Ecclesiastes 11
Approaching the end of his treatise, Koheleth,
in view of apparent
anomalies in God’s moral government, and the difficulties
that meet man in
his social and political relations, proceeds to give his
remedies for this state
of things. These remedies are;
Section 16 (vs. 1-6) - Leaving alone unanswerable
questions, man’s
duty and happiness are found in activity, especially in doing all the good in
his power, for he knows
not how soon he himself may stand in need of
help. This is the
first remedy for the perplexities of life. The wise man will
not charge himself with results.
1 “Cast thy bread upon the
waters:” - The old interpretation of this
passage, which found in it a reference to the practice in
seed during the inundation of the
is not used in the sense of sowing or scattering seed; it
means “to cast or
send forth.” Two chief explanations have been given.
may be an injunction to do good
without hope of return, like the
evangelical precept (Matthew
5:44-46; Luke 6:32-35).
they may receive a good return
for their expenditure. In this case the
casting seed upon the waters is
a metaphorical expression for sending
merchandise across the sea to
distant lands. This view is supposed to be
confirmed by the statement
concerning the good woman in Proverbs
31:14, “She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth
her bread from far;”
and the words of Psalm 107:23, “They that go down to the sea in
ships, that do business in great waters.”
But one sees no reason why Koheleth
should suddenly turn to commerce and
the trade of a maritime city. Such considerations have no
reference to the context,
nor to the general design of the book. Nothing leads to
them, nothing comes
of them. On the other hand, if we take the verse as urging
active beneficence as
the safest and best proceeding under men’s present
circumstances, We have a
maxim in due accordance with the spirit of the rest of the
work, and one
which conduces to the conclusion reached at the end. So we
adopt the first
of the two explanations mentioned above. The bread in the
East is made in
the form of thin cakes, which would float for a time if
thrown into a
stream; and if it be
objected that no one would be guilty of such an
irrational action as flinging bread into the water, it
may be answered that
this is just the point aimed at. Do your kindnesses,
exert yourself, in the
most unlikely quarters, not thinking of gratitude or
return, but only of duty.
And yet surely a recompense will be made in some form or
other – “for thou
shalt find it after
many days.” This is not to be the motive of our acts, but
it
will in the course of time be the result; and this thought
may be an
encouragement. In the Chaldee
Version of parts of Ecclesiasticus there is
extant a maxim identical with our verse, “Strew thy bread
on the water and
on the land, and thou shalt find
it at the end of days” (Dukes, ‘Rabb.
Btumenl.,’ p. 73). Parallels have been found in many quarters.
Thus the
Turk says, “Do good, throw it into the water; if the fish
does not know it,
God does.” Herzfeld quotes
Goethe:
“Wouldst thou too narrowly inquire
Whither
thy kindness goes!
Thy cake
upon the water cast;
Whom it
may feed who knows?”
Encouragement to
Christian Toilers (v. 1)
The lesson of this verse, if the figure be dropped, may be
expressed thus:
Act upon principles and not upon likelihood.
·
A SIMILITUDE. The good
we give to men when we preach and teach
Divine truth, when we exercise
Christian influence, is seed — fruit-bearing
seed. It is a blessed, but a
sacred and serious, occupation to sow the seed
of spiritual life.
·
A DIRECTION. Christian
sowers! Cast your bread even upon the
waters.
Ø
Even upon an unkindly
soil.
Ø
Even in an unpromising
season.
Ø
Liberally, though at the
cost of self-sacrifice.
Ø
Constantly, even
though it seems that the sowing has been long carried
on in vain.
Ø
Bravely and hopefully,
although the calculating, shortsighted world
deride your efforts.
·
A PROMISE. After
lapse of days you shall find the bread you have
dispersed.
Ø
What is cast abroad is
not destroyed.
Ø
Neither is it lost
sight of.
Ø
It shall, perhaps
after many days, be found again.
Ø
It may be in
time; it shall be in eternity. Then “he that soweth
and he that reapeth
shall rejoice together.” (John 4:36)
2 “Give a portion to
seven, and also to eight;” - This further
explains, without any metaphor, the injunction of
beneficence in v. 1.
Give portions of thy “bread”
to any number of those who need. Delitzsch
and others who interpret the passage of maritime enterprise
would see in it
a recommendation (like the proceeding of Jacob, Genesis
32:16, etc.)
not to risk all at once, to divide one’s ventures into
various ships. But the
expression in the text is merely a mode of enjoining
unlimited benevolence.
The numbers are purposely indefinite. Instances of this
form of speech are
common enough (see Proverbs 6:16; 30:7-9; Amos 1:3; Micah
5:5). The word
for “portion” (chelek)
is that used specially for the portion of the Levites
(Numbers 18:20); and there is a possible injunction not to
confine one’s
offerings to the Levites of Judah, but to extend them to
the refugees who
come from
earth.” A time may come when you yourself may need help; the power
of giving may no longer be yours; therefore make friends now who may
be your comfort in distress. So
the Lord urges, “Make to yourselves
friends by means
of the mammon of
unrighteousness” (Luke 16:9).
It seems a low motive on which to base charitable actions; but men act
on such secondary motives every day, and the moralist cannot ignore them.
In the Book of Proverbs secondary and worldly motives are largely urged as
useful in the conduct of life. Paul reminds us that we some day may need a
brother’s help (Galatians 6:1). The Fathers have
spiritualized the passage, so as
to make it of Christian application, far away indeed from Koheleth’s thought.
Thus St. Gregory: “By the number seven is understood
the whole of this temporal
condition… this is shown more plainly when the number eight
is mentioned after it.
For when another number besides follows after seven, it is
set forth by this very
addition, that this temporal state is brought to an end and
closed by eternity. For
by the number seven Solomon expressed the present
time, which is passed by
periods of seven days. But by the number eight he
designated eternal life,
which the Lord made known to us by His resurrection. For He
rose in truth
on the Lord’s day, which, as following the seventh day, i.e.
the sabbath, is
found to be the eighth from the creation. But it is well
said, ‘Give
portions,’ etc. As if it were plainly said, ‘So dispense temporal goods, as
not to forget to desire those that are eternal. For thou oughtest to provide
for the future by well-doing, who knowest
not what tribulation succeeds
from the future judgment’” (‘Moral,’ 35:17,
Works of
Charity (vs. 1-2)
There can be little
doubt that these admonitions apply to the deeds of
compassion and beneficence which are the proper fruits of
true religion.
Especially in some conditions of society almsgiving is
expedient and
beneficial. In times of famine, in cases of affliction and
sudden calamity, it
is a duty to
supply the need of the poor and hungry. At
the same time, the
indiscriminate bestowal of what is called charity
unquestionably does more
harm than good, especially in a state of society in which
few need suffer
want who are diligent, frugal, temperate, and self-denying.
But there are
many other ways in which benevolence may express itself
beside
almsgiving. The Christian is called upon to care both for
the bodies and for
the souls of his fellow-men — to give the bread of knowledge as well as
the bread that perisheth, and to provide a spiritual portion for the
enrichment and consolation of the destitute.
·
THE NATURAL EMOTION OF BENEVOLENCE IS RECOGNIZED
AND HALLOWED BY TRUE RELIGION. It may be maintained with
confidence that sympathy is as natural
to man as selfishness, although the
love of self is too often allowed by our sinful nature to
overcome the love
of others. But when
Christ takes possession, by His Spirit, of a man’s inner
nature, then the benevolence
which may have been dormant is aroused, and
new direction is given to it,
and new power to persevere and to succeed in
the attainment of its object.
·
RELIGION PROMPTS TO A PRACTICAL EXPRESSION OF
BENEVOLENT FEELING.
Too often sympathy is a sentimental luxury,
leading to no effort, no self-denial.
The poet justly denounces those who,
“Nursed in mealy-mouthed
philanthropies, Divorce the feeling from her
mate — the deed.” But the spirit
of the Savior urges to Christ-like
endeavor, and sustains the
worker for men’s bodily, social, and spiritual
good. The bread must be cast,
the portion must be given.
·
BENEVOLENCE MEETS IN ITS EXERCISE WITH MANY
DISCOURAGEMENTS. The
bread is cast upon the waters. This implies
that in many cases we must
expect to lose sight of the results of our work;
that we must he prepared for
disappointment; that, at all events, we must
fulfill our service for God and
man in faith, and rather from conviction and
principle than from any hope of
apparent and immediate success.
·
A PROMISE IS GIVEN WHICH IS INTENDED TO URGE TO
PERSEVERANCE. What
is, as it were, committed to the deep shall be
found after the lapse of days.
The waters do not destroy, they fertilize and
fructify, the seed. Thus “they
who sow in tears shall reap in joy.” In how
many ways this promise is
fulfilled the history of the Christian Church, and
even the experience of every
individual worker for God, abundantly show.
In places and at times
altogether unexpected and unlikely, there
come to
light evidences that the work
has been cared for, watched over, and
prospered by God Himself. He does not suffer the efforts of His faithful
servants to come to naught. The
good they aim at, and much which never
occurred to them to anticipate,
is effected in God’s time by the marvelous
operation of His providence and
His Spirit. “Be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding
in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your
labor is not in
vain in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 15:58)
3 “If the clouds be full
of rain, they empty themselves upon the
Earth:” - This verse is closely connected with the preceding
paragraph. The
misfortune there intimated may fall at any moment; this is
as certain as the
laws of nature, unforeseen, uncontrollable. When the clouds
are
overcharged with moisture, they deliver their burden upon
the earth,
according to laws which man cannot alter; these are of
irresistible
necessity, and must be expected and endured – “and if the tree fall toward
the south, or
toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth,
there it shall
be. ” - or, it may be, in the south; i.e. let it fall
where it will; the particular position is of no importance.
When the tempest
overthrows it, it lies where it has fallen. When the evil
day comes, we must bend
to the blow, we are powerless to avert it; the future can
be neither calculated nor
controlled. The next verse tells how the wise man acts
under such
circumstances. Christian commentators have argued from this
clause
concerning the unchangeable state of the departed — that
there is no
repentance in the grave; that what death leaves them
judgment shall find
them. Of course, no such thought was in Koheleth’s
mind; nor do we think
that the inspiring Spirit intended such meaning to be wrung
from the
passage. Indeed, it may be said that, as it stands, the clause
does not bear
this interpretation. The fallen or felled tree is not at
once fit for the
master’s use; it has to be exposed to atmospheric
influences seasoned,
tried. It is not left in the place where it lay, nor in the
condition in which it
was; so that, if we reason from this analogy, we must
conceive that there is
some ripening, purifying process in the intermediate state.
St. Gregory
speaks thus: “For when, at the moment of the falling of the
human being,
either the Holy Spirit or the evil spirit receives the soul
departed from the
chambers of the flesh, he will keep it with him for ever
without change, so
that neither, once exalted, shall it be precipitated into
woe, nor, once
plunged into eternal woes, any further arise to take the
means of escape”
(‘Moral.,’ 8:30).
