Page 131 - The Poetic Books - Student Text

14.3 Exceptions, Contradictions, Frustrations, and Goads
Ecclesiastes 7:1-12:

The Teacher has said that the end is better than the beginning. Now add that moderation in
just about anything is better than excess (7:15-23). Since the wicked might outlive the
righteous, the exclusive pursuit of righteousness is not good. Of course, pursuing wickedness
is not good either, and pursuing folly is always foolish. A proper fear of God avoids all
extremes (7:15-18). For a concrete example, we know that wisdom is better than power. No
one, however, uses wisdom to be really righteous and never sin. Just look at your own
reaction to a servant who talks badly about you. Why get upset? You are no better. You talk badly about
others (7:19-22).

The paragraph (7:23-29) focuses on what can be found or discovered (7:24, 26, 27, 28, 29) in the sense
of human goodness. The Teacher strains to understand how the world works (7:23-25). He sees how
often a man is destroyed by an evil woman and assumes God’s role in the destruction (7:26-28).
Ultimately, he could seldom find a good man, but he never found a good woman. We must remember
that this is not the Bible’s position but the universal conclusion of pagan societies around the world.
Women have a hard lot in most societies. In the final analysis, he could not blame evil on God although
he observed “schemes” in every person alive (7:29).

The next advice centers on government or kings (8:1-17). Wisdom helps in this topic but ultimately falls
short. Kings should be obeyed especially because people who work in government swear oaths to them
(8:2). Going against such power will bring disaster while wisdom shows when and how to respond (8:3-
6). Anyone in such a situation should recognize the difficulties involved due to the uncertainty of the
future. A king cannot change the wind or death or war or even wickedness (8:7-8). A king often lords it
over others in an evil way (8:9). If our writer is Solomon, he would know the limits of a king, even a king
with God’s revelation. As God’s representative on earth, he could not fix many things.

Experts disagree on the thought flow here, especially where a new topic starts. The entire chapter can
be seen as a comment on government and the limits of
the most powerful person on earth. Verse nine refers
to a man lording it over others, and verse ten continues
on with the wicked buried, those who at one time
received praise, probably referring once again to the
king. Unfortunately, crime is not always punished
properly. People see the injustice and are tempted to
join (8:11:12). Only a proper fear of God assumes some
kind of punishment. Yet how often are righteous
people and wicked people mixed up. Government
punishes people wrongly (8:14-15). After considering
Figure 63: Afro-Brazilian Boa-Morte festival all this, previous advice remains the best. Eat, drink,
and enjoy life (8:15). No one can figure out any better options. God does not want people to understand
(8:16-18).

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