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Reflections on Ecclesiastes

By Faith Marsalli, August 1, 2004

During the summer months we have been doing a brief overview of Old Testiment. wisdom literature. If you will remember, the books found in this category are Job, which we actually looked at for several Sundays this past year, several of the Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. Over the next few weeks we will be taking a look at the book of Ecclesiastes together.

In order to get the most out of this study I really encourage you to read Ecclesiastes on your own. There are just 12 chapters and I think you will find it is an extremely thought provoking read. As a matter of fact I think it might be one of the most user-friendly and likeable books in the Bible. I find the candor and honesty of the author to be quite refreshing.

Contrary to popular belief, King Solomon is not the author of Ecclesiastes. The author of Ecclesiastes is Qoheleth, which is not a name but a title or an office. Most likely the word means teacher, or more specifically, "wisdom teacher." The title of the book - Ecclesiastes - is the Greek word for Qoheleth. Eugene Peterson translates Qoheleth in the Message as the Quester. I like this description of the author because it describes him as one who gives voice to the seeker, those folks who have the courage to ask the hard questions about the meaning and perplexities of life. In our study I will refer to the author of Ecclesiastes as the Quester.

Most people who read Ecclesiastes wonder how in the world it made it into the Hebrew Bible. The Quester's bleak view of life doesn't seem to fit with most people's idea of the Bible. It seems so out of place with other O.T. writings, whose basic premise is completely opposite to that of the Quester's - that God, the Sovereign Creator, is not only knowable but has spoken to people through Moses and the Prophets.

Others in the Bible beside the Quester seemed to have faced life's unanswerable questions and contradictions but eventually remained confident of God's presence in their lives. Take Job, for instance…Job really struggled with some pretty difficult questions but ultimately came to a place where he was able to trust the Mystery, where he believed God was there for him, that there was some purpose in all his suffering beyond what he would ever fully understand. I find it very interesting what one modern writer says of Job, "The significance of the book of Job does not lie chiefly in its declaration that at long last the wrestler with life's darkness hears God speak to him. It lies rather in Job's final realization that a thoughtful religious person will live always on a knife-edge between belief and doubt."

In my estimation, perhaps this is the value of Ecclesiastes. The Quester is needed in the Bible as a counterbalance to smug assurance and unreflective belief. Because the Quester forces us to look straight into the darkness that surrounds us. The Quester forces us to examine our own beliefs. I for one am grateful Ecclesiastes made it into the canon of scripture. I also want to say that as you read through Ecclesiastes, I think it is perfectly fine to disagree with the Quester's conclusions. He writes of his experience alongside many others in the Bible who write of their experience.

There is really no consensus among scholars as to how to take this book. Some think it is overly pessimistic, that the author had to be an atheist, a teacher gone bad, perhaps a burned-out preacher. Still others think the author's perspective reveals tremendous spiritual vision and insight. The question is-What do you think? What is in this provocative little book for us to learn about our own spiritual journey?

Next week, Doug is going to share how Ecclesiastes has impacted his life and in a couple of weeks I would like to share what this book speaks into my life. In the meantime, read Ecclesiastes for yourself and personally ponder its meaning for you.

Today, I would like to give you a bit of an overview of Ecclesiastes. I have even included an outline in your bulletin that you can take with you.

First, I would like to identify the Quester's two central metaphors and then we will look at some of the themes raised in key passages of Ecclesiastes.

The first central metaphor is found in chapter one, "Vanity of vanities: all is vanity." Or as the Message translation says, "Smoke, nothing but smoke. There's nothing to anything-it's all smoke." The book begins and ends with this statement and is repeated throughout the entire book. The Hebrew meaning of this theme is closer to the idea of a fog, a vapor, a mist, this sense of obscured vision. Do you remember a few years ago when the fires were burning all around Oregon and how one day because of windy conditions, it would be clear and the next you couldn't see a thing? Hold this image in your mind.