4 “He that observeth the wind shall not sow;” - The fact of the
uncertainty and immutability of the future ought not to
make us supine or
to crush out all diligence and activity. He who wants to
anticipate results,
to foresee and provide against all contingencies, to be his
own providence,
is like a farmer who is always looking to wind and weather,
and misses the
time for sowing in this needless caution. The quarter from which the wind
blows regulates the downfall of rain (compare Proverbs
25:23). In
regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” For the
purpose of softening the
ground to receive the seed, rain was advantageous; but
storms in harvest,
of course, were pernicious (see I Samuel 12:17, etc.;
Proverbs 26:1);
and he who was anxiously fearing every indication of such
weather,
and altering his plans at every phase of the sky, might
easily put off reaping
his fields till either the crops were spoiled or the rainy
season had set in. A
familiar proverb says,” A watched pot never boils.” Some risks must
always be run if
we are to do our work in the world; we
cannot make a
certainty of anything; probability is the guide of life. We
cannot secure
ourselves from failure; we can but do our best, and uncertainty of result
must not paralyze exertion. “It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that hath
mercy” (Romans 9:16). St. Gregory
deduces a lesson from this verse: “He calls the unclean
spirit wind, but men
who are subjected to him clouds; whom he impels
backwards and
forwards, hither and thither, as often as his temptations
alternate in their
hearts from the blasts of suggestions. He therefore who
observes the wind
does not sow, since he who dreads coming temptations does
not direct his
heart to doing good. And he who regards the clouds does not
reap, since
he who trembles from the dread of human fickleness deprives
himself of the
recompense of an eternal reward” (‘Moral.,’ 27:14).
The True
Workman (v. 4)
The idea of the text is that something must be endured, and
something
must be dared, if we mean to achieve anything of any
account. If a man
wants to sow, he must not mind being assailed by the wind
while he is at
work; or if he wants to reap, he must not stay indoors
because it threatens
to rain. We must be ready
to endure, we must be prepared to run risks, if
we have any thought of taking rank among the successful
workers of our
time. God does not give His bounties to those who will only
walk the road
when it is perfectly smooth and sheltered; nor does He
permit us to win
triumphs if our heart misguides us at the sight of
difficulty or danger.
Success is for those, and those only, who can brave
wind and rain in the
open field of labor, in
the wide spheres of usefulness.
·
THE FACT, AS OUR EXPERIENCE TESTIFIES. Everything that is
done which is really worth doing
is wrought with trouble, with some
measure of difficulty and of
risk, with the possibility or likelihood of
failure, with struggle and some
degree of disappointment — e.g., the little
child in learning to walk and to
talk; the boy in mastering his lesson or even
his game, or in finding and
taking his place in the schoolroom and the
playground; the student in acquiring
his knowledge, and in facing and
passing his examination; the
tradesman and merchant in making their
purchases unit investing their
money; the author in writing and printing his
book; the statesman in planning
and submitting his measure, etc. In all
these, and in all such cases,
we have to contend with adverse “winds” that
blow upon us; we have to “put
our foot down” firmly on the ground; we
have to run the risk of
unpleasant “rains,” of falling and of failure. It is the
constant
condition of human endeavor.
·
THE BENEFICENT RESULT.
This is not to be regretted; on the
contrary, we may be thankful for
it. It develops human character; it calls
forth and strengthens all that
is best within us.
Ø
It nourishes fortitude — a commendable capacity
to endure; a readiness
to accept, unmoved and
untroubled at heart, whatever may befall us.
Ø
It creates and
sustains courage — a deliberate determination to face the
evil that may possibly await us.
Ø
It contributes to true manliness — the power to do and to endure
anything and everything as God
may will, as man may want. We pity
those whose field of work, whose
path of life, is unvisited by adverse
winds and unpleasant rains. If
they do grow up into strong and brave
souls, it will be in spite of
the absence of those circumstances which
are most helpful in the
formation of character. We have no condolence
for those who have to face the
strong wind and the rain; we congratulate
them that they are placed where
the noblest characters are shaped.
·
ITS LESSON FOR THE CHRISTIAN WORKER. Too often the
workman in the Master’s vineyard
is inclined to lay down his weapon when
the clouds gather in the
heavens. But to act thus is not worthy of him. Not
thus did He who “bore
such contradiction of sinners against himself.”
(Hebrews 12:3) Not thus have the worthiest of His disciples
done —
they who have done the most, and
have left behind them the most fragrant
memories. Not thus will they
have acted who receive the gladdening
commendation of their Lord “in
the day of His appearing” Not thus shall
we finish the work our Father
has given us to do. Let the strong winds of
even an unkindly criticism blow,
let the dark cloud of possible failure show
itself in the horizon, we will
not be daunted; we will go forth
to sow the good
seed of the
kingdom, to reap its precious harvest.
5 “As thou nowest not what is the way of the spirit,” - In this
verse are presented one or two examples of man’s ignorance
of natural
facts and processes as analogous to the mysteries of God’s
moral
government. The word translated “spirit” (ruach) may mean also “wind,”
and is so taken here by many commentators (see ch.1:6; 8:8;
and compare John 3:8). In this view there would be two
instances given,
viz. the wind and the embryo. Certainly, the mention of the
wind seems to
come naturally after what has preceded; and man’s ignorance of its way,
and powerlessness to control it, are emblematic of his
attitude towards
Divine providence.
The versions, however, seem to support the rendering
of the Authorized Version. Thus the Septuagint (which
connects the clause
with v. 4), (ἐν οῖς – en ois - among whom - i.e. those who watch the weather),
“There is none
that knoweth what is the way of the spirit (τοῦ πνεύματος –
tou pneumatos -
the wind);” Vulgate. Quomodo
ignoras quae sit via spiritus.
If we take this
view, we have only one idea in the verse, and that is THE
INFUSION OF THE BREATH OF LIFE INTO THE EMBRYO and its
growth in its mother’s womb – (There is no doubt that those who terminate
the life of the unborn COMMIT MURDER! - I rest the case until the judgment!
READER, ARE YOU WILLING TO GO THERE. I recommend
Abortion Rationale – 2012
and Abortion Statistics as of 2004 – #’s 8 and 9 –
this web site – CY – 2013) - “nor how the bones do grow in the womb
of her that is with child.” Our version, by its insertions, has made two facts
out of the statement in the Hebrew, which is
literally, holy the bones (are) in
the womb of a pregnant woman. Septuagint, “As (ὡς – hos – as) bones
are in the womb,” etc.; Vulgate, Et qua ratione compingantur
ossa in ventre
praegnantis, “ And in what way
the bones are framed in the womb of the
pregnant.”
The formation and quickening of the foetus were always regarded
as mysterious and inscrutable (compare Job 10:8-9; Psalm
139:15). Wright
compares Marcus Aurelius, 10:26, “The first principles of life are
extremely
slender and mysterious; and yet
nature works them up into a strange increase
of bulk, diversity, and proportion.” Controversies concerning the
origin of the soul
have been rife from early times, some holding what is
called Traducianism,
i.e. that soul and
body are both derived by propagation from earthly
parents; others supporting Creationism, i.e. that the soul, created specially
by God, is infused into the child before birth.
Imperf.,’ 4:104) that he is unable to determine the truth of
either opinion.
And, indeed, this is one of those secret things which Holy
Scripture has not
decided for us, and about which no authoritative sentence
has been given.
The term “bones”
is used for the whole conformation of the body (compare
Proverbs 15:30; 16:24); meleah,
“pregnant,” means literally, “full,” and
is used like the Latin plena
can here and nowhere else in the Old
Testament, though common in later Hebrew – “Even so thou
knowest not
the works of God who maketh
all.” Equally mysterious
in its general scope
and in its details is the working of God’s providence. And as everything lies
in God’s hands, it must needs be secret and
beyond human ken. This is why to
“the works of God”
(7:13) is added, “WHO MAKETH ALL.” The God of
nature is LORD OF
THE FUTURE! (compare Amos 3:6) - Man must not
disquiet himself about this.
6 “In the morning sow thy
seed,” - Do not let your ignorance of the
future and the
inscrutability of God’s dealings lead you to indolence and
apathy; do your appointed
work; be active and diligent in your calling. The
labor of the farmer is taken as a type of business
generally, and was
especially appropriate to the class of persons whom Koheleth is instructing.
The injunction occurs naturally after v. 4 - “and in the
evening withhold
not thine hand:” Labor on
untiredly from morn till evening. It is not an
advice to rest during midday, as that was too hot a time to
work,
but a call to spend the entire day in active employment,
the two extremities
being mentioned in order to include the whole. Work undertaken in a right
spirit is A BLESSING,
not a curse, it shuts out many
temptations
and encourages many virtues. Some see here a special reference to the maxim
at the beginning of the chapter, as though the author
meant, “Exercise thy charity
at all times, early and late,” the metaphor being similar
‘to that in II Corinthians 9:6,
“He which soweth sparingly, shall
reap also sparingly.” Others find a
figure of
the ages of, man in the “morning and evening,” thus, from earliest youth
practice piety and purity, and continue such conduct to
its close. This
leads naturally to the subject of the following section;
but it may be
doubted whether this thought was in the author’s mind. It seems best to
take the paragraph merely as commending activity, whether
in business or
in benevolence, without anxious regard to results which are IN
HIGHER HANDS! “Withhold not thy hand,” i.e. from sowing;
Μὴ ἀφέτω
ἡ χείρ σου - mae apheto hae cheir
sou - Septuagint).
“for thou knowest not whether
shall prosper, (which of the
two sowings) either this or that,” - the morning or evening sowing. It is a
chance, and a man must risk something; if one fails, the
other may succeed -
“or whether they both shall be alike good.” The uncertainty
rouses to
exertion; labor may at any rate secure half the crop, or
even give a double
produce, if both sowings succeed. So in religion and morality, the good
seed sown early and late MAY BEAR FRUIT EARLY OR LATE,
or MAY HAVE
BLESSED RESULTS ALL ALONG!
Bread Upon the Waters
or,
Rules and Reasons for Practicing Beneficence
(vs. 1-6)
Ø
Without doubt as to its result. One’s charity
should be performed in a
spirit of fearless confidence,
even though the recipients of it should appear
altogether unworthy, and our
procedure as hopeless and thankless an
operation as “casting one’s bread upon the waters” (v. 1), or
like
“sowing the‘sea.”
Ø
Without limit as to its distribution. “Give a portion
to seven, yea
even unto eight” (v.
2); that is, “Give to him that asketh, and from him
that would borrow of thee turn not thou away” (Matthew 5:42). Social
economics may, but the sermon on
the mount does not, condemn
indiscriminate or promiscuous
giving. One’s bread should be cast upon the
waters in the sense that it
should be bestowed upon the multitudes, or
carried far and wide rather than
restricted to a narrow circle.
Ø
Without anxiety as to its
seasonableness. As “he that observeth
the wind will not
sow, and he that regardeth the clouds shall not
reap” (v. 4), so he who is always apprehensive lest his deeds of kindness
should be ill-timed is
not likely to practice much beneficence. The
farmer who should spend his days in watching the weather
to select
just the right moment to plough and sow, or reap and garner,
would
never get the one operation
or the ether performed; and little charity
would be witnessed were men never
to give until they were quite
sure they had hit
upon the right time to give, and never
to do
an act of kindness until they
were certain the proper, objects to receive
it had been found.
Ø
Without intermission as to its time. “In the morning sow thy seed,
and in the evening
withhold not thine hand” (v. 6). Who would
practice beneficence as it should be practiced must
be as constantly
employed therein as the
husbandman is in his agricultural operations.
Philanthropy is a sacred art, which can only be
acquired by pains and
patience. Intermittent
goodness, charity performed by fits and starts,
occasional benevolence, never comes to much, and never does much
for either the
giver or receiver. Charity to be efficient must be a perennial
fountain and a running
stream
(I Corinthians 13:8). The charitable
man must
be always giving, like God, who maketh his sun to
rise on the evil and
the good, etc. (Matthew 5:45), and who giveth unto all
liberally
(James 1:5).
Ø
It is certain in the end to be recompensed. (v. 1.) The kindly
disposed
individual, who fearlessly casts
his bread upon the waters by doing good to
the unkind and the unthankful
(Matthew 5:45; Luke 6:35), may
have a long time to wait for a return
from his venture in practical
philanthropy; but eventually
that return will come, here on earth, in the
inward satisfaction that springs
from doing good, perhaps in the gratitude
(or, it may be, the temporal and
spiritual elevation) of those who
experience his kindness, hereafter in the welcome and the glory Christ
has promised to such as are mindful of his
needy brethren on earth
(Matthew 25:40).
