The Book of Ecclesiastes 12:1–14

 ¹Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,

Before the difficult days come,

And the years draw near when you say,

“I have no pleasure in them”:

²While the sun and the light,

The moon and the stars,

Are not darkened,

And the clouds do not return after the rain;

³In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,

And the strong men bow down;

When the grinders cease because they are few,

And those that look through the windows grow dim;

⁴When the doors are shut in the streets,

And the sound of grinding is low;

When one rises up at the sound of a bird,

And all the daughters of music are brought low.

⁵Also they are afraid of height,

And of terrors in the way;

When the almond tree blossoms,

The grasshopper is a burden,

And desire fails.

For man goes to his eternal home,

And the mourners go about the streets.

⁶Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,

Or the golden bowl is broken,

Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,

Or the wheel broken at the well.

⁷Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,

And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

⁸“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,

“All is vanity.”

⁹And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.

¹⁰The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. ¹¹The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. ¹²And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. ¹³Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.

¹⁴For God will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

Commentary

Vs. 1-5 ¹Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,

Before the difficult days come,

And the years draw near when you say,

“I have no pleasure in them”:

²While the sun and the light,

The moon and the stars,

Are not darkened,

And the clouds do not return after the rain;

³In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,

And the strong men bow down;

When the grinders cease because they are few,

And those that look through the windows grow dim;

⁴When the doors are shut in the streets,

And the sound of grinding is low;

When one rises up at the sound of a bird,

And all the daughters of music are brought low.

⁵Also they are afraid of height,

And of terrors in the way;

When the almond tree blossoms,

The grasshopper is a burden,

And desire fails.

For man goes to his eternal home,

And the mourners go about the streets.

King Solomon now in his twilight years brings his life’s adventurous pursuit of knowledge and wisdom, of madness and folly to a close. Sadly, it is often that only in our old age do we really see what we should have pursued. How best our lives could’ve been lived, if only we had committed ourselves to God in our youth. For then whatever we did and pursued would’ve been with Him, and not striving against Him. Therefore, remember your Creator in the days of your youth, for if you always put God first and He will direct your paths throughout your life. Because the difficult days will come, the years when you say I have no pleasure in them, when all that once so excited and moved you is now only meaningless to you. Yes, remember the Lord our God our Savior Jesus Christ while heavens celestial lights are still seen by you (Vs. 1-2). Before all household servants pass on, and all the strong men are brought low, before all the workers in streets are few, and those who look out onto the street’s eyes grow dim, before all the doors are shut, and all the once noisy activity there can spoken over by a whisper, before the sound of bird in morning causes you to awake, and before all the daughters of music are brought low (vs. 3-4), before all their fears and terrors overtake them, before the sound of a grasshopper becomes burden. For desire fails; yes, all passion and lusts fail; and then man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets (vs. 5).

Vs. 6-8 ⁶Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,

Or the golden bowl is broken,

Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,

Or the wheel broken at the well.

⁷Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,

And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

⁸“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,

“All is vanity.”

Yes, remember our Creator; your God above you; before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the well, and all your “prosperity” ends, and your deep needs begin. For then your body will return to dust from which it came, and your spirit to God who gave it.

Vs. 9 “And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.”

Here is King Solomons own declaration that he himself was in fact more than just a ruler of the people, but he was also their teacher, which itself is a clear foreshadowing of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, at the end of his exploration he still retained his God given wisdom, and so he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs, which are given to us all in the Book of Proverbs.

Vs. 10-11 ¹⁰The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. ¹¹The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.

Now these two verses hammer home the fact that the words of truth and wisdom he left us to learn by and grow into God’s people are indeed given us through him by God. A wonderful metaphor is then given us in verse eleven of both the piercing and lasting impact of them, of the holding power of them in everyone’s heart who believes. Now there is only One Shepherd, and He is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (John 10) who has given us His Word in both Testaments.

Vs. 12-14 ¹²And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. ¹³Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,

For this is man’s all.

¹⁴For God will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

In concluding King Solomon closes with an admonishment; that study of Word of God and His Wisdom is not the end goal of our discipleship, (thus acquiring educational degrees and titles and positions and such), rather it is to fear God and keep His commandments.

“For God will bring every work into judgment,

Including every secret thing,

Whether good or evil.”

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson. 

The Book of Ecclesiastes 11:1–10

 ¹Cast your bread upon the waters,

For you will find it after many days.

²Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,

For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

³If the clouds are full of rain,

They empty themselves upon the earth;

And if a tree falls to the south or the north,

In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. 

