The biblical book of the Ecclesiastes is very exactly in the theme of the existential reflection of the meaning of human life with some questions linked to death and hope. The Ecclesiastes puts them in two important perspectives: the description of the life which would be stripped of all spirituality, and on the other hand, which would be in a spiritual way of life. The Ecclesiastes will be analyzed chapter by chapter with first, after reading, a brief summary of its content, with pointing out some interesting biblical verses.
The central theme is: « The greatest vanity!” the congregator has said, “the greatest vanity! Everything is vanity! » (Ecclesiastes 1:2). The theme of the absurdity of the current human condition is illustrated by many examples. The human condition that leads him inexorably to death, so what he will undertake, in the end, this will be useless.
There is not only this realistic but also dark observation, there is also the best solution, written in the last words in the chapter 12: « The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the [true] God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man. 14For the true God himself will bring every sort of work into the judgment in relation to every hidden thing, as to whether it is good or bad » (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14). If this book begins with a very dark aspect of existence, the counterpoint is the solution of the good relationship with God, that can get us out of this absurd cycle, of this existence, by granting us the everlasting life (John 316.36; 17:3). Throughout this observation of absurdity, there is an alternation between the spiritual darkness, our current human condition and the spiritual light, the fact that God can deliver us from this dead end.
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 1: after this famous sentence of the absurd dimension of human life with regard to death which is the conclusion. This chapter compares it to cycles of nature that one cannot prevent: the cycle of replacement of one generation by another, the sunrise, followed by the sunset, the wind movement, the circulation of water… The human life is like these cycles which we cannot get out of it, the birth, the life, the illness, the old age and the death, a generation replacing another… King Solomon (presenting himself as the « Congregator » (Ecclesia) of these reflections), shows, with his prestigious life experience, the relentless observation of vanity and the absurdity of human existence. This observation is impactful, because his life is the archetype of a successful human life:
The words of the congregator, the son of David the king in Jerusalem. 2“The greatest vanity!” the congregator has said, “the greatest vanity! Everything is vanity!” 3What profit does a man have in all his hard work at which he works hard under the sun? 4A generation is going, and a generation is coming; but the earth is standing even to time indefinite. 5And the sun also has flashed forth, and the sun has set, and it is coming panting to its place where it is going to flash forth.
6The wind is going to the south, and it is circling around to the north. Round and round it is continually circling, and right back to its circlings the wind is returning.
7All the winter torrents are going forth to the sea, yet the sea itself is not full. To the place where the winter torrents are going forth, there they are returning so as to go forth. 8All things are wearisome; no one is able to speak of it. The eye is not satisfied at seeing, neither is the ear filled from hearing. 9That which has come to be, that is what will come to be; and that which has been done, that is what will be done; and so there is nothing new under the sun. 10Does anything exist of which one may say: “See this; it is new”? It has already had existence for time indefinite; what has come into existence is from time prior to us. 11There is no remembrance of people of former times, nor will there be of those also who will come to be later. There will prove to be no remembrance even of them among those who will come to be still later on.
12I, the congregator, happened to be king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13And I set my heart to seek and explore wisdom in relation to everything that has been done under the heavens—the calamitous occupation that God has given to the sons of mankind in which to be occupied. 14I saw all the works that were done under the sun, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind.
15That which is made crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot possibly be counted. 16I, even I, spoke with my heart, saying: “Look! I myself have greatly increased in wisdom more than anyone that happened to be before me in Jerusalem, and my own heart saw a great deal of wisdom and knowledge.” 17And I proceeded to give my heart to knowing wisdom and to knowing madness, and I have come to know folly, that this too is a striving after wind. 18For in the abundance of wisdom there is an abundance of vexation, so that he that increases knowledge increases pain.
***
“The greatest vanity!” the congregator has said, “the greatest vanity! Everything is vanity!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
This is the central theme of the book of Ecclesiastes, which analyzes the existential meaning of human life, which clearly leads inexorably to old age and death. This bleak outlook renders all projects futile because, ultimately, we will all grow old and die without fully enjoying the fruits of our various endeavors. Some will argue that since humans are “social animals,” life and death are normally part of natural cycles, and that such reflection, while interesting, leads nowhere because it is useless and counterproductive.
The book of Ecclesiastes does not simply make this observation but places this existential this reflection on a spiritual plane in two ways. First, according to the Bible, humans are spiritual beings inhabiting physical bodies. He is made in the spiritual image of God (Genesis 1:26-28). This means he possesses wisdom and intelligence superior to that of the animal kingdom. For example, he conceptualizes abstract notions such as life, death, time, space, and the meaning of life, as written in this biblical book. The second aspect is his relationship with the source of his own life, that is, God. The book of Ecclesiastes offers an existential analysis of the meaning of life without hope and without God, which renders it meaningless. It then concludes with the absolute necessity of having a good relationship with the Source of our life, that is, God, precisely to give our lives a lasting perspective and ensure that they are no longer meaningless in their different directions (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) (Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness (Genesis 1:26)).
“A generation is going, and a generation is coming; but the earth is standing even to time indefinite” (Ecclesiastes 1:4).
The writer contrasts the permanence or timelessness (to time indefinite) of planet Earth with the fact that generations of humans succeed one another, passing from life to death. These ceaseless cycles of successive generations are compared to the cycles of sunrise and sunset, wind, and water, which makes things tiresome. This weariness is accentuated by the fact that the eye is not filled with seeing and the ears with hearing. There is a habituation to what causes wonder, through sight and hearing… He concludes this gloomy observation with the well-known phrase: “There is nothing new under the sun” (verse 9).
What accentuates the tragedy of the succession of human generations is that all end not only in the grave, but also in absolute oblivion: “There is no remembrance of people of former times, nor will there be of those also who will come to be later. There will prove to be no remembrance even of them among those who will come to be still later on” (verse 11). Commemorative plaques will do nothing; time has an inexorable corrosive effect on the memories of subsequent generations… The passing of time, from one generation to the next, also buries the memory of the deceased of previous generations (The Life, The Death, The Second Death, The Fiery Lake, The Gehenna)…
“And I set my heart to seek and explore wisdom in relation to everything that has been done under the heavens—the calamitous occupation that God has given to the sons of mankind in which to be occupied” (Ecclesiastes 1:13).
This passage seems to indicate that God created the absurd situation in which humanity finds itself, namely, living only a few years before dying. This seems to contradict what the disciple James writes: “When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone” (James 1:13). This means that God does not directly send trials upon humanity. However, James continues, writing: “But each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15). Thus, we must understand that God does not prevent the harmful consequences of bad human decisions.
The apostle Paul shows that sin and death entered the world through the bad decision of one man, our ancestor Adam: “That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned” (Romans 5:12). In doing so, God allowed the harmful consequences of sin to occur throughout humanity, culminating in death.
According to what is written in the book of Ecclesiastes and in Paul’s letter to the Romans, God subjected all of humanity to futility, that is, to death, because of Adam’s initial wrong decision: « For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God » (Romans 8:20-21). Nevertheless, verse 21 shows that God will deliver all of humanity from this futile condition, granting them everlasting life through faith in the sacrifice of Christ (John 3:16, 36) (The Hope of Everlasting Life).
« That which is made crooked cannot be made straight, and that which is wanting cannot possibly be counted » (Ecclesiastes 1:15). The deep solutions to change the spiritual darkness of the human condition, are not within reach, for example; it will not be able to solve the simple and tragic problem of aging, the complete eradication of diseases and death (Romans 5:12; 6:23). The reason for this situation is the sin.
Sin is a generic biblical expression of that which no longer fulfills impersonally (without feeling) the criteria of God’s Holiness and therefore is a process which leads to the programmed demise of creation afflicted with sin (which is no longer holy from God’s point of view). The attentive reader can get a much more concrete idea of the alternation between what is considered « holy », and by contrast what is no longer « holy », being a sin, from God’s point of view, by reading the book of Leviticus. It is very important to understand for the rest of the explanations, that this quality is absolutely not linked to the feelings of God, but rather to what constitutes the essence of his actions and his creation. The disappearance of sin is done by atonement, in order to satisfy the criteria of divine holiness. The Holiness of Jehovah God is directly connected to a constant need of sacrifice for atonement which erases sin, or of what is not in conformity with the divine and everlasting standards of what is holy: « You must be holy, because I am holy » (Leviticus 11:44,45).
It is very important to understand that the Holiness of God is what defines the very essence of all his actions, and that it is devoid of all feeling, it is completely impersonal (on the level of feelings). Which means that all of his creation must be holy and pure. However, if by accident, a part of creation should no longer satisfy these impersonal criteria (without feeling) of holiness, it will inevitably disappear. The accidental appearance of sin in humanity has led to the full destruction of all of humanity (at end), precisely by virtue of this impersonal law (without feeling) of the Holiness of God: « That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned » (Romans 5:12). “For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The first part of this verse, shows that the necessity of holiness (impersonal law devoid of feeling), makes that sin leads to death, to make it disappear. Whereas, the fact that God is love, He makes arrangements to give us everlasting life through the ransom (Matthew 20:28) (What is the sin?).
« For in the abundance of wisdom there is an abundance of vexation, so that he that increases knowledge increases pain » (Ecclesiastes 1:18).
The great knowledge leads to hyper lucidity, which for its part, leads to a great suffering… If the great knowledge is obviously useful, however, very often, it leads to the awareness of a life leading to a dead end of the human condition, which in the end, can only make it emotionally suffer…
To lessen the pain of great knowledge, or even to make it disappear, it is necessary to give it a spiritual meaning, which in turn will lead to hope. This knowledge requires an understanding that comes from God. Without this understanding, the knowledge is sterile.
The understanding in Proverbs 2:1-9 is not connected with the simple innate faculty of comprehension of knowledge. In the Bible there are examples of characters who had a great knowledge of the Bible, nevertheless, who missed the essential or had no understanding of the meaning of the message. Let us take the example of the apostle Paul, before he became a Christian: « I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Ci·liʹcia, but educated in this city at the feet of Ga·maʹli·el, instructed according to the strictness of the ancestral Law, and zealous for God just as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the point of death, binding and handing over to prisons both men and women, as the high priest and all the assembly of elders can bear witness. From them I also obtained letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I was on my way to bring those who were there in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished » (Acts 22: 3-5 compare with Matthew 23).
We can not deny that Saul of Tarsus, who would later become the Apostle Paul, knew the Bible and probably better than most Christians he persecuted. Nevertheless, he lacked the essential, the understanding that comes from God and that consisted of to accept in his heart that Jesus was (and is) the Christ. The narrative of Acts shows us how God gave him understanding through Jesus Christ, by literally making the scales of his eyes fall: « But Saul, still breathing threat and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he might bring bound to Jerusalem any whom he found who belonged to The Way, both men and women. Now as he was traveling and getting near Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him, and he fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He asked: “Who are you, Lord?” He said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Now the men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing, indeed, the sound of a voice but seeing no one. Saul then got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he did not see anything, and he neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple named An·a·niʹas in Damascus, and the Lord said to him in a vision: “An·a·niʹas!” He said: “Here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him: “Get up, go to the street called Straight, and look for a man named Saul, from Tarsus, at the house of Judas. For look! he is praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named An·a·niʹas come in and lay his hands on him so that he may recover sight.” But An·a·niʹas answered: “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, about all the harm he did to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all those calling on your name.” But the Lord said to him: “Go! because this man is a chosen vessel to me to bear my name to the nations as well as to kings and the sons of Israel. For I will show him plainly how many things he must suffer for my name » (Acts 9:1-19).