Ø
No one can predict how soon himself may become an object of
charity.
As surely as the clouds when full
of rain will empty themselves upon the
earth, and a tree will lie
exactly in the place where it falls (v. 3), so surely
will seasons of calamity, when
they come, descend on rich and poor alike;
yea, perhaps strike the wealthy,
the great, and the good with strokes which
the indigent, the obscure, and
the wicked may escape. Hence the bare
consideration of this fact, that
bad
times may come — not only depriving
one of the ability to practice
beneficence, but rendering one a fit subject for
the same (the latter of these
being most likely the Preacher’s thought) —
should induce one to be charitable WHILE HE MAY OR CAN!
This may seem a low, selfish,
and unworthy ground on which to recommend
the practice of philanthropy;
but does its meaning not substantially amount
to this, that men should give to
others because, were bad times to strip them
of their wealth, and plunge them
into poverty, they would wish
others to
give to them? And how much is this below the standard of the golden rule
(Matthew 7:12)?
Ø No amount of
forethought will discover a better time for practicing
beneficence than the present. As no one knows the way of the wind
(John 3:8), or the secrets of
embryology (Psalm 139:15) — in both
of which departments of nature,
notwithstanding the discoveries of modern
science, much ignorance prevails
(Is not the ignorance in the fact that
life begins at conception and
there are those who want to terminate it as
soon as possible – I saw on television this morning, a woman representing
the National Organization of Women – [NOW] – making foolish
comments about a decision that a judge in
concering this ignorance of life – this being July 23, 2013 – the
92nd anniversary of my Mother’s birth – if she had been aborted I would
never have seen the light of day – Thank God for her mother – I trust that
she and my grandmother, Cloda Padgett Shadoan, in this shared the mind
of God when He revealed, concerning abortion and child
sacrifice “which
I commanded not, nor spake
it, NEITHER CAME IT INTO MY
MIND.” – Jeremiah 19:5 – I recommend Abortion Rationale – 2012 and
Abortion Statistics as of 2004 - #’s 8 and 9 – this web site – CY – 2013)
so can no one predict what kind of future will emerge from the womb of
the present (Proverbs 27:1;
Zephaniah 2:2), or what shall be the course
of providence on the morrow. Hence to defer exercising charity till one
has fathomed the
unfathomable is more than merely to waste one’s time;
it is to miss a
certain opportunity for one that may NEVER ARRIVE!
As today only is ours, we should never cast it away for a doubtful to-morrow,
But:
“Act in the living
present,
Heart within and
God o’er head.”
(Longfellow.)
Ø
The issues of beneficence, in the recipients thereof, are
uncertain. That
an act of charity, or deed of
kindness, whensoever done, will prosper
without fail in the experience
of the doer thereof, has been declared (v. 1);
that it will turn out equally
well in the experience of him to whom it is
done is not so inevitable. Yet
from this problematical character of all
human philanthropy as to results
should be drawn an argument, not for
doing nothing, but for doing
more. An atrabiliar soul will conclude that,
because he is not sure whether
his charity may not injure rather than benefit
the recipient, he should hold
his hand; a hopeful and happy Christian will
feel impelled to more assiduous
benevolence by reflecting that he can never
tell when his kindly deeds
will bear fruit in the temporal, perhaps also
spiritual,
salvation of the poor and needy. The seed sown in
the
morning of life may bear its
harvest at once, or not till the evening of age.
The man may reap at one and the
same time the fruits of his earlier and
later sowing, and may find that
both are alike good.
Ø
“As therefore ye
have opportunity, do good unto all men”
(Galatians 6:10).
Ø
Weary not in
well-doing (Ibid. v.9).
Ø
Take no thought for
tomorrow (Matthew 6:34).
Ø
Cultivate a hopeful
view of life (Proverbs 10:28).
Conditions
of Success in Business (vs. 1-6)
·
THE MEASURES TO BE ADOPTED.
Ø
Enterprises are not free from
hazard. “Cast
thy bread upon the
waters,” meaning, “launch out upon the sea of business speculation.”
The man who would succeed must be
prepared to venture somewhat.
A judicious quantity of courage
seems indispensable to getting on.
The timid merchant is
as little likely to prosper as the shrinking lover.
Ø
Prudence in dividing risks. “Divide the
portion into seven, yea, eight
parts,” which again signifies that one should never put all his eggs
into
one basket, commit all his goods
to one caravan, place all his cargo in
one ship, invest all his capital
in one undertaking, or generally venture
all on one card.
Ø
Confidence in going forward, The agriculturist who, is always, watching
the weather — “observing
the wind and regarding the clouds” (v. 4) —
will make but a poor farmer; and
he who is constantly taking fright at the
fluctuations of the market will
prove only an indifferent merchant. In
business, as in love and war,
the man who hesitates is lost.
Ø
Diligence and constancy in labor. The person who aims
at success in
business must be a hard and.
incessant, not a fitful and intermittent,
worker. If a farmer, he must sow
betimes in the morning, and pause not
until hindered by the shades of night.
If a merchant, he must trade both
early and late. If an artisan,
he must toil week in and week out. It is “the
hand of the
diligent” that “maketh
rich” (Proverbs 10:4).
·
THE MOTIVES TO BE CHERISHED.
Ø
The expectation of a future
reward. “Thou
shalt find it [thy bread]
after
any days.” Such enterprises, though attended with risk, will not
all fail, but will generally
prove successful — not immediately, perhaps,
but after an interval of
waiting, as the ships of a foreign merchant
require months, or even years,
before they return with the desired profits.
Ø
The anticipation of impending
calamity. As
no man can foresee the
future, the prudent merchant
lays his account with one or more of his
ventures coming to grief. Hence,
in the customary phrase, he “divides
the risk,” and does not hazard
all in one expedition.
Ø
The consciousness of inability
to forecast the future. Just because of
this — illustrated in vs. 3 and
5 — the man who aspires to prosper in his
undertakings dismisses all overanxious
care, and instead of waiting for
opportunities and markets, makes
them.
Ø
The hope of ultimately
succeeding. Though he may often fail, he
expects he will not always fail;
hence he redoubles his energy and
diligence. “In the morning he sows his seed,
and in the evening
withholds not his
hand,” believing that in the end his
labors will
be crowned with success.
·
LEARN:
1. That business is not incompatible with piety.
2. That piety need be no hindrance to business.
3. That each may be helpful to the other.
4. That both should be, and are, a source of blessing to the
world.
Provision
for the Future (vs. 1-6)
Fruitless though many of the quests had been on which the
Preacher had
set out, lost though he had often been in the mazes of
barren and withering
speculation, something he did succeed in gaining, which he
now places on
record among the concluding sentences of his book. Though
truth in its
fullness is out of man’s reach, the path of duty is plain; essential wisdom
may never be discovered, but some practical lessons for the guidance of
life, which after all are what most we need, are to be
won from the search.
Perhaps to many minds these may seem commonplace. It may be
thought
that after all the bustle of the enterprise, after all the
zeal and energy
expended in carrying it through, the gain is small. Surely
some new thing of
greater value might have been brought out of the far-off
one of philosophy
and speculation than the counsels given here to be
beneficent and active,
since a time may come when we shall need the help of
others, and the
harvest may far exceed all our expectations. But from the
very nature of
the case such murmurings are unreasonable. No new thing can
be brought
to light in the moral world. Conscience proclaims the same duties AGE
after AGE; and all that is left to him who would advance the cause of
righteousness is to give clearer utterance to the voice of
God in the heart,
to show the imperative claims of duty, and in some
instances to suggest
new and weighty motives for obedience to them. None need,
therefore,
scorn the simple terms in which the Preacher sums up the
practical lessons
he would have us lay to heart. There is nothing novel or
wonderful in what
he says, but probably those epithets would be fairly
applicable to the
change that would be produced in our lives if we obeyed his
counsels.
There is a close connection between verse and verse in this
section (vs.
1-6), but a formal division of it into logical parts is
impracticable. The
Hebrew or Oriental mind had a different mode of
ratiocination
(formation of judgments by a process of logic and reason) from ours.
We may, however, note the stages in the current of thought.
·
THE PRACTICE OF BENEVOLENCE TOWARD OTHERS (vs. 1-2a)
is commended to us — a benevolence that is
generous and
profuse. “Cast thy bread,” he
says, “upon the waters.” “Do not be afraid of
showing kindness, even where
thou seest no prospect of result or return;
let the flat cake of bread, the
type of food to the hungry, aid to the needy,
float down the stream of life.
Thou wilt find one day that thou hast hit the
mark, won some grateful heart”
(Bradley). His words remind us of the
counsel in the Gospels “to
do good, hoping for nothing again, even to the
unthankful and the
evil” (Matthew 5:44-46; Luke 6:32-35).
“Repandez vos bienfaits
avec magnificence,
Meme aux moins vertueux
ne les refusez pas.”
(Voltaire,
‘Precis de l’Ecelesiaste.’)
Let many experience your
beneficence, says the Preacher; confine it not
within narrow limits. He speaks
of seven or eight, according to the Hebrew
manner of indicating an
indefinite but large number (Micah 5:5). His
specification is not to be taken
literally, any more than our Lord’s “seventy
times seven” as indicating the
literal number of times we are to forgive
(Matthew 18:22).
·
A MOTIVE TO BENEFICENCE
is laid down in v. 2b. “For thou
knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.” In the time of prosperity
remember that a day of calamity
and suffering may come, when the succor
of the friends you have made may
be of great service. Bad as men are,
there are numerous instances of
a grateful love recompensing benefits
received long ago, which perhaps
even the benefactor has long forgotten.
“Peradventure for
the good man some would even dare to die.” (Romans
5:7) No one can tell what vicissitudes of fortune
are in store for him; and
therefore it is prudent to make
some provision in the present against a day of
adversity. The same teaching is
found in the parable of the unjust steward
(Luke 16:1-9). These who spend
some of their wealth in doing deeds of kindness
and mercy (ibid. ch. 14:12-14) are described as
laying up treasure in bags
that wax not old, as providing
for themselves friends who will, when this
life is over, welcome them into
everlasting habitations. To some this may
seem but a sordid motive to
benevolence; it may seem to turn that virtue
into a kind of refined
selfishness. But, after all, there is nothing unworthy in
the motive. “Self-love is
implanted in man’s nature, and men who
themselves affect to despise
such a motive are often themselves, with all
their professed loftiness of
aim, actuated by no higher objects than those of
pleasure, fame, or advancement”
(Wright).
·
OUR IGNORANCE OF THE FUTURE FORBIDS OUR
KNOWING WHAT EVIL WILL COME UPON THE EARTH. (v. 2b)
The world is governed by uniform
laws; both good and evil are subject to
them. As it is an invariable law
of nature that at a certain point the clouds
that are filled with rain begin
to discharge their load upon the earth, and no
human power can seal them up,
and as it is an invincible law that the forest
tree must fall before the blast,
when the force with which it resists the ‘fury
of the wind is insufficient to
save it from overthrow, so the future is shaped
by laws which man cannot
control, and it is a mark of prudence to be
prepared for any
contingencies. The tempest which
deluges the earth with
rain, and levels the monarchs of
the forest with the ground, can neither be
foreseen nor averted by man;
neither can the future, whether it be charged
with prosperity or adversity.
