Ecclesiastes 9 : Thank God that we are in His hands!

Much of life is mysterious. Much of what happens in the world and in our lives leaves us puzzled. The Universe in which we live is mysterious. Man’s capability to understand complex things, and yet not understand them, is mysterious. The causes of every human action are so complex, and so deeply hidden in unconscious motivations that it is impossible to know why anything ever happened. As we concluded the 8^th chapter we saw that, “man cannot find out the work that God does under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out” (8:17).

The mysteries of God’s providences occupy much of Solomon’s mind as he pursues the mysterious nature of wisdom. There is an apparent limit to man’s wisdom and understanding. In this chapter Solomon makes further observations concerning our life under the sun. As we now  listen and engage with the Word of God in worship, I want   us to thank God throughout for the  fact that  in  this life we are not in the hand of mystery, but  we are in His hands.

 1.      9:1-2 Solomon observes that the righteous are firmly kept in the good hands of God, but life  in all its forms, happens to one and all.

The opening statement of our chapter sets the tone, and it is one of Solomon’s wonderful discoveries: “But all of this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God“  (9:1).

Solomon is about to make some sobering  statements concerning human nature, but before he does that  he makes   this  important observation: “the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God.” Thank God for this! This is very comforting to know.  Whatever happens in this life under the sun, the righteous, believers in God are not in the hand of fate.  They are in the hand of God.

Having said that, Solomon goes on to observe, that this does not mean that believers are thereby separated from the common experiences of all mankind. Again and again as God’s children we need to remind ourselves that we do not yet live in heaven. We live in a fallen world in which sin distorts and Satan destroys. We see in a mirror dimly. We know in part (1 Cor. 13:12).

And so, as believers in God, along with every other person under the sun, we are subjected to the experiences of love and hate (9:1b). The righteous and the wicked, the good and the evil, the clean and the unclean, those that sacrifice to God and those that dont, the good and the sinner - ALL experience the ups and downs of life in a fallen world.

God’s love for his own is not defined by the common things that happen to us. God’s love is shown in His providential care for His people through it all. So thank God that we are in His hands.

 2.      9:3  Solomon observes that all   men  have  essentially an evil heart and madness is in their hearts while they live.

This observation flies in the face of so many who maintain that all people are essentially good. Solomon, in his deep searching does not come to such a conclusion. He knows the heart of man. He understands the theology and consequence of the fall[1]. He knows the irrational madness of men. Charles Bridges asks,  “And what  worse madness is human  nature capable of than  fleeing from God, from His mercy, from heaven, serving the devil,  engaging in the world of vanity  and sin, living under the curse of God and on the brink of damnation? And yet more awful is the thought, that … madness is in their hearts while they live. They persist in this course to the end. Time will soon be a blank and a shadow- eternity is a present reality where the madmen  will be brought to their senses in hopeless conviction. As sure as the Bible is true – this is true. ”After that they go to the dead!” … Alas, not the blessed dead that die in the Lord  (Rev. 14:13). Awful beyond  thought or conception is the immortality of hell.[2] Thank God then, that  when  we have put our faith and trust in Him through Jesus  Christ,  our evil hearts  are  dealt with, and we obtain a righteousness that is not our own.

 

3.      9:4-6   Following this  Solomon observes that death comes indiscriminately to all  men and  from this perspective the living are  better off than the dead.

These verses must be read in context. Remember that Solomon is deeply aware of man’s evil nature and madness.  Now here is his reasoning: While there is life, while we are joined with the living, there is hope. Solomon had not been given the developed doctrine of heaven and hell which we receive in the New Testament from the lips of the Lord Jesus and His apostles. But this is what he understands: Living is better than facing   the unknown dark future of the dead, and so he quotes this Proverb, “A living dog is better than a dead lion”. A dog was considered the lowest of animals, while the lion the greatest. So, it is better to be a living dog, for a dog has life. A dead lion has nothing.

Thank God that with the more complete revelation in Christ and the NT, we know that the dead in Christ are better off than those that are alive in this sinful world. While we live then, we have opportunity to prepare ourselves for eternity – for heaven.  