⁴He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

⁵As you do not know what is the way of the wind,

Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,

So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

⁶In the morning sow your seed,

And in the evening do not withhold your hand;

For you do not know which will prosper,

Either this or that,

Or whether both alike will be good.

⁷Truly the light is sweet,

And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;

⁸But if a man lives many years

And rejoices in them all,

Yet let him remember the days of darkness,

For they will be many.

All that is coming is vanity.

⁹Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;

Walk in the ways of your heart,

And in the sight of your eyes;

But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰Therefore remove sorrow from your heart,

And put away evil from your flesh,

For childhood and youth are vanity.

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹Cast your bread upon the waters,

For you will find it after many days.

²Give a serving to seven, and also to eight,

For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

In the first verse there is a call to share whatever you have that is good. For inevitable it will come back to you. And clearly with the reference to “casting one’s bread upon the waters” i.e. one’s sustenance, one cannot help but think about sharing the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Bread of life (John 6:35-40). For just as the waters move and distribute whatever is cast upon them as they are moved by God, so too sharing the Gospel will inevitably be moved by Him in people’s hearts, minds and lives to accomplish His Purposes, and in the end, you too will be rewarded for your all sacrifices and faithful service.  

The second verse then commends us all to be charitable and generous in our dealings with all because one day we too will be in need of God’s charity and grace. Giving now then assures that one will also have in their time of need (consider Psalm 41:1-3; Matt. 7:2).

Vs. 3-4 ³If the clouds are full of rain,

They empty themselves upon the earth;

And if a tree falls to the south or the north,

In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.

⁴He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

As an example of diligence, even the clouds empty themselves on the earth when they are full, and where a tree falls there, it shall lie, (i.e., things don’t’ happen then unless you do something). Those then who observe the wind and regard the clouds will neither sow nor reap, because they are paralyzed by their own fears. Therefore, don’t be like them like an observer who is always waiting on the perfect conditions to act or move, step out in faith and be a doer of the Word of God!

Vs. 5 “As you do not know what is the way of the wind,

Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,

So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.”

Again, there are things well beyond our control, and well beyond any of our finite abilities to understand. These things then belong to God alone to know and understand and even “worry” about (Deut. 29:29).

Vs. 6 “In the morning sow your seed,

And in the evening do not withhold your hand;

For you do not know which will prosper,

Either this or that,

Or whether both alike will be good.”

Therefore, get up in the morning and get going! And in the evening likewise avail yourself to whatever opportunities are presented to you, because you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Vs. 7-8 ⁷Truly the light is sweet,

And it is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;

⁸But if a man lives many years

And rejoices in them all,

Yet let him remember the days of darkness,

For they will be many.

All that is coming is vanity.

Truly life is to be enjoyed, especially in one’s youth, however living one’s life just for one’s own enjoyment is living in denial of a very dark future that one is also creating for oneself.

Vs. 9-10 ⁹Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;

Walk in the ways of your heart,

And in the sight of your eyes;

But know that for all these God will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰Therefore remove sorrow from your heart,

And put away evil from your flesh,

For childhood and youth are vanity.

King Solomon, now in a sort of mocking rebuke of the youth who only lives according to their own heart’s desires, who lives by their sight of eyes (i.e. fleshly lusts) now warns them that for all of these God will bring them into judgment. Therefore, he counsels them to put away sorrow from their hearts (leave all of the relationship dramas behind you) and put away all the evil (i.e. sins) from your flesh. For childhood and youth are vanity. For they are only a passing season of life, therefore don’t let them ruin the rest of yours.

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson. 

The Book of Ecclesiastes 10:1–20

 ¹Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,

And cause it to give off a foul odor;

So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.

²A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,

But a fool’s heart at his left.

³Even when a fool walks along the way,

He lacks wisdom,

And he shows everyone that he is a fool.

⁴If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

Do not leave your post;

For conciliation pacifies great offenses.

⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun,

As an error proceeding from the ruler:

⁶Folly is set in great dignity,

While the rich sit in a lowly place.

⁷I have seen servants on horses,

While princes walk on the ground like servants.

⁸He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.

⁹He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,

And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.

¹⁰If the ax is dull,

And one does not sharpen the edge,

Then he must use more strength;

But wisdom brings success.

¹¹A serpent may bite when it is not charmed;

The babbler is no different.

¹²The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,

But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;

¹³The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,

And the end of his talk is raving madness.

¹⁴A fool also multiplies words.

No man knows what is to be;

Who can tell him what will be after him?

¹⁵The labor of fools wearies them,

For they do not even know how to go to the city!