The interpretation of v. 3 as teaching that
the fate of man is forever fixed
at death is utterly indefensible; there is
nothing whatever in the text to
indicate that the writer had any such
thought in his mind. And one may
say, in passing, that the teaching in
question can have very little
foundation, when it is principally, if not
altogether, founded upon a misinterpretation
of this passage. Why the
advocates of the doctrine, which
in itself is repulsive to our ideas of
reasonableness and justice,
should make so much of an obscure metaphor
in the Book of Ecclesiastes, and
shut their eyes to the historical statement
in 1 Peter 3:18-20, which is
decisive upon the point in question, is
difficult to understand. No
outcry about the obscurity of the latter passage
can annul the plain statement of
fact in it, viz. that Christ after His death
went and preached the gospel to
the spirits of those who were overtaken
by the flood in the days of
Noah. Uncertainty as to the future should not,
however, lead to present
inactivity (v. 5). We are not to allow “taking
thought for the morrow” (Matthew
6:25) to hinder our doing good today;
that would be as absurd as the
conduct of the farmer if he were to put
off from day to day the sowing
or reaping of his fields because of wind or
rain, until the time for sowing
or for reaping had passed away. Some
risk
we must run in our undertakings; and if some opportunities come to us
without any seeking or effort on
our part, we can make others for
ourselves by the exercise of our
good sense, energy, or tact. “The
conditions of success cannot be
reckoned on beforehand; the future
belongs to God, the
all-conditioning” (Delitzsch). This is the idea
contained in v. 5. Two examples
are given of processes of nature which
are familiar to us all, but the
ways and working of which are hidden from
our knowledge; they are the
course of the wind (not the “spirit,” as in the
Authorized Version), which “bloweth where it listeth”
(John 3:8), and
the formation of the babe “in
the womb of her who is with child.” These
secrets being in nature, it is
not wonderful that the methods of the Divine
government cannot be searched
out by human wisdom or ingenuity, that
the ways of God should be
inscrutable and past finding out. “Even so thou
knowest not the works of God who maketh
all.”
·
THE CALL TO BENEFICENT ACTIVITY IS REPEATED. (v. 6.)
“Since
the future rests in the power of One who arranges all things, but
who does not act arbitrarily,
and since a finite being cannot unravel the
secrets of the Infinite, man should act faithfully and fulfill energetically his
appointed task” (Wright). The teaching is the same as in ch. 9:10,
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;” “In
the
morning sow thy
seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for
thou
knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether
they both
shall be alike
good” (v. 6). “In the morning
of life be active; slumber not
through its
decline. Use well the gifts of youth;
use, too, the special gifts of
age. Thou knowest
not which shall bear good fruit; it may be both.” As
men sow, they reap; the greater
their exertions, the wider the area they
cultivate, the richer usually is
their harvest. The whole precept, says
Plumptre, “is a call to activity in good, not unlike that of Him who said, ‘I
must work the
works of him that sent me, while it is called today: the night
cometh, when no
man can work’ (John 9:4); who taught
men to labor
in the vineyard, even though
they were not called to begin their work till
the eleventh hour, when it was
toward evening, and the day far spent”
(Matthew 20:1-16)
Incentives
to Christian Work (vs. 1-4, 6)
These are not the words of some very young man who has much
fervor
and little experience; they are those of one who has known
the
disappointment and disenchantment of life. They come,
therefore, with the
greater force to us. We gather from them:
·
THAT IT IS WELL WORTHWHILE TO SPEND OUR WHOLE
STRENGTH IN LOVING SERVICE. “Cast thy bread upon the waters”
— scatter the precious
bread-corn, drop it into the flood; that is not the act
of a. fool, but of a wise man. “Give
a portion to seven;” ay, go further than
even that in your liberality —
spend your whole strength in that which is
good and beneficent, lavish your
resources, let there be a generous
overflow rather than a cool
calculation in your service; and this whether
you are acting as a citizen, as
a neighbor, or as a member of the Church of
Christ.
·
THAT, IF WE ARE WISE, WE SHALL LET OUR VERY
IGNORANCE STIMULATE US TO EXERTION. Is it worthwhile to.
sow when we cannot be sure that
we shall ever reap? Since we do not
know what evil may come in a
week or a day, had we not better turn the
seed of the sower
into bread for the eater? No; let our
ignorance
concerning the future be rather an incentive to activity. Say not, “I do not
know what changes may come upon
the earth; how little my labors may
prove to be profitable; who will
appreciate my devotion, and who will be
unresponsive and ungrateful; therefore
I shall suspend my exertions.” Say
rather, “I cannot tell what is coming; how soon I may be
rewarded; how
short may be the term of my life and of my opportunity
here; I must
therefore lose no time and waste no strength; I must do
whole-heartedly all
that is in my power.
Because I cannot tell which of my words will fall like
water on the rock, and which
like seed upon the fertile soil, whether the
morning or the evening labors
will be rewarded, therefore I will do my
best; perhaps this present effort
I am now making may be the very one
which has in it the seed of a
glorious harvest.” Thus our very ignorance
may stimulate us to holy and
fruitful action.
·
THAT WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE
DISTURBED BY THE UNSYMPATHETIC FORCES ROUND US. If
the clouds are full of rain,
they will empty themselves on the earth without
any regard to our necessity for
fine weather; the tree will fall this way or
that, according to the wind,
whomsoever or whatsoever it will crush by its
weight. The forces of nature are
quite unsympathetic. Feebleness may
incapacitate or death may take
away our most efficient fellow-laborer; the
changes that affect our human
lives may reduce our means or remove our
agents, or even close our
agencies; but we must not be daunted, nor must
we stay our hand on this
account. The full mind, like the full cloud, must
pour itself forth, and may do so
in words and ways we do not like; the
man, like the tree, must take
the line toward which he strongly inclines, and
this may be one that traverses our
tastes and wishes, Never mind! We are
not to let our good work for Christ be arrested by such
incidental difficulty
as that. We are to “quit us like men, and be strong,” and we are to
triumph
over such hindrances as these.
·
THAT WE ARE NOT TO BE IN ANY HURRY FOR THE
HARVEST. The seed we
cast “shall
be found after many days.” The
husbandman hath “long
patience,” waiting for the fruits of the earth. The
history of the noblest men is
one long sermon on the blessedness of
patience. It says to the Christian pilgrim and workman, “Work
and wait;
work diligently, intelligently,
devoutly, then wait prayerfully
and hopefully.
Be not surprised, much less
distracted, because the harvest is still far in the
future; in due season you will reap, if you faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)
Fulfill Duty and Disregard Consequences
(vs.
4-6)
These statements and admonitions respect both natural and
spiritual toil.
The husbandman who labors in the fields, and the pastor and
the
missionary who seek a harvest of souls, alike need such
counsel. The
natural and the supernatural alike are under the control and
government of
God; and they who would labor
to good purpose in God’s universe must
have regard to Divine principles, and must confide in
Divine faithfulness
and goodness.
·
THE DUTY OF DILIGENCE.
Good results do not come by chance;
and although the blessing and
the glory are alike God’s, He honors men by
permitting them
to be His fellow-workers. There is no
reason to expect
reaping unless sowing has
preceded; “What a man soweth that shall he also
reap.” (Galatians
6:7) Toil — thoughtful, patient,
persevering toil — such
is the condition of every
harvest worth the ingathering.
·
DISSUASIVES FROM DILIGENCE. If the husbandman occupy
himself in studying the weather,
and in imagining and anticipating adverse
seasons, the operations of
agriculture will come to a standstill. There are
possibilities and contingencies
before every one of us, the consideration
and exaggeration of which may
well paralyze the powers, hinder effective
labor, and cloud the prospect of
the future, so as to prevent a proper use of
present opportunities. This is a
temptation which besets some
temperaments more than others,
from which, however, few are altogether
free. If the Christian laborer fixes
his attention upon the difficulties of his
task, upon the obduracy or
ignorance of the natures with which he has to
deal, upon the slenderness of
his resources, upon the failures of many of his
companions and colleagues,
leaving out of sight all counteracting
influences, the likelihood is
that his powers will be crippled, that his work
will stand still, and that his
whole life will be clouded by disappointment.
The field looks barren, the
weeds grow apace, the enemy is sowing tares,
the showers of blessing are
withheld: what, then, is the use of sowing the
gospel seed? Such are the reflections and the questionings which take
possession of many minds, to
their discouragement and enfeeblement and
distress.
·
INDUCEMENTS TO DILIGENCE.
It is not questioned that the
work is arduous, that the
difficulties are real, that the foes are many and
powerful, that circumstances may
be adverse, that the prospect (to the eye
of mere human reason) may be
somber. But even granting all this, the
Christian
laborer has ample grounds for earnest and persevering effort. Of
these, two come before us as we
read these verses.
Ø
Our own ignorance of results. We have not to do with the
consequences, and we certainly
cannot foresee them. Certain it is that
amazing blessings have sometimes
rested upon toil in most unpromising
conditions, in places and among
people that have almost stricken the heart
of the observer with despair. “Thou
knowest not whether shall prosper,
this or that” (v. 6); “With God nothing is impossible.” (Luke
1:37)
Ø
The express command of our Divine Lord. Results we cannot foresee.
But direct commands we can
understand and obey. “In the morning sow
thy seed, and in
the evening withhold not thine hand.” Such is the voice,
the behest, of Him who has a
right to order our actions — to control and
inspire our life. Whilst we have
this commission to execute, we are not at
liberty to waste our time and
cripple our activities by moodily
questioning
what is likely
to follow from our efforts. Surely the
Christian may have
faith to leave this in the hand
of God!
Section 17 – (vs. 7-9).
The second remedy for the perplexities of the
present life is cheerfulness — the spirit that enjoys the present, with a
chastened regard to the future.
7 “Truly the light is
sweet,” - The verse begins with the copula ray,
“and,” which here notes merely transition, as in ch. 3:16; 12:9.
Do not be perplexed, or despondent, or paralyzed in your
work, by the
difficulties that meet you. Confront
them with a cheerful mien, and enjoy
life while it lasts. “The light” may be taken literally, or as equivalent to life.
The very light, with all that it unfolds, all that it beautifies, all that
it
quickens, is a pleasure; LIFE IS WORTH LIVING and affords
high and merited enjoyment to the FAITHFUL WORKER!
The commentators quote parallels Thus Euripides, ‘Iph. in Aul.,’ 1219:
Μή μ ἀπολέσῃς
ἄωρον ἡδύ
γὰρ τὸ
φῶς
Λεύσσειν τὰ δ ὐπὸ
γῆν μή
μ ἰδεῖν ἀναγκάσῃς
Mae m apolesaes aoron hadu gar to phos
Deussein ta d upo gaen mae m idein
anagkasaes
“O slay me
not untimely; for to see
The light
is sweet; and force me not to view
The
secrets of the nether world.”
Plumptre cites Theognis —
Κείσομαι ὤστε λίθος
Αφθογγος λείψω δ ἐρατὸν φάος
ἠελίοιο
Keisomai oste lithos
Aphthoggos leipso d eraton
phaos aeelioio
“Then
shall I lie, as voiceless as a stone,
And see no
more the loved light of the sun.”
“and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the
sun.” To behold
the sun is to enjoy life; for light, which is life, is
derived from the sun. Virgil
speaks of “coeli spirabile lumen” (‘AEn.,’ 3:600).
Thus Homer, ‘Od.,’ 20:207:
Αἴ που ἔπι ζώει
καὶ ὁρᾷ
φάος ἠελίοιο
Αἰ δ ἤδη τέθνηκε καὶ εἰν
Αι'´δαο δόμοισιν.
Ei pou epi zoei kai hora
phaos aelioio
Ei d aedae tethnaeke
kai ein Aidao
domoisin
“If still
he live and see the sun’s fair light,
Or dead,
be dwelling in the realms of Hades.”
