Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
– Ecclesiastes 11:9-10
The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
– Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
I have been trying to determine how much more of Ecclesiastes to cover before writing a conclusion. It is not that any part of the book is unworthy of reading. Ecclesiastes is part of holy scripture, inspired by God and preserved for our edification. Our journey in this series began with an overarching question: where does the writer discover anything that gives enduring meaning to life? The selection of writings I have offered along the way have been intended to give us snapshots that help tell the writer’s story, so to speak. Rather than trying to collect more of those snapshots, I am led to believe we have satisfactorily reached a conclusion.
So, what is the answer the writer is seeking? I think we will see it as we gather a few observations we have made along the way. The first I would offer is an acknowledgment about the experience of reading Ecclesiastes. Reading the contents of this book is a bit like a pinball being bounced back and forth. One moment the writer says, “everything is worthless!” The next moment he is telling us about good things to be embraced. Can he make up his mind? Actually, the tension is part of the answer being revealed. It is only because of the tension that the writer arrives at his best possible conclusion.
Take for instance the matter of wisdom itself. The writer considers the possibility of wisdom being the ultimate source of meaning. One thing is for sure, the writer understands the importance of being wise in life. Numerous are the occasions when he critiques the fool’s way of living. Wisdom is an indispensable asset. Even so, will wisdom explain everything in life? The obvious answer is, “no,” and therein lies the frustration. Even the greatest wisdom in the world will not satisfy the desire in our minds to make sense of everything. Like the writer of Ecclesiastes, we will see things in life to which our spirits will say, “It just shouldn’t be like this.” This is part of the unresolvable tension.
What about the tangible and temporal things of life, things such as the fruit of our work and the pleasures this world may provide? In one moment the writer says, “It’s all vanity; don’t put any stock in it.” Then he turns around and says, “Enjoy these things, because they are God’s gifts to you.” Again, part of the tension. Pleasures (not ungodly) are a means by which we find value in life. God has given them. The problem is, they don’t last. And the fruit of our work? This is God’s gift for our satisfaction. Again, though, there is no permanence. In the words of Jesus, moth and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal (Matthew 6:19). If these are good things given by God, why is there so much uncertainty surrounding them? More tension.
These examples remind us of the nature of Ecclesiastes. There are answers, yet there remain questions. With every topic touched, the writer finds unresolved tension. This tension could cause enough frustration to ultimately say, “There is no final answer!” But that is not where the writer lands. Why? Because there is also a thread that has been running through the book the entire way. In a word, that thread is God. God is the one who has ordained pleasures and joy in life. He has created us for work and to find satisfaction in it. God has given us the capacity to think and gain insight. He has created life to include joy and sorrow, good and bad, and weaves these things together in a way too deep for us to comprehend. God has not only created every good thing, he is also sovereign over us and all things and (here is the ultimate point) will bring all things into judgment.
I think it is worth mentioning something that is quietly missing from Ecclesiastes, and I will tell you up front that I do not have a clear answer to the question it will raise. Present within the book is the confidence that God will bring things into judgment (3:17; 11:9; 12:14). What we are not told is how the writer envisions God doing this. The book of Ecclesiastes is very “this life” focused. That is to say, the language does not sound perfectly like that of a Christian worldview wherein we “lay up our treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). Language of such a worldview would contain clear references to heaven and hell, and judgment and reward that will come after this life is over. We could ask what Jews of that time period believed in general on the subject, but even that will leave us with uncertainty. As I said a moment ago, I have no answer as to what the writer of Ecclesiastes thought about an afterlife. What I can observe is the confidence that God will bring things into judgment. That in itself provides the satisfaction of knowing that all things will be rightly resolved, even if we do not witness it in our lifetime.
The “God-thread” is what holds Ecclesiastes together. Ecclesiastes is a poetic/proverbial search for an understanding of life. The writing itself may be ancient, but there is a timeless message that people of every generation need to hear. If you take God out of the equation, your worldview will not be cohesive. You will have no resolution for perceived injustices. You will pursue things that, in themselves, will eventually leave you empty. You will, like one of the three pigs of fairy tale fame, build the “house” of your life out of sticks. When something eventually blows it down, you will be left with nowhere to go. Every stand alone proverb, every insightful observation, and every admonition in Ecclesiastes is threaded with the reality of God. For the writer, this thread holds it all together.
You and I are left with a choice. We can heed the wisdom of Ecclesiastes and allow God to weave meaning into our lives, or we can search for another thread we think will suit us better. Many will choose the latter, but I pray you will choose the God-thread. It will not answer every question, and it will not exempt you from the trials of life. It will, though, give you a peace that will transcend anything this world has to offer.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your body
and refreshment to your bones.
(Proverbs 3:5-8)
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 