Christian – Page 3 – Semper Reformanda

Ecclesiastes 2:24 | Word Study

There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:24 (KJV)

The phrase, ‘there is nothing better for a man’ is positioned as an interrogation. (Seow, 138) The objective is to highlight what is fitting for a man to do (in the sort of context of meaningless existence). Qoheleth clearly outlines – it is not in any of the labour he just listed before; nothing you do under the sun is a fitting labour for man. Rather, the phrase ‘enjoy good in his labour’ seems to suggest ‘to see or experience good.’ Or in other words, there is nothing good amongst humans except that they should make themselves see good in this labour (139); i.e., as a gift of God. (Provan, 85)

Comments: What does the phrase ‘to see good’ actually mean? It could perhaps mean to avoid extremes – we should neither over-work for some self-centered profit nor hoard for ourselves more than it is required. As Henry puts it, we should rather do our duty – attend to what is allotted to us; in short – be a good steward. Our happiness lies in this, to take good care of what God in his grace, mercy, and wisdom has allotted to us in this life and use these means that he has provided us with in substantiating our godly pursuits. As Henry writes, “A man should make his soul to enjoy good by keeping the commandments of God and walking in the ways that are right before him, and… by studying the words of the law, and being in care about the day of the great judgment that is to come… These things will not make a happiness for the soul; all the good we can have out of them is for the body, and if we make use of them for the comfortable support of that, so that it may be fit to serve the soul and able to keep pace with it in the service of God, then they turn to a good account.”

References:

Henry, M. (1706). Commentary on the Whole Bible, Complete, Eccl. 2:17-26
Provan, I. (2001). Ecclesiastes/Song of Songs: The New Application Commentary, Zondervan
Seow, C.L. (1997). Ecclesiastes, Yale University Press

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In other words, we mustn’t demand perfection from imperfect people, nor seek some ideal version of Christian community that will always elude us on earth. Christ-centered friends remember that the gift of human friendship, though from a perfect Gift-giver, comes to us in the form of imperfect people who will disappoint and hurt us, as we will them.

When we demand our visionary ideal of what we think friendship ought to be, we become self-seeking. Consciously or not, we start asking questions such as Who is serving me? How is the church providing me with community? How are others making me feel? Who is inviting me? What’s in this relationship for me? This focus stands in contrast to Christ’s example, who came to serve rather than to be served.

Christ-centered friendship is about serving others, asking ourselves how God might use us in our friends’ lives and how He might want to use them in our lives. We serve others as more important than ourselves, believing Jesus’ words that it is more blessed to give than to receive. We also trust that initiating, serving, and loving another invites friendship, but we don’t expect or demand a reciprocal response.

Christine Hoover, Christ-Centered Friendship

Ecclesiastes 2:23 | Word Study

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity. Ecclesiastes 2:23 (KJV)

The word ‘rest’ is derived from shâkab שָׁכַב. (H7901)[1] And it was two variable meanings, to lie down, to sleep, and to lie down as in intimately (sexual). Broadly, it seems to indicate a resignation into a confident space – to cease from active engagement. To grossly put, it could mean to just ‘leave it to God;’ a cautionary note here – this emphasis is mine. Part of this understanding also comes from the way Qoheleth lays an emphasis on rest, on this and on the next verse.

Comments: One healthy dichotomy of phrases one can meditate on would probably be to: (a) labouring for personal gain, and (b) labour as a prestigious engagement in itself. Meaning: much of what is vain, Qoheleth seems to associate with labouring under the sun without any consideration of any divine reverence or purposes. In short, labouring for the sake of your own profit in life is vain. On the contrary, the emphasis seems to be on being enabled to labour for one’s own life itself as somewhat a better understanding. The reality of existence being meaningless – no labour could amount to anything profoundly profitable. But in a reality which is meaningless, if God has enabled you to labour either for his Kingdom or even for your own little sustenance itself – such understanding seems to be more meaningful. But this lack of meaning, in this particular verse is what Qoheleth seems to be lamenting. This proof of such fallacious thinking that man’s labour could be meaningful is so disturbing that it robs him of his natural rest. As Bartholomew writes, “sleeplessness is a sign of the extent of just how disturbed his inner being is. His experiment with pleasure and the good life, which has included much labor, has not succeeded – all remains enigmatic.” (123)

Reference:

Bartholomew, C. (2009). Ecclesiastes, Baker Academic

[1] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7901/kjv/wlc/0-1/