22/10/21 Ecclesiastes Study 5 1:12-18

¹² I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³ And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹⁴ I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁵ What is crooked cannot be made straight,
    and what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶ I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷ And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.

¹⁸ For in much wisdom is much vexation,
    and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

 

These verses provides a transition from the preceding poem to Qoheleth's experiment in 2:1–26ff.

 1. a) How does Qoheleth describe himself here? What is his quest in this passage? What does he seek, and what is the result he obtained?

• He has been king over Israel (Joe said this is a reference to the united kingdom) in Jerusalem.
• He applied his heart to seek and search by wisdom all that is done under heaven. He truly wanted to understand the meaning of life in this world.
• He had great wisdom - greater than any king in Jerusalem before him. He had great experience of wisdom and knowledge
• He applied his heart to know wisdom as well as madness and folly. He wanted to understand what it meant to be wise or foolish.
  

Being king, he had the authority, resources and opportunity to accomplish his quest. 

He wanted to learn about all human activity in the world and to find meaning in life.

 

The summary of his result was that life was an 'unhappy business'/'heavy burden'(v.13),  'vanity' and a 'striving after wind'(v.14).

 = sad, burdensome, pointless, meaningless, a waste of time 

Qoheleth likes the Hebrew word 'inyan' ('matter/business' 1:13, 2:23, 2:26, 3:10, 4:8, 5:3, 5:14, 8:16), found only in this book of the Bible.

b) In what ways have you found this result to be true?

This result is true if there is nothing to look forward to. It is true if we cannot find joy and satisfaction under the sun. Those with no clear view of eternity will not see that their life has any meaning. We work to eat and eat to work. All the time we are aging and we will all die. All this is pointless if what we do doesn't count for eternity. It is unfruitful if we chase after the wrong thing, or iff we labour unfruitfully. When we have trouble in life and heaven is so much better. When se don't see the point of what we are doing. When what we do or tasked to do will not make a difference. We can have a good purpose but yet not be satisfied.

 

Conversely, we can ask: What makes my life meaningful? Why would we disagree with Qoheleth?

'People', we said last week. 'Relationship'. Loved ones and friends.

A legacy of faith for others who will pass it on in turn.

A life lived with and for God, in His presence.

An ability to enjoy the pleasures life brings, especially with people.

A knowledge that we are accountable for our actions. We should live the life God has given us.

Making a difference in people's lives.

2. What does he mean by saying, "what is crooked cannot be made straight" and "and what is lacking cannot be counted." (v.15)?

This expresses the futility of life. Certain things are wrong and cannot be made right - or things are just 'like that' and we cannot change them.

Also, we can't even see clearly what we really need. We don't have a picture of the whole, so that we can aim towards it. (It is less likely that this means that 'we lack so much that it is too much to count' The Hebrew parallelism favours the first meaning.)

This frustration and futility is the result not only of human evil, but also of the divine curse (cf. Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?  (7:13,  cf. Gen. 3:16–19).

 

3. In 1:17 Qoheleth explains the methodology of his quest by simultaneously examining wisdom and its opposite. In what other passages of the Bible is understanding related to two things in opposition?

• Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath (Ps 62:9)
•  For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Is 57:15)
• Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. (Mt 7:13)
• For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:10)
  
• The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction(Prov 1:7) 
  •  Phil 4:12, Paul understood contentment when he was in want and when he abounded.
    John 12:23-24. The paradox of living and dying.For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men..
  • But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;.(1 Cor 1:25-27) 
  • ¹⁸ Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. ¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” ²⁰ and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” (1 Cor 3:18-20)

   
  
  

4. in 1:18 Qoheleth says, "In much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow". In what ways is wisdom a kind of 'mixed blessing'?

We know more fully what is crooked and cannot be made straight, lacking and cannot be counted. With Qoheleth, fullness of experience led to increased understanding, but the understanding did not bring joy.

 

Wisdom does not always change outcome, because it does not come with power.

"Ignorance is bliss" "I don't want to know too much about it". We sometimes struggle with secrecy,

Are there some things we would rather not know? Why?

Implied obligation to do something, leading to guilt, mentally distressing ("The truth hurts")

But the wisdom and knowledge God desires of us is not exactly the same wisdom Qoheleth talks about. We are indeed expected to have heavenly wisdom (James 1:5, 3:13-18)

What kind of knowledge then is worth knowing?

• ...but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. (Jer 9:24)
• And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.(Jn 17:3)
• That I may know him and the power of his resurrection (Phil 3:10)
  

In a sense, Qoheleth's quest is doomed because knowing God personally - the only kind of knowing that matters - is not discoverable by human effort. It is obtainable only by revelation. And we know so much more about God than he did, because of Christ.

• All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Mt 11:27, cf Lk 10:22)
• Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages ²⁶ but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— ²⁷ to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (Rom 16:25-27

 
 

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