that he realizes just how empty his kingship had become? Or is he looking at the world at large, and moaning his limited impact? Or both?

I find it ironic and sad that Solomon asked for wisdom, God granted it with great pleasure, and yet all that Solomon sees is wisdom thwarted.

Yet there are reinforcements of divine truth and peace in Solomon' story. "Better is one handful and tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind." Be satisfied with God's simple gifts and provisions. Chasing after wealth and power will only prove fruitless. This is affirmed in 4:8: "There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth." God has given us all we need.

Ultimately, Solomon sees that human relationship is much more beneficial than wealth.

4:9 Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work.

4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands in not quickly broken.

Thus, we must be humble and accept the help that God places in our lives. Also, we must not hoard our blessings. Life is much better when shared.

Thank you God for the friends and family you have blessed me with. They are more than I deserve. They also give life value, both for the present and the future.

The Meaning of Life: Ecclesiastes 2

Solomon was a very manly thinker. Men have this ability to put things in boxes mentally, so that one thing does not touch another. So Solomon says that he tried to cheer himself with wine, wealth, and women. He embraced foolishness (2:3) while remaining under the guidance of wisdom. Now, I don't doubt the truth of the scripture, but I have to wonder if I am hearing some arrogance coming from a former human king of Israel. That takes some brass--to confess that you experimented with drinking and pleasure, but analyzed it with a clear mind. Sure, God could have blessed him with immunity from the impact of alcohol, and allowed him to explore the folly of drunkenness without ever loosing control. Or maybe Solomon simply explored folly, wake up with a splitting headache the next morning, and then analyzed the foolishness of it all. It seems like he tried to separate the physical and mental aspects of his personality here--analyzing with his mind while he put his body through all sorts of tests. I think in the end, he found out that you cannot separate the impact of the physical from the mental or spiritual. We are whole beings, and it is foolish to think that turning off your mind or feelings will allow you to do whatever you want with your body.

In the end, Solomon concludes, " I surveyed all that my hands had done, . . . everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (2:11)

He says the same about emphasizing the mind and reason over all other things. "I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness . . . but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both." (2:13-14). In other words, it doesn't matter how smart you are. Your wisdom is limited and cannot find a way to defeat death.

Even his hard work and wealth did not provide sanctuary. "A man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who had not worked for it." (2:21) "All his days his work is pain and grief." (2:23). In the end, his observations about his own life lead him to express "My heart began to despair over all my labor." (2:20)

So, what is the heart of life--the path to happiness? Solomon states that pleasure, wisdom, and work are all dead ends.

Yet, he leaves us with this one nugget of hope at the end of chapter 2. "A man can do no better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too I see from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases God, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God." In the end, Solomon sees the building of wealth as foolishness, because God will give it to those who please him. In other words, IT ALL BELONGS TO GOD, AND HE WILL MANAGE IT AS HE SEES FIT.

The hope resides in knowing God. Wine, women, wisdom, and work are all meaningless without God's presence. Knowing God brings real satisfaction and enjoyment. Also, finding contentment in the basics of life--working, eating, breathing--is essential because these are basic gifts of God to all of us. If we fail to enjoy God's basic provision, how can we enjoy anything this world has to offer?

Ecclesiastes 1: Did Solomon ask for this?

When I was a boy, I always felt the presence of God with me. I thank my parents for providing a lifestyle for me that taught me to listen for God. From an early age (11) I knew that he wanted me to follow him. One Sunday School lessons that impacted me as a child was God's offer to Solomon to give him anything he wanted. This is comparable to finding a genie in a lamp, and who hasn't dreamed about having those three wishes? I wondered what I would say if God made that offer to me? I remember reading 1 Kings 3:1-15. God comes to Solomon in a dream and says "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." Now there's a blank check.

Solomon humbly considers the offer and asks for a discerning heart (3:9) so that he can govern God's people. So his initial request comes from a heart that is humble, and his motivation is to shepherd God's people.

1 Kings 3:10 says "The Lord was pleased that Solomon asked for this." Then God went on to offer Solomon wealth and prosperity as well. He got every man's desire because he did not ask for it. "Seek first God's kingdom, and all these things will be added to you." This prayer so inspired me that I prayed it as written in the KJV at the age of 11, and many other times as well. If God was pleased by the prayer, then I wanted to pray it over and over again.

So, Solomon got brains, power, wealth--and a kingdom at peace after decades of war. Not a bad set up, if you ask me.