 

4.       9:7-10 How to live in the meantime:  Enjoy the enjoyable providences of life.  

Here is good advice for believers: While evil is real and madness is real, and love and hate are real, because this world is a fallen world, remember that the righteous and truly wise are in the hand of God (9:1). This is our foundational truth and the key to living our lives as believers in this world. So in the light of this, Solomon counsels believers, “Don’t be gloomy; don’t get morbid”! Be joyful (see also 8:15).  Yes, death is a reality, and it is good to keep ultimate realities in mind), but live while you live!   Enjoy what God gives you now.  

(i)                 Enjoy your  food  and  drink (9:7).  The first word in v.7 is ‘go !’   No time to waste in this matter!  Get on with it.

(ii)               Enjoy getting dressed, and enjoy making yourself pretty and  all ‘oiled up’ with lotions, perfumes etc. (9:8)

(iii)             Enjoy your   marriage (9:9) 

(iv)              Enjoy whatever your hand finds you to do,  and do  it with all your might (9:10) 

Thank God that He commands us to be joyful always[3]. Thank God that in Christ our joy is so much fuller than simply enjoying earthly pleasure. Thank God also that Sheol (9:10) holds no terrors for believers.  The Hebrews thought that Sheol was a pit deep under the earth (Deut. 32:22) where the all men went after death. They thought of it as a “land of forgetfulness” (Ps. 88:12) and darkness (Job 38:17), where men exist as shadowy replicas of their former selves (cf. Isa 14:9,10). Note that  the Bible  teaches the doctrine of the immortality of the soul! You are not dead when you are dead.

It is clear  that in the Bible  there is progressive revelation concerning  the  nature of the afterlife, and Jesus and the NT make it clear that  justified sinners  go to an eternal  heaven and  unreconciled sinners go to  an eternal  hell.

5.      9:11-12 Solomon observes how God's providences so often surprise  us. 

(i)                 9:11a The race is not always to the swift; One would think that the fastest runner should always win the race.  Not so!  Something happens in the race. They fall; someone cuts in before them; they start too late; they tear a hamstring.

(ii)               9:11b Nor the battle to the strong. One would think that the most powerful army should be always victorious. Not so! The Bible illustrates the fact that an army of Philistines can be put to flight by one Jonathan and his armour bearer[4]. Leviticus 26:8  teaches that with God’s help “ five  of you shall chase a hundred and  a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand…”  

(iii)             9:11c One would think that wise men should always be well off. But this is not always so - even bread is not always to the wise;the intelligent and the knowledgeable are not always rich .

(iv)              9:11d  Man is not in charge  of time and  chance.   Everything happens according to the counsel and foreknowledge of God, and according to the time He determines.  At one time, when Peter was strong and assertive, Jesus warned him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (John 21:18).  

Matthew Henry says, “A sovereign providence breaks men's measures, and blasts their hopes, and teaches them that the way of man is not in himself, but subject to the divine will. We must use means, but we must  not trust them; if we succeed, we must give God the praise ; if we  do not succeed, we must rest  in his will and take our lot…. “ Let us therefore never be secure, but always ready for changes, that, though they may be sudden, they may be no surprise or terror to us.”    Again  we say, Thank  God that  He is in charge and that we are in His hands!

6.      Finally, in 9:13-18 Solomon observes that wisdom makes a man very useful, even though this fact earns him little or no gratitude. But the wisdom of such a man in the nation is to be preferred over a  foolish ruler in a nation of fools.  

Here is an example of a poor man who by his wisdom delivered a city in   a time of war. This city was not saved by the strength of its own army. It had no army; there were only a few men in it, and yet one poor man, of no rank and standing in the city delivered it by his wisdom.[5] Sadly, though he had been instrumental in saving the city from destruction, ultimately no one remembered him; he was not rewarded. He was not honoured.  And yet wisdom, says Solomon,

(i)                 It is better than might (9:16).   God’s wisdom will engage God for us, and if God be for us, who can be against us? (Rom. 8:28). Also remember  that although this  life isn’t always  fair, remember that God sees and remembers our works.  Christians know that their rewards are in heaven.