¹⁶Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,

And your princes feast in the morning!

¹⁷Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,

And your princes feast at the proper time—

For strength and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸Because of laziness the building decays,

And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

¹⁹A feast is made for laughter,

And wine makes merry;

But money answers everything.

²⁰Do not curse the king, even in your thought;

Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;

For a bird of the air may carry your voice,

And a bird in flight may tell the matter.

Commentary

Vs. 1 “Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,

And cause it to give off a foul odor;

So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.”

Just as dead flies spoil the perfumer’s ointment, (and cause it to give off a foul odor), so does a little folly ruin others’ opinions about a person respected for wisdom and honor when you engage in it. Don't play the fool, leave that to others. 

Vs. 2 “A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,

But a fool’s heart at his left.”

The right hand is generally considered the most dexterous, and thus right way to do things, (i.e., we shake hands with our right hands), and so it is that the wise man’s heart is at his right hand, for his heart is set on doing things right in any given circumstance, whether this is being considered and thoughtful or something else. In contrast the fool’s heart is only at his left hand. And so, he gives no consideration to what is right and appropriate in any given circumstance; instead, he just goes by his first impulse and inevitably says or does something that is wrong or offensive.

Vs. 3 “Even when a fool walks along the way,

He lacks wisdom,

And he shows everyone that he is a fool.”

And so it is, even when the fool walks along the way he inevitably shows himself a fool, as one who completely lacks any wisdom or discernment, or even how to conduct himself.

Vs. 4 “If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

Do not leave your post;

For conciliation pacifies great offenses.”

When a ruler rises against you, your first instinct may be to quit, for you may feel hurt or indignant that all your loyal service has just been cast aside. Nonetheless leaving your post in haste does not allow the truth to come out, and so just stay put and continue to serve them, for in time you will pacify their anger, and cause them to overlook great offenses, which just you may have been guilty of.

Vs. 5-7 ⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun,

As an error proceeding from the ruler:

⁶Folly is set in great dignity,

While the rich sit in a lowly place.

⁷I have seen servants on horses,

While princes walk on the ground like servants.

Sadly this grave error of leadership is common, where a leader shows partiality to their friends or family (or even people of dispositions or backgrounds that they like), and thus overlooks their complete lack of abilities or qualifications because of their bias towards them, and so they exalt them into positions or roles they have no business fulfilling. Thus it is that a fool can be set in the place of dignity, while the rich, i.e. those who are qualified, and have disciplined themselves to serve in that position or role, are made to sit a lowly place. King Solomon then was very grieved by this to see servants placed up on horses, (i.e. exalted onto royal steeds), while princes, (i.e., those who should be there), are made to walk on the ground like servants. Therefore don't exalt people into positions or roles they have no business fulfilling. 

Vs. 8 “He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.”

There are inherent laws of justice that even if circumvented for season will come home to roast. Such then is the case with the schemer who seeks to harm others, their own devious plots will turn on them. Same with thief who breaks into homes, they too will experience harm from their unlawful acts.

Vs. 9 “He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,

And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.”

Just as there are inherent laws of justice, so there are inherent dangers in certain kinds of work. Quarrying stones is a dangerous operation at the best of times, from landslides, to explosions, to injuries from trying to cut, move, or shape them. Quarry work is dangerous. One then should have a plan of operation and know the risks before they engage in it. Splitting wood too can be dangerous if one does not know how to swing and handle an ax properly. Military operations then need to well planned, thought out, and coordinated, to reduce the risks and unnecessary casualties inherent with them. Doing dangerous things "off the cuff" or by the "seat of ones pants" then  is a sure way to get injured. 

Vs. 10 “If the ax is dull,

And one does not sharpen the edge,

Then he must use more strength;

But wisdom brings success.”

A dull ax is not only dangerous but it also requires much more effort to spit wood or cut down a tree when one is using it. Better than to stop and sharpen the ax then try to muscle through it. For that will save you time and effort in the end.

Vs. 11 “A serpent may bite when it is not charmed;

The babbler is no different.”

The comparison between the serpent and babbler biting if not “charmed” is funny. It reminds me of a certain president who could be either swayed by flattery, or enraged if challenged. The idea then when dealing with such people is to first load them with compliments. before trying to change their minds.  

Vs. 12-13 ¹²The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,

But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;

¹³The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,

And the end of his talk is raving madness.

The wise man knows how to speaks things that ingratiate him to people, in contrast the fool’s words only become his own undoing. And so though the fool’s mouth may begin with simple foolishness, by the time he is done, his speech is nothing but raving madness. Stay than clear of him and his talk. 

