Ecclesiastes is the Greek translation of the Hebrew, Qoheleth. Some of the themes of the author are; nothing lasts forever; humans have limited control of events; God’s ways are unpredictable and beyond human understanding; God is powerful but distant.
The author was a sage who examined life and formed conclusions. In examining from youth to old age, he concluded that although one should enjoy all of one’s days, it is better to enjoy your youth, “for the eyes to see the sun (v. 7)”, because old age, “the days of darkness (v. 8)”, will be many (vv. 7-8). All that comes in the future is “vanity”. The young should enjoy their youth and follow where their hearts and eyes lead, but they should remember God’s judgment (v. 9). The “enjoyment (v.8)” Qoheleth wrote about is the enjoyment God chooses to give mankind in the ordinary course of life, not hedonism (Eccl. 2:24-26). It is unclear whether the author meant that God would judge you if you enjoyed life too much, or if you failed to take advantage of every opportunity for enjoyment He provided. Youth is fleeting so do not waste time worrying and being anxious (v. 10).
The young should be mindful of God in their youth. They should not wait until they are old and get no enjoyment out of life (v. 1), or it is the winter of their life (v. 2), or their arms and legs grow weak, they cannot see and they have few teeth (v. 3), or they are deaf (v. 4), or afraid of heights and their hair turns gray (v. 5). They should know God before their dust returns to the earth and their breath returns to God (Gen. 2:7). Everything is empty, futile, and short lived- vanity (v. 8).
Almighty God, you made plans for all human beings and reveal
them to all who obey your commands. You
desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of truth through repentance
and belief in your Son. Help us to love
you as you love us, and reveal the purpose of our life so we may serve you and be
worthy to enter your kingdom. This we
pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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