Ecclessiastes 9
Pastor Mark Hudson
You can read Ecclesiastes and take the author literally or you can read it noticing the way he is writing. We can slow down, consider his style, think about his probing, questioning style and look for ways that he might be saying the truth but in an unusual fashion.
In verse 1 he says what we all know and agree that our “deeds are in the hand of God.” Life is confusing. Good things happen to the unrighteous and bad things for the righteous. The ungodly are sometimes wealthy, carefree, have good marriages, jobs, and children. The godly sometimes have poverty, afflictions, and can experience divorce, children who rebel, etc. When you try to understand it, there seems no rhyme or reason.
In verse 3, he repeats the refrain by saying “the same event happens to all.” When you see a person slowing dying that is a believer who has suffered for years and compare that to a rock n roll star that is still alive into his 80’s who has dishonored God for decades, it can be hard to reconcile. Yet, remember the author knows that all are in the hand of God. But Qoheleth is also wrestling with the reality of what he sees and observes. He is writing about what all of us ponder and think about but may not verbalize. Haven’t you thought the same thing that Qoheleth expresses?
Verses 4-6 is also a strange way to put the truth he is observing. Verses 5-6 sound harsh but is he wrong? Paul certainly would write like this but this is same author that says it is better to go to funeral than a party (7:2). But, in one sense, a living dog is better than a dead lion.
Verses 7-10 strikes us as an unusual approach to express what is good counsel. Even in this fleeting life, where we see what appears to us an perplexing injustice and nonsensical treatment of believers, he still commands that we should and must be joyful. He is not pessimistic. We are to love our spouses (husband is implied) and rejoice in the God-given pleasure of marital love, eating and drinking, and not going around with a long face. We have to read this book in such a way that we can put verses 7-10 with vs. 1-3 and they both make perfect sense.
Returning to his theme of life’s seeming incongruities, he says that contrary to what some say, what God wills shall be done whether we expect it or deserve it. In fact sometimes, what you expect (11) does not happen at all. Or sometimes things that appear bad (not specified) can happen suddenly. Life is perplexing and almost impossible to figure out. Life does not go “as planned” but difficulties occur just as a baby is born, a teen is about to graduate from high school, or as retirement begins. Times of joy can be shattered by a death, an accident, an illness.
At the end of this chapter, think of our own day. This is an age of foolishness. So much video is a waste of time. The barbarian govern us, the wicked sing about things that shouldn’t be mentioned, many schools are given over to homosexuality and transgender confusion evangelizing the youth with their harmful and pagan views. All of this is loud, pounding in our ears. This is a violent world we live in as well. Our words are aggressive, combative, and divisive. So what Qoheleth says 3,000 years ago still is true today.
“The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.” Our world is full of loud fools. Be they politicians, athletes, musicians, etc. they are loud, foolish and popular. Most of them do not please God or even attempt to feign respect. In fact our world loves a rebel. But better are the words of wise heard in quiet than all that noise. Better to hear the Word of God, to hear a good sermon, to listen to godly people express the same faith that Christians express all over the world. In fact, better to visit a dying person at home or in the hospital pouring out their heart to God than going to a concert where the music and the musician disdain God.
Qoheleth does not despise wisdom though you may question that. He values wisdom. Yet, he cautions us to not think that the wise do not suffer or the wise are always wealthy or the wise experience God’s material blessings. Life can look random, cannot be tied up in a bow, and may appear unjust. But wisdom is still valuable.
If this last phrase is true, “one sinner destroys much good” then this ought to serve as a warning to us. We don’t like to teach a class with a small number. We don’t want to exert effort for a small number. Few is insignificant; many is important. Consider the implications of “one sinner destroys much good.” The main point follows in 10:1, “Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench.” The damage that sin can do is disproportionate to the “size” of the sin or the significance of the person. Is he implying the converse is also true? Your righteousness counts for a great deal more than you realize.
Dear heavenly Father, You must love all different kinds of literature since the Bible contains so many various ways of expressing truth. We find the Bible hard to understand at times. Teachers, authors, and speakers offer proposals that are exploratory or tentative due to the nature of the text. But keep us studying, reading, reflective. Help us to be challenged by others when we are faced with difficult passages. But we thank you that all our deeds are in the hand of God. That is comfort enough in days of affliction and warning in days of temptation. In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen