5 Reflections on Ecclesiastes [1]
by Christopher Keller
1. Philosophy and its Limitations
The American Heritage dictionary [2] has a rather overly simplistic definition of “philosophy” as: “a basic theory of a particular subject” and in the pages of the book of Ecclesiastes we read of King Solomon, the third Israelite King, endowed with supernaturally gifted abilities of wisdom [3] (1 Kings ch 3), reflecting upon his own rule, under the divine inspiration of God, articulates a philosophy of human life.
This simple conception of philosophy is to be contrasted with the more precise, and perhaps more familiar, definition as a “speculative inquiry concerning the source and nature of human knowledge” [4]. To this end, Ecclesiastes exhausts the speculative and concludes that the objectivity of God and his character, as revealed in the scriptures (Eccl 1:13, 26, 3:13-17, 5:7, 6:2, 7:14, 18, 29, 8:12-17, 9:1, 11:5, 9, 12:7, and 13 [5]), is the true source and nature of not only human but all knowledge.
But more precisely, the philosophy of Ecclesiastes provides an objective ethic (or moral philosophy [6]) in The Summum Bonum, or “(Lat. for ‘highest good’), the ideal of human attainment” [7], as “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (12:13).
The legitimacy of ascribing this particular ethical construct onto sacred scripture is considered by the learned Anglican divine Charles Bridges in the following: “[the main object of the book is] to bring out into clear view the chief good - the true happiness of man, in what it does not consist -not in the wisdom, pleasures, honours, and riches of the world - in what it does consist - the enjoyment and service of God..if we are living..in communion with Him, we shall realize this summum bonum..not including a particle of that which is worldly and carnal; but that which is holy, spiritual, and undefiled, and which in the writings of Solomon is but another word for religion” (Pg, XII-XIII) [8].
The first words of King Solomon, under the stylistic name of Qoheleth [9], is the repetitive thematic statement, describing the limitation of speculative inquiry and ethic outside of God, as “Vanity of Vanities” (v2).
In fact, the statement of “Vanity of Vanities” begins a poetic like diatribe of the limitations of humanity and its pursuit of the Summum outside of God; considering such things as labor (1:3-11), knowledge (1:13-18), pleasure (2:1-10), human frailty (3:18-21), oppression (4:1-3), envy (4:4), laziness (4:5), solitude (4:7-8), community (4:9-12), government (4:13-16), profit (5:9-17), desire (6:7-9), and ambition (6:10-12). The conclusion remains the same: “vanity and vexation of spirit” (2:26, 4:16, 6:9) and a final considering refrain of “Vanity of Vanities” (12:8).
Commenting on verse two of the first chapter, Charles Bridges notes: “repeatedly does Solomon remind us that the blessings of the creature, when used for the Glory of God, are lawful in themselves..but here lies the evil. Man buries his heart in their Vanity. He makes them his chief good” (pg 7).
Bridges on verse ten of the first chapter: “Look again at man in all his pleasures, pursuits, and changes of life. His intellect may be gratified, and his appetite for novelty supplied, in the multiplied new openings of science. But no new springs of vital happiness are opened to him. He is as far as ever from true rest. Our disappointed forefathers in bygone days never found it. We shall leave it to our children - a world of vexation [and]..shadow” (Pg 15).
In verses thirteen to eighteen of the first chapter, Solomon pointedly describes the limitation of inquiry: “I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven” (v13). “I communed with my mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me..yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge” (v16).
His conclusion reads thus: “and I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow” (v17ff).
“[Solomon] sought to know wisdom as the rest of man - thus putting the gift in the place of the Giver. His range of inquiries reached to the opposite quarter..as if the knowledge of contraries would clear his mind…this path of wandering could only issue in the sober certainty of grief and sorrow..the soul that had wandered from God will search heaven and earth in vain for rest” (Bridges, pg 23)
After comparing and contrasting the limitations of inquiry and wisdom (2:12-16), Solomon thus turns towards hatred of life itself, hating these efforts, to only then realize that the efforts and their benefits, yet limited and temporal, are but a gift of God (2:17-26). It is when human efforts and benefits are seen for what they are, divinely given temporal gifts and not ends in of themselves, that they can be properly understood.
This hatred of life itself is often an inescapable result of the course of philosophy, as an intellectual discipline, seen practiced in the West; even the question determining the meaning of life has been reformulated from “what is most good?” to “what is meaning?” [10]. This is typically answered either in the negative or pursuing an inventive measure of wisdom and folly as a way to escape reason and experience.
Most importantly, and as Ecclesiastes shows, is that If these questions are attempted by the mere human (naturalism) rationalistic to sensualistic formulations then they have left us nothing but a redressing of Solomon's “Vanities” (1:10); for if they truly begin and end with ourselves, we are left with nothing but ourselves [11].
2. Life's Seasons:
In chapter three, verses one to eight, we get a scope of experienced life in this world; expressed as different seasons. Just as our surroundings ebb and flow with the year, so do our circumstances, yet they have a harmony directed to them by God himself.
“All is constant motion. And yet all these fluctuations are under absolute control. It is not a world of chance, or of fate. All events..all those voluntary actions, that seem to be in our own power, with their remotest contingencies - are overruled..a predetermined purpose, on which..everything depends. Of this purpose we know nothing” (Bridges, pg 48).
In verse eleven, there is a reason provided, to the illusive and transitory nature of time on this earth, as simply to be made as fitting, and so that no man may not only grasp this providence of God (aptly labeled “beautiful”) but be vexed and be distracted by this present temporary nature of life.
“Everything is suited to its appointed use and service..even evil, though in itself most revolting, yet by a wise exercise of Omnipotence, is overruled for good, and exhibits the beauty of Divine workmanship..He has put [into man] a vast desire to study..except that the field is so wide - the capacity so limited - life so short - our knowledge of the past so imperfect…much of [man's] work is begun in one age, and finished in another. [This is] necessarily imperfect…but when one part is compared with another -when..God's work is viewed as a whole - all is beauty and order” (Bridges, pg 67-68).
3. Nostalgia Considered
Coupled with the previous thought is the one expressed in the tenth verse, of the seventh chapter, of the book. It's context is a series of Proverbs as applied to life in an temporal world. Yes, it is vain and inescapable, if it is treated as a pursuit of temporal ends, but its reality continues to be tensioned by the reality of God.
The previous three verses establishes that times of oppression often drives the wise to madness and impatientence; the end is valued more than the beginning.
This is seen as the same as valuing patience over haste, for haste often leads to anger, and anger is the characteristic of the fool; thus, in the tenth verse, to look back and conclude that the beginning was better, the good old days, than now, is to value what was once the source of madness and such is the essence of nostalgia.
“Present days are a felt reality. Under the pressure [of them] it is natural [to believe this]...the eras of civilization, and extended religion, are better than the barbarous and unlightened ages. This would suggest the legitimate application of the enquiry. But [this] rebuke is evidently directed against that dissatisfied spirit, which puts aside our present blessings, exaggerates our evils, and reflects upon the government of God as full of inequalities, and upon his providence, in having cast us in such evil times” (Bridges, pg 149).
4. Limitations of Wisdom
Continuing in chapter seven, particularly verses fifteen through eighteen, amongst Solomon's discourse of the continued virtues of wisdom, he, in an expression of astonishment (v15), notes that righteousness does not always preserve, think ahead, nor does evil always limit one's lifetime.
From this, he goes on to give forth the following wisdom: avoid being overly scrupulous nor consider yourself overly wise - that this has a high potential to ruin oneself - having vices and acting foolish is to be avoided as well - this has the potential to quickly end your life - and finally, that grasping the limitations of wisdom is a good thing, worth holding as a principle; for to fear God is to balance these things.
