Ecclesiastes 8:14-17

3. Work even when one cannot understand the working of God. Ecclesiastes 8:14-17

TEXT 8:14-17

14

There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.

15

So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16

When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the task which has been done on the earth (even though one should never sleep day or night),

17

and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, I know, he cannot discover.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 8:14-17

344.

What two events which take place upon the earth does Solomon identify as futile (Ecclesiastes 8:14)?

345.

If a man is without revelation from God, what is the best thing he can do (Ecclesiastes 8:15)?

346.

Who gives both the wise man and the wicked man his days to live?

347.

How extensive or intense was Solomon's pursuit to see the task which has been done on earth?

348.

Can man discover all the work done under the sun?

349.

When a wise man has observed all that he can, he should be able to say what?

PARAPHRASE 8:14-17

There are some threads of life which are difficult to unravel. The world is filled with many anomalies. Note these two: a wicked man continues in his wickedness and prospers as if he were a wise, righteous man; a righteous man, who does the right thing and acts wisely suffers as if he were a sinner. I say that this is certainly empty and unfulfilling. In my search under the sun, apart from God's revelation, I have decided what is good for man. There is no better thing for him to do than to eat, to drink, and to be joyful. These are the things which will stick with a man and warm his heart in the short time God gives him to live upon the earth.
Man is busily engaged in the sorry and difficult task of business under the sunto the degree that some men never close their eyes day or nightand I joined the endless round of activity, and gave myself to know wisdom and see all that it was possible for me to see. I saw that such activity is the work of God and man cannot discover all that is done on the earth. A man can toil to discover but he will not find it out. A wise man should, after living his life seeking after wisdom, be able to say that he has found it out, but even he will not be able.

COMMENT 8:14-17

In this third division, one is instructed to work although he has limited resources under the sun, and although he discovers that God's ways are past finding out. In addition, he is deeply troubled because on numerous occasions the events of life are opposite from what they should be: wicked men prosper as though they were the righteous, and the righteous suffer as though they had committed grievous sins.
The two most common factors which color the writing of the Preacher are evident in this section. Both the vanity and under the sun concepts limit his observations. From the purely earthly point of view he has drawn his conclusions. His conclusion found in verse fifteen is a reasonable one to him. Especially is this true in the light of his restricted knowledge as he observes the activities of the wicked and the righteous.

Ecclesiastes 8:14 Is there an issue on the face of the earth that is more perplexing to the one who does good than that presented in this verse? It is the basis for much of what has been identified as a grievous, sorry task that has afflicted the sons of men. This issue, the inequitable correspondence between the righteous and the wicked and their deeds, serves as a potential stumbling block even to the Christian who has the full revelation from God. How difficult it would be for one to understand when all he has to work with are the tools of observation. This explains the Preacher's rather matter-of-fact and limited conclusion.

He equates the activities with futility. Since the mark of vanity rests upon all creatures under the sun then, to a degree at least, one could almost expect some imbalance in rewards and punishments. In other words, the shock need not be so severe when one realizes that the world too travails beneath the curse of sin and decay. However, even such an admission does not dissuade the searching mind. The Preacher's conclusion is still validthere should be a closer, observable correlation between the righteous and his rewards and the wicked and his punishment. But it is not the case, so he marks the whole experience as false and empty.

Ecclesiastes 8:15 In the face of his observation, Solomon returns to his previously stated conclusion (Cf. Ecclesiastes 2:24; Ecclesiastes 3:12; Ecclesiastes 3:22; Ecclesiastes 5:18). He commends the enjoyment of the primary resources of living: eating, drinking and merriment. He also qualifies his commendation twice in this one verse by the phrase under the sun. He is not encouraging one to a life of greedy abandonment or wanton hedonism. He offers more the idea of quietly sharing in the blessings of life which are obviously placed here by God for one's enjoyment. Man is going to have to toil through life and his memory will serve him best if it contains these fundamental joys upon which he can reflect. He admits to the truth that it is God who gives man his days to live. It is true that God gives the wicked his days too. Solomon is arguing that a wise man will recognize them as a gift from God and although he is often bewildered by what he sees to be unfair balances of life, he will nevertheless resign himself to living each day to its fullest.

Ecclesiastes 8:16 This verse is a summary of the two previous proposals: (1) From Ecclesiastes 1:16-17, he declared that he would know wisdom. He recognized that such wisdom would enable him to succeed in his second proposal. (2) He also proposed to see the business activity that is done upon the earth. (Cf. Ecclesiastes 1:13)

The closing thought in the verse has been interpreted two different ways. It may suggest that Solomon is the one whose eyes cannot close in sleep. This would be due to the intense study of that which he desired to know. Or it could have reference to the ones he observes who are so engaged in the activities of life, especially in business enterprises, that they do not even take time to sleep. To see sleep is not found elsewhere in the Old Testament and means to enjoy sleep. Once again it could apply either to the one who tries to discover the solutions to the problems of life, or to the ones who are engaged in endless labor to increase their wealth. Neither will discover satisfaction and thus will never enjoy sleep. Almost all authorities admit to the hyperbolical use of the expression one should never sleep night or day.

Ecclesiastes 8:17 If Solomon could have reached beyond his time and selected any verse from the New Testament to state succinctly his closing thought, it undoubtedly would have been: Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways (Romans 11:33)! Solomon wanted to discover the work of Godthat which is done upon earth through the providential ordering of thingsbut it was far from him. Even though man should seek laboriously he will not discover it. A wise man should say I know, but he cannot. This double emphasis on man's desire to know and his willingness to expand his energies without restraint, speaks to the gravity of the subject and the intensity of Solomon's quest.

FACT QUESTIONS 8:14-17

446.

Identify the inequity revealed in this section.

447.

Name the two oft-appearing concepts which qualify the Preacher's remarks.

448.

What has been the primary cause of the imbalance in rewards and punishments (Ecclesiastes 8:14)?

449.

What conclusion does Solomon state that he has previously observed (Ecclesiastes 8:15)?

450.

Explain what Solomon means and also what he doesn-'t mean by eat, drink, and be merry.

451.

Verse sixteen is a summary of what two proposals Solomon has made from the beginning of the book.

452.

To see sleep refers to whom? Discuss.

453.

What was Solomon's objective which he found impossible to fulfill under the sun?