8 “But if a man live many
years, and rejoice in them all;” - The
conjunction ki at
the commencement of the verse is causal rather than
adversative, and should be rendered “for.” The insertion of
“and” before
“rejoice” mars the sentence. The apodosis begins with “rejoice,” and
the
translation is, For if
a man live many years, he ought to rejoice in them
all. Koheleth has said (v. 7) that life
is sweet and precious; now he adds
that it is therefore
man’s duty to enjoy it; God has ordained that he should
do so, whether his days
on earth be many or few - “yet let him remember
the days of darkness;” -
The apodosis is continued, and the
clause should
run, And remember, etc. “The days of darkness ‘ do not mean times of
calamity as contrasted with the light of prosperity, as
though the writer
were bidding one to be mindful of the prospect of
disastrous change in the
midst of happiness; nor, again, the period of old age
distinguished from the
glowing light of youth (Virgil, ‘AEneid,’
L 590, 591). The days of
darkness signify the life in Hades, far from the light of
the sun, gloomy,
uncheered. The thought of
this state should not make us hopeless and
reckless, like the sensualists whose creed is to “eat and
drink, for
tomorrow we die” (I
Corinthians 15:32), but rouse us to
make the best of life, to be contented and cheerful,
doing our daily
duties with the
consciousness that this is our day of labor and joy
(“This
is the day which the Lord has made, we will be glad and
rejoice
in it!”- Psalm 118:24) and
that “the night cometh when no
man can work ‘ (John 9:4). Wisely says Beu- Sira, “Whatsoever thou takest
in hand, remember the end, and thou shalt never do amiss” (Eccliesasticus. 7:36).
We are reminded of the Egyptian custom, mentioned by
Herodotus (2. 78), of
carrying a figure of a corpse among the guests at a
banquet, not in order to damp
pleasure, but to give zest to the enjoyment of the present and to keep it under
proper control. “Look on this!” it was cried; “drink, and enjoy thyself; for
when thou diest thou
shalt he such.” The
Roman poet has many a passage
like this, though, of course, of lower
tendency. Thus Horace, ‘Carm.,’ 2:3:
“Preserve,
O my Dellius, whatever thy fortunes,
A mind
undisturbed, ‘midst life’s changes and ills;
Not cast
down by its sorrows, nor too much elated
If sudden
good fortune thy cup overfills,” etc.
(
“for they shall be many.” Rather, that they
shall be
many. This is one of
the things to remember. The time in Sheol will be
long. How to be passed — when, if ever, to end — he says
not; he looks
forward to a dreary protracted period, when joy shall be
unattainable, and
therefore he bids men to use the present, which is all they
can claim. “All
that cometh is vanity.”
All that comes after this life is
ended, the great
future, is nothingness; shadow, not substance; a state from
which is absent
all that made life, and over which we have no control. Koheleth had passed
the sentence of vanity on all the pursuits of the living
man; now he gives
the same verdict upon the unknown condition of the departed
soul (compare
ch.
9:5). Till
the gospel had brought life and immortality to
light, the view of the future was DARK AND GLOOMY! So we read in Job
(10:21-22), “I go whence I shall not return, even to the
land of darkness
and of the shadow of death; a land of thick darkness, as
darkness itself; a
land of the shadow of death, without any order, and where
the light is as
darkness.” The
Vulgate gives quite a different turn to the clause, rendering,
Meminisse debet tenebrosi
temporis, et dierum multorum; qui cum
venerint, vanitatis arguentur
praeterita, “He
ought to remember… the
many days; and when these have come, things passed shall be
charged with
vanity” — which implies, in accordance with an hagadic interpretation of
the passage, that the sinner shall suffer for his
transgressions, and shall then
learn to acknowledge his folly in the past. It is
unnecessary to say that the
present text is at variance with this rendering.
Enjoyment of the Present (vs. 7-8)
The cloud of pessimism rises from the Preacher’s mind as he
thinks of the
happiness which a well-ordered life may after all yield. God has placed
some pleasures within our reach, and if we do not by our
willfulness defeat
His purpose, we may enjoy much innocent peace and
happiness. And this
assertion, coming so closely as it does upon the admonition
to be diligent
in carrying out the business that we have to do, implies
that it is the well
earned reward of the worker, and not the ease and
luxury of the idle
sensualist, that
wins the word of approval. This joy of
life, based upon
fidelity to one’s vocation, and sanctified by the fear of
God, is the truest
and highest enjoyment here below. Only those have a right to
enjoy life who are zealous in the discharge of the duties
that belong to
their lot. The order of thought is the same as in Romans
12:11-12, “In
diligence not
slothful… rejoicing in hope.” The Revised Version (in v. 8)
brings out the full meaning more clearly than the
Authorized Version:
“Truly the light
is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the
sun. Yea, if a man
live many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him
remember the days
of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is
vanity.” The light here praised is the light of life; the existence
passed in the
world on which the sun shines, as contrasted with the
darkness of the
grave, the unseen world, which to the mind of the Preacher, unillumined by
the full revelation in Christ, seemed a region of shadows, dreary and
insubstantial. To
our thoughts such a view of the world beyond the grave,
if world it could be called, in which all was dark and
without any order
(Job 10:21-22), would seem calculated to rob the present of
all
delights. But evidently our author did not regard it as
necessarily doing so.
Neither did those ancient Egyptians, who had the
representation of a
corpse in its cerements at their banquets. To grosser minds
among them the
sight probably suggested the thought, “Let us eat and
drink; for to-morrow
we die.” But doubtless to graver minds it suggested something
nobler —
that pleasure, chastened and restrained by wise foresight,
is pure and more
lasting than any other. So, too, the enjoyment of life
commended by the
Preacher is not found by him incompatible with a
contemplation of death.
He does not say, “Let
the young and thoughtless have out their time of
frivolity and short-lived mirth; the sad thoughts by
which the closing years
of life are naturally darkened will only come to them too
soon.” He rather
would have men to rejoice in all the years of their life,
though they be
many. Days of evil may come; clouds may, during long hours
of sorrow,
obscure the glory of the sun; but even if a man live many
days, he should
endeavor to rejoice in them all: and all the more so, if a
long night of
darkness awaits him at the close of his earthly career. By
the days
of darkness, which are many, he evidently means the
condition after
death; for he distinctly differentiates them from the days
of life, in all of
which there should be joy, in spite of passing trials and
distresses. For all
men days of darkness are in store; let all, therefore, make the most of the
present, and by a wise guidance of their conduct, by a
beneficent activity,
let them acquire the right and the ability to enjoy the innocent
joys with
which God has been pleased to bless and enrich our lives, seeing that “all
that cometh” after
life is vanity. It is true that to us the
world beyond the
grave appears in a different light. We believe in the
everlasting felicity of
the righteous in the “many
mansions” (John 14:2) which remain for
those
who have during this life been faithful to God, and have
qualified themselves
for higher service and more perfect enjoyment of Him in the
world to come.
But this belief need not, should not, lead us to despise
the bounties we
have in this world from the hand of God. A devout and grateful acceptance
and use of all the blessings he has bestowed upon us, a
joy in living and
seeing the light of the sun, should be much easier
to us if we are conscious
of RECONCILIATION TO GOD and regard death as the entrance to
A HIGHER LIFE! (John 5:24)
Light and
Darkness (vs. 7-8)
The alternation of day and night is not only contributive
to human
convenience, it is symbolical of human experience.
HEALTH, AND PROSPERITY. He
who rises betimes, and, turning to the
east, watches for the sunrise,
and then beholds the glorious orb of day rise
from the plain or from the sea,
and flood hill and valley, cornfield and
pasture, with the radiant
splendor of the morning, can enter into the
language of the preacher, “Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant
thing it
is for the eyes to
behold the sun.” And if then he looks into the face of a
companion, a
noble and generous youth, unstained by sin,
undimmed by
care, untouched by
disease, he can well understand what is
meant by the
morning of life,
the luster of youth, and
can thank God that such a period,
and such strength, joy, and hope,
HAVE BEEN APPOINTED BY GOD,
AS A PART OF THE
HUMAN EXPERIENCE! In youth and bounding
health and high spirits, how
fresh and winsome is the present! how alluring
the future! Who would wish to cast a shadow
upon the brightness which
God Himself has created? (Such is what happens when the individual makes
wrong choices and
goes down the wrong road, such is what
happens
when
organizations like Planned Parenthood, The National Organization
of Women, The
American Civil Liberties
Association, ad nauseum, etc. who FACILITATE THESE WRONG
CHOICES - Jesus said, “Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which
believe in me, it were
better that a millstone were hanged about his
neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” – Matthew 18:6 –
CY – 2013)
INFIRMITY, ADVERSITY, AND DEATH. The same individual whom
we have regarded in the prime of
his powers and the beauty of his joy will,
if his life be
prolonged, PASS THROUGH QUITE OTHER
EXPERIENCES!
Clouds will gather about his head, the storm
will
smite him, the dark midnight
will shroud him. There is no discharge in that
war
(ch. 8:8); no exemption from the common lot. He may lose his health,
his powers of body or of mind, his property,
his friends. He must walk through
the valley of death-shade (Psalm
23:4). In some form or other trouble and
sorrow must be his
portion.
APPROACH OF THE TIME OF DARKNESS. It may be objected that it
will be time enough to think of
the afflictions of life when they are actually
present, and that it is a pity
to cloud the sunny present by gloomy
forebodings. Those who know the
young and prosperous are, however,
well aware that their natural tendency is altogether to ignore the
likelihood of a
great change in circumstances and experience.
And to
remember the providential
appointment that our life cannot be eternal
sunshine is, in many respects,
a most desirable and profitable exercise.
Thus shall we learn to
place a due value, and no more than a
due value,
upon the pleasures, the diversions, the
congenial pursuits of youth and
prosperity. And, what is still better,
thus may we be led to seek a deeper
and surer
foundation for our life — TO ACQUIRE SPIRITUAL
TREASURES of which we cannot be deprived by lapse of time
or change of
circumstances. And thus shall we, by
God’s
mercy, find that the
darkness through which we needs must walk is
but
for a season, and that
through it the people of God shall pass into the
BLESSED LIGHT OF
ETERNAL DAY! (“When
thou passest
through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers,
they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest
through the
fire, thou shalt
not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee.
FOR I AM THE LORD THY GOD, THE HOLY
ONE OF
The Shadow of the Tomb (vs. 7-8)
Let a man rejoice, says the Preacher, in his long bright
days of prosperity;
but let him remember that the time is drawing on when he
will sleep his
long sleep beneath the ground; and many as his days have been when the
light of the sun was sweet to his eyes, very many more will
be the days of
darkness which will follow. It is open to us all to indulge
in some:
We may stroll in the churchyard,
and as we read the names and ages of
men who lived for thirty or
forty years, but who have been in their graves
for, it may be, two hundred
years, we may think how small was the
measure of the light on which
they looked compared with that of the
darkness in which they have been
sleeping. And as we yield to these
thoughts we feel the vanity of human affairs. Thus the shadow of the tomb
falls upon and darkens the brightness
of our life. It seems to us a poor thing
for a man to come out of the
infinite darkness behind; to walk in the
sunshine for a few swiftly
passing, soon-departed decades, and then go out
into the immeasurable darkness
on the other side. There is, however:
life be spoiled to us by the
reflection that it is limited, bound by a line
which is not far
off us? If it be so that there is
nothing but darkness
beyond, if it be true that what
we see comprises all that is to be seen, then
let us, for that very reason,
make the most of all that we hold. If the worth
of our existence is confined to
the present, let us compress into the present
time all the action and all the
enjoyment which it will hold shall we not say:
“I
will drink
Life to
the lees.... Life piled on life
Were all
too little, and of one to me
Little
remains: but every hour is saved
From that
eternal silence”?
life will soon
be over, may reach its terminus any day, and MUST COME
TO ITS CONCLUSION conclusion before
many years have gone. What
shall we be concerned about
in this?