There is therefore a difference between the knowledge available in the Bible and the intelligence or the ability to understand it, which is given by God through Christ: « For “who has come to know the mind of Jehovah, so that he may instruct him?” But we do have the mind of Chris » (1 Corinthians 2:16). When a person understands by the acceptance in his heart of the biblical knowledge, it can be said that he manifests a faith in accordance with the will of God: « Faith is the assured expectation of what is hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities that are not seen » (Hebrews 11:1). The word « demonstration » regarding the faith presupposes « logical » knowledge, even if it is connected with unseen realities (Achieving Spiritual Maturity (Hebrews 6:1)).
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 2: the first verse of this chapter, in a single sentence, summarizes its content by already stating its conclusion, which is repeated redundantly in the last verse: “All is vanity.” It is the narrative of King Solomon’s pursuit of joy and enjoyment of the results of his projects. He sought joy in wine, joy in instruction and reflection in order to acquire wisdom, joy in building projects and improvements to the royal palace, joy in acquiring material and precious goods, joy in refinement and sexuality, joy in fame, ultimately arriving at the same conclusion as at the beginning of the book of Ecclesiastes: “This too is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:26).
I said, even I, in my heart: “Do come now, let me try you out with rejoicing. Also, see good.” And, look! that too was vanity. 2I said to laughter: “Insanity!” and to rejoicing: “What is this doing?”
3I explored with my heart by cheering my flesh even with wine, while I was leading my heart with wisdom, even to lay hold on folly until I could see what good there was to the sons of mankind in what they did under the heavens for the number of the days of their life. 4I engaged in greater works. I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself. 5I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted in them fruit trees of all sorts. 6I made pools of water for myself, to irrigate with them the forest, springing up with trees. 7I acquired menservants and maidservants, and I came to have sons of the household. Also, livestock, cattle and flocks in great quantity I came to have, more so than all those who happened to be before me in Jerusalem. 8I accumulated also silver and gold for myself, and property peculiar to kings and the jurisdictional districts. I made male singers and female singers for myself and the exquisite delights of the sons of mankind, a lady, even ladies. 9And I became greater and increased more than anyone that happened to be before me in Jerusalem. Moreover, my own wisdom remained mine.
10And anything that my eyes asked for I did not keep away from them. I did not hold back my heart from any sort of rejoicing, for my heart was joyful because of all my hard work, and this came to be my portion from all my hard work. 11And I, even I, turned toward all the works of mine that my hands had done and toward the hard work that I had worked hard to accomplish, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing of advantage under the sun.
12And I, even I, turned to see wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the earthling man do who comes in after the king? The thing that people have already done. 13And I saw, even I, that there exists more advantage for wisdom than for folly, just as there is more advantage for light than for darkness.
14As regards anyone wise, his eyes are in his head; but the stupid one is walking on in sheer darkness. And I have come to know, I too, that there is one eventuality that eventuates to them all. 15And I myself said in my heart: “An eventuality like that upon the stupid one will eventuate to me, yes, me.” Why, then, had I become wise, I overmuch so at that time? And I spoke in my heart: “This too is vanity.” 16For there is no more remembrance of the wise one than of the stupid one to time indefinite. In the days that are already coming in, everyone is certainly forgotten; and how will the wise one die? Along with the stupid one.
17And I hated life, because the work that has been done under the sun was calamitous from my standpoint, for everything was vanity and a striving after wind. 18And I, even I, hated all my hard work at which I was working hard under the sun, that I would leave behind for the man who would come to be after me. 19And who is there knowing whether he will prove to be wise or foolish? Yet he will take control over all my hard work at which I worked hard and at which I showed wisdom under the sun. This too is vanity. 20And I myself turned around toward making my heart despair over all the hard work at which I had worked hard under the sun. 21For there exists the man whose hard work has been with wisdom and with knowledge and with proficiency, but to a man that has not worked hard at such a thing will be given the portion of that one. This too is vanity and a big calamity.
22For what does a man come to have for all his hard work and for the striving of his heart with which he is working hard under the sun? 23For all his days his occupation means pains and vexation, also during the night his heart just does not lie down. This too is mere vanity.
24With a man there is nothing better [than] that he should eat and indeed drink and cause his soul to see good because of his hard work. This too I have seen, even I, that this is from the hand of the [true] God. 25For who eats and who drinks better than I do?
26For to the man that is good before him he has given wisdom and knowledge and rejoicing, but to the sinner he has given the occupation of gathering and bringing together merely to give to the one that is good before the [true] God. This too is vanity and a striving after wind.
***
“And anything that my eyes asked for I did not keep away from them. I did not hold back my heart from any sort of rejoicing, for my heart was joyful because of all my hard work, and this came to be my portion from all my hard work. 11 And I, even I, turned toward all the works of mine that my hands had done and toward the hard work that I had worked hard to accomplish, and, look! everything was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing of advantage under the sun” (verses 10, 11).
This passage seems to illustrate what Solomon wrote concerning the fact that the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing, through habituation: “All things are wearisome; no one is able to speak of it. The eye is not satisfied at seeing, neither is the ear filled from hearing” (Ecclesiastes 1:8). While it is certainly legitimate to seek enjoyable moments in life, if the pursuit of pleasure becomes a primary objective, a sense of spiritual emptiness will arise, like a vessel that never fills because it creates a sense of habit. The pleasures of life are to spirituality what condiments are to food: they enhance the flavor without being the essential element of nourishment.
The Apostle Paul, in describing the bad behavior of people in the last days, spoke of the pursuit of pleasure rather than friendship with God:
“But know this, that in the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here. 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, disloyal, 3 having no natural affection, not open to any agreement, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, without love of goodness, 4 betrayers, headstrong, puffed up with pride, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, 5 having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
When the pursuit of pleasures, money, and material goods represents an end or the main goal in life, then it becomes a fault, a sin, because one puts these pursuits before friendship with God: « lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God ».
Jesus Christ emphasized this point in his Sermon on the Mount: « Stop storing up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If, then, your eye is simple, your whole body will be bright; 23 but if your eye is wicked, your whole body will be dark. If in reality the light that is in you is darkness, how great that darkness is!
“No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches » (Matthew 6:19-24).
It is clear that the Bible does not condemn wealth, just as it does not encourage poverty. Jesus Christ warns against our relationship to wealth, put in perspective with our main purpose of serving God. Jesus Christ, like the Bible as a whole, condemns the love of money: “However, those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:9,10). By the expression « simple eye », it means sincere, all one way, in focus, generous, which is in conformity with the service for God. And a « wicked eye » is bad, envious, and has goals based on lust, greed, which is consistent with service to the god Riches.
Jesus Christ encourages being rich toward God: “With that he spoke an illustration to them, saying: “The land of a certain rich man produced well. Consequently he began reasoning within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, now that I have nowhere to gather my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my storehouses and build bigger ones, and there I will gather all my grain and all my good things; and I will say to my soul: “Soul, you have many good things laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.”’ But God said to him, ‘Unreasonable one, this night they are demanding your soul from you. Who, then, is to have the things you stored up?’ So it goes with the man that lays up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-21) (The teaching of Jesus Christ that leads to spiritual maturity).
« For there is no more remembrance of the wise one than of the stupid one to time indefinite. In the days that are already coming in, everyone is certainly forgotten; and how will the wise one die? Along with the stupid one » (verse 16).
The wisdom of Solomon is very famous, as it emerges in the biblical books of Proverbs and the Ecclesiastes. However, in the current state of things, did this old wise man condition benefit him? Not at all, because his reputation did not exempt him from dying, like the stupid with his foolishness… So, in the current state of things, there is no superiority of the wise one over the stupid one, because they both end up in the grave…
Nevertheless, King Solomon’s remark can have a pedagogical meaning related to cultivating humility and modesty in front of the equality before death between the wise and the stupid. Indeed, concerning knowledge, here is what the Apostle Paul wrote: « Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up » (1 Corinthians 8:1). Knowledge can puff up the ego of the wise (this is not always the case), proportionally to the increase in the number of their listeners, or even those who idolize him. Thus, the reference to the Book of Ecclesiastes allows him to put his situation as a wise man into perspective, a man who, like the stupid, will have to go to his last resting place, with the inexorable fact that his person will be forgotten by future generations, even if he has published numerous books or streets bear his name…
« For it is written: “I will make the wisdom of the wise men perish, and the intelligence of the intellectuals I will reject.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this system of things? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not get to know God through its wisdom, God was pleased through the foolishness of what is preached to save those believing »” (1 Corinthians 1:19-21) (Achieving Spiritual Maturity (Hebrews 6:1)).
« With a man there is nothing better than that he should eat and indeed drink and cause his soul to see good because of his hard work. This too I have seen, even I, that this is from the hand of the [true] God. 25For who eats and who drinks better than I do? » (verses 24,25).
It would seem to be an encouragement to a life simply based on pleasures, to hedonism. We must consider the context to understand that this is not the case. The previous verses show that there are humans who work hard and who live for a constant concern for their work, without the possibility of enjoying its result. Thus, in the case of these two extremes, a life of restless work, and a life where one takes advantage of his work by enjoying its fruit, this last alternative is better.
Furthermore, King Solomon’s observation may well allude to what God commanded his people when he gave the Ten Commandments: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it sacred. 9 You are to labor and do all your work for six days, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to Jehovah your God. You must not do any work, neither you nor your son nor your daughter nor your slave man nor your slave girl nor your domestic animal nor your foreign resident who is inside your settlements. 11 For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and he began to rest on the seventh day. That is why Jehovah blessed the Sabbath day and made it sacred” (Exodus 20:8-11).
The Sabbath law shows God’s thinking on the need for rest, at least once a week. Of course, we are no longer under the mandatory observance of the Mosaic Law, since Christ is the end of the Law (Romans 10:4). Nevertheless, this law of God reveals the essence of His thought, namely, granting Him a day of rest after six days of work. Upon closer examination of this commandment, we realize that this Sabbath rest had a spiritual dimension because it refers to God’s rest. Obviously, God does not need to rest in absolute terms; however, He made it clear that the Sabbath day was a time dedicated to spirituality.
For example, during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, by reading the Gospels, we understand that the Jews went to the synagogue to pray and read the word of God. Jesus Christ taught during the Sabbaths in the synagogues (Luke 4:31-33). Thus, the Sabbath was a day of instruction, but also a day of rest, a time to gather with family and share pleasant moments together, perhaps around a meal.
Christians who are no longer under the Mosaic Law should observe a period of rest, at least once a week, on a day of their choosing or according to local customs. These days of rest should be an opportunity to dedicate time to spirituality, but also to spend time with family and friends, enjoying joyful moments, as indicated in the Book of Ecclesiastes (2:24,25) (The Spiritual Man and the Physical Man (Hebrews 6:1)).
