Ecclesiastes

The Book of Ecclesiastes is in many ways very different from every other book of the Bible. Yet it is certainly a part of the Word of God. Paul tells us that all Scripture s inspired by God and is profitable.

Ecclesiastes is in many ways an enigmatic book, liberally sprinkled with contradictions. Unless we understand exactly what it is that God is trying to show us, we can easily misunderstand the purpose of this book.

So let's start by taking a closer look at Solomon's situation at the time when he wrote this book.

SOLOMON'S OWN SITUATION

It should be quite clear that this book was written at the time when God ... "WAS ANGRY WITH SOLOMON"! This is important to understand. Here we have a book of the Bible that was written by someone with whom God, at the time of writing this book, was ANGRY, as is stated very plainly in 1 Kings 11:9.

THAT IS THE MIND WHICH PRODUCED THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES!

Solomon himself was no longer obeying God when he wrote this book. And he knew that God was angry with him. At the time of writing this book Solomon had experienced as much as he felt he could possibly have experienced. His view is very humanistic. 

Solomon is an older man at this time. If you have ever taken a psychology course then you are familiar with the work of Eric Erickson. He came up with a psychosocial theory of development where he says we go through stages in our lives when issued need to be examined and resolved. One such stage that we are probably most familiar with is the state of identity versus role confusion which we deal with in our teen years. It is during this time we ask ourselves, “Who am I? What am I to do with my life?”

The last stage in development, according to Erickson, is the stage of Ego integrity vs. despair. This stage occurs in our later years, 65 and on. This is when we reflect back on our lives and wonder if we really made a difference for good.

Solomon is looking back as all of his victories and his failures and is probably not very pleased with what he sees. In one passage he refers to himself as a foolish king.

THE CONCLUSION

Solomon reaches is greatly influenced by his humanistic perspective. And that conclusion is that EVERYTHING is futile and empty and without meaning in the long run. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all [is] vanity. (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

AT NO STAGE does Solomon claim to present a godly perspective! He does not claim to speak FOR God and he does not claim to present God's point of view in this whole question. It is his personal view which is presented in this book. And we need to read it as such!

The whole Book of Ecclesiastes only contains 222 verses. And in this book Solomon uses the personal pronoun "I" 87 times in 65 different verses. Thus on average he uses the pronoun "I" two times for every five verses. It is a very egocentric view, all about him.

In other books of the Old Testament (excluding the ones Solomon authored) the use of the pronoun "I" most often refers to GOD, where the prophet is quoting the words of God.

The experiments Solomon conducted in his quest for happiness were all conducted from the platform of selfishness.

Solomon's OPINIONS were inevitably influenced by his own spiritual state. He had compromised with idolatry and knew that God was displeased with him and yet he appears unwilling to repent and to seek forgiveness.

And that is precisely why Solomon's personal views and opinions are invariably in conflict with a godly perspective.

Let's now look at some examples in this Book of Ecclesiastes.

SOME POINTS OF INCONSISTENCY

1) Regarding life and death: On the one hand Solomon says that it is better to be dead than to be alive; and it is still better to never have existed in the first place.

Ecc 4:2 “I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.”

Ecc 7:1 “A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.”

Is it really true that it is better to have never been born or to have died than to life? 

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND Solomon urges us to make the effort to not die before our time (why, if death is really better?).

Ecc 7:17 “Do not be over righteous, neither be overwise-why destroy yourself? Do not be over wicked, and do not be a fool- why dies before your time?”

Really? Let’s not seek righteousness or wisdom? Don’t die before your time? But if death is better than life, why not die sooner than later?

And then he refers to death as "an evil"

Ecc 9:3-4 “The heart of man is full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. Anyone who is among the living has hope-even a live dog is better off than a dead man.”

So what do we have in these above inconsistencies? When Solomon is negative about life, he is expressing his own opinions, based on his own spiritual circumstances at that time. That was how he PERSONALLY perceived life. And when he speaks positively about life, then he is being more objective.

2) Regarding the value of working: On the one hand Solomon says that all of life is useless, empty and of no value.

Ecc 1:2 “meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless.”

Then he says that at first he REJOICED in his labor.

Ecc 2:10 “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.”

But that rejoicing wore off after a little while and then he HATED all his own work and achievements.

Ecc 2:18, 20 “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.”

The term under the sun refers to things of this world. In other words, if this is all there is, if there is nothing beyond this life, why bother to go through the trials and troubles when we are all going to die, just like an animal?

