Part 1 of 3
We continue our study of the book of Ecclesiastes by looking at chapter 10 verse 8 to chapter 11 verse 6 under the theme “Living in light of Life’s Uncertainties.”
That life in this world can be very uncertain is a given. The weather, our health, our safety, our finances, our jobs, our relationships, and even our very own life and the life of our loved ones are all subject to many uncertainties.
Life is uncertain. Even unbelievers know that. The question, though, is how do we live and act and make decisions and think about things in light of these uncertainties?
Chapter 10 of Ecclesiastes is a difficult chapter to summarize because the units or sections seem relatively unconnected and isolated from one another.
What I’ll like to do is first to briefly go through the four sections of the text to give a general sense of it, and then in the next two articles, we will seek to draw out four lessons from it.
Section One: Life is uncertain and accidents can happen (10:8-11)
The main idea here is that life is uncertain and that accidents can and often do happen as one goes about the normal activities of life.
In verses 8 and 9, the preacher uses four illustrations to make this point. “He who digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoever breaks a hedge, a snake shall bite him.
Whoever removes stones shall be hurt with them. He who splits wood shall be endangered by it.”
The first illustration is that of a person who digs a pit and falls into it. There is no indication that he has the evil intention of trapping or hurting another person. Most likely, he is simply engaged in his occupation and he is accidentally injured in the process.
The second illustration is that of a person who is breaking down an hedge or wall and he is bitten by a serpent who happens to be hiding in the crevices between the blocks. Again, the idea is simply that someone is going about his job and he falls prey to the dangers that are inherent in that occupation.
The third illustration has to do with a person who is removing stones and getting hurt, while the fourth is of a person cutting wood and being injured in the process. The preacher doesn’t tell us exactly how the stonecutter or the wood logger is hurt but it is not difficult to imagine. For example, while chopping the wood, the axe head flies off its handle and hits the person himself or his co-worker. The point once again is that accidents can and do happen in our common everyday tasks and experiences.
That being the case, how should we respond? Should we refuse to do anything for fear of being hurt? The preacher will later tell us that that is not the proper response. But here in verses 10 and 11, he recommends that we work wisely and prudently. “If the iron is blunt, and he does not whet the edge, then he must put more strength to it. But wisdom is profitable to direct.
Surely the snake will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.”
The preacher speaks of person who is trying to cut something with an axe or knife that is blunt. In such a situation, he would require more strength and effort to accomplish the same task and this may even increase the chances of an accident happening. A wise person would sharpen the axe or knife and thus save himself a lot of time and effort, and even hurt. The phrase at the end of verse 10, “wisdom is profitable to direct” means that wisdom is useful in directing one to a successful or effective completion of the task.
Then in verse 11, he uses another illustration that is drawn from the world of snake charming to show the usefulness of wisdom. He essentially tells us that it is useless to be a skilful snake charmer but fail to charm the snake before it bites. The point is that even the expert will fail if he is not careful or does not apply his skill at the right time.
Second Two: Foolishness is to be avoided because it leads to destruction (10:12-15)
This second section is basically a collection of proverbs that warn against foolishness. The connection between it and the previous one is probably this: that whereas wisdom leads to success, foolishness leads to failure and frustration.
Verse 12 compares the speech of the fool to that of the wise. The wise person’s words bring favour while the foolish person’s speech brings harm and destruction to himself.
Verse 13 says that the very beginning of his speech is foolishness and the end result is madness or insanity. In verse 14, the preacher observes that the fool talks non-stop on things which he knows nothing about. He even talks about the future as if he can tell what will happen.
Finally, in verse 15, we are told that the fool is very tired after a long’s day work because he is so foolish that he gets lost even as he makes his way to his own city or home, and thus has to walk a longer distance than is necessary to reach his destination.
Section Three: Good rulers are a blessing but bad rulers are a curse (10:16-20)
From the subject of wisdom and folly, the preacher moves on to the subject of politics and government. Verse 16 pronounces woe on the land that is ruled by a bad king while 17 pronounces a benediction or blessing on the land with a good king.
Woe to that land that is ruled by an immature or childish king, and whose princes are idle and having feasts when they should be working. In contrast, blessed is that land whose king is noble and whose princes eat at the right time and for the right reasons. They are not idle and they do not allow themselves to become drunk.
Verse 18 describes the effects of laziness and inactivity. Slothfulness results in the disintegration of buildings, and inactivity or idleness leads to the falling apart of houses. This principle applies not only to kings and rulers but to every person in the land. The failure to regularly and diligently maintain one’s house will eventually lead to its destruction.
This is true both literally and figuratively. Not only do physical buildings need maintenance, but nations, churches, families, marriages and individuals need faithful and active maintenance or else they will fall apart.
Verse 19 is a difficult verse to understand in its context. Solomon says, “A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.” Most probably what he means is that sufficient wealth is required to maintain the house. An important activity in the house is feasting and making merry, but without money, one cannot afford to buy the necessary food and drink needed for the feast.
