Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

2. Conclusions Ecclesiastes 2:12-26

a. Value of this wisdom and pleasure stop at the grave. Ecclesiastes 2:12-17

TEXT 2:12-17

12

So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly, for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done?

13

And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.

14

The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both.

15

Then I said to myself, As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise? So I said to myself, This too is vanity.

16

For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die!

17

So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after the wind.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 2:12-17

46.

List the six reasons stated in this passage (Ecclesiastes 2:12-26) that led to the conclusion that all is vanity and futility.

47.

What could be expected of the man who succeeds the king? Ecclesiastes 2:12

48.

Although wisdom excels folly, and it is better to be wise, what fate comes to both the wise and the foolish?

49.

Give proof that Solomon numbered himself among the wise. Ecclesiastes 2:15

50.

What will happen to the memory of both wise men and fools?

51.

Why did Solomon hate life and consider his work grievous?

PARAPHRASE 2:12-17

I turned my attention to another matter. I was interested in making a comparison of wisdom with foolishness and stupidity to determine the value of wisdom. My intention as king was to thoroughly examine this proposal. I did examine it with greater detail than any man who preceded me or any man who would follow me. I reached the conclusion that wisdom is an advantage over folly just as light is an advantage over darkness. The wise man walks in the light as he is guided by the eyes in his head. The fool, the one who practices folly, goes forward blindly, stumbling along the path. Yet they are both influenced by chance and fate. Then I said to myself, I am a wise man, but one day I shall lie in the grave along side the fool. What advantage has my wisdom been to me? Looking at it from that angle, I concluded that this too was futility. Death brings both the wise man and the foolish man to common ground. Not only do both die, but before many days pass, the memories of both have been forgotten. There is no lasting memory of either the wise man or the fool! All of my labor under the sun has thus been interpreted as clutching for wind, unrewarding, and only a vapor. I concluded that since this is true, I hated life.

COMMENT 2:12-17

I turned does not indicate a new experiment, but additional conclusions to be drawn from testing the meaning of life with pleasure. He has already indicated that he is aware that history repeats itself. He stated that God seeks what has passed by (Ecclesiastes 3:15); that what happens in the future has already happened in the past (Ecclesiastes 1:9). He is manifesting this same truth when he draws our attention to the question, What will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? In this question, Solomon indicates that one will come after the king. Is Solomon speaking only of one who might experiment in the same manner, if such were possible, or is he speaking historically of one who is already standing in the wings waiting his turn to rule over the kingdom? It is difficult to determine. However, the import of his question appears to be that whoever follows, whether in his authority or by his example, will certainly reach similar conclusions. Human nature is the same generation after generation.

One should not conclude that Solomon's experiment was a failure. He did what he proposed to do as stated in verse twelve. He said that his heart was pleased because of all his labor (Ecclesiastes 2:10). The experiment, however, did not yield the satisfaction that he sought. His dilemma is found in the fact that he did not discover what good there is for the sons of men, and he now admits that the one who follows him will not discover the answer either!

I set my mind (Ecclesiastes 1:17), and I turned to consider (Ecclesiastes 2:12), should be understood as similar statements. In each instance, the objective is to know wisdom, madness and folly (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:25). Wisdom here is the earthly wisdom previously discussed. Although it is not of the high level where wisdom from above is discovered, it still excels madness and folly as light excels darkness. Madness and folly have been identified as foolishness and silliness which is so often associated with those who are caught up in the sheer enjoyment of earthly things.

The metaphor is wisely chosen in verse thirteen. Wisdom is likened to light while folly is likened to darkness. The contrast is sharpened in Ephesians 5:8 and 1 Thessalonians 5:5, because light is the symbol of truth from God, and darkness is the symbol of sin. It should be noted that Solomon makes a similar distinction in Ecclesiastes 2:26 when he identifies the wise man as the good man, and the foolish man as the sinner. Solomon admits to the availability of a particular earthly wisdom that gives an advantage to men. In Ecclesiastes 7:11-12; Ecclesiastes 7:19, he states that wisdom is (1) good and an advantage to men on this earth, (2) a protector to those who possess it, and (3) gives strength to a wise man. In Ecclesiastes 9:18, he writes that (4) wisdom is better than weapons of war, and in Ecclesiastes 10:10, he speaks of wisdom (5) as bringing success. It is this kind of wisdom that excels foolishness as light excells darkness. Note the following comparisons and conclusions made in the remaining section of chapter two.

THE WISE MAN

THE FOOLISH MAN

COMPARISONS

Light

Darkness

Eyes are in his head

Walks in darkness

Same fate (death)

Same fate (death)

No lasting remembrance

No lasting remembrance

Will be forgotten

Will be forgotten

In the coming days he will die

In the coming days he will die

CONCLUSIONS

1.