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 3: It is a reflection on the time and the human works that split it. Verses 1 to 9, show that time exists by the actions that delimit it. Verse 11, shows that God has given man this spiritual capacity to understand what is time, until the understanding of the eternity, the everlasting time. This knowledge increases much more the feeling of the extreme brevity of life. Verses 18 to 21, show that death is the opposite of life. There is no superiority of the wise one over the stupid one (see chapter 2), nor even the superiority of man over the animal, with regard, the end, the death (The Life, The Death, The Second Death, The Fiery Lake, The Gehenna):
For everything there is an appointed time, even a time for every affair under the heavens: 2a time for birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted; 3a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build; 4a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to wail and a time to skip about; 5a time to throw stones away and a time to bring stones together; a time to embrace and a time to keep away from embracing; 6a time to seek and a time to give up as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; 7a time to rip apart and a time to sew together; a time to keep quiet and a time to speak; 8a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. 9What advantage is there for the doer in what he is working hard at?
10I have seen the occupation that God has given to the sons of mankind in which to be occupied. 11Everything he has made pretty in its time. Even time indefinite he has put in their heart, that mankind may never find out the work that the [true] God has made from the start to the finish. 12I have come to know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good during one’s life; 13and also that every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work. It is the gift of God.
14I have come to know that everything that the [true] God makes, it will prove to be to time indefinite. To it there is nothing to add and from it there is nothing to subtract; but the [true] God himself has made it, that people may be afraid on account of him.
15What has happened to be, it had already been, and what is to come to be has already proved to be; and the [true] God himself keeps seeking that which is pursued.
16And I have further seen under the sun the place of justice where there was wickedness and the place of righteousness where wickedness was. 17I myself have said in my heart: “The [true] God will judge both the righteous one and the wicked one, for there is a time for every affair and concerning every work there.”
18I, even I, have said in my heart with regard to the sons of mankind that the [true] God is going to select them, that they may see that they themselves are beasts. 19For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity. 20All are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust. 21Who is there knowing the spirit of the sons of mankind, whether it is ascending upward; and the spirit of the beast, whether it is descending downward to the earth? 22And I have seen that there is nothing better than that the man should rejoice in his works, for that is his portion; because who will bring him in to look on what is going to be after him?
***
« Even time indefinite he has put in their heart » (verse 11):
God has given humankind the ability to understand the abstract concepts of time and eternity. This is where Solomon’s words take on their full meaning: « For in the abundance of wisdom there is an abundance of vexation, so that he that increases knowledge increases pain » (Ecclesiastes 1:18). The sorrow of the wise person, who reflects and has the capacity to conceptualize time, eternity, life, and death, stems from the realization that their life is very limited in duration when compared to eternity, the meaning of which they understand (unlike animals, who are unaware of it).
It is an important point showing that in the beginning, man was created to live to enjoy the « time indefinite » of life, the everlasting life (Genesis 2:7). How could a God of love, have created humans able to understand the eternity, without being able to enjoy it, making his life only from 70 to 80 years or a little more? (Why God Allowed Suffering and Wickedness ?).
“What has happened to be, it had already been, and what is to come to be has already proved to be; and the true God himself keeps seeking that which is pursued” (verse 15):
The first part of verse 15 is easily understood and repeats the idea found in chapter 1: “That which has come to be, that is what will come to be; and that which has been done, that is what will be done; and so there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). However, the second part of verse 15 is simply incomprehensible: “The true God himself keeps seeking that which is pursued”. This has been translated literally and not interpretively. The transliterated Hebrew word “bâqash,” translated as “seeks,” can have several meanings depending on the context; among them is the verb “to inquire” (H1245 Strong’s Concordance).
The solution would be to compare the translation of this phrase with other translations in the same language. By consulting comparative translations of the Bible, which make the phrase more understandable:
“God calls back the past” (NIV). « God requires an account of what is past » (New King James Version), « God looks after what is driven away » (Common English Bible). Clearly, there is no single way to understand this phrase.
It is up to each individual to form their own opinion; however, the observation is that the idea at the beginning of verse 15 is similar to Ecclesiastes 1:9, and perhaps the second part of the verse can find its meaning in what is written later in chapter 1: “And I set my heart to seek and explore wisdom in relation to everything that has been done under the heavens—the calamitous occupation that God has given to the sons of mankind in which to be occupied” (Ecclesiastes 1:13) (Reading and Understanding the Bible (Psalms 1:2, 3))…
« And I have further seen under the sun the place of justice where there was wickedness and the place of righteousness where wickedness was. I myself have said in my heart: “The true God will judge both the righteous one and the wicked one, for there is a time for every affair and concerning every work there » (verses 16,17).
In the reality of wickedness, there are those who know that in God’s own time, it will disappear. Even if wickedness currently prevails, in the end, God will hold everyone accountable: « So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God » (Romans 14:12).
On the other hand, others, like the prophet Habakkuk, may grow impatient, feeling that God is slow to act in situations that cause suffering to humanity: “How long, O Jehovah, must I cry for help, but you do not hear? How long must I ask for help from violence, but you do not intervene? Why do you make me witness wrongdoing? And why do you tolerate oppression? Why are destruction and violence before me? And why do quarreling and conflict abound? So law is paralyzed, And justice is never carried out. For the wicked surround the righteous; That is why justice is perverted” (Habakkuk 1:2-4).
Nevertheless, God answered his prophet: “And Jehovah proceeded to answer me and to say: “Write down [the] vision, and set [it] out plainly upon tablets, in order that the one reading aloud from it may do so fluently. For [the] vision is yet for the appointed time, and it keeps panting on to the end, and it will not tell a lie. Even if it should delay, keep in expectation of it; for it will without fail come true. It will not be late » (Habakkuk 2:2,3).
If we feel that God is delaying his action, we must be confident that he will. We must learn to be patient while waiting for God’s salvation (Lamentations 3:26) (Why God Allowed Suffering and Wickedness ?).
“For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity” (verse 19).
This text shows that there is no spiritual life after death. This important idea is repeated a little later in the book of Ecclesiastes: “For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. (…) All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol (the grave), the place to which you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:5,10).
It is God himself who defines it. Comparing Genesis 2:17 with 3:19, where it is written that if Adam disobeyed the commandment regarding to the forbidden fruit, he would surely die. At end, Adam disobeyed. Here is what it is written in the judgment of God against Adam and Eve: « In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return » (Genesis 3:19). Therefore, death is the opposite of life, and the return to nonexistence (Psalm 146:3,4; Ecclesiastes 3:19,20; 9:5,10). Jehovah God, in his judgment, evokes the return to dust which is more generally designated in the Bible by an expression of symbolic place such as Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek), or even the « sea » where de very many humans perished (Revelation 20:13). Therefore, it is not difficult to understand and accept this simple biblical teaching point, death is absolute inexistence. The soul dies and the spirit or the vital energy disappears: “Do not put your trust in princes Nor in a son of man, who cannot bring salvation. His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; On that very day his thoughts perish » (Psalms 146:3,4).
The translation of the Bible into Latin has created confusion in the understanding of the condition of the dead. As we have seen, it is important to differentiate between the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades, on the one hand, with Gehenna on the other. In some translations of the Bible, these three words have been translated as the original Latin word hell (infernus). In doing so, it created confusion in the understanding of the word gehenna, becoming an unbiblical teaching of the existence of a fiery hell.
Jesus Christ used the word « Gehenna » or « Gehenna of fire, » as a real place known to all his contemporaries, to illustrate the everlasting judgment and the idea of destruction without the possibility of resurrection, the second death. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ referred to this place three times, without necessarily specifying its meaning. Why ? Quite simply, even in Galilee 100 km north of Jerusalem, this place of destruction was well known and did not require any description or explanation (Matthew 5:22,29,30). Gehenna is associated with a fire that does not put out, why? For the obvious reason that such a place, near a city would have represented a danger to the health of most inhabitants, if it had not been fueled by a permanent or constant fire, based on sulfur, in order to decompose all the waste of the city more quickly (Mark 9:47,48) (The Life, The Death, The Second Death, The Fiery Lake, The Gehenna).
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 4: It is a description of the desperate condition of oppressed people who suffer so much that, sometimes, the condition of the dead who no longer suffer, is better (read verse 2):
And I myself returned that I might see all the acts of oppression that are being done under the sun, and, look! the tears of those being oppressed, but they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power, so that they had no comforter. 2And I congratulated the dead who had already died rather than the living who were still alive. 3So better than both of them [is] the one who has not yet come to be, who has not seen the calamitous work that is being done under the sun.
4And I myself have seen all the hard work and all the proficiency in work, that it means the rivalry of one toward another; this also is vanity and a striving after the wind.
5The stupid one is folding his hands and is eating his own flesh.
6Better is a handful of rest than a double handful of hard work and striving after the wind.
7I myself returned that I might see the vanity under the sun: 8There exists one, but not a second one; also no son or brother does he have, but there is no end to all his hard work. Also, his eyes themselves are not satisfied with riches: “And for whom am I working hard and causing my soul to lack in good things?” This too is vanity, and it is a calamitous occupation.
9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their hard work. 10For if one of them should fall, the other one can raise his partner up. But how will it be with just the one who falls when there is not another to raise him up?
11Moreover, if two lie down together, they also will certainly get warm; but how can just one keep warm? 12And if somebody could overpower one alone, two together could make a stand against him. And a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn in two.
13Better is a needy but wise child than an old but stupid king, who has not come to know enough to be warned any longer. 14For he has gone forth from the prison house itself to become king, although in the kingship of this one he had been born as one of little means. 15I have seen all those alive who are walking about under the sun, [how it goes] with the child, who is second, that stands up in the other one’s place. 16There is no end to all the people, to all those before whom he happened to be; neither will people afterward rejoice in him, for this too is vanity and a striving after the wind.
***
“And I congratulated the dead who had already died rather than the living who were still alive. And better off than both of them is the one who has not yet been born, who has not seen the distressing deeds that are done under the sun” (verses 2, 3).
Chapter 4 describes the oppression of man over man, as described a little later: “All of this I have seen, and I applied my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, during the time that man has dominated man to his harm” (Ecclesiastes 8:9). Whatever the forms of political or religious government, the process is always the same: a small minority of highly privileged humans relentlessly dominates groups of men, women, children, or entire peoples who ask only to be led with kindness and love. The oppression is so great (and history books bear witness to this) that King Solomon implied that the condition of the dead, and also of those yet unborn (verse 3), are better than that of the oppressed.
Of course, death is not an enviable condition; human beings naturally love life. Jesus Christ described it as the temporary state of sleep in preparation for the resurrection (the narrative of the resurrection of Lazarus (John chapter 11)): “I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous” (Acts 24:15) (The Significance of the Resurrections Performed by Jesus Christ (John 11:30-44)).
“Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their hard work. For if one of them falls, the other can help his partner up. But what will happen to the one who falls with no one to help him up?” (verses 9, 10).
When we are in conditions of oppression, it is important to cultivate a spirit of community and understanding, with the aim of helping one another to alleviate the suffering caused by human oppression: “Moreover, if two lie down together, they will stay warm, but how can just one keep warm? And someone may overpower one alone, but two together can take a stand against him. And a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn apart” (verses 11, 12).
As for the followers of Christ or any religious groups claiming to be Christian, it is necessary for them to organize themselves into small groups or congregations to encourage one another: “And let us consider one another so as to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking our meeting together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
In Revelation chapters 1 through 3, in the messages to the seven Christian congregations, it is written that there is a strictly local (not global) administration of the congregations.
In Revelation chapter 1, the seven congregations are represented by seven lampstands. The angels of the seven congregations are represented by the seven stars in the right hand of Christ. In Revelation 2 and 3, the encouragements but also the reproaches, sometimes very serious, made by Jesus Christ, are written to the seven « angels » of the seven congregations. In that case, the « angels » are not those in heaven who have no sinful tendency. In Revelation 1:1, John wrote that the Revelation has been transmitted to him by an « angel » (ἄγγελος « angelos » (Strong’s Concordanc G32): « Messenger, by implication pastor »). According to the context, this angel was a heavenly messenger. In Revelation 1:20, the same word « angelos » is used to designate, this time, a human « angel » responsible for a Christian congregation. These seven angels therefore represent the stewards, the shepherds, the elders or human messengers responsible, before King Jesus Christ, for the administration of the Christian congregation (The translation of the Bible Chouraqui « messenger »), (« messenger » (« messengers), « human leaders » Expanded Bible (EXB); (GOD’S WORD Translation « messenger »)) (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
These « angels » or « messengers » are the intercessors between Jesus Christ and the congregation (Jesus Christ being the only mediator between God and the humanity (1 Timothy 2:5)). In this vision, Jesus Christ stands in the « Holy » of the spiritual temple, the usual place of priests who burned incense. These « angels » or « messengers » are also « priests » for the congregation, under the authority of the high priest Jesus Christ. Moreover, in Malachi 2:7, they are « human messengers » or « angels » of Jehovah: « For the lips of a priest should safeguard knowledge, and people should seek the law from his mouth, because he is the messenger of Jehovah of armies » (Malachi 2:7). The priests, in the former Israel, had three major functions, burning incense (prayers (Revelation 8: 3,4)), teaching and judgment (Deuteronomy 17:8,10-13; 21,1,2,5 ; Numbers 5:11-31). The elders, the shepherds or the pastors of the congregations have exactly the same priestly functions in the spiritual temple, the Christian congregation: the prayer (James 5:14), the teaching (1 Timothy 3:2 « qualified to teach »), judgment in the congregation (Matthew 18:18).
Before the Great Tribulation, King Jesus Christ will directly ask for accounts to the « angels » of the different congregations scattered around the world. According to Revelation chapters 2 and 3 these overseers of local congregations have a great responsibility (Matthew 25). This is why the disciple James wrote: « Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment » (James 3:1) (The Administration of the Christian Congregation, According to the Bible (Colossians 2:17)).
« For he has gone forth from the prison house itself to become king, although in the kingship of this one he had been born as one of little means » (verse 14).
The last verses in chapter 4 (13-16), show what can be responsible for the suffering of the oppressed people… They can be governed by real bandits, who have no legitimacy to reign as king: . And there is no shortage of examples in world history, showing that peoples have often been governed by real murderers, psychopaths who have massacred hundreds, thousands, even millions of humans, in labor camps and concentration camps. The mediocrity of these oppressive individuals is comparable to that of the human who is second, usurping the “other one’s place”: « I have seen all those alive who are walking about under the sun, how it goes with the child, who is second, that stands up in the other one’s place » (verse 15).
Jesus Christ said to pay back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s (Luke 20:25). The Christian who pays back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, has a respectful attitude towards the authorities of his country. In 1 Peter 2:17 it is written to fear God and to honor the king. Depending on the context, the king is the repository of the authority of the country over which he reigns. The apostle Paul, in the letter to the Romans (13:1-7), encourages all Christians to respect governments and their representatives, that could be kings, princes, presidents, ministers, deputies… This passage shows that we must respect those who are empowered to enforce the law, namely the police, the military in some countries, judges and various representatives of administrations, such as, for example, teachers, professors, principals, tax inspectors…
This being said, Jesus Christ added that we must pay back what belongs to God. Our body and the life in it belong to God. Therefore, if any human government ask us for our life or the life of our children, the answer will be the same as the apostle Peter said in a court: « We must obey God as ruler rather than men » (Acts 5:29) (Never forget what they did).
***
Ecclesiastes Chapter 5: It is a compilation of proverbial sentences like to the biblical book of Proverbs. Nevertheless, what emerges, is that when we pray God, wanting, for example to « vow a vow », it is necessary to be very careful about what we are going to tell Him. For God, each word that comes out of our mouth is important. Thus, whoever makes a vow before God, by his own words, will be attached as by a rope that he will not able to cut:
Guard your feet whenever you go to the house of the [true] God; and let there be a drawing near to hear, rather than to give a sacrifice as the stupid ones do, for they are not aware of doing what is bad.
2Do not hurry yourself as regards your mouth; and as for your heart, let it not be hasty to bring forth a word before the [true] God. For the [true] God is in the heavens but you are on the earth. That is why your words should prove to be few. 3For a dream certainly comes in because of abundance of occupation, and the voice of a stupid one because of the abundance of words. 4Whenever you vow a vow to God, do not hesitate to pay it, for there is no delight in the stupid ones. What you vow, pay. 5Better is it that you vow not than that you vow and do not pay. 6Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, neither say before the angel that it was a mistake. Why should the [true] God become indignant on account of your voice and have to wreck the work of your hands? 7For because of abundance [of occupation] there are dreams, and there are vanities and words in abundance. But fear the [true] God himself.
8If you see any oppression of the one of little means and the violent taking away of judgment and of righteousness in a jurisdictional district, do not be amazed over the affair, for one that is higher than the high one is watching, and there are those who are high above them.
9Also, the profit of the earth is among them all; for a field the king himself has been served.
10A mere lover of silver will not be satisfied with silver, neither any lover of wealth with income. This too is vanity.
11When good things become many, those eating them certainly become many. And what advantage is there to the grand owner of them, except looking [at them] with his eyes?
12Sweet is the sleep of the one serving, regardless of whether it is little or much that he eats; but the plenty belonging to the rich one is not permitting him to sleep.
13There exists a grave calamity that I have seen under the sun: riches being kept for their grand owner to his calamity. 14And those riches have perished because of a calamitous occupation, and he has become father to a son when there is nothing at all in his hand.
15Just as one has come forth from his mother’s belly, naked will one go away again, just as one came; and nothing at all can one carry away for his hard work, which he can take along with his hand.
16And this too is a grave calamity: exactly as one has come, so one will go away; and what profit is there to the one who keeps working hard for the wind? 17Also, all his days he eats in darkness itself, with a great deal of vexation, with sickness on his part and [cause for] indignation.
18Look! The best thing that I myself have seen, which is pretty, is that one should eat and drink and see good for all his hard work with which he works hard under the sun for the number of the days of his life that the [true] God has given him, for that is his portion. 19Also every man to whom the [true] God has given riches and material possessions, he has even empowered him to eat from it and to carry off his portion and to rejoice in his hard work. This is the gift of God. 20For not often will he remember the days of his life, because the [true] God is preoccupying [him] with the rejoicing of his heart.
***
Some important points of the chapter, as a meditation theme:
“Do not hurry yourself as regards your mouth; and as for your heart, let it not be hasty to bring forth a word before the true God. For the true God is in the heavens but you are on the earth. That is why your words should prove to be few” (verse 2).
We must be careful with our words when we address God in prayer. What matters to Him are not long prayers, but rather those that are perhaps shorter but with well-chosen words. Jesus Christ clearly stated that we should not offer mechanical, repetitive, or unreflective prayers:
“Also, when you pray, do not act like the hypocrites, for they like to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the main streets to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your private room and, after shutting your door, pray to your Father who is in secret. Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you. When praying, do not say the same things over and over again as the people of the nations do, for they imagine they will get a hearing for their use of many words. 8 So do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need even before you ask him. “You must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your Kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also on earth. Give us today our bread for this day; and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the wicked one” (Matthew 6:5-13) (How to Pray to God?).
“Whenever you vow a vow to God, do not hesitate to pay it, for there is no delight in the stupid ones. What you vow, pay” (verse 4).
A vow made to God is a promise that must be kept. The most common vow made before God is the sacrament of marriage, which unites a man and a woman. It is important to respect it because, for God, the commitment of marriage is sacred: “Let marriage be honorable among all, and let the marriage bed be without defilement, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers” (Hebrews 13:4).
Another vow made before God is that mentioned by Jesus Christ, baptism: « Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit » (Matthew 28:19).
The very important point of teaching in Matthew 28:19,20 is that the Christian Baptism is only made on a Criterion of Faith in Jehovah, Faith in Jesus Christ and Faith in the Holy Spirit. And after will begin the very long process of making disciples by mean a personalized teaching of the new disciple, and by mean assisting the weekly meeting, and participating in the works of the Christian Faith, the preaching and the teaching (Matthew 24:14;28:19,20). We can read examples of the simplicity of the Baptism Process based on Faith in Jehovah, Faith in Jesus Christ, Faith in the Holy (That means not mainly in criterion of biblical knowledge) (The Preaching of the Good News and the Baptism (Matthew 24:14)).
« For because of abundance of occupation there are dreams » (verse 7).
According to the Bible, not all dreams are premonitory signs. Dreams are often the result of the brain activity of the storage of souvenirs of the actions during the occupation of the day, often surreal, until artistic…
“If you see any oppression of the one of little means and the violent taking away of judgment and of righteousness in a jurisdictional district, do not be amazed over the affair, for one that is higher than the high one is watching, and there are those who are high above them” (verse 8).
It is perfectly normal to feel indignation in the face of injustice and oppression. The text above shows that despite appearances, God is watching over the situation. At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ made it clear that divine justice will prevail: “Happy are those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, since they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).
« Also, the profit of the earth is among them all; for a field the king himself has been served » (verse 9).
Whatever the economic system established by men, they will always depend on the food power of the nourishing land, the agricultural land, and even the kings do not escape it…
“Sweet is the sleep of the one serving, regardless of whether it is little or much that he eats; but the plenty belonging to the rich one is not permitting him to sleep” (verse 12).
King Solomon addresses the theme of our relationship to material possessions, money, and wealth. The sweetness of the sleep of the servant could be that of an employee who, once they have finished their work, generally goes home and enjoys a well-deserved rest, while their boss continues to work and worry about the company’s survival. Perhaps this situation is causing him sleepless nights because he knows he could lose everything overnight and leave his family destitute: “There exists a grave calamity that I have seen under the sun: riches being kept for their grand owner to his calamity. 14And those riches have perished because of a calamitous occupation, and he has become father to a son when there is nothing at all in his hand” (verses 13,14).
“Just as one has come forth from his mother’s belly, naked will one go away again, just as one came; and nothing at all can one carry away for his hard work, which he can take along with his hand” (verse 15).
Of course, many prefer wealth to a simple life with less money, but Solomon reminds us of an undeniable truth: we depart in the same way we came into existence—with nothing. This is why Jesus Christ encouraged his disciples to accumulate spiritual, timeless wealth that accompanies us in death: to have a good name before God, to be rich toward him, so as to have a place in his memory for the resurrection of the dead: “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (…) No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot slave for God and for Riches” (Matthew 6:19-21, 24) (The Earthly Resurrection of the Righteous – They Will Not Be Judged (John 5:28, 29)).
“This is the gift of God. For not often will he remember the days of his life, because the [true] God is preoccupying him with the rejoicing of his heart” (verses 19, 20).
The divine gift mentioned in this text is to enjoy the fruits of our labor and to ensure that the brevity of our existence does not constantly occupy our minds, by granting us joy in our hearts.
