Ecclesiastes. wise guy good life

Ecclesiastes
wise guy seeks good life
A study in the “Lessons to Go” series
by Mark S. Pavlin
March 2018

Ecclesiastes
Part One

 Thoughts about wisdom and life given to us in...
 ... the Old Testament (OT) Book of Ecclesiastes
(quotations from the New International Version)...
 ... with excursions (when appropriate and relevant)
into the Books of Job, Proverbs, and Psalms,....
 .... and occasional checks on what is recorded in the
deuterocanonical Books of Wisdom and Sirach
 ... While asking a lot of questions so that there is...
 ... much on which to meditate (and to pray about)
Study overview
You want an outline? Sorry. Ecclesiastes (like Proverbs) is not
amenable to outlining – it does not proceed in a start  finish
kind of way, from a premise through proof to a conclusion.

No outline
Rather, it has a kind of circular motion, always returning,
even at the conclusion, to the same “theme song”.
For this reason, our study - even as it proceeds from the
beginning of the canonical text to the end – pulls together
related verses from different chapters.
The aim of the study,
then, is to focus on the
topics of concern to a
text, without attaching
much importance to
the place and order of
appearance of the text.

Which is in Scripture?
God has a plan for your life
I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future. - Jer. 29:11
All this comes from the LORD Almighty, whose plan is
wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent. - Is. 28:29
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything in
conformity with the purpose of his will… - Eph. 1:11

Or this...?
Life is meaningless and absurd
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher,
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.” – Eccl. 1:2
How does anyone decide?
Surely one needs wisdom

 Synonyms: sagacity, prudence, intelligence, acumen, astuteness,
discernment, common sense
 Antonyms: stupidity, foolishness,
cluelessness
Wisdom is an ancient discipline

 Synonyms: sagacity, prudence, intelligence, acumen, astuteness,
discernment, common sense
 Antonyms: stupidity, foolishness,
cluelessness The classic animate embodi-
ment of wisdom goes back
to ancient Greece city of
Athens (noted for art and
scholarship) which had as its
patron goddess Athena, the
goddess of wisdom, whose
symbol was an owl.
Veneration of the owl as a
goddess was part of the
culture of Europe, pre-dating
Indo-European cultures.
Wisdom is an ancient discipline

Socrates of Athens was the wisest
“A friend of mine.... went to Delphi and boldly
asked the Oracle to tell him whether anyone
was wiser than {Socrates}...and the prophetess
answered that there was no one wiser.
When I heard...I said to myself, “What could
the god mean?” for I know that I have no
wisdom, small or great....”
{After interviewing every Athenian who had
a reputation for wisdom and finding each
“not really wise”, Socrates concluded...}
“I am better off than he is, for he knows
nothing but thinks he does whereas I neither
know nor think that I know anything!
Dialogues of Plato, The Apology, extracts, sect. 21a-d

Wisdom is ... a human character trait....
 Of seeing and acting on what is best, particularly when all is murky,
emotional, and confused
 Of not mere knowledge, something besides ethics
 Of perception, good judgment, clear-sightedness
...Is practical
 To reach desired (often “good”) ends justly, humanely, effectively
 To achieve results that satisfy many, rather than a few
 To enrich the lives of others, not just the self
 To take into account the future, far-sighted
...Is Creative
 In finding a solution, a way forward that others could not see
 In proposing actions that surprise others, only “obvious” later.
What is wisdom?

 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction. - Prov. 1:7
 If riches be a desired possession for life, what is richer
than wisdom? - Wis. 8:5
 A wise man is circumspect in all things. - Sir. 18:27
 Mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, their tongues speak
what is just; the law of God is in their hearts. - Ps. 37:30-31
 Wisdom is better than weapons of war. - Eccl. 9:18
 Get wisdom! She will protect you. Love her! She will watch
over you. Get wisdom though it cost all you have. - Eccl. 4:5-7
Why acquire wisdom? (from the OT)
BUT NOTE: Though we may well ascribe surpassing wisdom
to God, this study is concerned with human wisdom).

No mortal comprehends its
worth; it cannot be found in
the land of the living.... the sea says, “It is not with me.”
It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed
out in silver; it cannot be bought ...with precious onyx or lapis lazuli
and coral and jasper are not worthy of mention....
But where can wisdom be found?
Where does understanding dwell?
Where is wisdom to be found?
- Job 28:12-23
God understands the way to it; He alone knows where it dwells.
Where then does wisdom come from?
Where does understanding dwell?
It is hidden from the eyes of every
living thing, concealed even from
the birds in the sky.

But where can wisdom be found in the United States?
In Montana, to be
precise.
Wisdom, MT,
located 47 miles
southwest of Butte,
is the only town in
the USA with that
name.
It has a population
of 98 wise souls.
Where Is wisdom to be found?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding; in all your ways submit
to him and he will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord
and shun evil. This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.
- Prov. 3:5-8
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and
do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
They are a garland to grace your head and a
chain to adorn your neck. - Prov. 1:8-9
Proverbs toes the pious line
We will soon see that Ecclesiastes is in tension
with the traditional, pious view of wisdom.

The OT tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom
(Ps. 111:10), but the end of wisdom is not so easy to find.
People have sought wisdom over the centuries; its formal pursuit
is called Philosophy (phileo - sophia) = love of wisdom.
How many of us
studied philosophy
in high school or
college?
How many of us
read books on
philosophy in our
spare time? It is
not easy reading.
Love of wisdom

Final Exam
in Philosophy
How do you plan to make a living
with your degree in Philosophy?

13% of OT Book are Wisdom Books...
The 39 books of the OT
contain:
 5 of Law (Torah)
 12 of History
 17 of the Prophets
= 5 Major
= 12 Minor)
 5 of “Writings” or
Wisdom literature

... But wisdom literature is more extensive
 Job
 Psalms
 Proverbs
 Ecclesiastes
 Song of Songs (or Canticles)
 Add: the deuterocanonical Books of Wisdom
and Sirach
 Add (it is included in the Writings in the
Hebrew Bible): the Book of Daniel

 Ecclesiastes (ca. 250 BCE), Sirach (ca. 180 BCE), and Wisdom (ca.
50 BCE) and are among the last OT books written.
 The Book of Wisdom was included in the earliest listing of
canonical books of the New Testament!
 Much wisdom literature is secular - sayings, advice, moral
exhortations, platitudes, how to be prosperous, etc.
 Some of it is X-rated (Song of Songs), some of it is repetitious
and inconclusive (Job) and some puzzling (Ecclesiastes)
 Instead of being positive and pious, Ecclesiastes agonizes
over life; saying things like, “No one can comprehend what
goes on under the sun.... no one can discover meaning: if the
wise claim they know, they can’t.(Eccl. 8:17) or things like
what the next slide says ....
Some general comments

nor does food come to the wise, or wealth to
the brilliant, or favor to the learned;
but time
and chance
happen to
them all.
- Eccl. 9:11
Michael Phelps swims to
yet another Olympic medal
Lebron
James
powers
to the
basket
The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong,

 We will read selections from the Book of Ecclesiastes
 We will question the author: What did he do? What is
he saying? What is he feeling?
 We will compare this with thoughts expressed in other
Wisdom literature, especially Proverbs. Do they agree?
 Can we “square” Biblical wisdom with earlier (Greek)
and later (Enlightenment) philosophy?
 Or does it serve a different function?
“No book in the OT so challenges Christian faith to meet
the questions it asks – questions as old as our human
perplexities, as old as our search for meaning of life”
– Interpreter’s Bible, Introduction to Ecclesiastes
In this study...

 Why was this work written, preserved & transmitted?
 What kind of work is it? History? Poetry? Prophecy?
 Who wrote it and when and why?
 How do we wrestle with it or against it?
Questions you should ask
We are used to studying Scripture for encouragement or to
find supporting verses for statements of faith and doctrine...
... but a study of Wisdom literature is not so “heavenly” and
comforting but more “earthy” and anguished, doubting,
unsatisfactory, and puzzling.
It can raise philosophical questions as well as spiritual ones.

This is one important question
we will face in our study.
Why is God essentially absent in
a biblical book about wisdom?
Ecclesiastes mentions God only
in an offhand, perfunctory way,
not as the answer to the search
for meaning in life or wisdom.
Where is God in Ecclesiastes?

Ecclesiastes(1) Chapter 1
The words of the Teacher(2), son
of David(3), king in Jerusalem.
Meaningless!(4) Meaningless!”
says the Teacher, “utterly
meaningless! Everything is
meaningless.” [NIV]
The words of the Preacher the
son of David, king in Jerusalem.
”Vanity of vanities,” says the
Preacher, “Vanity of vanities!
All is vanity.”
[NASB]
1. “Ecclesiastes” is Greek. It means “the assembly” – we could
translate this title as “church” or “congregation”.
2. In Hebrew, “Koheleth”, variously translated, but the sense is
“one who addresses the assembly, the Lecturer or the Professor
3. The author(s) assumes a literary persona namely, that of the
wisest king of ancient Israel, Solomon.
3. hebhel in Hebrew; means “vapor,” insubstantial, empty

 The Teacher is deeply interested in finding an answer to this
age-old question and spends a great deal of his own life
trying different modes of living to find a satisfactory answer
Does life have any meaning?

 Possible answers to “does life have meaning” are, briefly:
 No, life is absurd (hebhel), life events come at random
 No, but we can endow our life with meaning and enrich
the lives of others by our actions and words
 Yes: life is a mystery but a wonderful one to cherish, enjoy,
and do good things with other living beings of all kinds
 Yes: but because it flows from the supernatural, from God
and is a gift of His gracious love, it will be “ineffable”
 I don’t know and I don’t care, go away!

Which is correct? How would you know?

Which is correct? How would you know?
Scripture (NIV) uses the word
“meaning”, to refer, e.g., to visions
and to language but does not use
the phrase “meaning of life.” Of the
36 occurrences in Ecclesiastes,
“meaning” is always “meaningless”

Cycle, repeat, again, and again....
come and generations go, but
the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, the sun sets,
then the sun hurries back to
where it rises.
The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil
under the sun? Generations
All streams flow into the sea yet the sea is never full. To the place
the streams come from, there they return again. - Eccl. 1:3-7

Is life a
circle game?
And the seasons they go
'round and 'round,
And the painted ponies go
up and down.
We're captive on the carousel of time.
We can’t return- we can only look
behind from
where we
came and go
‘round and
'round and
'round in the
circle game.
- Joni Mitchell

From the day we arrive on the planet and blinking, step into the sun
There's more to be seen than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done...
In the circle of life,
It's the wheel of fortune, it's the leap
of faith, it's the band of hope, ‘til we
find our place on the path unwinding
In the circle, the circle of life
Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with the scars
There's far too much to take in here- to find than can ever be found
But the sun rolling high through the sapphire sky
Keeps great and small on the endless round.
- Elton John & Tim Rice

- J. R. R.
Tolkien
Life is a journey, destination unknown?