(ii)               Wisdom has unusual authority (9:17). The words of wise men heard in quiet are better  than the shouting of a ruler among fools.   What is spoken wisely does not have to be shouted! It is the truth, and if it is the truth then  it is owned by God , and even if no one hears you, God approves of you! 

(iii)             Wisdom is better than weapons  of war, but one  sinner destroys much good (9:18). War is mindless. Men of wisdom negotiate peace and save lives. But here is another reality. One man can do a lot of damage!  One Achan brought trouble on the whole of Israel (Joshua 7). The history of the world is full of such illustrations – particularly in the political realm. 

 So thank God, that through many puzzling circumstances and difficulties we may know today that we are in His hands.  This life under the sun with all its sin and injustices and uncertainties are in the hands of our Great Redeemer, whose wisdom supersedes our own. Trust Him. Trust His Word. Think and meditate   on His Word that you may be able to see, and understand, and live life as fully as you can, while we wait for His delivery from this vain life under the sun.

Biblical perspective delivers us from hopelessness, depression, anxiety and all the psychological ills to which our present age is so prone. In the light of this let us then draw near to Jesus, and rejoice again that His broken body and shed blood entirely secures our future ! Amen.

 

 

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[1] Genesis  3

[2] Charles Bridges: Ecclesiastes ( Banner of Truth), p. 216

[3] Philippians 4:4

[4] 1 Samuel 14

[5] see also story of the woman at Abel, in  2 Sam 20:16

Ecclesiastes 8 : On The Mystery of Wisdom

              

The mystery of wisdom!  Just when you think that you have become a little wiser, it escapes you, yet again! And yet, it is undeniable that wisdom can be acquired. There are people who by learning, observation, experience, by keeping company with the wise (Prov. 13:20) have become wiser. In this regard I wish to pay my tribute to Dr. Jay Adams (January 30, 1929 - November 14, 2020), the father of the modern biblical counselling movement. He went home to his eternal reward yesterday. He was a wise man, saturated in the Scriptures, and I thank God for his help and influence at a time in my seminary studies, when I needed it so much.

In the book of Proverbs Solomon encourages his son “to make his ear attentive to wisdom” (Prov.2:2). The pursuit of wisdom was Solomon’s great passion. As a fallen man, he did not possess it perfectly. We observe this in his marital and family relationships. But in other ways he was profoundly wise. Remember that he had asked God in particular for wisdom when he became king (1 Kings 3:12). The subject of wisdom remains a prominent theme in all of Solomon’s writings. As we now survey Ecclesiastes 8 we take note that the subject of wisdom  starts (8:1) and ends (8:17) Solomon’s conversation.

8:1 “Who is like the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.“

The wisdom Solomon has in mind is a rare gift (see 7:25–28). He speaks of godly wisdom. It is possessed by God fearing people[1]. God fearing people are those that know the Word of God and they know themselves, and they know what to do in the light of these two truths.  The wise person is not just a person who is intellectually wise. Their wisdom comes out of a spiritual fountain which is from God. They act in line with biblical principles. A wise person possesses the ability to interpret a matter, and its resulting calm assurance produces a shining or radiant face (8:1b). Wisdom softens one’s face.  Wisdom is a reflection of the softened heart and mind that is instructed by God.  It is given to them that ask God (Jas.1:5)

The wise heart is a discerning heart. This heart does not merely know the difference between right and wrong, but it also knows the difference between right and almost right. Such discernment is needed by anyone aspiring to the office of an elder.

A wise person lives in the presence of God and reflects the character of God. One of God’s chief attributes is His love. The love of God is one of the communicable attributes of God. God expects us to love.

David Powlison (1949-2019),  another noted  Biblical Counselor  spoke  about  the blessing of  being in the presence of  ‘God saturated, wise love’[2]: “Wise love  makes a huge difference in other people’s lives… genuine care, a searching question, sympathy and understanding, a timely and true word of God, practical aid, patience in the process- these are life giving.”

Pray that God would be pleased to raise up many such people among us in these needy days! Pray for this gift in yourselves and seek it in and from God in the Scriptures and by prayer.

The last verse of our chapter  in 8:17 however brings us back to earth: [16] When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, [17] then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.

Here Solomon confesses the frustration of the wise person who says, “I know,” but as soon as they say that, they also know that they cannot possibly understand everything about the work of God. No one, except our Triune God possesses it perfectly, completely and without limit. 

Therefore there will be aspects of theology and of our human experience that will remain mysterious and elusive. There will be times when we look back and see how much we have grown in knowledge and wisdom, but there are also times when we have to confess that we have no wisdom or words. Job’s situation comes to mind. None of those wise and theologically articulate friends of Job possessed sufficient wisdom to understand the true nature of Job’s suffering.  They thought that what happened to him was simply the result of his sin. We learn however that the key to Job’s suffering was with God.

At times the reason for our suffering is plain, particularly when our own stupidity and hardheadedness has been the cause of our suffering (1 Pet. 4:15).  But there are times when it does have a divine origin (1Pet. 4:16).  Pastor- elders need to possess this kind of wisdom when shepherding their flock.

And so Solomon reflects upon various matters that  would require wisdom that can be acquired through knowing God and His will, whilst admitting that at other times  that conventional wisdom will  simply not be enough. Let’s follow Solomon’s thought processes:

 

1.      8:2-6  Wisdom  In Dealing With Our Political Leaders

(i)                 V.2: Know your place with respect to the political rulers that God has placed above you. Here we learn that submission to authority finds its basis in “the oath of God”. According to the Bible, kings occupy their offices by God’s decree. [That also implies that kings must know that they are accountable to God].  In submitting to our rulers we are in fact obedient to God, who is above every earthly king (Rom. 13:1-7).

(ii)                V.3a: Respect to the king/ president of a country is indicated in 8:3, “Be not hasty to go from his presence.“  We call it, ‘observing protocol’.  He tells you when to go. 

(iii)             V.3b: Citizens must beware of getting involved in an ‘evil cause’.  The king is called by God to deal with evil.[3] That is one of the functions of good government: keeping law and order. A particular form of that will be addressed in 8:11.

If the king promotes evil in any way that would contradict the authority of the Word of God, then God will hand that government over. Handing over means, self- destruction, since all sin is, in essence, self- destructive. Sadly, this always causes hardship for a country’s citizens. That is why we need to take the prayer of 1 Timothy 2:1-2  seriously!   

(iv)              V.4 warns about demanding an explanation for  the king’s decisions. The statement, “who may say to him,‘What are you doing?’” needs some common sense explanation.  When the nation appoints a president, it expects him to rule in the interest of the whole nation. That means that I cannot just step up to him and say, “What are you doing?”, when he does not act quite according to my liking. He has, after all a nation to govern! He cannot listen to everyone’s protests. So, as a citizen I must observe the required protocol. I can certainly appeal through proper channels,  particularly if the president is in danger of making  a wrong moral choice.

(v)               V.5: “Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.” The mention of a ‘proper time’ introduces further issues involving timing (vv.6–8) in terms of  dealing  with matters  of  sin and evil and all of man’s troubles. “For there is a time and a way for everything” (v.6). We have seen this already in 3:1 ff. The rest of v.6 clarifies the thought, “For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies  heavy upon him”.  All our problems, all our lack of wisdom ultimately originates from our sinfulness (see Eccl 7:29), and this makes governing a nation (and church) very challenging.  Pray for your governing authorities!

To summarize:  To be a wise citizen means to be obedient to the governing authorities; in so doing we obey God. We need to understand and respect the demands of high office. We must not make the governance of the country difficult by doing evil. We must not be tempted to challenge the king in improper ways.  We must be possessed by the wisdom of proper timing in terms of addressing issues, and we must understand the  wickedness of our own hearts. Pray for wisdom to be a positive citizen of our country!

 

2.      8:7-9 Wisdom  In  Accepting Our Inability To Control Life’s Circumstances

(i)                 V.7 It is wisdom to accept that we cannot know the future.  Only God has the ability to declare what  the future holds  (see Isa 46:10–11).

(ii)               In v. 8, Solomon offers four examples of an individual’s lack of control over life:

a.       No one can restrain the spirit  [ruach Hebr.], speaking  of inability to prevent death. 

b.       No one can control the day of their death. Only God knows the day or hour. 

c.        No one can discharge himself in time of war. If there is war, you have a moral duty to defend your country from evil. Citizens do not choose war, yet war happens in this fallen world. We cannot control it.  

d.      No wicked person will survive their wickedness.  God will ultimately stop them!

What are we learning here? What is written here to promote our wisdom? Mankind cannot ultimately control or change the decrees of God.  Many people find this very limiting and perplexing, but ultimately it is wisdom to accept God’s sovereignty over all aspects of your life. Pray for the wisdom of humility  and submission  to  your sovereign God!

 

3.      8:10-17 The Wisdom To Know That Those Who Fear God Will Do Well! 

Again, Solomon reflects upon what he has seen (vv.9, 10… All this I observed… then I saw…”)

(i)                 V.10: [4] He observed wicked people being buried. These wicked people were known to have entered the “holy place” (the Temple) where they were praised, even while everybody knew that they were wicked. This unfortunately happens all too often in the church, where the wicked are allowed to  undermine the holiness of the church,  even receiving praise, when  they should have been removed. “This also is vanity“, says Solomon. It  takes  wisdom and courage to deal with such matters, particularly when evil is deeply entrenched in the church.  Pray for the purity of the church! 

(ii)               V.11 Here is an important insight! When the law does not deal with evil swiftly and decisively, the law loses its power.[5]  We are familiar with this in Namibia. Delayed justice is justice denied.  It is a terrible evil, and it will require wisdom and courage to address this problem.  Pray that our judicial system understands this! 

(iii)             V.12 Solomon observes that an evil person might commit evil a 100 times and still live a long time. And in the light of v. 11, it may appear that Solomon attributes to God the same delay in justice that is so evident in human courts of law. But remember that God’s delayed justice is not because of His forgetfulness or inefficiency or inability to control evildoers. It is because of his patience and mercy with mankind!  And so Solomon confidently declares, “still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.” This truth he holds to by faith. Pray that you may have the wisdom to know that evil cannot ultimately triumph! 

(iv)             V.13 The truth is that while a sinner “may prolong his life” (v.12),  v.13  categorically affirms  that the wicked “will not lengthen his days”, particularly when we  think of life in the light of eternity.  Many sexual perverts and child molesters may live to a ripe old age, but be sure that their sins will find them out before the throne of God.   Pray for wisdom to know  that justice will certainly be done  when Jesus returns!  

 

4.      8: 14-17 No Person  Can Ultimately Know God’s Ways 

Here is the climax of wisdom’s mystery.

(i)                 It is expressed in v.14.  Wicked people prosper and live healthily, and righteous people seem burdened and suffer.  It all seems so unfair!  This does not make sense. What wisdom does Solomon have in response to this enigma? 

(ii)               V.15 reveals the answer. Enjoy your God given pleasures while you can!  This is the third time that Solomon gives this advice (see 2:24–26; 5:18–20).  His point is that we should not waste our God-given joys by constantly worrying whether life is fair or not!  Worrying about what’s fair or not brings us no joy, no peace, no rest, and no solution.  No one can understand the ultimate reasons for what happens, because even the wisest person is but a fool by comparison to God. It is important to understand that God’s wise providence rules all that happens “under the sun”. Pray that you may have the wisdom to see this!

And so, Solomon reviews his pursuit of wisdom in vv. 16–17. In his search for wisdom he could eliminate sleep and still not succeed (v.16). The fact remains that we are incapable of discovering all of God’s work “under the sun.”  There comes a time when we will have to say, “This is wisdom’s mystery!   Paul’s conclusion, after he has written to the Romans concerning the electing grace and mercy of God, finishes his thoughts with these words in Romans 11:33–36. “How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

Chapter 8’s conclusion reverberates in the words of 1 Corinthians 1:20–25.

