Ecclesiastes can be easily misunderstood. I know because that's where I was before I reread it - I thought it was just about the second verse proclamation that "all is vanity." Discussing it with a Christian friend of mine, I realized how shallow my understanding was of this small but valuable book of scripture. So I took a second look, and as I reread it I marked the passages that seemed most quotable or full of hope.
One of the questions I wanted answered was whether or not Solomon thought wisdom was a good and useful thing or not. As his quest for discovery unfolds, he seems to have two opposing viewpoints on the issue. But although he wrote, "For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow," (1:18) he also wrote, "For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail." (2:26)
Then there was the question of worldly possessions. Was Solomon an ascetic or a hedonist? (In the caricature sense, not the original philosophic meanings of the words.) It's discussed in chapter 5: "The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." And yet, "It is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion."
One of the big messages I take away is that we are not here to gain the physical, but to learn, and that from God. "Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor." (4:13) Very quoteworthy, that first part, and the second part reminds me of "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth," from Matthew 5. Solomon also writes, "Let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth." (5:2)
There's a lot of value in Ecclesiastes, even while it has it's tricky verses. (I still haven't an answer to 7:16: "Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?") The way I look at it is that Solomon is asking questions because he was once himself on the same path of inquiry and confusion that we are on, and he is willing to open the big questions for debate in order to bring us along the path from questioning toward faith. He wants us to realize how foolish and vain man is, and all the earth even, so that we can learn how great and wise God is, and that our true purpose lies in the world to come. He points out our immortal nature in 12:7 - "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Also, remember that Solomon was full of vigor and hope in his life work, as he explains in the last chapter: "And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs."
Writing this post reminds me how awesome and rich Ecclesiastes is, just as all true scripture. What insight have you gained as you've read? Comment below!
