September 2024 – Semper Reformanda

Ecclesiastes 3:13 | Word Study

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. Ecclesiastes 3:13 (KJV)

To ‘enjoy the good of all his labour’ seems like a stark contrast to what Qoheleth has been stretching on about, i.e., the futility of ‘things’ in life. But as Bartholomew notes, perhaps this is a confessional account to highlight God’s sovereignty over our lives – only YHWH is our ultimate satisfaction. (143) By this reason, the good things that were meaningless becomes a gift when we rely on YHWH. In other words, as Provan puts it: “(God’s) ‘doing’ is indeed the only kind that makes sense in a world where the actions of God are utterly decisive – a world where his work is the only work that lasts forever, being incapable of alteration by human effort.” (102) Henry formulates the implications quite eloquently. He writes: “If all things in this world be so uncertain, it is a foolish thing for men sordidly to spare for the present, that they may hoard up all for hereafter; it is better to live cheerfully and usefully upon what we have, and let tomorrow take thought for the things of itself. Grace and wisdom to do this is the gift of God, and it is a good gift, which crowns the gifts of his providential bounty.”

References:

Bartholomew, C. (2009). Ecclesiastes, Baker Academic
Henry, M. (1706). Commentary on the Whole Bible, Complete, Eccl. 3:1-10
Provan, I. (2001). Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs: The New Application Commentary, Zondervan

Ecclesiastes 3:12 | Word Study

I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. Ecclesiastes 3:12 (KJV)

Things in general don’t seem to have any good in them that a man should hoard for one’s own profit. And from what we have followed, such a perspective over life only results in disappointment. We also know that such ‘things’ are transient. They follow a divine order. These things in themselves are not entirely evil. They have been ordered as joyous gifts for men. (Bartholomew, 143) They may not be good in themselves, but they are meant for ‘doing good;’ as Henry writes, “all the good there is in them is to do good with them, to our families, to our neighbours, to the poor, to the public, to its civil and religious interests.” The verse could also be read as an outline of a good life. To note, good does not mean moral in this context. This particular verse seems to have no moral connotations. (Seow, 164) By good life, the reference seems to be towards a notion of a healthy engagement with the good things in this world, i.e., an attitude of gratitude and absolute surrender to God and in His timely providence. Provan writes, “it involves the embrace of joy as it comes to us; it involves eating, drinking, and ‘seeing the good’ in our toil, rather than looking for the profit that may derive from it. All of this is to be received as a gift from God rather than sought for in our own efforts.” (102)

References:

Ecclesiastes 3:11 | Word Study

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (KJV)

The word for ‘the world’ or ‘eternity’ has a contested meaning. Some refer to it as toil, knowledge, darkness, enigma, ignorance, et cetera. (Seow, 163) But the safest interpretation, according to Seow is to take it mean ‘eternity;’ or that which ‘transcends time.’ The word for ‘beautiful’ seems to be a reference to the fittingness of God’s timing in governing the world. Provan refers to it as ‘beautifully fitting,’ or ‘intrinsically beautiful.’ (Provan, 101) But to add a small note here, as Seow rightfully puts: this is not a reference to aesthetical judgement. It simply means ‘appropriate.’ (162)

Comments: The world as we live in goes through a frustrating cycle of changes. And it is favourable to none. It functions according to way God has appointed it to be; which, from the references above we know is ‘beautifully fitting.’ But we as humans are bereft of the full extent of God’s authority over the world. Seow eloquently formulates this tension effectively in the following words: “Qoheleth’s point is ironic: God who has made everything right in its time has also put a sense of timelessness in human hearts. The same God who has given humanity a preoccupation (v 10), has given humanity this ‘eternity.’” (163) But what we can simply take from it is this: “Now here (Qoheleth) shows the hand of God in all those changes; it is he that has made every creature to be that to us which it is, and therefore we must have our eye always upon him.” (Henry)

References:

Bartholomew, C. (2009). Ecclesiastes, Baker Academic
Henry, M. (1706). Commentary on the Whole Bible, Complete, Eccl. 3:11-15
Provan, I. (2001). Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs: The New Application Commentary, Zondervan
Seow, C.L. (1997). Ecclesiastes, Yale University Press