Ø
Not the hour or
act of dying. Common human fortitude
will carry us
through that experience, as it
has done in countless millions of cases
already; much more will Christian faith and hope.
Ø
Not the silence
and darkness of the grave. What does
it signify
to us that our mortal body
will lie long in the grave, when we are
hoping to be “clothed upon with our house which is from heaven?”
(II Corinthians 5:2)
Ø
The long future of
heavenly life. Not the many days of
darkness,
but the long, the
everlasting day of glory is before us
who believe
in Christ, and who hope to
dwell with Him FOREVER! For that
endless day of blessedness the life we are
now living is not only
the preliminary BUT THE PREPARATION. Therefore let
every
day, every hour, be
sacred; be so spent in faith, in love, in holy labor,
in ennobling joy, that the future will be but the continuance of the
present — but also the enlargement, THE GLORIFICATION!
Thus shall there not fall
upon the life that now is the shadow
of the tomb; there shall shine upon it some beams from the glory
that is beyond.
Carpe Diem: Memento Mori; or, Here
and Hereafter Contrasted
(vs. 7-8)
Carpe Diem:
seize the day
Memento Mori - remember you must die
·
HERE, A SCENE OF LIGHT; HEREAFTER,
DARKNESS. Under the
Old Testament the abode of departed spirits was
usually conceived of as a realm
from which the light of day was excluded,
or only dimly admitted (Job
10:21-22).
·
HERE, A
OF VANITY. Life
beneath the sun, even to the most miserable, has
pleasures which are wanting to
the bodiless inhabitants of the underworld
(ch.
9:10).
·
HERE, A PERIOD OF FEW DAYS; HEREAFTER, A TERM OF
MANY. At the longest,
man’s duration upon earth is short (Job 14:1;
Psalm 39:5); in comparison, his
continuance in the narrow house, or in
the unseen world, will be long.
·
LESSONS.
1. Enjoy life heartily, as a good gift of God.
2. Use life wisely, in preparation for the world to come.
9 “Rejoice, O young man,
in thy youth,” - Koheleth continues
to
inculcate the duty of rational enjoyment. “In thy youth”
is during youth; not in
the exercise of, or by reason of, thy fresh, unimpaired
powers. The author
urges his hearers to
begin early to enjoy the blessing with
which God
surrounds them.
Youth is the season of innocent, unalloyed pleasure; then,
if ever, casting aside all tormenting anxiety concerning an
unknown future,
one may, as it is called, enjoy life – “and let thy
heart cheer thee in the days of
thy youth,” - Let the lightness of thy heart show itself in thy bearing
and
manner, even as it is said in Proverbs (Proverbs 15:13), “A merry heart
maketh a cheerful countenance.” - “and walk in the ways of thine
heart,” –
(compare Isaiah 57:17). Where the impulses and thoughts of
thy heart lead thee.
The wording looks as if the personal identity, the “I,” and
the thought were
distinct. We have a similar severance in ch. 7:25, only there the personality
directs the thought, not the thought the “I,” – “and in
the sight of thine eyes:” –
Follow after that on which thy eyes fix their regard (ch. 2:10); for, as Job says
(Job 31:7), “The heart walketh after the
eyes.”
“Go on your way,” he cries,
“do as you list, sow your
wild oats, live dissolutely, BUT REMEMBER,
THAT
RETRIBUTION WILL SOMEDAY OVERTAKE YOU! But
the counsel is seriously intended, and is quite consistent
with many other passages
which teach the duty of enjoying life as man’s lot and part
(see ch. 2:24; 3:12-13, 22;
5:18; 8:15). The seeming opposition between the
recommendation here and in
Numbers 15:39 is easily reconciled. The injunction in the
Pentateuch,
which was connected with a ceremonial observance, ran thus:
“Remember
all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye go not about
after your own heart, and your own eyes, after which ye
used to go
awhoring.” Here unlawful pleasures, contrary to the commandments, are
forbidden; Ecclesiastes urges
the pursuit of innocent pleasures, such as will
stand scrutiny.
It is not Epicureanism, even in a modified form, that is
here encouraged.
For moderate and lawful pleasure Koheleth
has always uttered his sanction,
but the pleasure is
to be such as God allows. This is to be accepted with
all gratitude in the present, as the future is wholly beyond our ken and our
control; it is all that is placed in our power, and it is
enough to make life
more than endurable. And then to temper unmixed joy, to
prove that he is
not recommending mere sensuality, to correct any wrong
impression which
the previous utterances may have conveyed, the writer adds
another
thought, a somber reflection which shows the RELIGIOUS CONCLUSION
TO WHICH HE IS WORKING UP! - “but
know thou, that for all these
things God will bring thee into judgment (mishpat).” It has been doubted
what is meant by “judgment,” whether present or
future, men’s or God’s. It has been
taken to mean — God will make thy excesses prove scourges,
by bringing
on thee sickness, poverty, a miserable old age; or these
distresses come as
the natural consequences of youthful sins; or obloquy shall
follow thee, and
thou shall meet with deserved censure from thy fellow-men.
But every one
must feel that the solemn ending of this paragraph points
to something
more grave and important than any such results as those
mentioned above,
something that is concerned with that indefinable future
which is EVER
LOOMING
in the DIM HORIZON. Nothing satisfies the expected conclusion
but a reference to THE ETERNAL JUDGMENT IN THE WORLD BEYOND
THE GRAVE! Shadowy and
incomplete as was Koheleth’s view of this great
assize, his sense of God’s justice in the face of the
anomalies of human life was so
strong that he can unhesitatingly appeal to the conviction
of a coming inquisition,
as a motive for the
guidance of ACTION and CONDUCT! That in other
passages he constantly apprehends earthly retribution, as
the Pentateuch taught,
and as his countrymen had learned to expect (see ch. 2:26; 3:17; 7:17-18),
is no argument that he is not here rising to a higher view.
Rather,
the fact that the doctrine of temporal reward and
punishment is found by
experience to fail in many cases (compare ch.8:14) has
forced
him to state his conclusion that this life is not the end of everything, and
that there is another existence in which:
One
last, powerful and restraining thought! God will bring
him into judgment. And God’s judgment is
threefold:
feeling, our action, is right or wrong; and He is thus continually
approving or disapproving, and is constantly pleased or displeased.
Surely this is not a Divine
judgment to be disregarded.
which appropriately follows it — sickness, feebleness, poverty, mental
incapacity, human condemnation, ruin, death, as the case may be.
LIFE IS OVER!
The statement is brief, for he knew nothing more than the
fact, and could add
nothing to it. His conception of the soul’s condition in Sheol (see ch.9:5-6, 10)
seems to point to some other state or period for this final
judgment; but whether
a resurrection is to precede this awful trial is left in
uncertainty here, as elsewhere
in the Old Testament.
Section 18 (vs. 10-ch.12:7)
The third remedy is piety, and this ought to be
practiced from one’s earliest days; life should be so guided as not to offend
the laws of the Creator and Judge, and virtue should
not be postponed till
the failure of faculties makes pleasure unattainable, AND DEATH
CLOSES
THE SCENE! The last days of the old man are
beautifully described under certain images, metaphors, and
analogies.
10 “Therefore remove sorrow
from thy heart,” - The writer
reiterates his advice concerning cheerfulness, and then
proceeds to
inculcate EARLY
PIETY! Kaas,
rendered “sorrow,” has been
variously
understood. The Septuagint has θυμόν – thumon –wrath - the
Vulgate gram;
so the margin of the Authorized Version gives “anger,” and
that of the Revised
Version “vexation,” or “provocation.” Wordsworth adopts
this last meaning
(relating to I Kings 15:30; 21:22; II Kings 23:26, etc.,
where,
however, the signification is modified by the connection in
which the word
stands), and paraphrases, “Take heed lest you provoke God by the
thoughts of your
heart.” Jerome affirms that in the term
“anger” all
perturbations of the mind are included — which seems rather
forced. The
word is better rendered, low
spirits, moroseness, discontent. These feelings
are to be put away from the mind by a deliberate act – “and put away evil
from thy flesh:” - Many
commentators consider that the evil here named is
physical, not moral, the author enjoining his young
disciple to take proper
care of his body, not to weaken it on the one hand by
asceticism, nor on
the other by indulgence in youthful lusts. In this ease the
two clauses would
urge the removal of what respectively affects the mind and
body, the inner
and outer man. But the ancient versions are unanimous in
regarding the
“evil” spoken of as moral.
Thus the Septuagint gives πονηρίαν –
ponaerian - wickedness; the Vulgate, malitiam.
Similarly the Syriac and
Targum. And according to our interpretation of the passage, such is
the meaning
here. It is a call to early piety and virtue, like that of
Paul (II Corinthians 7:1),
“Having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all
filthiness of the
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Do not, says
Koheleth, defile thy body by carnal sins (I Corinthians 6:18), which
bring
decay and sickness,
and AROUSE THE WRATH OF GOD AGAINST
THEE! - “for
childhood and youth are vanity.” This time of youth
soon
Passes away; the capacity
for enjoyment is soon circumscribed; therefore
use thy opportunities
aright, REMEMBERING
THE END! The word
for “youth” (shacharuth) occurs nowhere else in the Old
Testament, and is
probably connected with shachon,
“black,” used of hair in Leviticus 13:31.
Hence it means the time of black hair, in contradistinction
to the time when
the hair has become grey. The
explanation which refers it to the time of
dawn (Psalm 110:3) seems to be erroneous, as it would then
be identical
with” childhood.” The Septuagint renders it ἄνοια – anoia - folly; the Vulgate,
voluptas, “pleasure;” the Syriac, “and not knowledge,
but the word cannot
be rightly thus translated. The two terms are childhood and manhood, the
period during
which the capacity for pleasure is fresh and strong. Its vanity
is soon brought home; it is evanescent; it brings
punishment. Thus Bailey,
‘Festus’:
“I cast
mine eyes around, and feel
There is a
blessing wanting;
Too soon
our hearts the truth reveal,
That joy
is disenchanting.”
And again —
“When amid
the world’s delights,
How warm soe’er we feel a moment among them —
We find ourselves, when the hot blast hath blown,
Prostrate, and weak, and wretched.”
Advice to a Young Man or Woman (vs. 9-10)
man, in thy youth,”
etc.
Ø
Not a sanction to self-indulgence. The Preacher does not teach that
a
young man (or, indeed, any man)
is at liberty to “make
provision for the
flesh to fulfill
the lusts thereof” (Romans 13:14); to
have asserted or
suggested that a youth was
permitted by religion to follow his inclinations
wherever they might lead, to plunge into sensuality, to
sow his wild oats
(as the phrase is), would have been to contradict the Law of God as
given by Moses (Numbers 15:39).
Ø
Not a protest (ironical) against
asceticism. The Preacher does not say
that God will judge men if they
despise his gilts and refuse to enjoy them,
Doubtless, in so far as
asceticism springs from a contemptuous disregard of
God’s providential mercies, it
is sinful; but this is hardly the case the
Preacher has in view.
Ø
But a warrant for reasonable pleasure. The young man or
maiden is
informed that he or she may
enjoy the morning of life to the utmost of his
or her bent, “walking in the ways of his or her heart, and in the sight
of his or her
eyes,” provided always such pleasures as are sinful are
eschewed. Moreover,
the Preacher’s language appears to hint that such
enjoyment as is here allowed is
both appropriate to the season, the days
of youth, and demanded by the nature
of youth, being the legitimate
gratification of the heart and eyes.