The second metaphor, "chasing after wind" also occurs frequently. The Message says, "spitting into the wind." As a runner, I soon learned that to be a cool runner, you need to know how to spit. I still haven't become cool in this way. "Spitting into the wind" is a great image for me. This phrase is also sometimes translated as "herding" or "shepherding" the wind. This metaphor, of course, implies absolute futility.

The Quester writes as King Solomon in the first few chapters. His strategy is brilliant, because Solomon was the traditional father of wisdom who had everything a human can desire; not only wisdom, but power, fame, wealth, reputation, security, possessions, sensual pleasure. What's left to want? All the things that people around us today strive for, but even Solomon, who "had it all" came up empty and disillusioned.

Chapter 6:7 - "We work to feed our appetites; Meanwhile our souls go hungry."

The Quester's conclusion: Knowledge, career, recognition, possessions and pleasure fail to satisfy the longing of the human heart.

You will also notice that the Quester questions the conventional wisdom of Proverbs, the belief that if you follow the path of righteousness-the wise way-you will succeed in life and be rewarded. He observes that the righteous sometimes do not prosper. He observes that people often suffer through no fault of their own, that they are simply the victims of power.

Chapter 4:1 - "Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes place on this planet-the tears of the victims, no one to comfort them, the iron grip of oppressors, no one to rescue the victims from them."

Chapter 7:15 - "I've seen it all in my brief and pointless life-here a good person cut down in the middle of doing good, there a bad person living a long life of sheer evil. So don't knock yourself out being good, and don't go overboard being wise. Believe me, you won't get anything out of it."

Chapter 8:14, "Here's something that happens all the time and makes no sense at all: Good people get what's coming to the wicked, and bad people get what's coming to the good. I tell you, this makes no sense. It's smoke."

Chapter 9:11, "I took another walk around the neighborhood and realized that on this earth as it is-The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor satisfaction to the wise, nor riches to the smart, nor grace to the learned. Sooner or later bad luck hits us all."

The Quester is also preoccupied with death. He talks a lot about it. He seems haunted by death. How random it is-how inevitable it is.

Chapter 3:19-20 "Humans and animals come to the same end-humans die, animals die. We all breathe the same air. So there's really no advantage in being human. None. Everything's smoke. We all end up in the same place-we all came from dust, we all end up as dust."

Makes me think of that song from the 70's "Dust in the Wind"

Chapter 9:2-3 "It's one fate for everybody-righteous and wicked…everyone's lumped together in one fate. Is it any wonder that people go crazy right and left? Life leads to death. That's it."

Pretty cynical outlook, don't you think? In my opinion, I think that the Quester's mood of doubt and pessimism is one in which we all fall from time to time, and in which a few of the more skeptical remain.

So according to the Quester, how then should we live? What conclusion does he come to? What advice does he impart in light of his view of life and death?

This brings us to the final reoccurring theme in this wisdom book and the thought that I am going to leave you with this morning. "Enjoy yourself!" This pops up over and over again in Ecclesiastes.

Chapter 2:24 "The best you can do with your life is have a good time and get by the best you can. The way I see it, that's it-divine fate."

Chapter 3:12-13 - "I've decided that there's nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That's it - eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It's God's gift."

And finally, Chapter 9:7-9. - "Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes - God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don't skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse that you love each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God's gift."

I find it fascinating that Mary McClellan, Jan's daughter-in-law's parting wisdom to her friends and family was along this very same line of thought. This was a part of what I read from her at her memorial service a few weeks ago.

"Celebrate your life and appreciate all that is out there for you. Love life and enjoy each day with it's new awakening. It flows away so fast."

Go home and read Ecclesiastes this week. And I pray that God gives all of us the grace to live in the tension of unanswerable questions and paradox and that we will be open to the wisdom that Ecclesiastes brings to us. Amen

Reflections on Ecclesiastes, Part 2