“[Here is a] caution against ‘the vain affectation of [righteousness]’...religion [being] made to consist mainly in externals..Christian duties are pressed beyond their due proportion, interfering with immediate obligations, and making sins where God has not made them. Scrupulosity in matters indifferent takes the place of the free obedience of the Gospel…[overdoing is] superstition..’[a] misdirection of [godliness] - the exhausting of it in the vanity of man's devising’..our religion should be reasonable, consistent, uniform - not a matter of opinion, but of the heart” (Bridges, pg 164)
“Avoid all..high pretentions to superior wisdom. Guard against that opinionative confidence, which seems to lay down the law, and critically finds fault with every judgment differing from our own” (Bridges, pg 164)
“Never be satisfied with the standard of the world. Press onward in the path of the Bible..never shrink from the confession of principle. But do not court needless offense..any other religion is..cold..we must fully acknowledge the scriptural standard - religion of works, as well as words. It is fearful hypocrisy to profess the Gospel, and yet to restrain the full allegiance which our Divine Master claims at our hands; to seek a private walk, instead of the broad manifestation of godly exercise” (Bridges, pg 167).
5. The Guiding Principles of the Wise
As for my last point, I will be considering the last four verses of chapter twelve; the last chapter in the book of Ecclesiastes. King Solomon, as Qoheleth, gives some final principles that characterize the wise: wise words are to be treated as securities given by many leaders under the direction of one shepherd, book making never ends and much study brings weariness, and gives the summary principle of the entire book; fearing God and keeping his commandments is the whole duty of man and that God will judge everything done, whether it was secret, good, or evil.
“The Prophets - Apostles - Preachers - Ministers of all ages..are separated as the Masters of assemblies..and upholding the visible glory of the Great Head and King [Jesus] in his Church..all acting by his Authority..all, serving in dependence upon his promised grace and blessings..Let me bow to their authority with the reverence of undisputing faith, and with the grateful acknowledgement of ready and unreserved obedience. Let the Bible satisfy me in all my disputations” (Bridges, pg 307).
“The mass of books accumulating is the best comment upon this verse. How many of them are utterly worthless! How small a proportion even of what is valuable can be read by one man! How many, written with much labor, are, probably, never read at all!” (Bridges, pg 308).
“These two points [Fear God and keep His commandments] - the Preacher pronounces to contain the whole duty of man - not his duty only - but his whole happiness and business - the total sum of all that concerns him - all that God requires of him - all that the Saviour enjoined - all that the Holy Spirit teaches and works in him…[Ecclesiastes] naturally ends with the winding up of our eventful history - the eternal destiny of every child of man. How solemn the stamp that it will give to..the blessedness of the fear and service of God! The day will unmask all. All things - now so inexplicable shall be made plain” (Bridges, pg 312).
Conclusion
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” - Colossians 2:8
After reading through the Biblical text of Ecclesiastes; I have found myself humbled. I've articulated this as left feeling “dumb” and by that I mean my mouth has been “stopped” (Rom 3:19). Like Solomon, I have found myself wandering from opinion to opinion, philosophy to philosophy; but the difference being that of knowing more madness and folly than wisdom (Eccl 1:17). I spend most of my time researching and learning to only find that I know less than when I started (Eccl 1:18). I have set my heart on aesthetics only to find it empty (2:1-11).
Simply put; I recognize the vanity as my own. To read through this, and recognize this same process, and then, to see it all around me, makes one begin to grasp its meaning. To realize and recognize the depth of our need in our very own thinking; to renew our mind from worldliness or obscuring the mercies of Christ (Rom 12:1-3). To “Fear God and keep His commandments” is to recognize our inability to do so apart from Christ (Rom 3:20-26) and thus walk in faith; walk in wisdom (Rom 7:25, Eph 2:8-10).
“Some of [Ecclesiastes'] maxims have indeed been too hastily supposed to countenance Epicurean indulgence. Nay - even Voltaire..[has] desired to claim detached passages as favoring [his] skeptical philosophy. But ‘all of them’ - as Mr Scott observes - ‘admit of a sound and useful interpretation, when accurately investigated, and when the general scope of the book is attended to’..It is most important to study the Bible in the spirit of the Bible - to exercise a critical habit in a spiritual atmosphere..