Wearisome, boring, old hat
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again, what
has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can
say, “Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago; it was
here before our time.
No one remembers the former
generations and those yet to come
will not be remembered by those
who follow them. - Eccl. 1:8-11
All things are wearisome, more than one can say.

I, the Teacher, king over Israel,
applied my mind to study, to
explore by wisdom all that is
done under the heavens.
What a heavy burden God
has laid on mankind!
I have seen all the things that
are done under the sun.
All of them are meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.
What is crooked
cannot be straightened;
what is lacking
cannot be
counted. - Eccl. 1:12-15

I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who ruled Jerusalem
before me. I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.
I applied myself to the under-
standing of wisdom and of
madness and folly...
...but I learned that this, too,
is a chasing after the wind.
For with much wisdom
comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge,
the more grief.
- Eccl. 1:16-18
More wisdom just means more grief

End
of
part
one
... chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes
Part Two

At the start of the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Teacher, a sincere
seeker after human wisdom, provides a summary of his findings
about life: it’s all meaningless, absurd, a “chasing after the wind.”
We respectfully disagreed! Can’t be! Say it ain’t so!
Some possible alternatives are that LIFE IS:
 filled with meaning that we ourselves give it
 for us to just enjoy while we can
 an awe-filled unfolding journey of discovery
 ineffable but rooted in a relationship with God
Philosophy is the discipline of life-long questioning
and study to gain wisdom, find meaning in life and
learn what is right and good.
Last time: Scripture teaches what?

Great modern literature teaches what?
Satire and parody is the discipline of poking fun at
people who take life and themselves too seriously.
It’s good to loosen up, even during Bible study!

Ecclesiastes is a challenge
{The Teacher} turned… to consider wisdom and madness and folly…
I saw that wisdom is better than folly
just as light is better than darkness….
Then I said to myself, “The fate of the
fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself, “This too is
meaningless.”
For the wise, like the fool, will not be
long remembered…
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
- Eccl. 2: 13-16

Why be wise?
 The Teacher faces a puzzle…
 Being wise is good, right?
 He clearly prizes and seeks after
wisdom
 And denigrates “the fool” (who
wants to be a fool?)
 But he observes that death comes
to the wise as it does to the fool
without regard to their sagacity!
 This can’t be right – it can’t be!
 This makes wisdom itself hebhel

Continuing In Ecclesiastes
 Keep this in mind - that if you reject
some of what he says you should be
leery of everything else he says
 Even if you agree with some of it
 And even if it is beautiful literature
 On the other hand, maybe there is
something in what he has to say
 If so, what is it?
 Let us continue reading what the Preacher has to say BUT
 Let us continue to challenge the sometimes bitter and
pessimism tone of his words

wisdom, does it
build integrity,
does it feel right,
does he like it?
I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the
heavens during the few days of their lives. - Eccl. 2:3
Ecclesiastes Chap. 2: Experiments in living
The Teacher decides to conduct a psychology experiment (or is
it a philosophy experiment?) on himself. Live in a certain way
for a time and see if it makes sense somehow, does it impart

Experimenting with pleasure
I {the Teacher} said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with
pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be
meaningless.
“Laughter,” I said, “is madness. What does pleasure accomplish?”
I tried cheering myself with wine and embracing folly, my mind
still guiding me with wisdom. - Eccl. 2:1-3
HEDONISM is the ethical position that only that which results in
imparting pleasure is the good. Agree? Disagree? Why?
I denied myself nothing [that I] desired,
I refused my heart no pleasure. - Eccl. 2:10

Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and
build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll
say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.
Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be
demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared
for yourself?’ -Lk. 12:18-20
Eat, drink, and be merry?
From the words Jesus uses in telling the parable of
the foolish farmer we can surmise that he was fam-
iliar with this phrase from the Book of Ecclesiastes.
I commend the enjoyment of life because there is nothing better
for a person under the sun than to eat, drink and be glad.
- Eccl. 8:15

How to succeed- in business
I built houses... and planted vineyards. I made gardens and
parks and planted fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to
water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female
slaves... I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in
Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold.... I acquired
male and female singers... - Eccl. 2:4-9

Succeed in business, succeed in life?
I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
My heart took delight in all my efforts- and, granted, this in
itself was a reward for all my work. - Eccl. 2:10
The Teacher is sounding a positive note. Maybe he is on to
something ... Do you think that doing well in a business, using
entrepreneurial savvy
makes life worth living?
But in the very next
verse The Teacher
answers this question
for himself – no, on
second thought...

Succeed in business, fail in wisdom
I hated life! The work that is done under the sun was
grievous to me. All of it is meaningless...
I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because
I must leave them to the one who comes after me.
- Eccl. 2:17-18
... yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what
I had strived to achieve, well, everything was meaningless,
just chasing after the wind! Nothing was gained!
- Eccl. 2:11

Experimenting with hard work
Two panels from “America Today” (1930-1931) by Thomas Hart Benton, mural
housed in the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Experimenting with hard work
A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink
and find satisfaction in their own toil. - Eccl. 2:24
Is life, rather, about doing hard, physical work? Using your
back, legs, and hands not just your mind? Life is labor?
Here are some (wise?) sayings about hard work...