And his conclusion was that the best you can possibly do is live for the moment.

Ecc 2:24 “A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.”

Ecc 3:11-12 “He has set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.”

But why do good in this life? Why not simply focus on your own needs if there is no reward or punishment after this life?

Ecc 3:22 “So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?”

But on the other hand he said it is better for us to be mourning than rejoicing.

Ecc 7:2-3“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.”

Again, these inconsistencies reflect Solomon's own thinking. His negative attitude about his own works and achievements (which included the incredible privilege to have built the Temple for God) reflects his own perspective, where he knew the future held no hope for him without genuine repentance. His future was very bleak. Where he speaks positively about us putting our whole hearts into our every activity he is again speaking more objectively without letting his own situation totally obscure what is really right in God's sight. Clearly Solomon was being "double minded".

3) Regarding himself: On the one hand Solomon KNEW that the best thing anyone can do is to fear God.

Ecc 8:123 “I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.”

He says the same thing at the end of the book. Ecc 12:13 “Here is the conclusion of the matter; Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

It seems that Solomon is much like all of us. We all know better than we do. We all know what we should do to remain healthy, watch your diet, exercise, avoid stress, etc. But neither of us lives up to our own knowledge and standards. Solomon knew better and he admits it.

Ecc 4:13 “Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take warning.”

He is here speaking from personal experience! He is admitting that he himself no longer accepted admonitions. And that is why God was angry with him. And in so doing he still recognized that this made him "a FOOLISH king", but he wasn't going to change.

4) Regarding the value of wisdom: On the one hand Solomon stated that wisdom only brings grief and sorrow.

Ecc 1:18 “For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.”

This is in contradiction to what he wrote in the first two chapters of Proverbs where he extols the virtues of wisdom and urges us to seek it.

He continues to question that the wise person has any advantage...

Ecc 6:8 “What advantage has a wise man over a fool?

In Proverbs 3:2 he wrote that being wise will “prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.”

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND he states that wisdom excels folly.

Ecc 2:13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.”

He also says that wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city (Ecc 7:19).

Solomon claims that he himself was wise.

Ecc 12:9 “Not only was (notice the past tense) the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people.”

Yet he admitted that he was, at this point in life, a foolish king (Ecc 4:13).

Again, on this subject of wisdom Solomon displays an inconsistency, vacillating between what he knew deep-down was right (that wisdom is good), and what he personally felt (wisdom hadn't helped him to remain a person of integrity).

5) Regarding the wicked: On the one hand Solomon says that the wicked prolong their lives.

Ecc 7:15 “I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.”

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND he says the wicked can't prolong their lives.

Ecc 8:13 “I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God. Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.”

Again, he has given the observation that the wicked sometimes SEEM to get away with it. But he actually knew quite well that the wicked don't really prolong their lives. He probably realized that his own life was coming to an end, and there was nothing he felt he could do to change that. Repentance doesn't enter the picture anywhere in this discussion.

6) Regarding how we should view sorrow: On the one hand Solomon says that sorrow is better than joy and laughter.

Ecc 7:3 “Sorrow is better than laughter.”

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND he also says that we should REMOVE sorrow from our lives. But why remove it, if it is really better?

Ecc 11:10 “So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.”

These are all examples of some of the inconsistencies that Solomon presents in this book.

SOLOMON'S VERY SELFISH WAYS

Notice how Solomon approached life in his later years. He demonstrated no restraint on his desires. There would be no one to question his actions or challenge him in any way. He was a powerful king with great wealth, who could say “no” to him (Ecc 8:4)?

He also hated the idea that his son would inherit all of his things.

He wasn’t concerned about his many wives or his children. Ecc 7:26 “I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare; whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains.”  He was more concerned that someone might outdo him. Ecc 2:12 “What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?

How bitter was it for the women to share one man with 999 other women? Solomon was just thinking of himself, that's all!

Solomon then continued to encourage an "eat-drink-and-be-merry" attitude.

Ecc 8:15 “So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.”

That is the type of excuse carnal people put into practice all the time. And they have Solomon's endorsement. 

SOLOMON'S VERY NEGATIVE APPROACH TO LIFE

Ecc 9:11 “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned, but time and chance happens to them all.”

THIS STATEMENT IS NOT TRUE!!

Yes, there are some occasions when someone just gets lucky. There are others where those who obey the rules find life going against them. But in general, those who do work hard and do what is right succeed in life. There is a direct connection between success and the amount of effort we are willing to expend. So Solomon's statement is the typical negative view put forward by those who fail.

