All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man rules over another to his own hurt. Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding. Verse 12 seems to support the past perpetuation of the wicked as the frustration, as it mentions the sinners days being prolonged. There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither has he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. His survey now digresses to consider a wise man's responsibility when One aspect of God's nature is His tremendous patience with rebelling man. But this wording requires a text emendation. Still, the language resembles the skeptical precept (1Co 15:32), introduced only to be refuted; and "abide" is too strong language, perhaps, for a religious man to apply to "eating" and "mirth.". So, because God has waited so long, because God hasn't speedily executed His sentence against the evil, people begin to assume that God has just withdrawn Himself. The Preacher is careful to set forth pleasure as a gift from God, to be earned by labor, and received with thankfulness to the Giver, and to be accounted for to Him. And the word forgotten does work here. Ecclesiastes 1:15:: King James Version (KJV) Ecclesiastes 1:15 - That which is crooked H5791 cannot H3201 be made straight: H8626 and that which is wanting H2642 cannot H3201 be numbered. You can't really come to the king and say, "Hey, what are you doing?" days than years, and is a laborious one; and all that he gets by He believed, even when there was no evidence for believing! (quoted on p. 135). verba Ecclesiastes filii David regis Hierusalem. The Targum interprets it of the joy of the law; because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry; of earthly things there is nothing better than for a man freely and cheerfully, with moderation and thankfulness, to enjoy what God has given him; this is what had been observed before, Ecclesiastes 2:24; and is not the language of an epicure, or a carnal man, who observing that no difference is made between the righteous and the wicked, that it is as well or better with the wicked than the righteous, determines to give up himself to sensual lusts and pleasures; but it is the good and wholesome advice of the wise man, for men to be easy under every providence, satisfied with their present condition and circumstances, and be cheerful and pleasant, and not distress themselves about things they cannot alter; for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life. evil. He's very long-suffering. Solomon in Proverbs 10:7 Proverbs 10:7The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.American King James Versionwrote, The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked will rot. Perhaps the frustration in Ecclesiastes 8:10 Ecclesiastes 8:10And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.American King James Versionis simply that the wicked were able to die and receive a proper burial after a long life without having to face up to what theyd doneall the while having been permitted in life to be regularly in Gods temple, a sacrilege and mockery of religion. These seeming anomalies in the moral government of God are part of Ecclesiastes 8:15 Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament "And I commended joy, that there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and enjoy himself; and that this accompanies him in his labour throughout all the days of his life, which God hath given him under the sun." It's going to be well with the man who has departed from evil. The Tyndale commentary notes: To his hurt (Heb[rew]) is not to his own hurt (AV [Authorized or KJV]) but to the hurt of the one under the abuser of power (note on verse 9). [29] For our God is a consuming fire. that vanity to which man has been made subject EXPOSITION His estimate of the pleasures of the senses is recorded in Ecclesiastes 7:2-6. Who is as the wise man? _ 1. And it's probably true. People are soon forgotten after they die. They've been talking about that for years. Some put Ecclesiastes 8:1 Ecclesiastes 8:1Who is as the wise man? Or it could be that all the men of Israel took an oath as part of the nations military. 1-17. He would have us to take occasion hence, not to charge God with iniquity, but to charge the world with vanity. Section 5. In Solomon's reign the people were very rich, and lived in prosperity, which perhaps made them proud and petulant, and when the taxes were high, though they had enough to pay them with, it is probable that many conducted themselves . What else had he seen? And this is further tied back to the warning in Ecclesiastes7:17: Do not be overly wicked, nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? A turn to lawlessness will not stave off the punishment of death. He said, "Okay, you can go now." He had power over His Spirit to dismiss it. I commend joy, he says (Ecclesiastes 8:15 Ecclesiastes 8:15Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God gives him under the sun.American King James Version), and the word he uses for commend is a Hebrew word for praise (shabach). Ecclesiastes 8:15 KJ21 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be merry, for that shall abide with him from his labor the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. [23] All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. serving the king, followed by a number Ecclesiastes 7:19-8 IV. The message here is: Do your best to stay out of trouble! Note that the obedience to the king is for the sake of your oath to God (same verse). 