Finally, verse 20 gives a warning not to curse or even to think evil of the king or the rich man. Why? Because the danger of doing so is too great, and the consequences too grave. After all, the king is the sovereign of the land, and the rich, though not as powerful as the king, can be very dangerous too.
Yes, the leaders and powerful people in the land may not be doing a good job but still, the wise person will take extra precautions when dealing with such people. In contrast, the foolish person will talk a lot and talk very loudly and bring a lot of unnecessary trouble upon himself.
Section Four: Risk and uncertainties ought not to deter one from investing (11:1-6)
“Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”
These verses deal with the issue of the uncertainty of human endeavours and labours, and how we ought to respond in light of this uncertainty.
The illustration given in verse 1 is not entirely clear although it is not difficult to understand the basic idea behind it. The preacher is saying that a person should not hold back or refuse to invest his resources because of the risks and uncertainties involved. Instead, he should go ahead and invest for in due season, the reward or profit will flow back to him.
Verse 2 continues this theme of the uncertainty of the future. No one knows the future and particularly what disasters will strike the land. And so it would be wise to distribute your resources and diversify your investments in several different areas because such diversification will give protection against unforeseen disaster in one or two areas.
In verse 3, the preacher describes two events of nature to illustrate the fact that human beings do not control what is happening around them. First, when the clouds are full of water, it will rain. Second, whichever direction a tree falls, there it remains. The first speaks of inevitability while the second of randomness. We do not control where or when or how much it rains and we do not know which direction the tree will fall when it falls.
Verse 4 gives two more illustrations from nature and in relation to agriculture. Human beings can control neither the wind nor the rain. The point is that farmers who wait for the perfect weather will never get anything down. They will not sow for fear of the seed being blown away by strong winds, and they will not harvest for fear of the rain coming down and drenching and destroying the crops before they are gathered.
Verse 5 again reaffirms the fact that men are ignorant of the future. Three things are listed here – the direction of the wind, the formation of an embryo in the mother’s womb, and the plans or workings of God, who makes all things.
And finally in verse 6, on the basis of the uncertainty of human endeavor, the preacher gives his advice, namely, to go ahead and act anyway. Use both the morning and evening to sow your seeds because you do not know which lot will prosper. Hopefully at least one will come to fruition. And who knows perhaps both will be fruitful.
In our next two articles, we will learn four lessons from this text.
Linus Chua
Westminster Confession of Faith with Pastoral Comments
1.9 The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.1
1 2 Pet 1:20–21; Acts 15:15–16.
Every passage written by a person to communicate with another has at least one meaning intended by the author. The art and science of discovering the intended meaning is called interpretation or exegesis. The opposite of exegesis is eisegesis, in which the reader reads his own subjective presuppositions, agendas, or biases into the text.
Sometimes all it takes to interpret a text is to read it and understand what it says by processing its vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. This is what a child is asked to do when given a comprehension passage in school. At other times, to interpret the text, we need to bear in mind the writer’s background, the historical context at the time he wrote the passage, the passage’s setting, his intentions, etc. This is what a lawyer is called to do when he interprets a testimony or will.
Now, the Scripture is God’s Word to man. Therefore, we can expect that every passage in Scripture has a meaning intended by God. This meaning must, likewise, be derived by the process of interpretation. However, since Scripture is unique in many ways, certain principles must be applied to interpret it correctly.
Our Confession highlights perhaps the most important principle. What is this principle? It is that Scripture must be interpreted by Scripture, or as stated in our Confession, “the infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself.” In other words, the rule or objective basis for determining the meaning of a passage of Scripture can be found nowhere else but in the Scripture. It is an infallible rule in that it never fails and is always right. This contrasts with fallible men, commentaries, or lexicons (dictionaries), which are often wrong.
This principle, also known as the “analogy of faith,” is right because God is ultimately the Author of Scripture. Therefore, whatever He says elsewhere in Scripture concerning a subject brought up in any passage must be true. Because God is perfect, there is absolutely no error, mistake or contradiction in the Scripture at all.
Therefore, “when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.”
It is interesting how our Confession speaks of the meaning of a passage as “the true and full sense” and how this sense is “not manifold, but one.” The reason is that many parts of the Scripture seem to lend themselves to interpretation(s) that go beyond the surface reading. And some seem to demand multiple interpretations. But the reality is that God has designed many of these passages to have a “true and full sense” that is revealed later, often in the New Testament. But never does He intend for each passage more than one full sense. Think of the prophecy in Genesis 3:15. Who will crush the head of the serpent? The answer is “the seed of the woman,” and the New Testament confirms that He is none other than Christ (Gal 4:4; cf. Isa 7:14; Mt 1:24-25). Why then does Paul say it is the church that will crush the head of the Serpent (Rom 16:20)? Is it a contradiction or are there multiple senses? No, the fact is that the Church is the body of Christ and Christ is the head of the Church. Though Christ has crushed the head of the serpent, He has left for the Church to end the earthly misery of the writhing serpent.
JJ Lim