If one labors with wisdom, knowledge and skill only to accumulate a great legacy, he will discover this is futile and striving for the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:19-21).

2.

If collecting and gathering a great fortune is your primary goal in life, your days will be filled with pain and grief and your nights will be restless (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23).

3.

One should resolve to eat, drink and enjoy labor one day at a time as this is the gift of God (Ecclesiastes 2:24).

4.

There is joy that comes to the good man who understands that he should enjoy life day by day. However, to the sinner who collects and gathers for his own satisfaction, there will be no joy but a realization that all that he has gathered will be given to the good man (Ecclesiastes 2:26).

There is a difference that is discernable between one who practices common sense and keeps his eyes within his head, and one who seeks folly and thus walks in darkness. Solomon had written, Wisdom is in the presence of the one who has understanding, but the eyes of the fool are on the ends of the earth (Proverbs 17:24). However, there is the recognition that even to the wise man death is an inevitable companion who never discerns between the wise man or the fool. It is in the light of this conclusion that Solomon states that he hates life. In addition he confesses that his work, even the fruit of his labor, is grievous, futile, and striving after wind. Vanity has once again robbed even the wise man of any possible profit of his labor under the sun.

The fact that both the wise man and the fool share equally in many ways is a recurring theme throughout the book. It is discussed in Ecclesiastes 6:6, Ecclesiastes 7:2 and Ecclesiastes 9:2-3. One of the real tragedies of living is the fact that one must die. The tragedy is compounded because through man's natural eye, he cannot see beyond the grave. If indeed the premise is correct, that is that all activities qualified by the phrase under the sun do not have the redemptive nature of the higher values, then it is possible to interpret Solomon's despair. David wrote of this when he said, even wise men die; the stupid and the senseless alike perish, and leave their wealth to others (Psalms 49:10).

It is in view of the fact that both the wise man and the fool die and go to the grave that Solomon despairs of being extremely wise. His extreme wisdom is the fruit of his life-long labor, and yet what does it profit him? He is certain that the wise man has no advantage over the fool in this respect (Ecclesiastes 6:8; Ecclesiastes 6:11). Of course one dare not assume these conclusions in the light of Christian hope. However, to the man who is restricted to only that which can be interpreted under the sun, death terminates everything! This is why Solomon amplifies this conclusion with the observation in Ecclesiastes 9:3-4: This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.

The concept of the coming days is also important to the Preacher (Ecclesiastes 2:16). In the days to come, how will a man be remembered? More to the point, however, is the question of will he be remembered? There is surely some profit in the awareness that one's reputation continues on in the minds of one's countrymen. Especially would this be true if one were a wise man. However, this is not to be under the sun! His original premise in Ecclesiastes 1:11 underscored how quickly things are to be forgotten. Later in his book he offers two illustrations of this same tragic truth. He speaks of a young man who rises from adverse circumstances to become king. The multitudes, tired of the former king, throng to his side and offer their allegiance. However, he declares that in time even the new king will not be remembered (Ecclesiastes 4:13-16). He speaks further of the dead who no longer have a reward. Their reward would have been for them to have been remembered. However, they no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun. No one remembers them.

There is a relentless correlation between the results of participating in fleeting things and the nature of the things themselves. His conclusions are consistent with the means employed in reaching them. It is not surprising, therefore, to hear him say that he hated life, that he questioned his endless endeavors to become wise, that he looked upon all his work as a grievous, empty, futile task. His thoughts were simply corresponding with the kind of wisdom, madness and folly which he sought. There is a sense in which the very wisdom which he found became the greatest kind of folly.

FACT QUESTIONS 2:12-17

86.

Give three references from Ecclesiastes that Solomon understood that history repeats itself.

87.

What is meant by the man who will come after the king? Give two possible interpretations.

88.

Who ever follows the king will reach what conclusion concerning Solomon's primary question concerning profit?

89.

In what sense was Solomon's experiment found in the first eleven verses unsatisfactory? In what sense was it successful?

90.

Identify and define the three objectives which Solomon turned to consider.

91.

List the five good qualities that earthly wisdom affords.

92.

Who is the one who walks in darkness?

93.

The wise man's eyes are in his head means that he has what? (Cf. Proverbs 17:24)

94.

Why does Solomon say he hates life?

95.

Why did he despair of being extremely wise?

96.

Will either the wise man or the fool be remembered after they die?

97.

Give an illustration found in Ecclesiastes chapter four that confirms your answer.