Human wisdom (influenced so strongly by our sinful nature) and unaided by God cannot help us.  We need God’s wisdom for life! God displays His wisdom in the person of the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

Solomon’s words prepare our hearts for the necessity of the Gospel. No one possesses more wisdom than those that have met Jesus and walk with Jesus. They know the way home. 

And that is the only wisdom that ultimately matters.

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[1] The Fear of God in Ecclesiastes: 3:1; 5:7; 8:12,13; 12:13

[2] Quoted in “The  Biblical  Counselling Movement after Adams” by  Heath Lambert, p.16

[3] cf. Prov.  14:35; 24:21–22).

[4] Some commentators  consider verse 10 the most difficult verse in  Ecclesiastes

[5] See also Habakkuk  1:4

 

Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 "Be not overly righteous ... be not overly wicked..." ... What do you mean?

As we live our lives under the sun we need to know that our greatest obstacle and frustration in living this life is our inherited human sinfulness. 

Although  God has made us  originally perfect, wise and upright, Solomon says that “they have sought out many schemes” (7:29).

That is  who we are: schemers, people  wise in our own eyes, and always in search of a plan apart from God!  We waver between wisdom and foolishness at the best of times, and the more we detach ourselves from God, the more foolish we become. We struggle to make sense of life, particularly when it comes to sickness and dying. We have a sense of immortality in us  and  death and sickness don’t make sense.

We also have a sense of fairness in us. 

Unfairness is repulsive to us.  

In v. 15  Solomon  expresses  these frustrations when he says, “In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing.” 

Do you see the problem?  How can a righteous man die an early death, while a wicked man enjoys a long life? According to our sense of fairness, a righteous man  is not supposed do die  early. A wicked man is not supposed  to live long, and yet some wicked men  do  live  to a ripe old age. Solomon says, “In my vain life  I have seen everything. I have seen it all!”  Solomon discovered, much to his agitation,  that the length of a person’s life does not depend upon or godliness  or  spirituality.

It is against  the  greater background  of this chapter  (on living between wisdom and foolishness)  and  in particular against  the background  of  v.15  then  that Solomon now  makes  this  very provocative  observation in 7: 16-18:

“Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.”  

What does Solomon mean by being ‘not overly righteous‘ and by being ‘not too wise’  and  by being ‘not overly wicked’? 

There’s a real danger of misinterpreting these verses. Walter C. Kaiser, a respected OT theologian warns us that "few verses in Ecclesiastes are more susceptible to incorrect interpretations than 7:16-18."[1]  So, what is the danger of misinterpreting this text?  

Is  Solomon discouraging us  from  being  too  holy or too  righteous? Is he telling us  that  its  OK to sin a little here and a little  there -  to be  a little naughty here and there but  not too wicked? If   this be  the case   then we are faced  with a massive   theological problem.

• Do we really believe that a holy God will leave an open door for us  to indulge in    ‘respectful immorality’ (don’t be overly wicked!)?

• Do we  really think that God will indulge us   in a  ‘lukewarm morality’ (don’t be overly righteous)?

• Do we really believe that  there is  a safe middle ground, as we attempt to live  between an extreme righteousness and  an extreme wickedness?

•  And if that is so, can we determine where the boundaries are  that  would define  what is ‘not overly righteous  or wicked’?  

You see, if we now follow such reasoning  we will be  in danger of  writing another book of law, another set of rules, determining  (by our  own standards of flawed righteousness) what is  acceptable/ not acceptable. And  then we shall  find that every fallen human culture under the sun will have a different interpretation  of what is ‘overly wicked’ and what is  ‘overly  righteous’.  

This  is exactly what the Pharisees had developed in terms of a system of 613 laws, consisting of 365 negative and of 248 positive laws.

