8/7/22. Study 29. Ecclesiastes 12: 8-14

⁸ Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity.

 ⁹ Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. ¹⁰ The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. ¹² My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

 

As we close Eccleiastes with this final section (12:9-14) let us ask ourselves:

1. What is the purpose of Qohelth in writing the book?

• To teach knowledge (v.9): a body of objective truth
  
• To state words of IP right truth (v.10b)
•  To bring delight (v.10a): to engage the emotions
  

His words are like goads (to spur us in right effort along the right path, v. 11a) and like nails (to provide moral and intellectual stability, v.11b)

 

2. On what authority is the book based? 

"the wise". Qoheleth sees himself as one of a succession of wise people. (cf. Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise Prov 22:17, These also are sayings of the wise. Prov 24:23) Agur (Prov 30:1), King Lemuel (Prov 31:1)

"one Shepherd" is God alone. (Gen 48:15, Ps 23:1, 28:9, 80:1, Ez 34:23, Jn 10:11, 16). The one who keeps His flock safe, guides and nutures it. God is not only a distant Creator, but our loving Shepherd.

3. What closing warnings does Qoheleth give us?

To "beware of anything beyond these" in context tells us that there are many fields of study and research. Over-engagement in them is ultimately distracting from the primary importance of knowing God, and also because knowledge and opinions will keep expanding and it is physically exhausting to learn everything. We are limited by your bodies, and our resources are better of used to focus on eternal realities. Nothing else but God’s word will satisfy. 

 

4. What is his take home message for his readers? How does this message relate to what he has told us in the rest of the book? Rephrase this message in your own words.

 We ask ourselves: is this a summary? A corrective? 

Fear God and keep (obey) His commandments. Qoheleth has asked us to keep God in view ('Remember') and reminded us that we are accountable to Him and must live rightly despite life's dissatisfactions, uncertainties, unpredictabilities and human wickedness.

Everything is meaningless except for God.

5. Compare v.13-14 with other passages in the OT (Deut 10:12, Mic 6:8) that are summary statements. What does this pattern tell us?

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

 These statements direct our attention to our relationship with God, characterized by humble reverence.