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 6: This is the theme of enjoying and not enjoying of the good result of a work. Sometimes, a man may not see the good result of his work, due to God action, or due to man putting himself in this situation. Anyway, in both cases, it is an expression of vanity or what is absurd:
There exists a calamity that I have seen under the sun, and it is frequent among mankind: 2a man to whom the [true] God gives riches and material possessions and glory and who, for his soul, is in no need of anything that he shows himself longing for, and yet the [true] God does not enable him to eat from it, although a mere foreigner may eat it. This is vanity and it is a bad sickness. 3If a man should become a father a hundred times, and he should live many years, so that numerous the days of his years should become, yet his own soul is not satisfied with good things and even the grave has not become his, I must say that one prematurely born is better off than he is. 4For in vain has this one come and in darkness he goes away, and with darkness his own name will be covered. 5Even the sun itself he has not seen, neither known. This one has rest rather than the former one. 6Even supposing that he has lived a thousand years twice over and yet he has not seen what is good, is it not to just one place that everyone is going?
7All the hard work of mankind is for their mouth, but even their own soul does not get filled. 8For what advantage does the wise have over the stupid one? What does the afflicted one have in knowing how to walk in front of the living ones? 9Better is the seeing by the eyes than the walking about of the soul. This too is vanity and a striving after the wind.
10Whatever has come to be, its name has already been pronounced, and it has become known what man is; and he is not able to plead his cause with one that is more powerful than he is.
11Because there exist many things that are causing much vanity, what advantage does a man have? 12For who is there knowing what good a man has in life for the number of the days of his vain life, when he spends them like a shadow? For who can tell man what will happen after him under the sun?
***
“There exists a calamity that I have seen under the sun, and it is frequent among mankind: a man to whom the [true] God gives riches and material possessions and glory and who, for his soul, is in no need of anything that he shows himself longing for, and yet the true God does not enable him to eat from it, although a mere foreigner may eat it. This is vanity and it is a bad sickness” (verses 1,2).
This text shows that whatever gifts God gives to humans, He does not allow them to fully enjoy them because of their mortal condition. As a reminder of the commentary on Ecclesiastes 1:13 and Paul’s letter to the Romans, God subjected all of humanity to futility, that is, to death, because of Adam’s initial wrong decision: « For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God » (Romans 8:20-21). Nevertheless, verse 21 shows that God will deliver all of humanity from this futile condition, granting them everlasting life through faith in the sacrifice of Christ (John 3:16, 36) (The Hope of Everlasting Life).
There is an illustration from Christ that encourages us to be rich toward God, instead of accumulating material wealth: « Then someone in the crowd said to him: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 He said to him: “Man, who appointed me judge or arbitrator between you two?” 15 Then he said to them: “Keep your eyes open and guard against every sort of greed, because even when a person has an abundance, his life does not result from the things he possesses.” 16 With that he told them an illustration, saying: “The land of a rich man produced well. 17 So he began reasoning within himself, ‘What should I do now that I have nowhere to gather my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my storehouses and build bigger ones, and there I will gather all my grain and all my goods, 19 and I will say to myself: “You have many good things stored up for many years; take it easy, eat, drink, enjoy yourself.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Unreasonable one, this night they are demanding your life from you. Who, then, is to have the things you stored up?’ 21 So it goes with the man who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God” » (Luke 12:13-21).
“If a man should become a father a hundred times, and he should live many years, so that numerous the days of his years should become, yet his own soul is not satisfied with good things and even the grave has not become his, I must say that one prematurely born is better off than he is” (verse 3).
This text shows that it is not so much the number of years lived or a very long life that counts, but rather a quality of life based on contentment, well-being, and inner peace. As Jesus Christ was about to leave his disciples on earth, he gave them a gift, his peace: “I leave you peace; I give you my peace” (John 14:27).
« Better is the seeing by the eyes than the walking about of the soul. This too is vanity and a striving after the wind » (verse 9).
A life that has a purpose or a specific goal, is better experienced than that without any objective, creating a form of an existential wandering, as empty life…
In this maxim, the eyes represent the primary goal a human sets for himself in life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ used the symbolism of the eye as the goal that human sets for himself in life. The context of this metaphor is directly related to our relationship with material possessions:
“Stop storing up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If, then, your eye is simple, your whole body will be bright; 23 but if your eye is wicked, your whole body will be dark. If in reality the light that is in you is darkness, how great that darkness is!
24 “No one can slave for two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. YOU cannot slave for God and for Riches” (Matthew 6:19-24).
It is clear that the Bible does not condemn wealth, just as it does not encourage poverty. Jesus Christ warns against our relationship to wealth, put in perspective with our main purpose of serving God. Jesus Christ, like the Bible as a whole, condemns the love of money: “However, those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires, which plunge men into destruction and ruin. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things, and by reaching out for this love some have been led astray from the faith and have stabbed themselves all over with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:9,10). By the expression « simple eye », it means sincere, all one way, in focus, generous, which is in conformity with the service for God. And a « wicked eye » is bad, envious, and has goals based on lust, greed, which is consistent with service to the god Riches (The teaching of Jesus Christ that leads to spiritual maturity).
« Because there exist many things that are causing much vanity, what advantage does a man have? 12For who is there knowing what good a man has in life for the number of the days of his vain life, when he spends them like a shadow? For who can tell man what will happen after him under the sun? » (verses 11,12).
It is a form of repetition of the central theme of the Ecclesiastes book, on the vanity of the existence of the condemned and subjected mortal man, in spite of himself, to the deadly law of sin inherited from Adam (Ecclesiastes 1:2; Romans 5:12).
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 7: There is the same structure as the book of Proverbs, with its proverbial sentences. However, we can note a dominant proverbial maxim, namely, the end of an event or a thing, is better than its beginning:
A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born. 2Better is it to go to the house of mourning than to go to the banquet house, because that is the end of all mankind; and the one alive should take [it] to his heart. 3Better is vexation than laughter, for by the crossness of the face the heart becomes better. 4The heart of the wise ones is in the house of mourning, but the heart of the stupid ones is in the house of rejoicing.
5Better is it to hear the rebuke of someone wise than to be the man hearing the song of the stupid ones. 6For as the sound of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the stupid one; and this too is vanity. 7For mere oppression may make a wise one act crazy, and a gift can destroy the heart.
8Better is the end afterward of a matter than its beginning. Better is one who is patient than one who is haughty in spirit. 9Do not hurry yourself in your spirit to become offended, for the taking of offense is what rests in the bosom of the stupid ones.
10Do not say: “Why has it happened that the former days proved to be better than these?” for it is not due to wisdom that you have asked about this.
11Wisdom along with an inheritance is good and is advantageous for those seeing the sun. 12For wisdom is for a protection [the same as] money is for a protection; but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom itself preserves alive its owners.
13See the work of the [true] God, for who is able to make straight what he has made crooked? 14On a good day prove yourself to be in goodness, and on a calamitous day see that the [true] God has made even this exactly as that, to the intent that mankind may not discover anything at all after them.
15Everything I have seen during my vain days. There exists the righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there exists the wicked one continuing long in his badness.
16Do not become righteous overmuch, nor show yourself excessively wise. Why should you cause desolation to yourself? 17Do not be wicked overmuch, nor become foolish. Why should you die when it is not your time? 18It is better that you should take hold of the one, but from the other also do not withdraw your hand; for he that fears God will go forth with them all.
19Wisdom itself is stronger for the wise one than ten men in power who happened to be in a city. 20For there is no man righteous in the earth that keeps doing good and does not sin.
21Also, do not give your heart to all the words that people may speak, that you may not hear your servant calling down evil upon you. 22For your own heart well knows even many times that you, even you, have called down evil upon others.
23All this I have tested with wisdom. I said: “I will become wise.” But it was far from me. 24What has come to be is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out? 25I myself turned around, even my heart did, to know and to explore and to search for wisdom and the reason of things, and to know about the wickedness of stupidity and the foolishness of madness; 26and I was finding out: More bitter than death [I found] the woman who is herself nets for hunting and whose heart is dragnets [and] whose hands are fetters. One is good before the [true] God if one escapes from her, but one is sinning if one is captured by her.
27“See! This I have found,” said the congregator, “one thing [taken] after another, to find out the sum-up, 28which my soul has continuously sought, but I have not found. One man out of a thousand I have found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29See! This only I have found, that the [true] God made mankind upright, but they themselves have sought out many plans”.
***
« A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born. 2Better is it to go to the house of mourning than to go to the banquet house, because that is the end of all mankind; and the one alive should take [it] to his heart. 3Better is vexation than laughter, for by the crossness of the face the heart becomes better. 4The heart of the wise ones is in the house of mourning, but the heart of the stupid ones is in the house of rejoicing » (verses 1-4).
In the context of the Bible, a name is more than simply an identity or a legal status that distinguishes one person from another. The definition of the Hebrew word « shem » (שֵׁם), translated by « name »: « a primitive word [perhaps rather from H7760 through the idea of definite and conspicuous position; compare H8064]; an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character:— base, (in-) fame(-ous), named(-d), renown, report » (Strong’s Corcondance (H8034)). Thus, a person’s name, during and at the end of his life, is linked to his record of good or bad deeds, his fame, and their reputation. The inheritance of this name, from God’s perspective, who can resurrect the deceased, is acquired at the end of life (Acts 24:15). It is in this biblical context that verse 1, “A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born”, should be read. It is at the end of a life that a person earns a good or bad name, a reputation, or a good or bad standing before God and humankind (I Will Become What I Choose to Become (Exodus 3:14)).
Since death is a natural part of the human condition, it is important to reflect on it from time to time, especially when supporting loved ones through their grief after the loss of a loved one. Trying to ignore this reality by leading a life focused primarily on pleasure, without any reflection on the subject, through denial, is utterly foolish. This is where we understand the value of reading and meditating on the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, which allows us to reflect on the meaning and the goal of our existence before it is too late. The admittedly unpleasant moments of wakes or funerals allow us to reflect on the meaning we should give to our brief existence…
These moments allow us to improve our hearts, that is, our character and the motives behind our actions, with the aim of pleasing the Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, because they will allow us to obtain everlasting life: “This means everlasting life, their coming to know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3) (God Has a Name (YHWH)).
« For mere oppression may make a wise one act crazy, and a gift can destroy the heart » (verse 7).
An extreme physical and emotional suffering can cause the loss of the psychological, mental until the spiritual balance of a person who has the reputation of being a wise one. There is the example of Asaph in Psalms 73. Asaph, the inspired author of this psalm, expressed his indignation at wickedness and injustice. He honestly explained that he almost strayed spiritually by envying the wicked who seem to be successful in their behavior, by mocking God. Asaph allowed himself to be dominated by a destructive bitterness in the face of this absurd situation.
Following this observation, Asaph expressed his dismay:
“Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
And washed my hands in innocence.
And I was troubled all day long;
Every morning I was chastised” (Psalms 73:13,14).
However, we see that Asaph was able to pull himself together, regain sound judgment, a discernment that allowed him to better understand the situation from God’s perspective:
“Surely you place them on slippery ground.
You make them fall to their ruin.
How suddenly they are devastated!
How sudden is their finish as they come to a terrible end!” (Psalms 73:18,19).