In Jesus’ day this  became a complex and  a burdensome system, and we know that He criticized it severely! Ultimately,  the law of Scripture was summarized in 10 laws alone,   and ultimately they  could be summarized into  two categories: Loving  God – loving one’s neighbour (cf. Mark 12:28-31). 

The brand of Pharisaical law keeping  produced  some tragic flaws:[2]

 (1) New laws continually needed to be invented for new situations.

(2) Accountability to God was replaced by accountability to men.

(3) A person’s ability to personally discern was reduced.

(4) It created a judgmental spirit.

(5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law.

(6) It produced inconsistencies.

(7) It created a false standard of righteousness.

(8) It became a burden to the Jews.

(9) It was strictly external.

(10) It was rejected by Christ.

So what   thinking concerning  righteousness is Solomon dealing with here?

Solomon is not dealing here with the doctrine of  God’s imputed righteousness,  so central to the Bible. According  to   this doctrine  (and with the hindsight of the NT), to   be right with God,  and to  have peace with God, and to enjoy  a  true sense of the forgiveness of sin(s)  from God,   and having  the hope  of  eternal life  in  heaven,  we must have  a Redeemer that bears our sin. The NT teaches us that Christ bore the believer’s  sins on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). The believer’s  sins were imputed to Jesus. His righteousness  is transferred to the believer.

No one is justified by their own merits. NO one  can be right with God  simply by balancing their lives between  the categories ‘being not overly righteous’  and ‘being not overly wicked‘.  The truth is that no one achieves that perfect balance! In that sense “no-one  is righteous, no , not one… no one is good not even one” (Ps. 14:1-3  cf. Rom. 3:10-12).

No one  will get to heaven  by saying to God, “Well I wasn’t perfect, but then again … I wasn’t terribly sinful!”.  This is  a very common  and  self -righteous assumption  by many!

The  truth is that  God is so holy that all sin (even the tiniest)  is reprehensible and damnable. For every sin you deserve  eternal hell,  for  all sin flies in the face of a holy God. His perfect holiness means  His perfect hatred of sin, and according to that scale of perfect justice, none of us  are sinless and all  deserve to be cut off from God.  

This is where the good news comes in. God, in Christ offers us salvation through His appointed  Redeemer. He does two things for you: He atones (takes away) your sin, and He takes away God’s righteous anger towards  sinners[3]. Only Jesus could do that! (Jude 24,25).

So what is Solomon referring to? This righteousness, and this wickedness  which Solomon refers to here is not a question of  being right with God.  This refers  to something  within  our  life of faith. It is  a  question  of our attitude  within our life of faith in God.

With this  in mind, let us revise  what we have  considered so far:  

Generally speaking we may say  that righteous living and  obedience to the Word of God, prolongs a person’s life, while disobedience and wicked living generally  shorten an individual’s life.

However, this does not mean that the righteous will always live longer than the average person’s lifespan, or that the wicked will live a shorter time than the average.  This is what v. 15  observes.   Ultimately, only God knows what the lifespan is for each individual (Job 14:5; Eccl 3:1–2).

Now the way is clear to explore a very common problem in the life of any believer:  self- righteousness and presumptuousness! Unfortunately  there is  a tendency among believers  to become  “overly righteous”  and “overly wise”, while on the other hand we also find some believers who  will  always  seek to live  on the borders  of  “wickedness”  and  “foolishness”.  One is never quite sure where they stand. To such Solomon has good advice:  

(i)                 The “overly righteous” need to learn  to think of themselves with sober judgement; not “more highly than they ought“ (Rom.12:3). Overly righteous believers generally lack spiritual humility. They are easily tempted to think of themselves as God’s appointed spokesmen  and custodians of His  truth on earth. Wisdom dies with them (Job 12:2). Think here of Job’s comforters. Many Christians think that they are the prime defenders of God and His Word. 

In a 1886 sermon by C.H. Spurgeon’s  entitled, “Christ and His Co-Workers” he says,

“Suppose a number of persons were to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lion, full-grown king of beasts! There he is in the cage, and here come all the soldiers of the army to fight for him. Well, I should suggest to them, if they would not object, and feel that it was humbling to them, that they should kindly stand back, and open the door, and let the lion out! I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself; and the best 'apology' for the gospel is to let the gospel out.”  