“But know
thou that for all these things, God will
bring thee into
Judgment.” The judgment of which the Preacher speaks is:
Ø
Future. The great assize will be held, not on earth, but in the
unseen
world; not in time, but in
eternity. That the Preacher had no clear
perception of either the time,
place, or nature of this judgment, is probably
correct, but that he alluded to a
dread tribunal in the great hereafter
seems a legitimate conclusion
from the circumstance that he elsewhere
(ch.8:14) adverts to the fact
that in this life men are not always requited
either for their righteousness
or for their wickedness. (“Some men’s
sins are open beforehand, going before to
judgment; and some
men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some
are manifest beforehand; and they that are
otherwise cannot
be hid.”
- I Timothy 5:24-25). What was comparatively dark to
the Preacher is to us clearly illumined, viz. that after
death is
THE JUDGMENT! (Hebrews 9:27)
Ø
Divine. The Judge will not be man, but God (ch.
3:17;
Psalm 62:12; Isaiah 30:18).
This fully discovered in the New
Testament, which states that God shall judge men by Jesus Christ
(Acts 17:31; Romans 2:16; II
Timothy 4:1).
Ø
Individual. The judgment will be passed, not upon mankind in the mass,
or upon men in groups, but upon MEN AS INDIVIDUALS
(II Corinthians 5:10).
Ø
Certain. As the Preacher
himself was not dubious, so would he have the
young to know that THE
FUTURE JUDGMENT WILL BE A
MOMENTOUS
REALITY! (Hebrews 12:23; II Peter 2:9).
Ø
To remove sorrow from the heart. Either
o
the sorrow of
vexation, in which case the counsel is
to
avoid cherishing a peevish,
morose, or discontented spirit,
such as arises from looking
at the dark side of things, and
to cultivate a cheerful
disposition — a state of
mind which accepts whatever
lot falls to it in providence
(“I have learned, in whatsoever
state I am, therewith
to be content.” - Philippians 4:11). Or
o
that which causes
sorrow to the heart, viz. sin; in
which
case, again, the
exhortation is to abstain from
all ungodliness,
the real root of
HEART-BITTERNESS (Deuteronomy 29:18;
Proverbs 1:31; Galatians
6:8), and to follow holiness, WHICH
ALONE CONTAINS THE SECRET OF HAPPINESS
(Isaiah 48:18; Psalm
81:10-16; 106:3).
Ø
To put away evil from the flesh. Doubtless:
o
physical evil, pain, suffering,
affliction, whether occasioned
by the self-inflicted
tortures of asceticism or by the accidentally
incurred strokes of disease
— a clear injunction to promote
the body’s
comfort and health. But also:
o
everything that may
induce suffering or evil in the flesh; hence
once more sin which, apart
altogether from those wickednesses
which are against the body
(especially sexual sins - I Corinthians
6:15), which have a
tendency to engender disease and
ACCELERATE DEATH!
Ø
Both are transient. Youth and the prime of
life will not last, but will
pass away. Hence they should be kept as joyous and pure as
possible.
Only one thing more
unfortunate for the after-development of the soul
than a sunless youth, namely, a sinful youth. If the opening years
of man’s pilgrimage on
the earth should be radiant with happiness,
much more should
they be glorified with holiness.
Ø
Both are inexperienced. Hence their fervid impulses should be
moderated and restrained by the
solemn considerations that spring
from:
o
the brevity of
life and
o
the certainty of a
FUTURE JUDGMENT!
·
LEARN.
Ø
That youth should
be happy and serious.
Ø
That man’s
existence has a future and a present.
Ø
That privilege and
responsibility ever go together.
In Joy Remember Judgment! (vs. 9-10)
There is certainly no asceticism in the teaching of this
book. On the other
hand, there is no
commendation of worldliness and voluptuousness. Human
nature is prone to extremes; and even religious teachers
are not always
successful in avoiding them. But we seem in this passage to
listen to
teaching which at once recognizes
the claims of human nature and of the
earthly life, and yet solemnly maintains the subordination of all our
pleasures and occupations to the service of our Master,
and to our
preparation for the great account.
THE DIVINE
PROVISION OF LIFE’S JOYS. We are taught that the delights
of this earthly existence, however they are capable of
abuse, are in themselves not
evil, but proofs of the
Creator’s benevolence, to be accepted with DEVOUT
THANKSGIVING.
Conscience suggests that we are
responsible beings, and that retribution is
a reality. What conscience suggests
revelation certifies. The Bible lays the
greatest stress upon INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY.
We are taught
in the text that we are not only
responsible for the work we do in life, but
for the pleasures we pursue.
Certainly it is of the greatest advantage that
men should recollect in the days
of happiness the assurances of Scripture,
that God shall ere long bring
them into judgment. Such recollection will
check any inclination to
unlawful enjoyments, and will prevent undue
absorption in enjoyments which are
in themselves lawful, but to which a
disproportionate value may be
attached. There is a sense in which, as we
are here reminded, “youth and the prime of life are vanity.” They will
prove to be so to those who
imagine that they will last, to these who
pride themselves in them and
boast of them, to those who use them
only as the opportunity of personal pleasure,
to those who forget their
Creator, neglect His
Law, and despise His Gospel
USING THEM UNDER A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY, AND
WITH A VIEW TO THE GREAT ACCOUNT. If every blessing
in this life be taken as coming directly from
the great Giver’s hand, as
a token of His
favor, and as the result of the mediation of His blessed
Son, then may the very enjoyments of this life become to Christians
the occasion of present
grace and the earnest of fullness of joy.
Human Joy and Divine Judgment
(vs. 9-10)
That these words are not to be taken ironically is
probable, if not certain,
when we consider how frequently the Preacher had given
substantially the
same counsel before (see ch.
2:24; 3:12, 22; 5:18; 8:15; 9:9).
Moreover, we obtain an excellent meaning by taking them in
their natural
sense. We may indeed ask for:
·
THE NECESSITY FOR SUCH COUNSEL. It may be said — What
need is there for offering such
an exhortation? Young manhood is certain
to take all the indulgence which
is good for it, without any man’s bidding;
the danger is not on the side of
defect, but of excess. That certainly
is so
generally. But there is the religious
devotee, who thinks he is pleasing God
by abstaining from all bodily
comforts, and enduring all physical sufferings.
There is also the ascetic
moralist, who thinks that he is conforming to the
highest standard of ethics when
he practices a rigorous abstinence, and
goes through life denying
himself the delights to which outward nature and
inward instincts invite him.
There is also the man of prudent policy, who
thinks that in a state of
society such as that in which the Preacher lived and
wrote, where there is no
security for life or property, it is better not to
enter into new relationships or
to embark in great enterprises; let life be cut
down to its smallest limits.
Hence the necessity for such a cheery invitation
as that in the text. But we must
mark:
·
THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT GOES. Clearly the words must not be
taken in their widest possible
sense. That would be not liberty, but license;
that would not encourage
enjoyment, but sanction vice. The Preacher
would have the young man, who is full of strength,
energy, hope, affection,
have the full heritage which the Father of spirits and
Author of this world
intended and provided for him. Let him give play to all the sound impulses
of his nature; let him taste the
exquisite enjoyment of a pure affection and
of happy friendship; let him be
an eager and earnest competitor in the
contest of strength, of skill,
of the studio, of the mart, of the council, of the
senate; let him throw his full
energies into the activities, recreations,
ambitions, aspirations, of his
time; let him play his part as his heart inclines
and as his capacities enable
him. But
let him not cross the line which
divides:
Ø
virtue from vice,
Ø
wisdom from folly,
Ø
conscientiousness
from unscrupulousness.
For there has to be taken into
account:
·
ONE POWERFULLY RESTRAINING THOUGHT. God will bring
him into judgment. And
God’s judgment is threefold.
Ø
He judges us every moment,
deciding whether our thought, our feeling,
our action, is right or wrong;
and he is thus continually approving or
disapproving, and is constantly
pleased or displeased. Surely this is
not
a Divine judgment
to be disregarded.
Ø
He causes an evil habit
to be visited, sooner or later, with the penalty
which appropriately follows it —
sickness, feebleness, poverty, mental
incapacity, human condemnation,
ruin, death, as the case may be.
Ø
He reserves the day of
trial and of account for the hour when life is over.
The
Vanity and Glory of Youth (v. 10)
“childhood and
youth are vanity.”
Ø
Its thoughts are
very simple; they are upon the
surface, and there is no
depth of truth or wisdom in
them.
Ø
Its judgments
are very mixed with error; it has to
unlearn a great deal
of what it learns; the
young will have to find, later on, that the men of
whom and the things of
which they have made up their minds are different
from what they think now;
their after-days will bring with them much
disillusion, if not serious
disappointment. Much that they see is magnified
to their view, and the
colors, as they see them today, will look otherwise
tomorrow.
Ø
Itself is constantly
disappearing. Few things are more constantly
disturbing, if not distressing,
us than the rapid passage of childhood
and youth. (I am thankful that when I was young, I knew it and was
taught this verse “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy
youth while the evil days come not nor the
years draw nigh,
when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.” Now, I
have, through God’s mercies, been retired for thirteen years and
for all practical purposes, the way time flies, am in a second childhood –
CY – 2013) Sometimes the young life is taken away altogether — the
flower is nipped in the bud. But
where life is spared, the peculiar beauty
of childhood or of youth — its
simplicity, its trustfulness, its docility, its
eagerness, its ardor of
affection, its unreserved delights, this is perpetually
passing and “fading into the
light of common day.” Yet is there — and
it is the truer and deeper
thought:
of qualification, there is one
thing that may be said for it which greatly
exalts it — it may be wise with a
profound and heavenly wisdom, for it
may be spent in
the fear and in the love of God (see
Proverbs 1:7;
Job 28:28). To “remember its Creator,” and to order its life
according
to that remembrance, is THE
HEIGHT AND DEPTH OF HUMAN
WISDOM! Knowledge,
learning, cunning, brilliancy, genius itself, is not so
desirable nor so
admirable a thing as is this holy and heavenly wisdom.
Ø
To know God (Jeremiah 9:23-24),
Ø
to reverence Him
in the innermost soul,
Ø
to love Him with
all the heart (Mark 12:33),
Ø
to be obedient
to His commandments,
Ø
to be patiently
and cheerfully submissive to His will,
Ø
to be honoring
and serving Him continually,
Ø
to be attaining
to His own likeness in spirit and character,
surely this is the glory of the
highest created intelligence of the noblest rank
in heaven, and surely this is
the glory of our human nature in all its ranks.
It is the glory
of our manhood, and it is the glory of youth. Far more
than any order of strength
(Proverbs 20:29), or than any kind of beauty
(II Samuel 14:25), or than any
measure of acquisition, does the abiding
and practical remembrance of its
Creator and Savior glorify our youth.
That makes it
pure, worthy, admirable, inherently excellent, full
of hope and
promise. We may add, for it belongs to the text
as well as to
the subject:
Let the young live
before God while THEY ARE YOUNG, for:
Ø
It is a poor and
sorry thing to offer TO GOD, OUR
DIVINE REDEEMER, the dregs of our days. To Him
who gave himself for us it
becomes us to give, not our wasted
and worn-out, but our best, our freest and freshest, our
purest and
strongest self.
Ø
To leave the
consecration of ourselves to Christ to the time
when faculty has faded,
when the power of discernment and
appreciation has
declined, when sensitiveness has been dulled
with long disuse, when
the heavenly voices fall with less charm
and interest on the ear
of the soul, — THIS IS A
MOST
PERILOUS THING! To hearken and
to heed, to recognize
and to obey, in
the days of youth is THE ONE WISE
THING!
Youth and Age
(v. 9 - ch. 12:7)
The greater part of the Book of Ecclesiastes is of a somber
character. It
records the experiences of one who sought on all sides and
with passionate
eagerness for that which would satisfy the higher wants of his nature — the
hunger and thirst of the soul — but who sought in vain. Ordinary coarse,
sensual pleasures soon lost their charm for him; for he
deliberately tried —
a dangerous experiment to see if in self-indulgence any
real satisfaction
could be found. From this failure he turned to a more
promising quarter.