Next Solomon gives the most negative view of old age that you could possibly come up with. His claim is that old age consists of "EVIL DAYS" and years in which we no longer have any pleasures.

Ecc 12 gives a very depressing description of old age. But, I ask, did Moses or Caleb fit this picture? 

There is absolutely no justification for Solomon's negative view of life throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon had every possible blessing he could have wanted. The views he expresses are a way of justifying his own lifestyle.

Let's now notice where Solomon's statements are CLEARLY contrary to God's ways.

SOLOMON'S VIEWS ARE CONTRARY TO GOD'S WAYS!

1) SOLOMON praises the dead because he sees no purpose in trials. His is a selfish view (Eccl. 4:2).

GOD TELLS US TO CHOOSE LIFE (Deuteronomy 30:19), that death is a penalty for sins (see Romans 6:23), that death is an enemy (see 1 Corinthians 15:26).

2) SOLOMON praises those who have never yet had the misfortune to live (Eccl. 4:3). This view is utterly absurd!

GOD TELLS US that He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9) and that He wants all human beings to attain unto salvation (1Timothy 2:4).

3) SOLOMON asserts that a miscarriage (an aborted fetus) is better than not having a decent burial (Ecc 6:3).

This view is again absurd! It is the expression of the vanity of a king. Notice the use of "I SAY"!

GOD TELLS US that a burial has absolutely no consequences on a future life (Hebrews 11:36-39). According to Solomon's view some of the apostles who were not given a proper burial are worse off than an aborted fetus.

4) SOLOMON asserts that the dead have no more a reward to look forward to.

“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything” (Ecc 9:5). This passage is used to support the false idea of “soul sleep”, a state of unconsciousness after death.

GOD TELLS US that the time for our reward is most assuredly AFTER this physical life (Revelation 11:18). Paul explained that “if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

5) SOLOMON says that there is a time to hate.

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. (Ecc 3:8)

In saying this Solomon is using nothing more than human reasoning.

JESUS CHRIST SAID very plainly that we are not to hate.

Matt 5:44 Jesus says that we are to love our enemies and bless those who curse you.

6) SOLOMON claims that a miscarriage is better off because it will never have to face problems, because problems are bad, not allowing us to rest (Ecc 6:5).

JESUS tells us to be of good cheer in spite of problems that may come our way (John 16:33). And James tells us that we should count it all joy when we are accorded the privilege of suffering trials (James 1:2).

7) SOLOMON claims there is nothing better we can do than to look at the physical, the here and now (Ecc 3:22).

JESUS CHRIST SAID that it is far better if we "deny the self" and resist the pulls of our physical natures (Matt 16:24).

8) SOLOMON denies that there is a great purpose for life and urges us to live for the here and now Ecc 9:9).

GOD TELLS US through the Apostle Peter that we should focus on the future inheritance, which God has prepared for us (I Peter 1).

9) SOLOMON claims that anger and vexation are better than joy and laughter (Ecc 7:3).

Yet Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4).

10) SOLOMON introduces the concept that human beings are no better than "beasts" and have no preeminence above beasts (Ecc 3).

GOD TELLS US that it is our potential to rule over all things with Jesus Christ, an infinite "preeminence" above beasts (Heb 2).

11) SOLOMON claims that life is empty and unsatisfactory (Ecc 2:1).

None of God's servants would have described their own existences in these words. That is not the way Paul saw it, when he said that he had fought a good fight (2 Timothy 4:7). Paul clearly felt that it was worth it! Paul also told us that it is our potential to be the heirs of God (Romans 8:16-18), a far cry from "all being vanity".

WHY GOD WANTED THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES IN THE BIBLE

Solomon really became very negative about life, because for him, as he looked back on his life, he recognized so many missed opportunities. 

Briefly, here are some lessons we can learn from this book:

1) Sin always makes people negative. Obedience to God, on the other hand, makes people positive about life. Solomon didn't have a fraction of the trials that the Apostle Paul had to face; yet Paul was positive and Solomon was negative.

2) Getting everything you desire is not the best way to achieve happiness in life. Happiness also includes self-denial and self- control. We talk about people who get everything they desire as being "spoiled rotten" ... and usually they are not really happy.

3) Ecclesiastes shows what happens to the mind of a person who knowingly rejects the truth of God in order to compromise.

4) Ecclesiastes gives us the opportunity to compare God's wisdom and perspective with the best that worldly wisdom.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. (1 Corinthians 3:19)