Reading: Ecclesiastes 9-12, Psalm 10
What does a man gain from all his toil with which he toils under the sun? I keep coming back to the key question that the Teacher asks at the opening of the book of Ecclesiastes. In his search for an answer, he has explored time, work, life, and death. He has found all of them wanting in supplying ultimate meaning. Like much of the modern world, the Teacher recognizes that life cannot be it’s own reward. Yet also like much of the modern world, he then commends trying to find proximate meaning in life- enjoy your life with the people who enjoy life with you. In the process he commends good actions. Be generous, be friendly, be faithful. In the end, this will make you more happy than not. But don’t get to caught up in this having so much meaning, because everyone is going to die. It is pretty clear to me that chapter 12 verse 8 is the conclusion of the Teacher’s thoughts- vanity of vanity, all is vanity. That is one answer to the question. It is not the only answer.
Since we have spent a good deal of time looking at the Teacher’s view, I want to look really carefully at the response to the Teacher that comes from the observer at the end of the book. This character has patiently listened to, or read through, the words of the wise teacher. I favor the possibility that the observer is collecting the sayings of the Teacher, not hearing them live, but in either event he makes a kind of summary statement of the Teacher’s activities, which tend to also favor the Solomon identity. He not only taught wisdom but knowledge. He tested and collected many proverbs. He was really an encouraging figure, who spoke the truth. This almost reads as an apologetic for the Teacher really being a good guy, despite what we have just read. The observer goes on to advise the reader to pay attention to the wise words of the Teacher- this was all quite depressing, but hey, these words are still valuable and we should pay attention to them.
The word of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings, and they are given by one Shepherd. Well, that sentence is a doozy. What is going on here? That first part seems okay. The observer is telling us that these wise words are goads. Goads prod us to act, to move, to change. But what about they are given by one Shepherd? Some people read this and the following line (My son, beware of anything beyond these) as a kind of seal of the canon, cautioning against adding anything to the Hebrew Scriptures. If this were applied to the whole of the Scriptures, I might agree. Given it’s context, I think it means the opposite: be careful not to only listen to this Teacher. There are other words from the wise, there are collected sayings, and they are all from the one Shepherd. The Teacher does not have the last word, but his words must be considered along with the rest of the Wisdom of Israel. There is some (extensive) debate at the moment over what is considered “Wisdom” literature in the Bible. I’m undecided, but I’m leaning towards the view that the authors of the Bible considered the whole of the Hebrew Bible as “words of the wise.” The observer is telling his audience to balance what they read from any teacher with the rest of the Scriptures.
As a long suffering graduate student, I can personally verify the next line. Of the making of many books there is no end, and much studying brings weariness to the flesh. While it is tempting to just leave it there, I think there is actually something important being said here. The observer has just told his reader to pay careful attention to the whole of Scripture. This is a task I have no problem attending to. I love to study, write, comment, and make many books. You know what doesn’t happen when you spend all your time studying? Anything else. Having encouraged his reader to study, he now warns them not to get so caught up in it they forget to live life. Knowledge and wisdom without application is pretty useless. The last words of Hugo Grotius come to mind: By understanding many things I have accomplished nothing. The observer doesn’t want his readers to be like poor Hugo.
The closing lines of the book give the observer’s conclusion to the initial question. The Teacher concluded everything is vanity in his search for meaning in man’s toil. The observer doesn’t directly disagree- after all, he bothered to collect and promulgate this book- but he offers a different perspective. After listen to all the words of the wise, he makes a concluding statement: Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. The observer goes behind the question that the Teacher asks, addressing the reality that given life under the sun, the Teacher may be right, but in a larger context, the search for meaning in life’s toil is answered for us. The observer will not depend on himself, or the Teacher, for vindication of his life. He will look to a higher power. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. The Teacher attempted to find answers to life on independent terms and failed. The observer notes this, looks to the whole of the Scriptures, and makes a declaration of dependence in the search for meaning. God alone can tell him what it all means. He will simply obey.