Sessue Hayakawa played the sadistic Japanese WW2 work camp super-
intendent in the 1957 David Lean movie “Bridge On The the River Kwai”
Be happy in your work? Maybe not.
So my heart began to despair over
my toilsome labor under the sun.
For a person may labor with
wisdom, knowledge and skill, and
then they must leave all they own
to another who has not toiled for
it. This is a great misfortune!
What do people get for all the toil
and anxious striving with which
they labor under the sun? All their days their work is grief and pain;
even at night their minds do not rest. Meaningless! - Eccl. 2:20-23

I see in this the hand of God, for without Him, who can eat or
find enjoyment?
To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge
and happiness.
But to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up
wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.
Maybe if you please God?
The Teacher is conflicted. It just can’t be that wise, know-
ledgeable, and skilled labor is not rewarded.
It doesn’t sound like the Teacher and could well be a later
insertion by a scandalized pious editor.
He offers a pious but rather unconvincing argument, that
good people will be rewarded and sinners punished:

While the OT praises wisdom, religious faithfulness is more
important; righteousness comes first and wisdom follows.
How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of theLord,”
when the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? The wise
will be shamed- they will be dismayed... since they have rejected
the word of the LORD. What kind of wisdom do they have?
- Jer. 8:8-9
The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues
speak what is just. - Ps. 37:29-31
The pious line: “religious” = “wise”
But the Teacher counters, “There is not one righteous man on
earth, not one who does right and never sins!” - Eccl. 7:20

The NT agrees! No one is righteous!
Paul contents that all human thinking is foolish-ness;
only Christ Jesus is one’s wisdom. Why, then, did (do)
people bother to study philosophy?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
Since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did
not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what
was preached to save those who believe.
Jews demand signs, Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach
Christ crucified.... to those whom God has called... Jews and
Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom and the
weakness of God is stronger than human strength. - 1Cor. 1:20-25

Wisdom is foolish
I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself, “This too
is meaningless.” For the
wise, like the fool, will
not be long remem-
bered.
The days have already
come when both have been
forgotten. Like the fool, the wise
too must die! - Eccl. 2:15-16

The Teacher has two issues that
torment him:
1. Living is hard work and is often full
of suffering and sorrow, but work,
even hard, skilled work seems to
bring no reward to the laborer.
2. Nature, which people look to for
wisdom, seems to say that
everything just goes ‘round and
‘round – without progress,
without a getting anywhere.
What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil?
- Eccl. 2:22
Hard work, hard questions
Does other OT wisdom literature a-
gree or disagree? Who teaches in it?

Does not wisdom (Greek: Sophia) call out? Does not
understanding raise her voice?
You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your
hearts on it. Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my
lips to speak what is right...
Proverbs 8 personifies wisdom

Does not wisdom (Greek: Sophia) call out? Does not
understanding raise her voice?
You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your
hearts on it. Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say; I open my
lips to speak what is right...
Proverbs 8 personifies wisdom
Choose my instruction instead
of silver, knowledge rather
than choice gold, for wisdom
is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can
compare with her.
“I, wisdom, dwell together
with prudence; I possess
knowledge and discretion.

Sophia, wisdom, is a Spirit
 For in her is a spirit- intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle,
agile, clear, unstained, certain;
 Never harmful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, kindly, firm,
secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-seeing, pervading all spirits...
 For Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion, and she penetrates
and pervades all things by reason of her purity.
 For she is a breath of the might of God, a pure emanation of the
glory of the Almighty;
 Therefore nothing defiled can enter into her.
 For she is the reflection of eternal light, the spotless mirror of
the power of God, the image of his goodness.
- Wisdom 7:22-27

Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have
power..., listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.
In Christian thought, the Holy Spirit
The Lord brought me forth as the first of
his works... I was formed... at the very
beginning, when the world came to be.
- Prov. 8: selected verses

Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight, I have
power..., listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.
The Lord brought me forth as the first of
his works... I was formed... at the very
beginning, when the world came to be.
My children, listen! Blessed are those who
keep my ways. Listen to my instruction and
be wise; do not disregard it....
Those who find me find life and receive
favor from the Lord.
Those who fail to find me harm
themselves; who hate me love death.
- Prov. 8: selected verses
In Christian thought, the Holy Spirit

Wisdom is prepared to favor all comers
She has sent out... to call.., “Whoever is
simple, let him turn in here!” To him
who lacks sense she says, “Come, eat of
my bread and drink of {my} wine. Leave
your simple ways... walk in the way of
insight.
Don’t rebuke mockers; they will hate
you; rebuke the wise; they will love you.
Instruct the wise and they will be wiser
still; teach the righteous and they will
add to their learning.
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars,
slaughtered her beasts, mixed her wine; and set her table.
- Prov. 1:1-9

Sirach opens with a similar pious paean
All wisdom is from the Lord and remains with him forever. The
sands of the sea... the days of eternity, who can count them?
Heaven’s height, earth’s extent, {the depth of the} abyss and
wisdom, who can explore them?
Before all other things wisdom was created...
The root of wisdom, to whom has it been revealed? Her subtleties,
who knows them?
There is but one who is wise and awesome- the Lord. It is he who
created her... {then} poured her forth upon all his works... lavished
her upon those who love him.
- Sirach 1:1-10
The word “wisdom” occurs 60 times in Sirach (NAB),
more occurrences than in any other book in the Bible

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey, was
constructed in 537 AD and dedicated
as the Basilica of Holy Wisdom.
It is now a museum .

.....Wisdom has built her house
End of part two

Ecclesiastes
Part Three

Last time: Experiments in living
The Teacher performs
experiments in living,
but finds that busi-
ness activity, hard
manual labor and
even delightful plea-
sure all are “a chasing
after the wind.”
As we move into Ecclesiastes chapter 3, and later, we find that the
Teacher seesaws from pessimism to a kind of peace with himself,
saying again that there is nothing better than to be happy, and to
eat, drink and find satisfaction in work (even if it is meaningless).