3. Love the brotherhood. Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged ( Ecclesiastes 8:12 ), Remember he was talking about how he saw that the ungodly man was living a long life, the righteous were dying young and the ungodly were living long. ( Romans 9:20 ) The sovereignty of the king, which also speaks to the sovereignty of God. God does care. All rights reserved. One of the common mistakes that people make is that of misinterpreting the nature of God. a man's wisdom makes his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. But the person who fears God knows that God is always near. Honor all men. SUN EXCEPT TO EAT AND TO DRINK AND TO BE MERRY, AND THIS WILL STAND BY MIRTH - Better, Gladness, or joy (as in Ecclesiastes 2:10). But in context the wording appears to continue the warning about not getting into trouble with the government. The statement There is no release from that [or the] war could refer figuratively to the march into death that all face or simply be metaphoric for Theres no getting out of this. Then the final line, and wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it, would tie back to the turn to wrongdoing in verse 3. "But it shall not be well with the wicked.". California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Some translate the word ruach here as breath (of life) rather than spirit, but that would not change the point here. A Practical Verse-by-Verse Study of ECCLESIASTES - It is Don's interpretation that the book of Ecclesiastes describes Solomon's futile way of living as he heads down that slippery spiral of wine, women and song. I know that, whatever God does, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God does it, that men should fear before him. he asks. [17] Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. And who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? That is all the fruit he has for himself of the pains that he takes in the business of the world; let him therefore take it, and much good may it do him; and let him not deny himself that, out of a peevish discontent because the world does not go as he would have it. For the time being we are subject to human rule. This would also seem to tie in to the warning against turning to wickedness at the end of Ecclesiastes 8:8 Ecclesiastes 8:8There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither has he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.American King James Version. Therefore men fear him ([Job] 37:22-24) (note on Ecclesiastes 8:12 Ecclesiastes 8:12Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:American King James Version). [11] Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to them which are exercised thereby. Romans 13 speaks of rulers executing wrath on evildoers. Dr. Walter Kaiser, whose overall outline weve been following, describes the chapter 8 subsection as follows: The removal of a large proportion of the apparent inequalities in divine providence comes from righteous government. This summary, however, does not appear to be quite accurate. because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry; of earthly things there is nothing better than for a man freely and cheerfully, with moderation and thankfulness, to enjoy what God has given him; this is what had been observed before, Ecclesiastes 2:24; and is not the language of an epicure, or a carnal man, who observing that no difference is made between the righteous and the wicked, that it is as well or better with the wicked than the righteous, determines to give up himself to sensual lusts and pleasures; but it is the good and wholesome advice of the wise man, for men to be easy under every providence, satisfied with their present condition and circumstances, and be cheerful and pleasant, and not distress themselves about things they cannot alter; for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life. Benefits of wisdom, respecting government and This equal mind, expressing itself in a grave dignified bearing, is, with them, well-nigh indispensable to success in, public life. God doesn't really know." Might as well enjoy what you got now, because man, it's going to be tough later. neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he fears not before God. American King James Version). TEXT 8:14-17 In Encountering Ecclesiastes, James Limburg relates what fellow biblical scholar and commentator Roland Murphy said to him in response to the issue of the author of Ecclesiastes being often referred to as a great doubter: The great doubter? The NIV renders the phrase in verses 5 and 6 as proper time and procedure. The New American Commentary notes: The wise man thus waits for the proper moment to make his case or take a stand and does not waste his influence on a lost cause (v. 3b). Then, besides the perspective we need to have and the righteous life we are to persist in, we are again given the prescription of the books refrain in the third major sections conclusionthe enjoyment of life that God blesses us with: to eat, drink, and be merry (Ecclesiastes 8:15 Ecclesiastes 8:15Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labor the days of his life, which God gives him under the sun.American King James Version). Ecclesiastes 8:15 Parallel Verses [ See commentary ] Ecclesiastes 8:15, NIV: So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad.Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun. The boldness of his face to shine, and the boldness of his face be... 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