Psalm 73 can be a help to those who personally suffer injustice. Jesus Christ said that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6). This psalm shows that in the meantime, we should take refuge in our relationship with God, trusting that He will find a solution to our difficult situation:
“My body and my heart may fail,
But God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.
Truly, those keeping far from you will perish.
You will put an end to everyone who immorally leaves you.
But as for me, drawing near to God is good for me.
I have made the Sovereign Lord Jehovah my refuge,
To declare all your works” (Psalms 73:26–28) (Meditation on the book of Job).
« Everything I have seen during my vain days. There exists the righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there exists the wicked one continuing long in his badness » (verse 15).
There is a same proverbial sentence in the chapter 8: « There exists a vanity that is carried out on the earth, that there exist righteous ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the wicked ones, and there exist wicked ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the righteous ones. I said that this too is vanity » (Ecclesiastes 8:14). The absurd human condition, created surrealistic situations, the righteous who die prematurely because of their justice and the bad guys who manage to live for a long time. The righteous ones suffering from horrible death in labor camps and concentration camps, so as not to compromise with their conscience, while the torturers die cozy in their bed, after a long life and a beautiful old age.
Sometimes the vision of things is completely reversed, the righteous man has the result of life of the bad guy and the wicked one with good results in life, by accusing reversal and inversion of values: « Woe to those who are saying that good is bad and bad is good, those who are putting darkness for light and light for darkness, those who are putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! » (Isaiah 5:20).
This is another revolting expression of the current absurdity of the human condition: « How long, O Jehovah, must I cry for help, and you do not hear? [How long] shall I call to you for aid from violence, and you do not save? 3 Why is it that you make me see what is hurtful, and you keep looking upon mere trouble? And [why] are despoiling and violence in front of me, and [why] does quarreling occur, and [why] is strife carried?4 Therefore law grows numb, and justice never goes forth. Because the wicked one is surrounding the righteous one, for that reason justice goes forth crooked » (Habacuc 1:2-4) (Why God Allowed Suffering and Wickedness ?).
« Do not become righteous overmuch, nor show yourself excessively wise. Why should you cause desolation to yourself? » (verse 16).
This text shows that a psychological rigidity that even tends towards what is right, can create serious relationship problems. The best example is that of the Pharisees of the time of Jesus Christ, who ended up having a high opinion of their person, while despising those who were not like them. Furthermore, they were sacrificing the spirit of God’s law to the letter by engaging in a formalistic spiritual practice with no regard for their fellow human beings. Jesus Christ clearly told them that the spirit of the law was based on compassion and mercy: “Go, then, and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice’” (Matthew 9:13).
In a spirit of compassion and mercy, Jesus Christ miraculously healed a woman who had been completely bent over for 18 years, on the Sabbath day, and this is the remark made by an “overmuch righteous man”: « Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And look! a woman was there who had had a spirit of weakness for 18 years; and she was bent double and was unable to straighten up at all. 12 When he saw her, Jesus addressed her and said: “Woman, you are released from your weakness.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and instantly she straightened up and began to glorify God. 14 But in response the presiding officer of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus did the cure on the Sabbath, said to the crowd: “There are six days on which work ought to be done; so come and be cured on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 However, the Lord answered him: “Hypocrites, does not each one of you on the Sabbath untie his bull or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to give it something to drink? 16 Should not this woman, who is a daughter of Abraham and whom Satan held bound for 18 years, be released from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” 17 Well, when he said these things, all his opposers began to feel shame, but the entire crowd began to rejoice at all the glorious things he did » (Luke 13:10-17).
As Jesus Christ clearly stated, such an attitude can lead to the desolation of the overmuch righteous man, incurring final divine disapproval (see Matthew 23). In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ said that mercy will be shown to the merciful, but those who judge without mercy will be judged in the same way (Matthew 5:7; 7:1-5) (The teaching of Jesus Christ that leads to spiritual maturity).
« For there is no man righteous in the earth that keeps doing good and does not sin » (verse 20).
Our sinful nature does not always allow us to do good because we have within us a natural propensity to do the evil we must fight against. The apostle Paul aptly illustrated this inner struggle against evil within us and the need to act correctly before God and men: “I find, then, this law in my case: When I wish to do what is right, what is bad is present with me. 22 I really delight in the law of God according to the man I am within, 23 but I see in my body another law warring against the law of my mind and leading me captive to sin’s law that is in my body. 24 Miserable man that I am! Who will rescue me from the body undergoing this death? 25 Thanks to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So, then, with my mind I myself am a slave to God’s law, but with my flesh to sin’s law” (Romans 7:21-25).
The accidental appearance of sin in humanity has led to the full destruction of all of humanity (at end), precisely by virtue of this impersonal law (without feeling) of the Holiness of God: « That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned » (Romans 5:12). “For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The first part of this verse, shows that the necessity of holiness (impersonal law devoid of feeling), makes that sin leads to death, to make it disappear. Whereas, the fact that God is love, He makes arrangements to give us everlasting life through the ransom (Matthew 20:28) (What is the sin?) (What is the unforgivable sin?).
“Also, do not give your heart to all the words that people may speak, that you may not hear your servant calling down evil upon you.For your own heart well knows even many times that you, even you, have called down evil upon others” (verses 21, 22).
Among the most widespread human failings is the misuse of the tongue through slander. The text above shows that we should not be overly offended when others speak ill of us through slander, because at some point in our lives, we ourselves have spoken ill of others. It is, in a way, a case of tit for tat. We must use this reversal of roles to understand that slander can cause harm to others, along with the accompanying emotional pain.
Here is the recommendation that the disciple James made concerning the use of the tongue: « Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, it is not right for things to happen this way. 11 A spring does not cause the fresh water and the bitter water to bubble out of the same opening, does it? 12 My brothers, a fig tree cannot produce olives, or a grapevine figs, can it? Neither can salt water produce fresh water » (James 3:10-12; read the whole chapter 3) (Meditation on the Letter of James leading to Christian maturity).
“All this I have tested with wisdom. I said: “I will become wise.” But it was far from me. What has come to be is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out? I myself turned around, even my heart did, to know and to explore and to search for wisdom and the reason of things, and to know about the wickedness of stupidity and the foolishness of madness” (verses 23-25).
Acquiring divine wisdom is not easy. Wisdom is the ability to put divine knowledge into practice, and in doing so, a man or woman becomes wise before God and men. We must ask God for wisdom and strive to obtain it: “So if any one of you is lacking in wisdom, let him keep asking God, for he gives generously to all and without reproaching, and it will be given him. 6 But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about. 7 In fact, that man should not expect to receive anything from Jehovah; 8 he is an indecisive man, unsteady in all his ways” (James 1:5-8; see also Proverbs 2:1-9) (Meditation on the Book of Proverbs).
Nevertheless, given the general context of the Bible, one realizes that wisdom has a heavenly spiritual dimension that is not necessarily the result of the practice of an acquired knowledge, but rather a direct divine gift. Moreover, in Proverbs 2:6 it is written, « Jehovah himself gives wisdom » (Compare with Exodus 36:1-4 « Bezalel and Oholiab »). If indeed Jehovah’s wisdom flows from the biblical deposit of knowledge, by putting it into practice, there are situations that require this heavenly divine flash of wisdom.
The example of Solomon’s decision concerning the two women who were arguing about a child demonstrates this (read in 1 Kings 3:16-28). This narrative and its conclusion, are the demonstration that the wisdom of God is not only the putting into practice of the biblical knowledge, but it has also a spiritual heavenly dimension, like a divine lightning, without knowing how, Jehovah God gives the miraculous solution, that no human on earth would have thought. This wisdom is not the result of a long career as a judge with a long history of judicial deliberations. Thanks to divine wisdom of God, the young king Solomon, in a flash, knew what decision to take to deliberate between these two women. This miraculous wisdom of this judicial decision, inspired by a completely heavenly wisdom, has plunged an entire nation of several millions of inhabitants into a reverential fear of this king. And we talk about it thousands of years later (The wisdom given by God).
“See! This only I have found, that the [true] God made mankind upright, but they themselves have sought out many plans” (verse 29).
The expression “sought out many plans” can be translated as “sought many detours”. After a thorough analysis of humankind, King Solomon came to this conclusion: if things go wrong, such as the oppression of man by man described in chapter 4, it does not stem from God, who originally created man upright, but rather from the perversion of human behavior in general, which complicates matters by seeking many detours…
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 8: « Who is there like the wise one? And who is there knowing the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of a man itself causes his face to shine, and even the sternness of his face is changed for the better » (Ecclesiastes 8:1). The expression of the superiority of wisdom is expressed in chapter 8 in different ways:
Who is there like the wise one? And who is there knowing the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of a man itself causes his face to shine, and even the sternness of his face is changed [for the better].
2I [say:] “Keep the very order of the king, and that out of regard for the oath of God. 3Do not hurry yourself, that you may go out from before him. Do not stand in a bad thing. For all that he delights [to do] he will do, 4because the word of the king is the power of control; and who may say to him: ‘What are you doing?’”
5He that is keeping the commandment will not know any calamitous thing, and the wise heart will know both time and judgment. 6For there exists a time and judgment even for every affair, because the calamity of mankind is abundant upon them. 7For there is no one knowing what will come to be, because who can tell him just how it will come to be?
8There is no man having power over the spirit to restrain the spirit; neither is there any power of control in the day of death; nor is there any discharge in the war. And wickedness will provide no escape for those indulging in it.
9All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, [during] the time that man has dominated man to his injury. 10But, though this is so, I have seen the wicked ones being buried, how they came in and how they would go away from the holy place itself and be forgotten in the city where they acted that way. This too is vanity.
11Because sentence against a bad work has not been executed speedily, that is why the heart of the sons of men has become fully set in them to do bad. 12Although a sinner may be doing bad a hundred times and continuing a long time as he pleases, yet I am also aware that it will turn out well with those fearing the [true] God, because they were in fear of him. 13But it will not turn out well at all with the wicked one, neither will he prolong his days that are like a shadow, because he is not in fear of God.
14There exists a vanity that is carried out on the earth, that there exist righteous ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the wicked ones, and there exist wicked ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the righteous ones. I said that this too is vanity.
15And I myself commended rejoicing, because mankind have nothing better under the sun than to eat and drink and rejoice, and that it should accompany them in their hard work for the days of their life, which the [true] God has given them under the sun. 16In accord with this I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the occupation that is carried on in the earth, because there is one seeing no sleep with his eyes, either by day or by night.
17And I saw all the work of the [true] God, how mankind are not able to find out the work that has been done under the sun; however much mankind keep working hard to seek, yet they do not find out. And even if they should say they are wise enough to know, they would be unable to find out.
***
“Because the word of the king is the power of control; and who may say to him: ‘What are you doing?’” (verse 4).
As we read in this verse, as long as a human being has authority similar to that of a king, no one is able to question him about his actions with a simple “What are you doing?”
What is true for a human being is even more so for God. The king of Babylon, after being humbled by God for seven years by a mental illness, after regaining his sanity, expressed the same idea: “And at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up to the heavens my eyes, and my own understanding began to return to me; and I blessed the Most High himself, and the One living to time indefinite I praised and glorified, because his rulership is a rulership to time indefinite and his kingdom is for generation after generation. 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are being considered as merely nothing, and he is doing according to his own will among the army of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth. And there exists no one that can check his hand or that can say to him, ‘What have you been doing?’” (Daniel 4:34,35) (The dream of the great felled tree and its interpretation (Daniel 4)).