The physical world around us presents us with a regular
cycle of times and seasons. If there is any overall change,
then it is slow, directionless, meaningless, change.
Ecclesiastes 3: it’s about time

Ecclesiastes 3: it’s about time
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity
under the heavens. -Eccl. 3:1
The Teacher then provides 28 “times” in 14 pairs:
to be born / to die to plant / to uproot
to kill / to heal to tear down / to build
to weep / to laugh to mourn / to dance
to scatter / to gather stones to embrace / to not embrace
to search / give up searching to keep / throw away
to tear / to mend to be silent / to speak
to love / to hate for war / for peace.
What do these famous, beautiful, poetic verses really say?

What do they say? Another way to translate “to everything there
is a season” is to say that every action, every time is fixed, as, for
example, the time salmon feel the urge to return to the stream in
which they were born to spawn and then die.
Can you agree that human life is like this it? (I don’t).
This is an ancient brand
of philosophy called
“fatalism” – whatever
will be will be. Everything
that happens is “fated”,
or fixed in advance, pre-
scribed by some one or
something (God? Hold
that thought).
If the fates allow

{What a} burden God has laid on the humanity!
He has made everything beautiful in its time and also set eternity
(or “the whole of time”) in the human heart, yet no human can
fathom what God has done, from beginning to end.
- Eccl. 3:10-11
Verse 11 is “the most disputed verse in Ecclesiastes..” Whatever it
means, it isn’t optimistic. Frustrated, the Teacher returns to his
previous contention that one should just “chill out”:
I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy
and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and
drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.
- Eccl. 3:12-13
Human foresight is short-sighted...

I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing
can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so
that people will fear {or “be in terror” of} Him.
- Eccl. 3:14
... but God does what He wants
The Teacher seems to be
saying that God does whatever
the heaven He wants to do,
mainly to impress or terrorize
people. Does this sound like
“wisdom” to you? Does this
sound like a loving Divine
Person who cares for people?
.... (that would be a “no”)

Can mere mortals prove their innocence before God? Though
they wished to dispute Him, they could not answer Him once
out of a thousand. His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
Who resisted Him and came out unscathed? He does wonders
that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.
- Job 9:2-10
To God belong wisdom and power;
Counsel and understanding are his. - Job 12:14
Job agrees that God is awesome
The problem with the pious saying: “God is powerful and wise” is
that it gets us no closer to answering our questions concerning
human wisdom. Whenever we say “God knows” we are admitting
we don’t. Are we really so bad off? (that’s again a “no”)

Words on time from a modern preacher
Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, former Episcopal Bishop of Washington, DC
Let us consider the nature of time…what in the spiritual life is
known as “opportune time” or in the words of Paul, “the
acceptable time” (2Cor. 6:2)
“Opportune time” has a sense of purpose and potential…charged
with energy that transcends whatever we might make of it... (it) is
the right time for something to happen that we cannot bring about
on our own… try as we might, we can’t force things along faster…
God is always at work in us bring in something to fruition at its
acceptable time… Allow yourself to feel the weight of time and the
gift of it.
God is at work in and through us and in and through time – so –
the opportune, the acceptable time will come.

The Teacher continues his reflection on the senselessness of
things by pointing out the significant the lack of justice in life:
I saw something else... in the place of judgment there was
wickedness and in the place of justice there was wickedness.
I say, God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the
wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time
to judge every deed. - Eccl. 3:16-17
Everything is senseless and unfair
V. 16 describes what the Teacher actually
sees. It is reality. V. 17 is an un-
convincing pious wish, something
to come, in the future, maybe.
A time to judge... but when?

From Eccl. 5:
If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights
denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is
eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.
- Eccl. 5:8
From Eccl. 7:
In this meaningless life of mine I have seen
both of these: the righteous perishing in
their righteousness, and the
wicked living long in
their wickedness.
- Eccl. 7:15
Rights denied, wicked thrive

And again, from Chap. 8:
There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the
righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who
get what the righteous deserve. This, too, is meaningless.
- Eccl. 8:14
And then the verse (cited in part 1) from Chap. 9:
I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the
swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and
chance happen to them all. - Eccl. 9:11
Life is not fair

JUSTICE
has always been popular

Socrates (d. 399 BC) famously asked “But concerning justice, what
is it?. To speak the truth, to pay your debts; nothing more?”
He goes on to say later that “Justice is excellence of the soul” and
claims that “to be just is always better that to be unjust” but admits
in the end, that a strict definition of justice is elusive.
Karl Marx (1867) wrote that each person in society should contri-
bute what they can, according to their abilities, and, in turn, be
provided by society with what they need to prosper.
John Rawls (1971) propounded a theory of distributive justice using
a mental exercise he termed the “veil of ignorance”. One should
decide on how to allocate goods and services in a society without
knowing in advance one’s own position in that society.
What is justice?

