Beyond Cliches and Clean-Cut Conclusions

Ecclesiastes. It has long been one of my favorite books of the Bible. Part memoir, part poetry, part anecdote, saturated with an earthy and brutally honest tone throughout its twelve chapters. The perfect recipe for a fun read.

The writer is searching, experimenting with life, hoping to conclude with finely packaged answers about the meaning of life and why his beliefs make sense.

But he never gets there.

It doesn't resolve.


Many Christians are uncomfortable with this interpretation. They argue that the writer was frustrated and angry because he was "doing things man's way instead of God's way". They quickly point to the final two sentences of the book where they believe the writer finally sees the light and comes to a clear-cut godly conclusion: "Fear God and keep his commands. For God will bring every hidden deed into judgment, whether good or evil."

The problem is: This is not a conclusion.

Well, it is the writer's conclusion, but it is not the conclusion many people want to believe.

Here's why: The entire book of Ecclesiastes makes clear that the writer not only believed in God from the beginning of chapter one, but also worshiped him, studied him, and sought to do what pleased him. So why was he so discontent, frustrated and angry?

Because he was doing it out of fear.

Yes, fear of what God might do if he disobeyed any of his commands.

When he writes the final two sentences of the book he is NOT referring to the same type of fear of the Lord that other passages in the Bible commend, where fear is used as a sense of speechless awe as one gazes upon the beauty of God. And he is not referring to the same type of obedience Paul speaks of in Romans 1, the obedience that comes from faith in Christ.

What he is really saying in those final sentences is, "Be afraid of God. He burdens us with all kinds of requirements, and if you don't do everything he says he will judge you."

How do we know this? Because in chapter 7 the writer states: "Do not be overrighteous. Neither be overwise. . . On the other hand, do not be overwicked. Don't be a fool. . . Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will follow them both."

Interesting. Fearing God will lead you to follow two paths: being overly righteous or overly wicked. Both are simply two different ways of avoiding God, and that is why Ecclesiastes is so relevant for us today.

Our fear of God is leading us to follow two paths: That of the devoutly religious and that of the defiantly rebellious.


On the one hand you have people who are devoutly religious. These people are typically in churches. They love to hear preaching about how God's grace frees us from the need to prove ourselves to God, but they quickly follow it up with "Yes, I agree, but we are also to be holy, and set a good example for others so that no one is led into sin by us doing things that might offend them". These people view everything as black or white, right or wrong, sacred or secular. They can't stand unanswered questions. They don't like it if something is unresolved. They love formulas, principles, and steps that promise godliness.

And they are avoiding God in doing so.


On the other hand, you have people who are defiantly rebellious, who indulge in sins they know will shock others. They are typically not in churches. They view everything as relative, believe that truth is whatever works for you, and that it doesn't matter how you live as long as you are happy.

And they are avoiding God in doing so.


The irony is, it's the people in the second group that are usually more receptive to the Gospel, who have an easier time grasping the concept of God's grace and their need for that grace.

It's those in the first group who try to make God into a neatly packaged belief system, a set of doctrines to be argued, a code of morality to be uniformly adhered to by all. They are often frustrated, vocally critical of their church, easily offended by ungodly people, obsessed with doing everything right, and generally intolerant of anything that is not explicitly Christian.

Think I'm making a leap? Read Luke 15, the story of the man with two sons. Then we'll talk.


The point is, Ecclesiastes raises more questions than answers, and that is precisely why it was written.

It was written to push us to look for the answers by continuing to read the succeeding books of the Bible in which we learn that Jesus perfectly kept all of God's commands, gave you the credit for it, and was nailed to a cross to bear the punishment you deserved for not keeping them, wiping your record clean. Forever.

It was written to make us say "That CAN'T be the end of the story. There HAS to be some good news in all of this", which would then lead us to greater joy when we come to 1st John 4:18: "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

It was written so that when we read the writer's words in chapter one: "What a heavy burden God has laid on men!", we will continue to search to see if God says otherwise. Then, when we read 1st John 5, "His commands are not burdensome", we will fall head-over-heals in love with the Lover of our souls.


"But I already believe that", you say. "I understand the Gospel".

I must confess: I say this all the time. But my daily life proves otherwise. For example:

Why do you say you believe salvation is a free gift that can't be earned, yet when a church participates in a Christmas ministry that gives gifts to the inner-city poor you complain that they are giving handouts to people who haven't worked for it?

Why do you say you believe God is "sovereign" and "in control", yet when a Democrat whose father might have had a Muslim background gets elected President you get upset, speak unkindly of him, question his profession of faith in Christ, and make snide jokes about how you'd like to move overseas?

Why do you say you believe Galatians 5:1 which states "Christ has truly set us free", but quickly add "But that means that we are only free to obey"? What happens if you don't obey? Would God love you less?

Why do you say you believe we should not forbid things the Scriptures do not forbid, but when a Christian friend gets together with other men in the church for a beer and a "secular" movie, you get concerned and say that it was not a wise use of God's time and money?

The answer is simply this: You don't understand the Gospel. Neither do I. You know the facts, that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead, but you haven't thought through the implications of those facts. Neither have I. There's a disconnect in our minds between spiritual matters and everyday life matters. That's why the Christian life is a process not of learning principles to live by, but of continually rediscovering the Gospel.

Discover the richness of Ecclesiastes. Explore it. Wrestle with it. Argue with it. Ponder it. Let it push you to believe what the writer himself believed: "There is a time to dance. . . He has made everything beautiful in it's time".

I hope that's music to your ears. If not, get closer to the Musician and listen some more.