« All this I have seen, and there was an applying of my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, during the time that man has dominated man to his injury » (verse 9, real also the chapter 4).
The thousands of pages of history books, are there to testify that the ruling classes have often made peoples suffer, exploiting them for their profit: « Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have been feeding themselves! Is it not the flock that the shepherds should feed? 3 You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, and you slaughter the fattest animal, but you do not feed the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bandaged the injured or brought back the strays or looked for the lost; rather, you have ruled them with harshness and tyranny. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; they were scattered and became food for every wild beast of the field. 6 My sheep were straying on all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the surface of the earth, with no one searching for them or seeking to find them » (Ezekiel 34:2-6 ; read all the chapter 34) (Never forget what they did).
« Because sentence against a bad work has not been executed speedily, that is why the heart of the sons of men has become fully set in them to do bad » (verse 11).
In the countries where the justice is lax towards offenders, generate in fact, always more delinquency.
« There exists a vanity that is carried out on the earth, that there exist righteous ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the wicked ones, and there exist wicked ones to whom it is happening as if for the work of the righteous ones. I said that this too is vanity » (verse 14).
This verse is very similar to the one in chapter 7: « Everything I have seen during my vain days. There exists the righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there exists the wicked one continuing long in his badness » (Ecclesiastes 7:15).
The absurd human condition, created surrealistic situations, the righteous who die prematurely because of their justice and the bad guys who manage to live for a long time. The righteous ones suffering from horrible death in labor camps and concentration camps, so as not to compromise with their conscience, while the torturers die cozy in their bed, after a long life and a beautiful old age. Sometimes the vision of things is completely reversed, the righteous man has the result of life of the bad guy and the wicked one with good results in life, by accusing reversal and inversion of values (read Isaiah 5:20). This is another revolting expression of the current absurdity of the human condition (read Habacuc 1:2-4) (Why God Allowed Suffering and Wickedness ?).
« And I saw all the work of the true God, how mankind are not able to find out the work that has been done under the sun; however much mankind keep working hard to seek, yet they do not find out. And even if they should say they are wise enough to know, they would be unable to find out » (verse 17).
The great knowledge creates an opposite sensation, that is to say, that we do not know much. The more we seek or study a subject, the more there are other research doors that open, which gives the feeling that we did not find much.
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 9: this is the theme of the end of life, but also of the coincidence of unforeseen events that can tip existence:
For I took all this to my heart, even to search out all this, that the righteous ones and the wise ones and their works are in the hand of the [true] God. Mankind are not aware of either the love or the hate that were all prior to them. 2All are the same in what all have. One eventuality there is to the righteous one and the wicked one, the good one and the clean one and the unclean one, and the one sacrificing and the one that is not sacrificing. The good one is the same as the sinner; the one swearing is the same as whoever has been afraid of a sworn oath. 3This is what is calamitous in all that has been done under the sun, that, because there is one eventuality to all, the heart of the sons of men is also full of bad; and there is madness in their heart during their lifetime, and after it—to the dead ones!
4For as respects whoever is joined to all the living there exists confidence, because a live dog is better off than a dead lion. 5For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. 6Also, their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they have no portion anymore to time indefinite in anything that has to be done under the sun.
7Go, eat your food with rejoicing and drink your wine with a good heart, because already the [true] God has found pleasure in your works. 8On every occasion let your garments prove to be white, and let oil not be lacking upon your head. 9See life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life that He has given you under the sun, all the days of your vanity, for that is your portion in life and in your hard work with which you are working hard under the sun. 10All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheʹol, the place to which you are going.
11I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. 12For man also does not know his time. Just like fishes that are being taken in an evil net, and like birds that are being taken in a trap, so the sons of men themselves are being ensnared at a calamitous time, when it falls upon them suddenly.
13Also this I saw as respects wisdom under the sun—and it was great to me: 14There was a little city, and the men in it were few; and there came to it a great king, and he surrounded it and built against it great strongholds. 15And there was found in it a man, needy [but] wise, and that one provided escape for the city by his wisdom. But no man remembered that needy man. 16And I myself said: “Wisdom is better than mightiness; yet the wisdom of the needy one is despised, and his words are not listened to.”
17The words of the wise ones in quietness are more to be heard than the cry of one ruling among stupid people.
18Wisdom is better than implements for fighting, and merely one sinner can destroy much good.
***
“This is what is calamitous in all that has been done under the sun, that, because there is one eventuality to all, the heart of the sons of men is also full of bad; and there is madness in their heart during their lifetime, and after it—to the dead ones!” (verse 3).
This text seems to indicate that despair and a lack of hope concerning the current human condition, which leads inexorably to death, drive humans to destructive behavior, to commit evil, to descend into madness, into hedonistic behavior (Carpe Diem), and into consumerism devoid of any form of spirituality (particularly in Western societies).
The apostle Paul summed up this kind of behavior without hope of the resurrection, with one sentence: “If the dead are not to be raised up, “let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die”” (1 Corinthians 15:32) (The Significance of the Resurrections Performed by Jesus Christ (John 11:30-44)).
« For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten. (…) All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, the place to which you are going » (verses 5,10).
Let us stop on the theme of the death condition. In the examination of chapter 3:19-21, the observation is clear, death is the opposite of life. This idea is repeated in chapter 9. However, what about many testimonies that would seem to say the opposite?
Indeed, the Bible mentions that humans could « inquire the dead » (Deuteronomy 18:9-13). However, this practice, of inquiring the dead is, according to the context of Deuteronomy 18, classified as being an occult practice, that is to say, in connection with the direct relationship with demons. The Bible clearly designates the promoters of this lie, Satan the devil and the demons, describing death as a stage leading to another kind of life. They are demonic imposters who pretend to be the dead who can speak and contact the living ones. The second testimony, of this occult practice of inquiring the dead, is that of king Saul, who sought to inquire the dead « Samuel », through a woman spirit medium (1 Samuel 28:3,11) (The Life, The Death, The Second Death, The Fiery Lake, The Gehenna).
« I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. For man also does not know his time. Just like fishes that are being taken in an evil net, and like birds that are being taken in a trap, so the sons of men themselves are being ensnared at a calamitous time, when it falls upon them suddenly » (verses 11,12).
Suffering can be the result of « unforeseen occurrence » which makes the people to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. At no time Jesus Christ said that victims of accidents or natural disasters would have sinned more than others, or even that God causes such events to punish sinners. Whether, currently, illnesses, accidents or natural disasters, are not provoked by God and those who are victims do not have more sin than the others (Does God Protect Us?).
« Also this I saw as respects wisdom under the sun—and it was great to me: 14There was a little city, and the men in it were few; and there came to it a great king, and he surrounded it and built against it great strongholds. 15And there was found in it a man, needy [but] wise, and that one provided escape for the city by his wisdom. But no man remembered that needy man. 16And I myself said: “Wisdom is better than mightiness; yet the wisdom of the needy one is despised, and his words are not listened to » (verses 13-16).
It is unclear whether King Solomon used a simple allegory or a historical fact to illustrate his observation. He is showing that the wisdom of the poor is despised and their words ignored, finds its echo in the Gospel account in the very person of Jesus Christ. On one occasion, he taught in the city where he had grown up, Nazareth. While the inhabitants witnessed his great wisdom and could see his powerful works, the Gospel account relates the following:
“When Jesus had finished these illustrations, he departed from there. 54 After coming into his home territory, he began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said: “Where did this man get this wisdom and these powerful works? 55 Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Where, then, did he get all of this?” 57 So they began to stumble because of him. But Jesus said to them: “A prophet is not without honor except in his home territory and in his own house.” 58 And he did not perform many powerful works there on account of their lack of faith” (Matthew 13:53-58).
The inhabitants of that town were astonished that a man from a humble background, who had not studied theology with the rabbis in Jerusalem and had worked alongside his father as a carpenter, could possess such wisdom. On this occasion, he was not honored as a great man; he was not taken seriously.
Jesus Christ showed that wisdom is revealed by its concrete results, despite the scorn of those who judge by appearances and refuse to consider them:
“With whom will I compare this generation? It is like young children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to their playmates, 17 saying: ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance; we wailed, but you did not beat yourselves in grief.’ 18 Likewise, John came neither eating nor drinking, but people say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of man did come eating and drinking, but people say, ‘Look! A man who is a glutton and is given to drinking wine, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ All the same, wisdom is proved righteous by its works” (Matthew 11:16-19).
The current situation is this: the opinion of a poor person, even a very wise one, is rarely sought. On the other hand, we see very wealthy people, often uneducated, even sometimes foolish, being asked to express their views, even to give advice to the public. There is a proverb that aptly illustrates this aberrant situation: In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king (The wisdom given by God).
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 10: It is a series of proverbial sentences, which we will bring out some interesting points:
Dead flies are what cause the oil of the ointment maker to stink, to bubble forth. So a little foolishness does to one who is precious for wisdom and glory.
2The heart of the wise is at his right hand, but the heart of the stupid at his left hand. 3And also in whatever way the foolish one is walking, his own heart is lacking, and he certainly says to everybody that he is foolish.
4If the spirit of a ruler should mount up against you, do not leave your own place, for calmness itself allays great sins.
5There exists something calamitous that I have seen under the sun, as when there is a mistake going forth on account of the one in power: 6Foolishness has been put in many high positions, but the rich ones themselves keep dwelling merely in a low condition.
7I have seen servants on horses but princes walking on the earth just like servants.
8He that is digging a pit will himself fall right into it; and he that is breaking through a stone wall, a serpent will bite him.
9He that is quarrying out stones will hurt himself with them. He that is splitting logs will have to be careful with them.
10If an iron tool has become blunt and someone has not whetted its edge, then he will exert his own vital energies. So the using of wisdom to success means advantage.
11If the serpent bites when no charming results, then there is no advantage to the one indulging in the tongue.
12The words of the mouth of the wise one mean favor, but the lips of the stupid one swallow him up. 13The start of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end afterward of his mouth is calamitous madness. 14And the foolish one speaks many words.
Man does not know what will come to be; and that which will come to be after him, who can tell him?
15The hard work of the stupid ones makes them weary, because not one has come to know how to go to the city.
16How will it be with you, O land, when your king is a boy and your own princes keep eating even in the morning? 17Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of noble ones and your own princes eat at the proper time for mightiness, not for mere drinking.
18Through great laziness the beamwork sinks in, and through the letting down of the hands the house leaks.
19Bread is for the laughter of the workers, and wine itself makes life rejoice; but money is what meets a response in all things.
20Even in your bedroom do not call down evil upon the king himself, and in the interior rooms where you lie down do not call down evil upon anyone rich; for a flying creature of the heavens will convey the sound and something owning wings will tell the matter.
***
« The heart of the wise is at his right hand, but the heart of the stupid at his left hand. And also in whatever way the foolish one is walking, his own heart is lacking, and he certainly says to everybody that he is foolish » (verses 2,3).
This statement is anatomically incorrect, since the human heart is located on the left, not the right. It is therefore clear that the meaning of this proverb is symbolic.
