A Layman’s Guide To Ecclesiastes
An Inquiring Mind Looks At Life
by
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Why Should Man Work?
Ecclesiastes 3:9-15
Verses 9-15 provide the context for verses 1-8. On the human plane, man has been given a task (by God) to live this life, which involves toil and labor. Verses 1-8 summarize the main events that occur in a man’s life. Verse 9 asks the question, what profit is there in these events? This is another way of asking, what is the payoff for going through all of life’s daily struggles? This is more than just a question of curiosity to the Preacher. If the answer is that there is no payoff, then life is just a great burden that God has laid on man (see Davidson’s comments at the end of this section). Verses 10-15 bring God into the picture and comment on the effect on a man’s life. There is both a positive undercurrent and a negative undercurrent in these verses.
The positive aspect of what God has given man to do is seen in verses 12-13, which echo the sentiment seen in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26. Man should rejoice, do good, and enjoy the food and drink that derives from man’s labor now (“…in one’s lifetime”), because it is the gift of God. The commentators are in good agreement on this. For example, Eaton (Eaton 1983, 82) says that verse 13 expresses the hope of an enjoyable life and he adds that verse 14 expresses the idea that the security of such a life is due to God’s grace and sovereignty over life. Shepherd (Shepherd 1998, 24-25) states “the Teacher” declared that we ought to enjoy the few days that we have under the sun. Furthermore, Shepherd says that this is not a call to hedonism, but it is important for us to understand that life is short, and it ought not to be spent in self-deprivation and misery. To me, verses 12 and 13 are pretty straightforward. Yes, we should recognize the good in life because it is a gift of God. This reminds me of the sentiment the Preacher expresses regarding young men in Ecclesiastes 11:7-9.
Verses 11b, 14, and 15 (and for some commentators, verse 10) present the negative aspect, negative at least from the Preacher’s point of view. These verses remind us of the Preacher’s sentiment expressed in Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 and 13-15. God has given men a task to occupy themselves (verse 10), but there are limitations to what men can discover (verse 11b). Eaton (Eaton 1983, 77) says that many commentators understand these verses to mean that the events in the first eight verses are imposed on man by life (or by God’s plan), which puts man in his place. This means that man is definitely not in control; on the contrary, he seems to be subject to the ebb and flow of life.
It seems to me that there are two ways of understanding verses 11b, 14, and 15. One is an almost fatalistic view (see Davidson’s comments below), whereas the other is more of a statement of how man sees the world from his limited viewpoint. Considering the second view, when one looks at individual events, often no pattern is discernible. Why does one person get promoted while another loses his job? Or why does hurricane Irene (August 2011) clobber North Carolina, Virginia, and Vermont, but let New York City off relatively lightly? From man’s limited viewpoint, there is no answer and it does appear that man is subject to the ebbs and flows of life.
There are two additional points of interest in this section. The first is the statement that God has “set eternity in man’s heart” (verse 11). Although determining the exact meaning is difficult, it seems to me that in some manner, we sense at a deep level that we need God to help us understand His plan and to make sense out of life. Man has a capacity for eternal things (what the future holds, wondering how it all turns out, understanding the whole shebang from beginning to end, etc.). However, man cannot find answers to all of these things, and hence, is frustrated by this fact. As a result, man’s heart is restless.
The second is the statement of God’s purpose in all this. On the divine plane, it is to be remembered that God has made everything appropriate in its time and that what God has done is complete and will remain forever. Also, God has set eternity in man’s heart, but with limits such that man cannot figure out how God works. The epochs of one’s life (verse 1-8), the appropriateness of the tasks given to man (verse 11a), the limitations on man (verse 11b), and the good that man experiences (verses 12-13) are all meant to lead man to fear God, that is, to revere Him (verse 14).
In keeping with his view that the Preacher sees God as a distant God, Davidson (Davidson 1986, 22-24) gives a different interpretation of verses 1-15. From verses 1-8, the Preacher surmises that there is (or could be) a discernible pattern that conveys meaning. But he doesn’t find it! There is likely to be a pattern, but God has chosen not to tell us what it is nor will He let us find out. Davidson justifies this assertion based on the New English Bible (NEB) translation of verse 11: “moreover he has given man a sense of time past and future, but”. Whether there is any ultimate purpose in life is beyond us. God alone knows, and He has hidden it from us. So the best we can do is to live life to the full as it comes to us day by day. Davidson sees verses 14-15 as deepening the Preacher’s sense of resignation. Yes, no doubt God pulls the strings, but his purpose is inscrutable and there is nothing we can do about it. We can only bow before a mystery that we can neither understand and nor change. Regarding the fear of God (verse 14), Davidson sees fear as the sense of dread that comes with not knowing the intentions of God.
I do not agree with Davidson’s view. Davidson has to downplay verses 12 and 13; in fact, he almost ignores them in his commentary. Furthermore, he takes a most dark view of the “fear of God” (dread rather than awe) and his handling of the word translated “eternity” in verse 11 is not the most common handling of the word. However, I have decided to include his interpretation of this passage because it probably does resonate with a number of readers (Question 4 in Chapter 3’s questions explores this issue).
Questions
Chapter 3:
1-From your reading of verses 1-15a do you see justification in this passage for the dour, pessimistic view of life; for the optimistic view; or for both views? Why?
2-Do you personally favor the pessimistic or optimistic view? Why?
3-Do you think that the Preacher may have been intentionally vague so that his words could encompass both a pessimistic view and an optimistic view?
4-Two possible views of the fear of God are presented in this commentary. One view is that fearing God is dread; whereas the more prevalent view is that the fear of God means reverence. Do you see any connection between what it means to fear God and how one fits the description of the men in Romans 1:18-21?
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About the Book
The book of Ecclesiastes was written three thousand years ago, but it reads like it was written for twenty-first-century men and women. Why don’t pleasure and wealth bring lasting satisfaction? Is life really worth the hassle? No matter what you accomplish or how wise you are, isn’t the end game always the same—death? A Layman’s Guide to Ecclesiastes helps you work through these and other questions the author of Ecclesiastes ponders.
A Layman’s Guide to Ecclesiastes differs from other books on Ecclesiastes. It is written from a layman’s point of view; the author is an astronomer, who nevertheless has gained a deep appreciation for Ecclesiastes during his fifteen-year period of study. A Layman’s Guide to Ecclesiastes is not restricted to one point of view on a passage. The author presents his view but also includes the thoughts of other commentators covering a wide spectrum of interpretations, so that you can come to a solid understanding of the issues on your own.
Young or old, skeptic or believer, wise or searching for wisdom, let A Layman’s Guide to Ecclesiastes assist your search for understanding in your life experiences, whether they are mundane, extraordinary, or seemingly inexplicable.
About the Author
Dr. David Brown studied astronomy at the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona, before receiving his PhD from the Pennsylvania State University. He taught undergraduate astronomy and physics courses for ten years and worked in satellite control for twenty-five years, including support for scientific satellites at NASA Goddard. He has experience dealing with theological topics from a layman’s viewpoint; he has led Bible studies on most New Testament books and several Old Testament books, including Daniel, Isaiah, and Ecclesiastes. His teaching experience enables him to bring academic rigor to his Bible studies. He is married, retired, and lives in Wheaton, Maryland.