He sought in “culture,” the pursuit of beauty and
magnificence in art, the
pathway to the highest good, on the discovery of which his
soul was set.
He used his great wealth to procure all that could minister
to a refined
taste. He built palaces, planted vineyards and gardens and
orchards; he
filled his palaces with all that was beautiful and costly,
and cultivated every
pleasure which is within the reach of man. “Whatsoever mine eyes desired,”
he says, “I
kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy Then
I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on
all the labor
that I had labored to do: and, behold, all was vanity and
vexation of spirit,
and there was no profit under the sun.” From this he turned to the joys and
employments of an intellectual life — acquired knowledge
and wisdom,
studied the works of nature, analyzed human character in
all its phases, and
applied himself to the solution of all those great problems
connected with
the moral government of the world and the destiny of the
soul of man.
Here he was baffled. The discoveries he made were he found, useless for
curing any of the evils of life, and at every point he met
with mysteries
which he could not solve, and his sense of failure and
defeat convinced him
that though “wisdom excelleth
folly, as far as light excelleth darkness,”
it
does not satisfy the soul. “What, then, is the result of
his inquiries, of his
pain and labor in searching after the highest good? Do his
withering
speculations leave anything untouched which may reasonably
be the object
of our pursuit, and which may afford us the satisfaction
for which he
sought in vain in so many quarters? Does he decide that
life is, after all,
worth living, or is his conclusion that it is not? In the
closing sections of his
book some answer is given to these questions; something
positive comes as
a pleasing relief from all the negations with which he had
shut up one after
another of the paths by which men had sought and still seek
to attain to
lasting happiness. Two conclusions might have been drawn
from the
experience through which he had passed. “Since the employments and
enjoyments of life are insufficient to give satisfaction
to the soul’s craving,
why engage in them, why not turn away from them in
contempt, and fix the
thoughts solely on a life to come?” an ascetic might ask.
“Since life is so
transitory, pleasure so fleeting, why not seize upon every
pleasure, and
banish every care as far as possible?” an Epicurean might
ask. “Let us eat
and drink; for to-morrow we die.” Neither of these courses
finds any favor
in the mature judgment of Solomon, or of the writer who
draws his
teaching from the experience of the Jewish king. “Rejoice,”
he says,
rebuking the ascetic; “know thou that for all these things God
will bring
thee into judgment,”
he adds, for the confusion of the Epicurean. He
speaks with the authority of one who had fully considered
the problems of
life, and with the solemnity of one whose earthly career
was hastening to
its close; and he addresses himself to the young, as more
likely to profit by
his experience than those over whom habits of life and
thought have more
power. But of course all, both young and old, men and
women, can learn
from him if they will, according to the gospel precept, “become
as little
children,” and listen
with reverence and simplicity. The counsel which the
Preacher has to give is bold and startling. “Rejoice,
O young man, in thy
youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy
youth, and walk in the
ways of thine heart, and in the
sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for
all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” What does he mean?
Are his words ironical, or spoken in sober earnest? A very
long time ago
they caused some perplexity to translators and
commentators. In the
earliest translation of this book into another language,
that into Greek, this
passage was considerably modified and toned down. The
translator put in
the word “blameless” after “walk,” and the word “not” into
the next part of
the sentence. “Walk blameless in the ways of thine heart, and not after the
sight of thine eyes.” But any such tampering with the text was not only
profane, but also senseless, for it simply destroyed the whole meaning of
the passage. But granting that we have in our English a
fair reproduction of
the original, can there be any mistake about the
interpretation of it? Is it
possible that it may mean, “Rejoice if you will, follow
your desires, have
your fling, go forth on the voyage of life, ‘ youth at the
prow, and pleasure
at the helm,’ but know that the end of it all are the penal
flames”? Some
have thought that that is the meaning of the words. But a
little
consideration of them, and comparison of them with other
passages in the
book, will show us that it cannot be. Our author on several
occasions, after
showing us the vanity of earthly pursuits, falls back on
the fact that there
are many alleviations of our lot in life, which it is true
wisdom to make use
of — many flowers of pleasure on the side of the hard road
which one may
innocently pluck. Thus he says (ch.
2:24), “There is nothing
better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and
that he should
make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw that
it was from the
hand of God.” And
again (ch. 9:7), “Go thy way, eat thy bread
with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God
now accepteth thy
works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head
lack no
ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of thy
vanity… for that is thy portion in this life.” And the same lesson he repeats
there, but in a tone of deeper solemnity, balancing and
steadying the
inclination to pleasure, which in few of us needs to be
stimulated, with the
thought that for every one of our actions we shall have to give an account
at the
judgment-seat of God. Surely this thought
is a sufficient corrective
to the abuse of the teaching which a perverse mind might
make, and a
proof that the enjoyments spoken of are such as do not
degrade the soul. A
gloomy asceticism which would unlawfully diminish human
happiness is
forbidden; a thankful
acceptance of all the blessings God gives us, and a
constant remembrance of our responsibility to Him, is
commended to us.
With all the repugnance of a healthy mind, our author
recoils from that
narrow and
self-righteous fanaticism which has done so much to deepen
the gloom of
life, and to turn religion into an oppressive yoke. He does
not, however, go to the other extreme; but while he bids
the young to
enjoy the morning of life, he at the same time admonishes them
in all things
to have the
fear of God before their eyes. Youth and
manhood are vanity;
their joys are fleeting, and will soon be past. Must we,
therefore, neglect
them, and indulge in equally vain and fleeting regrets? No;
but rather put
away all morose repining, and spare ourselves all
unnecessary pain, and
cultivate a cheerful contentedness with our lot. If the morning will soon be
past, let us enjoy its light while it lasts, mindful of Him
who is the Giver of
every good and
perfect gift. The thought of Him will not
dull any innocent
happiness, for He has made us
capable of joy, and given us occasions of
experiencing it.
That no fears need be felt about the application of this
teaching to actual life is abundantly proved by the words
that follow, in the
solemn and stately passage with which the twelfth chapter
opens. The idea
all through is PIETY SHOULD BE BOUND UP WITH THE WHOLE
LIFE — with the buoyancy
and gaiety of youth, as well as with
the
decaying hopes
and failing strength of age. That religion
is not merely a
consolation to which we
may betake when all other things fail, but all through
the food by
which the soul is nourished. The fact is put
very strongly. If in
youth God is NOT REMEMBERED WILL BE
DIFFICULT IN AGE
when the faculties begin to lose their vigor, to think of Him for
the first
time, and
consecrate one’s self to Him.
The mere accumulation of the weaknesses, both physical
and mental, which
attend the close of life
will absorb the attention and crowd out
other
thoughts. “Remember
now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the
evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no
pleasure in them.” And
then he goes on to draw a picture, full of pathos
sad solemnity, of
the gradual dissolution of human life with the advance of
age, of the decay
and death into which the strongest fall, even if they
endure for many
years. One cannot make out all the
successive images with
equal clearness, but the evident purpose of the whole
passage is clear
enough. In the evil days the light of the sun, moon, and
stars is darkened,
and the sky is time after time overcast with returning
clouds. The light of
youth has fled, and with it the self-confidence and strength
by which the
life was sustained. Like
some household in
darkness came down upon it and put an end to all tasks and
pleasures, and
filled every heart with a paralyzing terror, so is the
state of man “perplexed
with fear of
change.” “The keepers of the house
tremble, the strong men
bow themselves, the terrified servants cease their labor,
none look out of
the windows, the street doors are shut, the sound of human
bustle and
activity dies away, the shrill cry of the storm-bird is heard
without, and all
the daughters of music are hushed and silent.” And then, in
language still
more enigmatical, other of the humiliating characteristics of old
age are set
forth —
Ø
its timidity and
irresolution,
Ø
the blanched hair,
Ø
the failing appetite.
These signs accumulate rapidly; for man goes to his
long, his eternal home,
and the procession
of mourners is already moving along the street.
“Remember,” he says, “thy Creator ere the day of death; ere
the silver cord
be loosened which lets fall and shivers the golden bowl
that feeds with oil
the flame of life; ere the pitcher be shattered by the
spring, and the fountain
of life can no longer be replenished; ere the wheel set up
with care to draw
up from the depths of earth the cool waters give way and
fall itself into the
well. Therefore remember thy God, and prepare while here to meet Him,
before that the dust shall return upon the earth dust as
it was; for
the spirit
shall then
return to God who gave it.” “It was a gift
from Him, that spirit.
To Him it will
return. More he says not. Its absorption,
the re-entering, of
the human unit into the eternal and unknown Spirit, would
be a thought, it
would seem, alien to a Hebrew. But we must not press his
words too far.
As just now he spoke of a judgment, but gave us no picture
of the sheep on
the right hand and the goats on the left, so here he has no
more to say, no
clear and dogmatic assertion of a conscious and separate
future life. ‘Into
thy hands I
commend my spirit,’ said the trustful psalmist (Psalm 31:5).
‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit,’ said He who bowed
His head upon
the cross (Luke 23;46), who tasted death
for our sakes.
Our Preacher leaves the spirit with its God — that is
all, and that is much.
‘God will call us to judgment,’ he has said, and now he
adds, ‘The body
molders (slowly decays), the spirit passes back to the God who gave it’
(Bradley). Many are the reasons which might be adduced to
give
weight to the admonition, “Remember now thy Creator in the
days of thy
youth. The
uncertainty of life, e.g., renders it unwise in any who begin to
realize their responsibilities, and to act for themselves, to postpone self-
consecration to
God. If not done now, when the affections are fresh, when
habits are
beginning to form, there is risk of its not being done at all.
Certainly it is
more difficult to make a change, and to enter upon the higher
life when the
heart is taken up with a love of other things, when the
attention and
interest are absorbed in other cares. Then, too, love of
our
Creator and service
of Him are due from us in the best of our days, in the
time of our
strength and energy, and not merely when we are weary and
worn out with
following our own devices, and are anxious merely to
escape utter ruin
and overthrow. True it is that the repentant prodigal is
welcomed when he returns to his Father’s house; the
worker beginning
even at the eleventh hour receives his wages as though he
had been the
whole day in the vineyard. But their sense of gratitude,
Wonder, and awe
at the love which has overlooked their faults and
shortcomings is the
source of a joy far inferior to that of those who have never wandered,
who
have served
faithfully with all the strength and all the day, upon whom the
sunshine of
God’s favor has ever rested. Another and
final reason why it is
wise to remember our Creator in the days of youth is that
this is the secret
of a happy
life. The happiness which is disturbed by
remembrance of God
is not worth the name. That alone gives satisfaction — the
satisfaction after
which the Preacher sought so long and in so many quarters —
which
springs from communion with God. It alone is intense, it alone is lasting.
Arising as it
does from the relations of the spirit of man with Him who
created it, it
is raised above all the accidents of time and change. The
sooner,
therefore, that we begin this life of holy communion and service,
the longer
period of happiness shall we know, the surer will be our ground
of confidence
for the future, when the day comes for leaving the world.
“Over against the melancholy circumstances of decay and decline, as the
end of life draws on, will be set;
Ø
the bright
memories of the past,
Ø
the consciousness of present help, and
Ø
the hope of a
joyous immortality.
Vanity of vanities; all is vanity!’ was the sentence of one whose wisdom
sprang only
from his experience of an earthly life, and upon whose mind
the burden lay
of human sorrows and cares. But “a greater than
Solomon,”
One whose wisdom
is Divine, whose power to remove every burden is
daily seen, has
an infinitely more hopeful message for us.
“Let
not your
heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s
house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to
prepare a place for you.... I will come again, and receive you
unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3)
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