“I think justice is righting wrongs. We seek justice when we feel
we’ve been wronged. We feel that justice has been served when the
wrong has been at least somewhat righted, atoned for or avenged.”
- “Jason”, quoted in “Six Questions of Socrates” by Christopher Phillips
Sound good to you?
What bothers you
about this view?
Is what bothers you
the same as what
bothers the Teacher?
At right: Descendants of
Lewis and Clark right a
wronged canoe.
Righting wrongs

129 occurrences of “justice” (114 in the OT)
Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favor-
itism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. - Lev. 19:15
Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice. - Dt. 24:17
For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice. - Ps. 11:7
The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice.
- Pro. 17:23
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the
cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. - Is. 1:17
Love justice you who judge the earth… for justice is undying.
- Wisd. 1:1, 15
“Justice” in Scripture

I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They
have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free
from common burdens; they are not plagued by human ills. Pride is
their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their
callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits….
They say, “How would God
know? Does the Most High
know anything?” This is what
the wicked are like—always
free of care, they go on
amassing wealth.
Surely in vain I have kept my
heart pure and have washed
my hands in innocence.
Why do the wicked prosper? (says Ps. 73)

Do not fret when {wicked} people succeed.... For those who
are evil will be destroyed, those who hope in the LORD will
inherit the land. In a little while the wicked will be no more.
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy peace, prosperity.
The wicked plot against the righteous... but the Lord laughs at
the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
The wicked {use weapons of violence} to bring down the poor
and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts… the power of
the wicked will be broken but the LORD upholds the righteous.
- Ps. 37:9-17
God will whack the wicked (says Ps. 37)

The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth!
O Judge of the earth pay back to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord, will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out
arrogant words- evildoers are full of boasting.
They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance. They
slay widows and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.
They say, “The Lord does not see; {He} takes no notice.”
- Ps. 94: 1-7
Vengeance better than wisdom?

The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth!
O Judge of the earth pay back to the proud what they deserve.
How long, Lord, will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out
arrogant words- evildoers are full of boasting.
The Psalmist then goes on to rejoice in God as his help,
protection, and consolation.
But retribution has not yet come.
When is it to come?
And who will
administer it?
Who is/are
the Avenger/s?
Vengeance better than wisdom?

• “I feel wronged” Surely justice cannot be grounded in our
feelings! No one goes to court feeling they are in the wrong!
• Surely we cry for mercy, not “strict” justice! We do not apply
the ancient Hammurabi Code (see next slide)
• If punishment is given to right a wrong, is it appropriate to
the wrong done and timely and applied without malice?
• If punishment is given, did an appropriate, legal authority
make the decision? Did an authorized entity administer?
• Vengeance may get out of hand and injure innocent others
(think for example of “collateral damage” when a bomb is
dropped on an urban target)
Justice is never simple

 If a builder builds a house for someone,
and does not construct it properly, and
the house falls in and kill its owner,
then that builder shall be put to death.
 If a physician opens a tumor over the
eye with an operating knife and cut out
the eye, his hands shall be cut off.
 If a man knock out the teeth of his
equal (in a fight) his teeth shall be
knocked out.
The code of Hammurabi
Babylonian law code dated 1770 BCE. One of the oldest writings of any
kind of significant length in the world. Hammurabi was the 6th king of
Babylon. Copies preserved on a large stone stele and on clay tablets.

The righteous perish,
and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away,
And no one understands
that the righteous are taken
away to be spared from evil.
Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace; they find rest
as they lie in death.
- Is. 57:1-2
What is this saying? That God
will kill someone to save
them? Do you agree?
The souls of the just are in the hand
of God; no torment shall touch them.
They seemed in the view of the
foolish to be dead and their passing
away was thought an affliction…
But they are at peace. Before men,
indeed, they are punished, yet is
their hope full of immortality;
Chastised, they shall be greatly
blessed because God tried them and
found them worthy of Himself.
- Wisdom 3:1-3
This is the first time the term
“immortality” appears in Scripture
Mercy killing? Really?

 Why does God allow any injustice?
 Why do the wicked prosper?
 Do so many people of all faiths die
even in peacetime from disease,
accident, famine, and “acts of God”
(natural disasters)?
 Is it just because God wants to spare
them evil?
 Ecclesiates was a first - not a last -
word on the problem called theodicy
 Why, in a cosmos created and
governed by a good, loving, and
powerful God is there so much
suffering, pain, and anxiety?
Why injustice and horrendous suffering?

 For example, there was a very
popular 1978 book by a
Conservative Jewish rabbi
 His book was in memory of his
son, Aaron, who died at age 14
of an incurable genetic disease
 Rabbi Kushner's book was a New
York Times bestseller for months
 Many others have offered
answers, none simple, satisfying
or widely accepted. Not from
social science, philosophy,
theology or Scripture.
Bad things do happen to good people

I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place
under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed. They have
no comforter. Power was on the side of their oppressors…
Oppression turns
the wise into fools;
a bribe corrupts the
heart. - Eccl. 7:7
The OT cares about the injustice of oppression, There are 124
occurrences of the words “oppress” or ”oppression” in Scripture.
All but 3 of them are in the OT
and the exception are all quo-
tations taken from the OT.
Oppression happens to good people

I declared that the dead who had already died are happier than
the living who are still alive.
But better than both is the one who has never been born, who
has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
Oppression leads to pessimism
For I know how many are your offenses, [Israel], and how great your
sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and
deprive the poor of justice in the courts. - Amos 5:12

I declared that the dead who had already died are happier than
the living who are still alive.
But better than both is the one who has never been born, who
has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
The Pious Response : The LORD works righteousness and does
justice for all who are oppressed. - Ps. 103:6
If the man who does the right thing is indeed God’s Son, then God
will assist him....will rescue him from those who oppress him.
- Wisd. 2:18
Oppression leads to pessimism
For I know how many are your offenses, [Israel], and how great your
sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and
deprive the poor of justice in the courts. - Amos 5:12

Pride is the necklace [of the wicked];
They clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity;
Their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;
With arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
And their tongues take possession of the earth.
- Ps. 73:6-10
You are God my stronghold, why have you rejected me? Why
must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? - Ps. 43:2
Oppression is evil and...

