Special Insights No. 10
First Quarter 2007
Adult Sabbath School Lessons
“Ecclesiastes”
(Produced by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)
Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do
There are precious gems of Good News in Ecclesiastes Chapter 9 that we
need to examine. However, there are also perplexing passages in the
chapter, and we need to be honest as we study them.
Here is
a man who began his life with a precious marvelous gift of wisdom
conferred on him with God’s rich blessing. But Solomon proved for us
all to see that the possession of marvelous wisdom does not make one
happy when he comes to the later portion of his life. Obviously, what
that means to us moderns is that our high achievements in universities
are not of themselves happiness-producing. Education built on the love
of self is pitiful in the end.
Those who have seen cynicism
in Solomon’s Ecclesiastes will find a passage in this chapter that
bolsters that conviction (cf. vss. 1-6).
And to our
embarrassment as a denomination, this passage contains our most famous
“proof text” with which we support our important doctrine of the “state
of the dead.” To those who have inherited the pagan-papal doctrine of
natural immortality and who quote the mistaken punctuation in Luke
23:43 that says that the believing thief crucified with Christ will be
with Him “in Paradise” that very day, we have rather triumphantly
quoted Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6 that says: “The living know that they shall
die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a
reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their
hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a
portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.”
Thus
we establish our point and walk away from the argument feeling like we
have won the day about the state of the dead. (I remember when I was a
new Seventh-day Adventist how I felt that text was so clear, why
couldn’t people see it?)
And it is clear that dead people
are not conscious; but can we conscientiously defend the context if
people read it as well? Is this a happy man who is writing? Does he
make clear that he cherishes “the blessed hope” (cf. Titus 1:11-14)?
Perhaps
as time goes on we as a people will learn to defend our “state of the
dead” doctrine with some more clear “state of the living” truths. We
could “use” Psalm 146:1-4 that says virtually the same thing that has
no sad context to wrestle with. And we can show how Jesus “emptied
Himself” in His sacrifice on the cross (cf. Phil. 2:5-8), which is the
definition of what death is as the real thing—the second death. To
present this doctrine of the state of man in death, we must stay very
close to the cross of Christ, else we will not win souls as the Lord
want s us to. When “the third angel’s message in verity” as the “most
precious message” He has sent to us is proclaimed to lighten the earth
with glory (Rev .18:1-4), “Christ and His righteousness” will be the
most prominent element of the message as His cross is uplifted as no
others will do at the end.
Verses 7, 8 about going our way
and eating our bread with joy and drinking our wine with a merry heart
sound like a repetition of 8:15. But we who have read the book to its
end know that the solemn call to judgment comes in 12:13, 14. We can’t
avoid it.
But here’s a warm and joyous bit of counsel for us
that poor Solomon missed out on: we should “live joyfully with the wife
whom thou lovest all the days of [thy] life” (vs. 9). That is parallel
with Malachi 2:14-16 where He reminds us to “live joyfully with the
wife of thy youth.” Note: the “wife” is singular.
Perhaps the old king remembered that he has written The Song of Solomon
as a delightful love-poem in his younger years. To the one who has seen
the revelation of love in Christ, the love affair of youth lives on so
long as both shall live.
And we thank God for the
encouragement in verse 10 to enjoy our labor and “do it with thy
might,” not for a cynical reason that there is no such work after death
comes; but in the context of that living “joyfully” of verse 9.
And
for sure it doesn’t take a lot of wisdom to see that success and
happiness in life does not automatically come with the endowment of
talents (cf. vs. 11). But is it true that “time and chance”
casino–style “happeneth to them all”?
A poignant little story.
Solomon
remembered this account that brings comfort to many faithful followers
of Christ who do not see a reward in this life (vss. 13-16). The
“little city” had “few men” in it to defend it in time of besiegement
when an enemy “built great bulwarks against it.”
But there
was a “poor wise man” therein who had the wisdom to deliver the city.
The story appears to say that he actually was successful in delivering
the city from its would-be conquerors. Yet “no man” thought to thank
him; no one built a monument to commemorate the victory at his hand.
Often
in sacred history, God’s faithful servants have labored unselfishly and
yet have either been rejected outright or have suffered at the hands of
God’s true people being unappreciated. An example is the story of the
message brought by two young men at a great General Conference Session
at one time (1888) when Ellen White was almost the only person present
who expressed appreciation for their work and their message. Solomon’s
little story is apropos. “The poor man’s wisdom is despised” (the very
word Ellen White used repeatedly to describe the reception this
heaven-sent message received among “us” over a century ago).
Whether
that “little city” ever repented, we do not know; but thank God it is
still our privilege to repent before time says it is too late. Solomon
draws a precious lesson: history will record that “the words of wise
[men] heard in quiet” make a greater impact than those who loudly seek
credit for themselves (cf. vs. 17). And this too is being fulfilled in
history today!
—Robert J. Wieland
(Note: A series of CDs on these lessons recorded
by this author is available from the office of the 1888 Message Study
Committee: 269-473-1888.)
Listen to the audio recording for Lesson 10 now in MP3 format.
Read Special Insights 11
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