The beauty of Ecclesiastes

I was sharing some thoughts about Ecclesiastes with a friend of mine and thought I might share them here.

It is important to understand the construction of the book of Ecclesiastes because you can really come away with some bizarre opinions if you do not. I've heard some pretty awful interpretations of the book because of a lack of understanding of its intent as a whole. Two commentaries that really helped my get a good grasp of the book were Charles Bridges commentary "Ecclesiastes" and Doug Wilsons "Joy at the end of the Tether."

We know from reading in the chronicles and kings that Solomon devoted a goodly portion of his life to the pursuit of pleasure. The book of Ecclesiastes was written late in life and serve as a reflection of what he had learned. There are two key phrases to keep in mind as one reads the book "under the sun" and "the gift of God."

The book could be outlined in this way:

First, he describes that joy and satisfaction in life cannot be truly obtained and enjoyed by our own power and ability. "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit."

Second, he teaches that God is sovereign in all things. He also answers some objections to this truth. "To everthing there is a season.... He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."

Third, he shows that only by understanding and believing in God and his sovereignty can we enjoy life "under the sun." " I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God."

Finally, the book closes with sundry thoughts and applications.

In short, here is a brief description from my point of view:

There are many things that are similar between the saint and the pagan. We are born, we eat and drink, we marry, have sons and daughters, we labor, we laugh and cry, and we die. To enjoy our life under the sun, apart from a saving knowledge of God and a belief that He is in control of all things, is vanity, a mere grasping of the wind. "What does it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" There is nothing but futility in life apart from God. The lost man strives with all of his effort to obtain for that which perishes. The new car that he purchased 15 years ago is probably in the junk yard. The clothes he bought 15 years ago are either worn out or out of style. The hopes of marriage for the lost man often end in divorce. He can work his whole life to save and collect a fortune and in the end he dies and his possessions may pass into the hands of a fool. Solomon addresses this fact through portions of this book. Everything is vanity if it is not redeemed by faith in God. Labor and living for him are toilsome, monotonous, cumbersome, and useless, because in the end we die and it is forgotten.

This is not so for the man who trusts in God and fears his commandments. He still buys clothes that wears out and his cars break down as well. He understands that that which can be purchased for gold and silver ultimately is destroyed by moth and rust. The believer, though, enjoys his life under the sun as a great gift from God. He knows "that God gives wine to make glad the hearts of men and oil to make his face shine." He knows that he can enjoy his food and drink because they are God's gifts to the man that lives under the sun. He can rejoice in the fruits of his labor. He enjoys the wife of his youth that God has given him under the sun. He enjoys her embraces, her love, her body, her work, and the children that she bears him. It is his portion under the sun.

You know that I enjoy working with wood. I share a picture above of a desk that I made my mother a year or so ago. I can identify the species of wood by its smell. Many times during a project after I cut a board, I enjoy smelling the fresh cut. I enjoy looking at the grain and the color, recognizing that every board has different characteristics. I enjoy taking a pile of rough sawn wood and turning it into something useful. If I was a thoughtful pagan, I would think, "What's the use?" It will soon enough be broken and need to be destroyed. It’s not lasting or permanent. As a saint, though, I know that I am exercising dominion over creation and thus obeying the command of God. I am working with my hands, striving to do all things for His glory with all my might. I worship the Creator as I smell the enticing aromas of cut wood and as I marvel at the pattern of the grain. Thus my labor is not a mere grasping of the wind because I rejoice and worship my Creator as I labor.

I cannot know how God has directed my paths, but I do know that He has! I can work with great peace and joy because I know that all that comes to pass in my life has been ordered by the Lord. I know that all things work together for good for those who are the called according to His purpose. So I rejoice in what God is doing and has done. I will not fear what man can do to me. This why we can truly be anxious for nothing and why we never need despair. God has appointed all the times and seasons - a time to be born, a time to die; a time for laughter, a time for tears; and so on.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

In Christ,

Bob