And I saw that all toil and all
achievement spring from
one person’s envy of another.
This too is meaningless
a chasing after the wind.
- Eccl. 4:4
Envy is the emotion that arises due to one’s lacking the
(perceived) superior qualities, achievements or possessions of
another and desiring spitefully that the other person losses them.
Remember “be happy in your work”?
It is the result of envy!

End of Part 3
To everything
(turn, turn, turn)
there is a season,
(turn, turn, turn)
and a time to
every purpose
under heaven
- Pete Seeger

Ecclesiastes
Part Four

The Teacher has reached conclusions concerning:
 the meaninglessness of life
 the absurdity of wisdom
 the pointlessness of business
and physical labor
 the absence of justice but the
 prevalence of oppression.
Will he ever give us some cheerful
news? {well, no, not really}
So far in our study of Ecclesiastes...
Was the Teacher
an Existentialist?

A person’s character will build from an
initial sense of disorientation,
confusion, and dread in the face of an
apparently meaningless of the world,
(as we see in Ecclesiastes).
Each person gives meaning to their life
themselves and lives it passionately
and sincerely.
Noteworthy thinkers in this school were
(clockwise from top left): Søren
Kierkegaard, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Jean-
Paul Sartre, and Friedrich Nietzsche.
Existentialism is an approach to wisdom that accepts people as
free individuals who must live the actual life in which they find
themselves, consciously, authentically and responsibly.
Was the Teacher an Existentialist?

Maybe as we come to the end of
the Book the Teacher will give us a
profound and uplifting lesson in
spiritual formation.…
At the Jewell Gardens, Skagway,
Alaska, an artisan starts with a blob
of orange-hot molten glass...
Mold us, make us, shape us

Just as
the skillful
Artisan
shapes,
builds,
molds, and
polishes his
fragile
work…

Maybe God is “heating” His work (us) in a
“glory hole” to a make us glow?
See, I have
refined you,
though not as
silver, I have
tested you in
the furnace of
affliction, for
my own sake,
I do this.
- Is. 48:10-11

And then stretching us, perfecting us…
Yet you,
LORD, are
our Father.
We are the
clay, you are
the potter;
we are all
the work of
your hand.
- Is. 64:8

Then, when we can take nothing more
without breaking, transforming us….
Your hands
shaped me
and made
me. Will you
now turn
and destroy
me?
- Job 10:8

…into a work
of unique
beauty and
usefulness in
His service?
Nice thought!
But, no, that’s
not what we
will read in
Ecclesiastes
chapters 5-12

Wisdom is like an inheritance, it is a good thing….
Wisdom is a shelter like money is a shelter, - Eccl. 7:11
A feast is made for laughter, wine
makes life merry, and money is the
answer for everything.
- Eccl. 10:19
Wealth is the way to wisdom?
Yes! Money is the answer!

Here’s another meaningless thing - a man without son or brother
who toils without end yet not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “Why am I depriving myself of
enjoyment?”
Meaningless! A miserable business!
Maybe wealth is not the way to wisdom

Here’s another meaningless thing - a man without son or brother
who toils without end yet not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “Why am I depriving myself of
enjoyment?”
Meaningless! A miserable business!
Consider the rich. Their
abundance permits them no
sleep!
Here’s another grievous evil,
wealth hoarded to the harm
of its owners or wealth lost
through some misfortune,
so that there is nothing left
for their children to inherit.
- Eccl. 5:12-14
Maybe wealth is not the way to wisdom

How you get it ($) matters?
Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever
gathers money little by little makes it grow.
- Prov. 13:11
God brings on bad times? The Teacher sounds confused...
What do you think he is trying to say?
Consider what God has done: who can
straighten what he has made crooked?
When times are good, be happy but
when times are bad, consider this:
God has made both. - Eccl. 7:12-13
But God might do what?

Surely it is wise to plan for the future?
No one can discover anything about their future. - Eccl. 7:14
The idols speak deceitfully,
diviners see visions that lie;
they tell dreams that are false,
they give comfort in vain. And
so people wander like sheep
oppressed for lack of a
shepherd. - Zech. 10:2
Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else
what is to come? - Eccl. 8:7
No one knows what is coming, who
can tell someone else what will
happen after them? - Eccl. 10:14

Expect the unexpected No one knows when
their hour will
come. As fish are
caught in a net and
birds are taken in a
snare, so people are
trapped by evil
times that fall
unexpectedly upon
them. - Eccl. 9:12.

The future just isn’t what it used to be*
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;
Whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
Whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
- Eccl. 10:8.
What about you?
Agree with the view that life
is full of unexpected events,
many not good?
What, then, can it mean that
“God has a plan for your life”?
* Yogi Berra

I {the Teacher} concluded that the righteous and the wise and
what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether
love or hate awaits them.
All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the
good and the bad, the clean and the unclean...
As it is with the good, so with the sinful... the same destiny
overtakes all.
The hearts of people are full of
evil and madness while they live
and then they join the dead...
- Eccl. 9:1-4
The future, says the Teacher, is
The wickedness of others
becomes our own wicked-
ness because it kindles
something evil in our own
hearts. - Karl Jung

A man may have a hundred children
And live many years;
Yet no matter how long he lives,
If he cannot enjoy his prosperity
And does not receive proper burial
A stillborn child is better off than he.
It comes without meaning,
It departs in darkness…
Though it never saw the sun
Or knew anything,
It has more rest than does that man.
- Eccl. 6:3-5
The Teacher is really depressed
Pooh’s
friend Eeyore has an
incurably gloomy disposition