When I was young, it all sounded so simple. Now that I'm older, my first question would be, "What is the catch?" It is never that easy.

Here it is: 1 Kings 3:14 "If you will walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you long life." See also 9:4-7: "As for you, if you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel. But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples."

Follow my ways. Listen to the life and testimony of your father. Teach your children to follow my ways. This is the catch.

And if you have any knowledge at all of God's people, then you know they wouldn't be able to sustain their commitment for long.

So, Solomon receives wisdom, and he also gains notoriety, power, and great wealth.

And somewhere along the way he compromised his commitment to God's ways, which compromised his governing of the people. In the end, his kids didn't listen to him.

Thus, I enter Ecclesiastes 1, and I see a king who knows via the wisdom of God what is expected of his people. And I see a king who is frustrated because everything he knows is not being adopted by his people. Why is this? His own indiscretions with his wives and concubines and their gods? His lack of focus on the daily activities of governing? Too smart for his own good?

Simple answers may be too much to hope for. However, Solomon made a long journey from the young man who pleased God to the tired old man who saw everything as meaningless in Ecclesiastes 1.

I can't help but wonder: Did Solomon wake up one day and say to God "Did I ask for this? I don't remember asking for THIS!!!"

I prayed this prayer when I was young as well. Now, I want to have God's wisdom, but I want to avoid Solomon's failures, if it is possible to avoid failure. At the end of my days, I want to rejoice in the Lord, not to lament the darkness of the days. Can Ecclesiastes teach me anything about this? I HOPE (and believe) so.

Ecclesiastes 1: Where's the Hope? OR Was Solomon dealing with teenagers?

After reading Ecclesiastes 1, my first impression is that the Teacher (who I assume is King Solomon) is an old man who is frustrated with life and is now having to come to terms with his own mortality. Having a fair bit of optimism in my heart (in spite of the critical cynicism of a PhD), I find this first chapter to be a "downer."

Here are a couple of phrases that I find difficult to explain from a Christian perspective:

Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly Meaningless! Everything is meaningless! (1:2)
All things are wearisome, more than one can say. (1:8)

I have seen all things under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (1:15)

For much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. (1:18) [So, is "Ignorance is bliss" a biblical corollary?]

Probably the most personal lament in these verses is in 1:11: There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow. Was Solomon having a pity party? An identity crisis? Lamenting the failure of himself and his people to learn from history?

Perhaps Solomon, with all of the knowledge and power he had attained was feeling a little unappreciated by his family in his old age. Maybe all of the experience and success he had was being ignored by his followers. Maybe he was finding that in his old age there was no consolation for a man with wisdom who had no teachable audience.

So, what does all this mean? Ecclesiastes actually sounds like a book that any parent of adolescents would be able to appreciate. After all, parents know a great deal of stuff. But try passing that on to your teenage kids. It is amazing how much smarter parents get after a child passes from high school into adult life. Maybe Solomon, with all of those wives and concubines, was having trouble administrating the highschool that he himself had probably populated there in Jerusalem. Whatever his personal frustrations, Solomon is expressing a universal lament that focuses on the meaning of life.

The problem for me is this: Is Solomon frustrated without hope? He sure sounds depressed. But I believe that every aspect of scripture is written with the hope of Christ in mind. So, as I journey through Ecclesiastes, my eyes are open to find the hope. After reading Ecclesiastes 1, this may be more difficult than I thought.

A sober observation from Solomon

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

I again saw under the sun
that the race is not to the swift and
the battle is not to the warriors
and neither is bread to the wise
nor wealth to the discerning
nor favor to men of ability;
for time and chance overtake them all.

Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.



As I read this, I understand his cynicism--and I find it foreign to my normal interpretations of the Scripture. Yet, he reminds me that everything we do "is in God's hands" (Eccl. 9:1). However, we are forced to recognize that physical giftedness and ability is not what makes a man. It lasts for a short time, and then the physical ability is gone.

As we saw on Wall Street last week, wealth is the same way.

In the end, what are we left with? I get the impression from the author of Ecclesiastes that all that is left is death (Eccl 9:3: the same destiny overtakes us all). And his view of death is rather ultimate and empty (there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom--Eccl 9:10).

What does it all mean? Well, it is a sober reminder from Solomon. Money, strength, wealth, and power last for a brief moment. In the end, all of humanity must deal with the same questions: when death comes, what is my legacy, and what is my eternity? Those that trust in physical/material things do not have a happy or hopeful answers to these questions.