Vs. 14 “A fool also multiplies words.

No man knows what is to be;

Who can tell him what will be after him?”

Again, the fool does not now when enough is enough. Instead, he will continue to press on with his line of “reasoning.” long after all “reason” from him has run out.

Vs. 15 “The labor of fools wearies them,

For they do not even know how to go to the city!”

Such is the way of the fool, that he invariably makes things harder than they have to be. Thus even when they expend great amounts of time and energies they accomplish very little. Even taking the most sensible route to the city, they mess up, and get lost along the way.

Vs. 16-17 ¹⁶Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,

And your princes feast in the morning!

¹⁷Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,

And your princes feast at the proper time—

For strength and not for drunkenness!

Entrusting a child to rule over a land is folly (Isaiah 3:12). Even if they are of noble lineage, they should first be taught and tempered to serve their people, and this takes time, time for them to learn and time for them to mature. Again, if a lands princess feast in mourning they are nothing but a bunch of self-indulgent slobs who are unfit for royal service. In contrast to them are princess who feast at the proper time, who eat and drink for strength to lead their troops, and not for drunkenness.

Vs. 18 “Because of laziness the building decays,

And through idleness of hands the house leaks.”

Cause and effect are once again presented to us. If one is lazy then yes, the things that they own will rot and decay through their own neglect. This Proverb can also be applied to other things including ones own marriage and children, for neglecting their proper care now will bring you problems later. 

Vs. 19 “A feast is made for laughter,

And wine makes merry;

But money answers everything.”

Certainly, times of celebration bring joy; this every ambassador knows. But in the end what sways people is money. 

Vs. 20 “Do not curse the king, even in your thought;

Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;

For a bird of the air may carry your voice,

And a bird in flight may tell the matter.”

The wisdom of keeping one’s thoughts to oneself is what is being expounded here. For ungracious words spoken in “secret” about a ruler or boss always have a way of being found out. Especially words spoken against the king, or his rich subordinates, and these can land one in a lot of trouble. 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson. 

The Book of Ecclesiastes 9:1-18

 ¹For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. ²All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;

To the good, the clean, and the unclean;

To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.

As is the good, so is the sinner;

He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.

³This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. ⁴But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

⁵For the living know that they will die;

But the dead know nothing,

And they have no more reward,

For the memory of them is forgotten.

⁶Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;

Nevermore will they have a share

In anything done under the sun.

⁷Go, eat your bread with joy,

And drink your wine with a merry heart;

For God has already accepted your works.

⁸Let your garments always be white,

And let your head lack no oil.

⁹Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

¹⁰Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

¹¹I returned and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,

Nor the battle to the strong,

Nor bread to the wise,

Nor riches to men of understanding,

Nor favor to men of skill;

But time and chance happen to them all.

¹²For man also does not know his time:

Like fish taken in a cruel net,

Like birds caught in a snare,

So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,

When it falls suddenly upon them.

¹³This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: ¹⁴There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. ¹⁵Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.

¹⁶Then I said:

“Wisdom is better than strength.

Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,

And his words are not heard.

¹⁷Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard

Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war;

But one sinner destroys much good.”

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. ²All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;

To the good, the clean, and the unclean;

To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.

As is the good, so is the sinner;

He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.

King Solomon then contemplated all of these things so that he could declare it to all, God’s Words treasures then are not to hidden in one’s own heart they are to be shared and declared, as he himself would later call himself, the Preacher. And so it was that he saw that neither the righteous nor the wise are “self-made” but their works are in the hand of God. For God directs their persons and lives. People then know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them, which is maybe why the Lord Jesus Christ would later say of a marriage union, “What God has joined together let not man separate.” ^{Matt. 19:6} And yet he returns to a kind of fatalism in verse two where he sees that all things come alike to all, to the good, the clean, and the unclean, to the worshiper, and the one who does not worship, to the good, and to the sinner, to the one who takes an oath, and one who fears an oath. For down here under the sun there is nothing that a person can do to prevent the inevitable and that is the day of one’s death. However, there is much one can to prepare themselves for that day, and the most important thing to do right now is be reconciled to God while one can be, for God made His Son the Lord Jesus Christ to be Thee sacrifice for all our sins, so that by His dying on the Cross and three days later Resurrection from the dead we could by faith in His Person be forgiven all of our sins and be reconciled back to God in heaven (John 3:16).

