Ecclesiastes 7 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Ecclesiastes 7

The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly

7:1   A good name is better than precious ointment,
    and the day of death than the day of birth.
2   It is better to go to the house of mourning
    than to go to the house of feasting,
  for this is the end of all mankind,
    and the living will lay it to heart.
3   Sorrow is better than laughter,
    for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4   The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5   It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
    than to hear the song of fools.
6   For as the crackling of thorns under a pot,
    so is the laughter of the fools;
    this also is vanity.¹
7   Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,
    and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8   Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
    and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9   Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
    for anger lodges in the heart² of fools.
10   Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
    For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
11   Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
    an advantage to those who see the sun.
12   For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
    and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13   Consider the work of God:
    who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

15 In my vain³ life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I have tested by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?

25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things—28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

Footnotes

[1] 7:6 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
[2] 7:9 Hebrew in the bosom
[3] 7:15 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)

Commentary

This chapter uses the style of Proverbs, making mention of practical wisdom. Frequently, we read, one thing is "better" than another, giving guidance for wise living.

v1-2: A "good name;" seeking honour and integrity, doing things well and properly. Feasting and festivity can make us forget the real issues, and they are therefore dangerous. The wise man realises the end of all men, and takes it to heart; he considers his latter end.

v3-4: Sorrow and sadness and mourning are related to wisdom; whilst we cannot commend a morbid view of life, we recognise that mirth and laughter are often evidence of folly and unbelief.

v5-6: The crackling of thorns, noisy but without heat, short-lived, of no lasting value, and no real meaning; such is the song of fools, and the laughter of fools.

v7: The sin of bribery; although there may well be short-term advantage to be made, it is at the cost of integrity and honesty.

v8-9: Patience is commended, so that the work in hand is completed; we must press on to complete what God has given us to do. Patience also helps us avoid pride and anger.

When we consider the spiritual development of others, we must share God's patience, and not become angry over their perceived lack of progress.

v10: Unwise view of the past, which can create a dissatisfaction with the present.

v11-12: Wisdom is commended, and is certainly preferable to wealth.

v13-14: Consider the work of God, and submit to His will. Remember that God appoints days of prosperity as well as adversity, "the living should take this to heart" (v2), and learn from God in all circumstances. Godly living should not depend upon our circumstances. Note too that both poverty and riches can close the ear to God's word (Prov 30.8-9).

v15: The observation of injustice, but let not the long and prosperous life of the wicked tempt us to sin.

v16-18: The man who seeks his own righteousness, or who tries to please God by his own efforts will destroy himself. Equally serious is the person who pursues sin.

The wise man says, 'do not be over-righteous.' This seems a strange thing, since God is perfectly righteous. And we look for new heaven and a new earth in which righteouness dwells.

But it is possible to fall into this error; to become over-picky, unnecessarily detailed, looking for faults. This leads to a critical spirit and judging of others.

My observation is that those of a religious or legalistic background are used to living a life dominated by law, not by grace. The result is weariness and a loss of life and joy. Christ was perfectly righteous, yet was accused of being a glutton and a friend of sinners. Here is the perfect reflection of the principle found here - a balance of perfectly rigtheous yet not over-righteous.

v19: Wisdom is more powerful than human authority.

v20: No man is perfect; even though God made man upright, he has gone astray (v29). The Bible consistently states this diagnosis, but also provides the wonderful answer in Jesus Christ.

The wise man realises that even the best of men are not perfect; not only is he aware of his own fallibility in action and word, but he recognises that all around him are also imperfect, and thus weighs up their actions and words, before blindly following even the best examples.

v21-22: Beware gossip, weigh up what we hear; be forgiving toward others, and be careful over our own speech. If we take everything to heart we may become discouraged; some speak carelessly, or ignorantly, and we have to understand that.

v23-25: Seeking answers by human wisdom does not work; we can only escape the fetters of human wisdom by seeking God.

v26: There are no real answers apart from God. To choose not to go God's way is utter folly. The writer picks up a theme from Proverbs, where the wise man is counselled to avoid the adulterous woman.

v27-29: Thus far, the preacher's conclusion, that all are sinners. He found only one upright man. Was there an expectation that he would find many men and women upright? He realises that mankind has gone sadly and seriously astray from the ways of God. God made Adam upright, innocent, yet mankind has excelled in sins, in number and in variety.