Prayer, faith, humility, diligence, well-being, rest and satisfaction to minds exercised in the school of God..’we expect [to find] difficulties in [divine revelation]. They remind us of our own weakness and ignorance, and of Christ's power and wisdom. They send us to Him and to the Gospel” (Bridges, Pg V).
“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him” - Ecclesiastes 7:14
This has often come to mind as of late concerning my own life under God's providence. I did not see myself where I am now, every day is a reminder of this, to thank God for every dispensation, and I can only simply ‘determine..not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified’ (1 Cor 2:2).
“Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away” - Isaiah 50:1
At best, nostalgia is a day dream of an imaginary promise and at worst distracts us from the beauty of today (Eccl 3:11). It's an all too familiar feeling. It's sweet, we get caught up in it, and we can easily linger in it. Before we know it; we find ourselves professing love for what once made us suffer, reasoning for suicide, and lusting after death.
Thank God for His love for His people as described in Isaiah; for it is only we that have forsaken and ignored God, and his promises, and rather it is God reclaiming us; a whore content in her own filth (Hos 2:23). Often I have been humbled in some of my previous attempts at the creative arts as I've become more aware of this tendency.
So let us, instead, look back, for recollection is crucial, and see that what made those fleeting moments meaningful, that often leave us more at a loss of words and images to describe, was both its place in God's providence and blessing of it (Eccl 6:2).
“Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it” - Proverbs 25:1
This is balancing convictions, based upon the scriptures, and avoiding the temptation of a “cage stage” attitude. Has my desire been to further seek after a more consistent walk in the Lord (Ps 27:4) or has it been to appear holy (2 Tim 3:5, Luke 18:10-14)? This temptation is all too easy to fall prey to in discussion; especially those with differing views whether erroneous or correct (Prov 27:17).
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen” - John 21:25
As I sit down to write and finish this, I am surrounded by books, and I continue to seek a better grasp of this. If for mere appearance or self righteousness (1 Cor 8:1); I have failed and these books are mere scraps of paper. Study is laborious and often frustrating; the true fruit therein is a better understanding of the grace of God, the mercies of Christ, the displays of providence attesting to the two, and our utter hopelessness without it.
“But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” - John 20:31
Footnotes:
1 - All scriptural references are from the Authorized Version (AV); otherwise known as the King James Version (KJV)
2 - Pritchard, David R. ed. (1994) The American Heritage Dictionary. (3rd Edition). Dell Publishing. pg. 623.
3 - Wisdom = experimental application of the truths of God [alternatively, seek the more thorough definition and its scriptural usage, under the heading entitled “Wisdom” in the Tyndale Bible Dictionary, 2001]
4 - American Heritage Dictionary. pg 623
5 - Specifically compare 12:13 with Deuteronomy 6:2
6 - “Moral Philosophy Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moral%20philosophy. Accessed 13 Aug. 2024.
7 - Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Summum Bonum" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 81.
(See also Aquinas’ interaction with the concept as found in Cicero: Dinneen, M.F. (1909). "The Highest Good". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company and see the following article detailing how contemporary philosophy deals with this idea: Hursthouse, Rosalind and Glen Pettigrove, "Virtue Ethics", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2023/entries/ethics-virtue/>. [Particularly sections 1, 2.1, 2.4, 3, and 4].)
8 - Bridges, Charles. (1860). An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes. Banner of Truth Trust (1960 reprint).
9 - or, as rendered in the KJV; “Preacher”.
10 - Metz, Thaddeus, "The Meaning of Life", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2023 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL= <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2023/entries/life-meaning/>.
11 - Hills, Edward F., “The King James Version Defended”, (1956), Self-Published, [PDF File], accessed from https://archive.org/details/TheKingJamesVersionDefended/mode/1up [particularly Ch 2, sections 4 & 5]
.jpg)