Days gone by, now those were good days!
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”,
for it is not wise to ask such questions. - Eccl. 7:10
Nothing is more
responsible for the
good old days than a
bad memory.
Franklin P. Adams

The day of death better than the day of birth.
It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
For death is the destiny of everyone;
the living should take this to heart.
Frustration is better than laughter,
because a sad face is good for the heart.
The heart of the wise is in the house of
mourning, but the heart of fools is in
the house of pleasure.
- Eccl. 7:1-4
Come near to God…
Wash your hands, you
sinners, and purify
your hearts, you
double-minded.Grieve,
mourn and wail.
Change your laughter
to mourning and your
joy to gloom.
- Jam. 4:8-9
So mourning is good
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. -Mt. 5:4

Absent from the Teacher’s experiments of living are two “philo-
sophies” followed in many places and times, often recom-
mended as worthwhile, yet somewhat in opposition.
What is missing?
#1. Warrior. Life is conflict, war is the crucible of virtue,
struggle is exhilarating. To die fighting is honorable. To win in
battle is the only way to earn glory.
#2. Saint. A life of selfless service to others is the life of virtue
and value; helping others brings true satisfaction and sacrifice
of one’s own good for the good of others of eternal worth.
Why is there no mention of either in Ecclesiastes?
What do you think of these ways of living?

This is what I have observed to be good:
For a person to eat, drink and find satisfaction in their labor
under the sun for the few days of life God has given them.
After bouts of pessimism, the Teacher returns to the
thesis that life’s simple pleasures are gifts to enjoy
Moreover, when God gives someone
wealth and possessions,
and the ability to enjoy them,
and to accept their lot
and be happy in their toil.
This is a gift of God.
They seldom reflect on the days of their
life, because God keeps them occupied
with gladness of heart.
- Eccl. 5:18-20

The pious response: “Those skilled in words become wise them-
selves and pour forth apt proverbs.” - Sirach 18:29
Words of wisdom?
Do not pay attention to every word
people say or you may hear your
servant cursing you. - Eccl. 7:21
Words from... the wise are gracious,
but fools are consumed by their
own lips. At the start their words
are folly, but at the end, they are
wicked madness. Fools multiply
words. - Eccl. 10:12-14

The more the words, the less the meaning. - Eccl. 6:11
Fools are put in high positions while the rich occupy the low ones.
- Eccl. 10:6
If the wise were wordy....
The heart of the wise inclines
to the right but the heart of
the fool to the left. - Eccl. 10:2
Maybe this is referring to
politicians. If so, the Teacher
seems to be a Republican:
The Teacher also thinks that it
is right for the wealthy to rule:
Quiet words of the wise are to be heeded more than the shouts
of a ruler of fools. - Eccl. 9:17
Should we read more to become wise? Answer....

There is no end to making many books, and
much study wearies the body. - Eccl. 12:12

If clouds are full of water, they
pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the
south or to the north, in the
place where it falls, there it
will lie. - Eccl. 11:3
In the concluding chapters of Ecclesiastes, chapter 11 and 12
we expect the Teacher to “wrap things up” with an insightful
summary and conclusion.
In conclusion...
Instead, he provides us with some mysterious aphorisms and
miscellaneous proverbs.

However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all.
But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be
many. Everything to come is meaningless. - Eccl. 11:10
Be happy while you are young, let your heart give you joy...
But know that for all these things God will bring you into
judgment. - Eccl. 11:9
So, banish anxiety from
your heart; cast off your
troubles for youth and
vigor are meaningless.
- Eccl. 11:10
You have to admire the way that the Teacher builds up his reader
with one thought only to deeply depress him with the next:
In conclusion...

Closing lines: no surprise!
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
Everything
is meaningless!”
- Eccl. 12:8
The closing lines of the Teacher’s text, Eccl. 12: 1-7, are so
depressing I will not reproduce them here. Your assignment is to
read them yourself (while enjoying a large glass of wine). But I
will record here verse 12:8.....

Post Script
Here is the conclusion of the matter now that all has been
heard: fear God and keep His commandments.
This is the duty of all.
For God will bring every deed into judgment, even hidden
things, whether good or evil.
- Eccl. 12:13-14
There is a final section of Ecclesiastes, v. 12: 9-14, that
appears to be a post script added later by a pious editor
anxious to provide troubled readers of the foregoing text
with the traditional Old Testament viewpoint.

Two scholars’ insightful conclusion
“Ecclesiastes stands as a lively dissenter from what is
generally the consensus of Old Testament faith.
This teaching does not deny that God is sovereign, {but
contends that} this Sovereign is inaccessible to human
faith and is indifferent to human destiny.
It is not possible to harmonize this teaching into ... the
core of Israel’s faith.
We may recognize that this
material is a remarkable state-
ment of candor that is expressed
with great courage.”
- Walter Brueggemann
and Todd Linafelt, from “An
Introduction to the Old Test-
ament”, 2nd Ed., p.365 (2003)

Your turn to be the Teacher.
Instruct us all by writing an
original wise aphorism about
the meaning or purpose or
value of life- or lack thereof.
Make it pious, witty, or hum-
orous; “life” is in your hands.

Ecclesiastes
Offered for the edification of the Body of Christ
by Mark Pavlin
The End
More “Lessons to Go” Bible studies are available on
SlideShare. Search by book name or see all studies in the
series by searching under the author’s name.

Ecclesiastes. wise guy good life

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