Verse 3 seems to clarify the meaning of verse 2. The heart, the right, and the left are to be understood symbolically. In this context, the heart symbolizes the capacity to make good or bad decisions. “His own heart is lacking” means that he lacks discernment and good judgment. His symbolic heart does not act as a reliable compass to guide him in the right direction.
The left hand seems to symbolize stupidity or clumsiness. Generally, humans are right-handed, and the right hand can signify what is accomplished with skill and wisdom. For example, in the book of Judges, it is mentioned that Judge Ehud was left-handed, demonstrating that this was a rare enough occurrence to be noted (Judges 3:15).
However, more generally, if one is neither left-handed nor ambidextrous, things done with the left hand can be clumsy. In another biblical context, Jesus Christ symbolized the right hand with approval and the left hand with disapproval in the illustration of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31–46). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is described as being at the right hand of the heavenly Father (Psalm 110:1 ; Acts 2:33).
« I have seen servants on horses but princes walking on the earth just like servants » (verse 7).
Often, in this system of things, it can have an inversion of values (Isaiah 5:20). A human with a great spiritual integrity, with noble feelings, like a prince, can be treated as a simple servant and with contempt. In the other hand, there are humans only able of being servants, without noble feelings, sometimes have a high rank and are seen as princes. This is a bit of repetition, in another form, of what it is written in Ecclesiastes 7:15 and 8:14.
“If an iron tool has become blunt and someone has not whetted its edge, then he will exert his own vital energies. So the using of wisdom to success means advantage” (verse 10).
This is an illustration of practical wisdom. When a woodcutter sets out to cut down a tree, he will sharpen his axe, thus using not only his vital energy but also his intelligence, which will allow him to use his tool more effectively. If he has to cut down a large tree next to a house, he will not simply concentrate on using his vital energy without thinking, but he will have to ensure that the tree falls in the right place. Consequently, he will have to choose the precise spot to cut the trunk so that the tree does not fall on the house. The woodcutter’s vital energy must be combined with intelligence, practical wisdom, and know-how. This is true in all professions.
« Even in your bedroom do not call down evil upon the king himself, and in the interior rooms where you lie down do not call down evil upon anyone rich; for a flying creature of the heavens will convey the sound and something owning wings will tell the matter » (verse 20).
In most cases, confidential things, over time, end up being known, as Jesus Christ said: « For there is nothing hidden that will not become manifest, neither anything carefully concealed that will never become known and never come into the open » (Luke 8:17).
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 11: it is the general theme of this chapter which illustrates the fact that perseverance is often rewarded, it is enough to endure and to be patient:
Send out your bread upon the surface of the waters, for in the course of many days you will find it again. 2Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what calamity will occur on the earth.
3If the clouds are filled [with water], they empty out a sheer downpour upon the earth; and if a tree falls to the south or if to the north, in the place where the tree falls there it will prove to be.
4He that is watching the wind will not sow seed; and he that is looking at the clouds will not reap.
5Just as you are not aware of what is the way of the spirit in the bones in the belly of her that is pregnant, in like manner you do not know the work of the [true] God, who does all things.
6In the morning sow your seed and until the evening do not let your hand rest; for you are not knowing where this will have success, either here or there, or whether both of them will alike be good.
7The light is also sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun; 8for if a man should live even many years, in all of them let him rejoice. And let him remember the days of darkness, though they could be many; every [day] that has come in is vanity.
9Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart do you good in the days of your young manhood, and walk in the ways of your heart and in the things seen by your eyes. But know that on account of all these the [true] God will bring you into judgment. 10So remove vexation from your heart, and ward off calamity from your flesh; for youth and the prime of life are vanity.
***
“Send out your bread upon the surface of the waters, for in the course of many days you will find it again” (verse 1).
This text shows that we can reap the fruits of our good deeds before God and men, but only “many days” later. There is the example of a certain Mordecai (in the historical account in the book of Esther) who foiled a conspiracy against the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) (Esther 2:21-23). Although this good deed has been mentioned in the historical accounts of the kingdom, it has been filed away and completely forgotten. Finally, it was only much later that Mordecai has been rewarded by the king for his good deed (Esther chapter 6).
Furthermore, Jesus Christ clearly stated that what matters is doing good, even in secret, before God, and He may reward us quickly or « many days » later:
« Take care not to practice your righteousness in front of men to be noticed by them; otherwise you will have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. 2 So when you make gifts of mercy, do not blow a trumpet ahead of you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But you, when making gifts of mercy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your gifts of mercy may be in secret. Then your Father who looks on in secret will repay you » (Matthew 6:1-4) (The teaching of Jesus Christ that leads to spiritual maturity).
“Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what calamity will occur on the earth” (verse 2).
It would seem that Jesus Christ illustrated this idea in the parable about using unrighteous riches, namely, using it to make friends in preparation for difficult times. Of course, the most important friendship is with the Heavenly Father:
“Then he also said to the disciples: “A rich man had a steward who was accused of handling his goods wastefully. 2 So he called him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Hand in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer manage the house.’ 3 Then the steward said to himself, ‘What am I to do, seeing that my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 Ah! I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from the stewardship, people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5 And calling to him each one of his master’s debtors, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He replied, ‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take back your written agreement and sit down and quickly write 50.’ 7 Next, he said to another one, ‘Now you, how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred large measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take back your written agreement and write 80.’ 8 And his master commended the steward, though unrighteous, because he acted with practical wisdom; for the sons of this system of things are wiser in a practical way toward their own generation than the sons of the light are.
9 “Also, I say to you: Make friends for yourselves by means of the unrighteous riches, so that when such fail, they may receive you into the everlasting dwelling places. 10 The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and the person unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much. 11 Therefore, if you have not proved yourselves faithful in connection with the unrighteous riches, who will entrust you with what is true? 12 And if you have not proved yourselves faithful in connection with what belongs to another, who will give you something for yourselves? 13 No servant can be a slave to two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stick to the one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves to God and to Riches” (Luke 16:1-13).
Through this illustration, Jesus Christ shows that if we are rich, we must use that wealth to gain God’s friendship by using it for the good of others.
« He that is watching the wind will not sow seed; and he that is looking at the clouds will not reap » (verse 4).
Someone who is constantly in examining a situation before taking action, seems to show a sick fear of failure. It is important to know how to take risks when undertaking a project, without constantly waiting for all the conditions to be met, to ultimately take action. If someone is in the disposition of mind, of the zero risk, ultimately, will not do much in life, « he that is looking at the clouds will not reap ».
“In the morning sow your seed and until the evening do not let your hand rest; for you are not knowing where this will have success, either here or there, or whether both of them will alike be good” (verse 6).
The virtue of perseverance was emphasized by Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Keep on asking, and it will be given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you; 8 for everyone asking receives, and everyone seeking finds, and to everyone knocking, it will be opened. 9 Indeed, which one of you, if his son asks for bread, will hand him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not hand him a serpent, will he? 11 Therefore, if you, although being wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more so will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those asking him!” (Matthew 7:7-11).
The context of the recommendation in the book of Ecclesiastes is perseverance in action, while Jesus Christ mentioned perseverance in action and asking the Heavenly Father through prayer.
“Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart do you good in the days of your young manhood, and walk in the ways of your heart and in the things seen by your eyes. But know that on account of all these the true God will bring you into judgment. So remove vexation from your heart, and ward off calamity from your flesh; for youth and the prime of life are vanity” (verses 9, 10).
The last verses of chapter 11 constitute a transitional paragraph or an introduction that could well have been part of the beginning of chapter 12, which is the conclusion of the entire book of Ecclesiastes. The main recommendation is that men and women should enjoy their youth to be happy, while being careful not to engage in destructive and God-condemned behavior. It is important that young people not fall into practices that could harm them, cause their unhappiness, and jeopardize their life plans.
In any case, God will hold both young and old accountable: “So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God” (Romans 14:12). When it is written that youth and the prime of life are vanity, it means that this period passes very quickly, that it is fleeting, and that it is only a transitional phase leading to adulthood.
This introduction to chapter 12 is very well summarized by what is written in the letter to Timothy: “For physical training is beneficial for a little, but godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and the life that is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). It is normal to be concerned about one’s physical appearance and to stay in shape; however, it is also important to pay attention to spirituality, to one’s relationship with the Heavenly Father. This is the concluding message of chapter 12.
***
Ecclesiastes chapter 12: it is the poetic conclusion of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, that encourages us to take advantage of our relatively brief existence to serve God. It is advisable to take advantage of the youth, the physical, mental and spiritual capacities, to put them at the service of our Creator, who has the capacity to give us back the life, by granting us everlasting life:
“Remember, now, your Grand Creator in the days of your young manhood, before the calamitous days proceed to come, or the years have arrived when you will say: “I have no delight in them”; 2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds have returned, afterward the downpour; 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the men of vital energy have bent themselves, and the grinding women have quit working because they have become few, and the ladies seeing at the windows have found it dark; 4 and the doors onto the street have been closed, when the sound of the grinding mill becomes low, and one gets up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song sound low. 5 Also, they have become afraid merely at what is high, and there are terrors in the way. And the almond tree carries blossoms, and the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry bursts, because man is walking to his long-lasting house and the wailers have marched around in the street; 6 before the silver cord is removed, and the golden bowl gets crushed, and the jar at the spring is broken, and the waterwheel for the cistern has been crushed. 7 Then the dust returns to the earth just as it happened to be and the spirit itself returns to the true God who gave it.
8 “The greatest vanity!” said the congregator, “Everything is vanity.”
9 And besides the fact that the congregator had become wise, he also taught the people knowledge continually, and he pondered and made a thorough search, that he might arrange many proverbs in order. 10 The congregator sought to find the delightful words and the writing of correct words of truth.
11 The words of the wise ones are like oxgoads, and just like nails driven in are those indulging in collections of sentences; they have been given from one shepherd. 12 As regards anything besides these, my son, take a warning: To the making of many books there is no end, and much devotion to them is wearisome to the flesh.
13 The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the [true] God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man. 14 For the [true] God himself will bring every sort of work into the judgment in relation to every hidden thing, as to whether it is good or bad” (Ecclesiastes chapter 12).
***
In this chapter, there is a metaphorical description of old age phenomena, when there is no more pleasure (verse 1). The moment when old people gradually lose the sight (verse 2), when the hands are shaking, the back is bending, the teeth fall, the eyes lose their visual acuity (verse 3), the progressive loss of hearing (verse 4), losing one’s balance, the gray hair, loss of leg agility, which gradually lead it to the last destination, the tomb (verse 5-7). This means that the theme of the beginning (in Ecclesiastes 1:2), is repeated: “The greatest vanity!” said the congregator, “Everything is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 12:8). Therefore, here is the conclusion that makes it possible to understand what should be the choice of a human who would like to give a real meaning to his life:
« The conclusion of the matter, everything having been heard, is: Fear the true God and keep his commandments. For this is the whole obligation of man. 14 For the true God himself will bring every sort of work into the judgment in relation to every hidden thing, as to whether it is good or bad » (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14).
***
The Spiritual Man and the Physical Man (Hebrews 6:1)
Reading and Understanding the Bible (Psalms 1:2, 3)
Table of contents of the http://yomelyah.fr/ website
Reading the Bible daily, this table of contents contains informative Bible articles (Please click on the link above to view it)…
Table of languages of more than seventy languages, with six important biblical articles, written in each of these languages…
***
Laisser un commentaire
Vous devez vous connecter pour publier un commentaire.