Chapter Twelve

Ecclesiastes is a book that investigates life and tells what kind of life is worth living. It is the quest of a soul who sees only vanity all about him until his eyes are opened to the hope offered by God. The book has been described as a confession of failure and pessimism when God is excluded. Ecclesiastes is a perplexing book to many, partly because its perspectives and purposes are not understood. The background and survey studies that follow will help to throw light on these important concerns.

The name for this book comes from the opening phrase, "The words of the Preacher" (1:1). Preacher is the one who speaks to an assembly of people. The word "Ecclesiastes" comes from the Greek word related to the term meaning "church" or "assembly." The book is known among the Jews as qoheleth, the Hebrew equivalent of "Ecclesiasies." The Hebrew word qohal means "to call an assembly." The person who would perform such an act would be a preacher. In Old Testament days a preacher "qoheleth" was an official speaker to an assembly of people. Other appearances of the word "Preacher" in Ecclesiastes are at 1:1, 2, 12: 7:27; 12:8, 9, 10. The word is not found in any other Old Testament book.

The author is not named in the Bible text. The writer identifies himself in 1:1 as the son of David who is king in Jerusalem. Internal evidences favor the traditional view that Solomon is meant by this phrase. The following descriptions in the text coincide with what is known about Solomon from the historical record (e.g. 1 Kings):

The date the writing of the book some time during his reign (970-930 B.C.). But almost all liberal theologians place the date of composition a few hundred years after Solomon's time. Their arguments are as follows:

Since the first verse of the book identifies Solomon as the author, it would be best to take this at face value and place the date of composition in the reign of Solomon (for a full discussion of the five main views see Gleason Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Chicago: Moody Press, 1966, pp. 462-472).

Ecclesiastes is the fourth of five poetical books in our English Bible: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. In the Hebrew Bible it is the fourth of five Megilloth writings ("Five Rolls"): Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther. Each of the five "rolls" was read at an annual Jewish feast. Ecclesiastes was read at the Feast of Tabernacles, which was the most joyous of the festivals.

It should be kept in mind that portions of Ecclesiastes reflect the thinking of the natural man. This means that the statements are an accurate record of the reasonings of human, not divine wisdom. The doctrine of divine inspiration of Scripture holds that the Scriptures are an accurate account of what God desires to have recorded. A newspaper may accurately record the statements and opinions of individuals without accepting the veracity of such statements. In the same way, the Bible sometimes records the lies of the devil and the opinions of the natural man without sanctioning such opinions. So passages such as Ecclesiastes 3:20 and 9:10 should be understood in light of the final conclusions of the book in chapter 12.

The purposes of Ecclesiastes are to show the futility of pursuing materialistic, earthly goals as an end in themselves, and to point to God as the source of all that is truly good. The theme of the book is determined by these purposes, and may be stated in this twofold way:

The book of Ecclesiastes follows a sermonic form. It is a record of a search for the chief good. Through the ages, great minds have asked if there is one chief good in life, a summum bonum. Plato said it was knowledge. Aristotle suggested a well-balanced life, the golden mean between the two extremes. Epicurus and others believed that pleasure was the answer. The author of Ecclesiastes explores all the possibilities. In doing so, he expresses the frustration that any man experiences when he tries to find any meaning in life apart from God. To rely on human wisdom, excluding God, results in an ultimately meaningless life.

The book is in the form of a sermon. The first paragraph introduces the subject, the major part of the book explores the problem, and the last few verses summarize the findings and present a conclusion.

1:1-11	l:12-12:8	12:9-14
Introduction to the Sermon	Body of the Sermon	Conclusion of the Sermon
The Question	The Quest	The Conclusion

The speaker's basic attitude toward life is revealed in the second verse of the first chapter. He sees all of existence as "vanity." The Hebrew translated "vanity" does not mean pride. It mean "vapor." It is similar to the word found in James 4:14, in which James calls human life a vapor. This metaphor suggests that life is both fleeting and futile. Life has no purpose, goal, or meaning to the Preacher. This is one of the dominant themes of the book, the word "vanity" being repeated 31 times.

