Next week on Ash Wednesday, I’m going to begin a series of Lenten reflections from Ecclesiastes. Before getting into some specific texts next week, I’m going to share a dynamic at work in Ecclesiastes to keep in mind as we dig into specific texts.
As I mentioned in Why I Didn’t Quit Preaching, Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books in the Bible. By “one of” I probably mean “my absolute” favorite book in the Bible, but can’t bring myself to say it given the book’s dark tone. I do appreciate the Preacher’s brutal honesty about his vaporous experiences in his meaningless life “under the sun.”
There are actually two voices in Ecclesiastes. There’s the first person voice of the the Preacher whose melancholy observations occupy the majority of the book. There’s also the third-person voice of the Narrator.
The Narrator introduces the Preacher/Teacher at the beginning of the book and gives a one-sentence summary of his uplifting, inspiring message.
“The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”” (Ecclesiastes 1:1–2, NIV)
The Preacher then takes the mic and unleashes a relentless torrent of all life’s absurdities he finds bothersome.
He labels the pursuit of pleasure, success, achievement, wisdom, and even righteousness as meaningless vapor, a chasing after the wind.
He spotlights the suffering of the righteous and flourishing of the wicked.
He’s tormented by the specter of death, the great equalizer, which consigns the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the foolish, humans and animals to the same fate.
He sees how quickly people are forgotten after they die and sees no point in pursuing greatness if death nullifies our accomplishments.
It’s clear the Preacher is having more than a bad day or week. He's reflecting on a lifetime of disappointing experiences. He’s frustrated with the way the world works, the outcome of his life, and ultimately with God who allows the world operate in such a frustrating way.
When the Preacher finishes his sermon in chapter 12, the Narrator takes back the mic back and puts what the Preacher has just said in context.
“Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.” (Ecclesiastes 12:9–12, NIV)
First, the Narrator endorses the Preacher and his message.
“Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.” (Ecclesiastes 12:9–10, NIV)
Then the narrator likens it to a goad, which is a spike on the end of shepherds staff used for poking, prodding, and guiding sheep.
“The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11–12, NIV)
In other words, the Preacher’s message is supposed to make us uncomfortable. The Narrator also advises the reader not to spend too much time dwelling on the Preacher’s message. It’s good to visit Ecclesiastes from time to time, but you don’t want to make it your home base. The Preacher’s brand of wisdom will wear you out. You certainly shouldn’t let it become your favorite book in the Bible!
Then the narrator offers a final word before closing the book.
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13–14, NIV)
This final section by the Narrator reminds me of how an elder will sometimes come up after a difficult or controversial sermon and thank the preacher for his “challenging message” and then add a slight amendment or not so subtle correction to blunt the force of the message.
The narrator endorses the Preachers message, tells his audience to listen to what the Preacher says, even though it makes them uncomfortable. Then he cautions them against using anything in the Preacher’s message as an excuse to disregard God and God's law.
The narrator says the Preacher is speaking the truth. Absurdities abound and life doesn’t always make sense.
So listen and take to heart what the Preacher says…and then fear God and keep God’s commandments anyway. Because God will judge (set all things right) in the world.
Here’s my paraphrase of the Narrator’s message: Listen to the Preacher. He’s not wrong. But there's more to life than what can be observed under the sun. So trust and obey God anyway.”
I don’t read the Narrator’s response as an optimistic cop-out denying the brutal realities of life by appealing to a pie-in-the-sky platitude.
His is a mature, grounded faith that honors the validity of the Preacher’s experience. Sometimes life seems meaningless. Sometimes our well-ordered world gets turned upside down. Sometimes it feels like the degrees we've earned, the career we've chosen, the work we're doing is nothing but a big ole fat waste of time. Sometimes it seems like doing the right thing gets penalized rather than rewarded. Sometimes our dreams turn into nightmares and we wonder: what's the point of even trying? Sometimes it seems like we're pushing a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down over us again and again.
By showcasing the Preachers words, Ecclesiastes gives us permission to describe our frustrations with life under the sun, to name our pain, to voice our doubts, to say in the language of King James: Right now, life sucketh!
To which the narrator comes in at the end and says: Yes it does, but keep going, keep trusting, keep obeying, keep following Jesus anyway.1(
I’m indebted to Pete Enns for this “keep going anyway” reading of Ecclesiastes. Check out his commentary for a consistently dark, yet hopeful, reading of Ecclesiastes.
Wade, thought-provoking piece and an answer to the present fascination with progressive Christianity, which it might be argued is neither progressive ("nothing is new under the sun") nor Christian. Life in a broken world was, is, and will be hard. The question is can I accept surrender? Will I subordinate my feelings? Will I disregard the utter insanity of the notion, "You be you" from Tic Tok and bumper stickers? Accepting instead, God created me, knows what's best for me, and I am going to live the hard reality of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo? I believe whatever God wants from me, even if for reasons I cannot presently see or understand, even if it means being consumed by the fire - whatever is on the other side of that HOT fire is infinitely better than ANYTHING on this side of the fire.
Enjoyed the read.
Wade, I have used Ecclesiastes when speaking at funerals, particularly when the deceased or family members are not believers. This Hebrew memoir is full of 'bread crumbs' that can lead an agnostic/skeptic to identify with the king of Jerusalem who mourns life's futility and sameness and man's mortality.