Spurgeon reminds us here  that  we do not need  to defend the Word of God any more than we need to defend  a lion.  

Peter thought that he needed to defend Jesus   when arrested.  He  drew his sword  (Matt 26:51). Jesus rebukes him for this. He did not understand  that this was the plan of God being executed. Peter was  frequently overzealous and overbearing. In his younger days he was not always a careful listener and interpreter of Christ’s words. The ‘overly righteous’  try to tackle every social and moral and political issue, and  have a nearly infallible  opinion on  everything. They are like James and John, the sons of Thunder[4]. They want to call down fire from heaven to destroy God’s enemies (Lk. 9:54). It is significant that Jesus also rebukes them for this!  Some  overly  righteous Christians   try  to answer  every enemy of the gospel. They want to die on every hill, and  some zealous Christians do  die, and they  are  burnt out  or killed   before they reach their  allotted  life span of  70 or 80. 

(ii)               The “overly wicked” and “foolish” Christian on the other hand  lives close  to the  world,   and so  they easily  destroy themselves. They do not flee temptation (1 Tim. 6:11), like Joseph did when tempted by Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:12). Examples :

•        David did not guard his heart, when looking  from the  balcony of his apartment  at a careless, naked woman  bathing  on the top of her roof. He has not made a covenant with his eyes (Job 31:1), and before long he has committed adultery with her. His family history is a tragedy of many  young deaths! 

•  Noah is tempted when he loves alcohol too much, and in the state of drunkenness (which is a sin) he  curses one of his sons (Gen.  9:21).

•  Lot  (who had lived in  the wicked cities  of Sodom and Gomorrah prior to God’s judgement) also became drunk, and  in this state conceived illegitimate  children  by his daughters, thus  producing the  nations  of the Moabites and the Ammonites  (Gen. 19:37,38) who would   later become   bitter enemies  of  Israel, and in their wars  leaving in its wake many deaths. 

Conclusion   

Verse 18: "It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fearsGod shall come out from both of them." 

In humility we should take hold of  the true righteousness  that is ours  in Christ, and  from there  seek Him and His strength alone and humbly  learn  from Him. The fear of the Lord is central to all this. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). Jesus Christ is to the believer “our wisdom and righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30). We need to learn to lean hard on Him. Solomon warns  us against  “self-righteousness and the pride that comes  with that when we think we have “arrived” and know it all.  

Solomon makes  this  also  clear in v. 20: “Surely there is not a righteous man  on earth  who does  good and who never sins.”

In Eccl. 7:15-18, Solomon  discusses the value  and balance of righteousness and wisdom. He has concluded that,

•     Our fallen human wisdom cannot really explain all of life nor the future (6:10-7:14)

•       the principle that righteousness brings prosperity is subject to exceptions. Thus, he notes in 7:15 that some righteous people die in spite of their righteousness, and some wicked people live long lives in spite of their wickedness.

•      In the light of that Solomon offers some helpful counsel. Don’t think that you know everything! Don’t strive for exaggerated righteousness. Don’t try to make yourself the wisest person on earth, for these are not really worthwhile goals. In the end such secondary ambitions  will ruin your life. Likewise, do not become immoral; don’t flirt with sin and  do not  be foolish  as  a Christian,  and think that you will get away  that!  God holds you accountable, and you may put yourself in danger of dying prematurely.

•       What then of righteousness and wisdom?  Solomon  answers that they are both of great benefit. Grasp them both. If you learn to fear God (which is the important thing to seek after), leaning  hard on  the imputed righteousness of  Jesus for help and wisdom you will come out right in both areas.

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[1] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life (Chicago, 1979), p. 85.

[2] https://bible.org/illustration/pharisaic-laws

[3] The twofold  work of Christ on the cross : expiation  ( takes away our sin)  and propitiation  ( deals with the just wrath of God)

[4] Mk 3:17 – Jesus gave  them this name