The weary round of life is illustrated in the realms of nature and human existence (1:4-11). As the Preacher observes the human race he sees generations arise and then disappear with unchanging regularity (1:4). The same regularity is seen in the endless cycle of nature—the sun always rises, the rivers always flow, and the wind always blows. Outwardly there is constant movement, but in essence nothing changes.

It has been accurately observed that present day society suffers from cynicism and boredom. The most common malady today is not cancer or heart disease, but boredom—both of the individual and of society. An abundance of leisure time has served to make this problem acute, but the cause is an approach to life which does not take God into account.

In the body of the sermon, there is a detailed analysis of the search made by the Preacher to find significance in life. In 1:12-6:12, he describes how the search is made. In 7:lff., he makes certain deductions based on the search in chapters 1-6.

The Examination (1:12-6:12)	The Analysis (7:1-12:8)
What He Experienced What He Observed	Pertinent Comparisons Practical Advice

The Preacher explains how he sought wisdom (1:12-18) and pleasure (2:1-11). Since he was free from the necessities that weigh on ordinary men, he sought wisdom until he became the wisest man alive. His search involved a great deal of effort, but produced only meager findings. The same was true of his search for pleasure. Solomon had enough wealth to pursue the desires of his heart. But he found that pleasure also is transitory and, thus, his search is only "a striving after wind" (2:11).

The remainder of chapter 2 compares wisdom and pleasure. Wisdom appears to be worth more than pleasure, but both come to an end. Death robs a man of everything he has, anyway. So the Preacher hated life (2:17).

The Preacher now views life in a broader scope and makes general observations concerning it.

It appears that God has a predetermined time for everything to happen. But why this is so remains a puzzle.

Where one would expect justice there is nothing but wickedness. The Preacher realizes that a judgment of God is coming for all men (3:17) and that this judgment of men begins at death, which is the common experience of man and beast (3:19-20).

The Preacher describes the oppressed as those who have tears but no comforter. Although the oppressors have power on their side, even they have no comforter. The speaker then makes three comparisons: it is better to be dead than alive, indeed it is better never to have existed (4:2-3), it is better to live in association with other people than to live alone (4:7-12); it is better to be a poor wise youth than a foolish old king (4:13-14).

In chapter 5, the Preacher examines two supposed advantages in life—morality and money. He lists maxims related to religious observances—he reverent in the house of God, be careful in making vows and promises to God (5:1-7).

In 5:10ff., he discusses money. Money does not satisfy. It causes worry in the present (5:11-12), and no man can take it with him when he dies (5:15). Neither morality nor money has the answer to man's search for real meaning in life.

Chapter 6 emphasizes a view of life in which man's labor is unrewarded and his desires are unsatisfied.

In chapters 7-9, the author makes a series of comparisons. Honor is better than luxury (7:1); sobriety is better than levity (7:2-7); covetousness is better than rashness (7:8-10); to compromise is better than to insist on the right (8:1-9), etc. In light of these comparisons certain conclusions are forthcoming.

We should get what we can out of life because there is no afterlife (9:1-10) and because there is no justice in life now (9:11-17).

The Preacher gives practical advice in 10:1-12:8. As you read through this section, you will see that the note of cynicism is not quite so strong. The author is like a man who is groping in the darkness and getting closer to the light. The section prepares the way for the concluding paragraph of the book. The following conclusions are drawn:

The Preacher gives an explanation of his methodology. He not only sought wisdom for himself, but he endeavored to teach it to others, using just the right language to communicate the truth (12:9-11).

The Preacher expresses himself both negatively and positively. On the negative side, he has learned that much study induces weariness and produces futility (12:12). This verse is to be understood in light of the search described in the book. He is referring to study which excludes God. These words should not be used by students as a proof text concerning study in general!

The Preacher then expresses himself positively and sums up the whole search: we are to fear God and keep His commandments. This is the truth of Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." Our attitude toward God should be one of reverential trust. This is demonstrated outwardly by keeping God's commandments. Faith issues in obedience.

The conclusion of the hook is consistent with the rest of the Scripture. The New Testament fills in the details and shows us that the faith and obedience of which the Preacher speaks are to be placed in the Son of God, Jesus Christ.