Vs. 3 ³This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

And so it is that without having hope of the resurrection of the dead life down here under the sun seems terribly unjust. For truly the sons of men’s hearts are full of evil, and their lives full of madness, for people can live terribly wicked and reckless lives and yet they will also go to the place of the dead along with those who lived wisely under the sun. Nonetheless because we know that there is a resurrection of dead, of the just and the unjust, how one lives down here really matters (see John 5:24-30).

Vs. 4-6 ⁴But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

⁵For the living know that they will die;

But the dead know nothing,

And they have no more reward,

For the memory of them is forgotten.

⁶Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;

Nevermore will they have a share

In anything done under the sun.

Nonetheless for the living there is hope, there is a chance for reconciliation with God, (through the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ), therefore a living dog is better than a dead lion. Better than to be thought of as a dog who flees with its tail between its legs to God for mercy, than to be a bold lion who only dies in his sins and transgressions. Because when he is dead, he knows nothing more, all opportunities for reconciliation with God are now forever lost to him. And he will have no more reward under the sun, but only to be repaid for what he has done. Even his memory will perish, along with all of his love, and hatred and envy, for it has all gone down to the grave with him, nevermore than shall he experience anything under the sun, he and his life is finished. But for the person reconciled to God. death in this life is only a passageway to eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ in His Everlasting Kingdom!

Vs. 7-10 ⁷Go, eat your bread with joy,

And drink your wine with a merry heart;

For God has already accepted your works.

⁸Let your garments always be white,

And let your head lack no oil.

⁹Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. ¹⁰Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Because of mankind’s of unbelief, King Solomon commends them all who are so inclined to go on and live out their lives, to eat and drink and be merry. For God has already accepted your works (vs. 7). That is the works that people do down here under the sun in which they are employed or occupied with. The things that God assigns or equips them to do down here under the sun, things which keep this world turning so to speak. For God has already accepted your works. Therefore, he commends them all not to be morbid, but to take care of themselves, to live in clean apparel, and refresh their appearances (vs. 8). To live joyfully with their wives whom they love, for that is their portion down here under the sun. Therefore, he says to them all, do whatever you can do with all your might, for there is no work, or knowledge, or wisdom in the grave where you are going (vs. 9-10).

Vs. 11-12 ¹¹I returned and saw under the sun that—

The race is not to the swift,

Nor the battle to the strong,

Nor bread to the wise,

Nor riches to men of understanding,

Nor favor to men of skill;

But time and chance happen to them all.

¹²For man also does not know his time:

Like fish taken in a cruel net,

Like birds caught in a snare,

So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,

When it falls suddenly upon them.

This passage is very enlightening for those who lived down here under the sun, that life is not a straight linear line which man creates for himself. For the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, for time and chance plays a role in everything, and sometimes those who are “first” finish last (consider Luke 13:29-30). Same with bread always going to the wise, for there are fools who eat heartily, while there are wise men who go hungry. Nor do riches always go to men of understanding, nor are men of skill always favored above those who know nothing, for life down here under the sun is not always as it should be. The self-made man then is simply a lie that the proud propagate because of their own successes, which they always think they have created for themselves. And yet when mans time comes and he is taken like fish caught in cruel net, or birds in a snare; did, he then create these days of adversities or tragedy for himself? For so it is that the sons of men are snared in an evil time when it suddenly falls upon them.

Vs. 13-18 ¹³This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: ¹⁴There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. ¹⁵Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.

¹⁶Then I said:

“Wisdom is better than strength.

Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,

And his words are not heard.

¹⁷Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard

Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war;

But one sinner destroys much good.”

King Solomon now sees a great injustice where a poor wise man by his wisdom delivers the city in which he dwells from being overrun by a mighty king that is much greater than theirs (vs. 13-14). And yet after it was all over, no one remembered that same poor man (vs. 15). From this he learned that wisdom is better than strength, nevertheless the poor’s man’s wisdom is despised, and he is not heard (vs. 16). For in the eyes of his peers he didn’t attend the right universities and colleges, he didn’t get all the degrees and PhD’s that they themselves did. He doesn’t even have the “right pedigree” that they themselves do. Therefore, in their eyes, he is only despised and disqualified for any wise counsel he gives. Nonetheless King Solomon saw past their vainness and declares that the poor man’s wisdom should be heard; "that the words of the wise spoken softly should be heard, rather than the shout of a ruler of fools" (vs. 17), who only knows how to stir people up, but has no idea how to rightly lead and guide them. Yes says the king, wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. How about you what is your faith in, the poor Wise Man the Lord Jesus Christ or a "rich" ruler of fools. 

Scripture Quotations

New King James (1982): Thomas Nelson.