964 英翻中 (664) The Ecclesiastes (十四) 傳道書(十四) 14/01/2025
Questions Without Answers (6:10–12) Thus far, Solomon has said that life is a dead-end street
for two kinds of people: those who have riches but no
enjoyment and those who labor but have no satisfaction. But he has tried to point out that true happiness
is not the automatic result of making a good living; it
is the blessed by-product of making a good life. If you
devote your life only to the pursuit of happiness, you
will be miserable; however, if you devote your life to
doing God’s will, you will find happiness as well. The British essayist and poet Joseph Addison
(1672–1718) wrote, “The grand essentials to happiness
in this life are something to do, someone to love, and
something to hope for.” Addison probably didn’t have
Christianity in mind when he wrote that, but we have
all three in Jesus Christ! The Preacher was not finished. He knew that life was
also a dead-end street for a third kind of person—the
person who required answers to all of life’s questions.
Solomon was not condemning honest inquiry, because
Ecclesiastes is the record of his own investigation into
the meaning of life. Rather, Solomon was saying, “There
are some questions about life that nobody can answer.
But our ignorance must not be used as an excuse for
skepticism or unbelief. Instead, our ignorance should
encourage us to have faith in God. After all, we don’t live
on explanations; we live on promises.” It’s been my experience in pastoral ministry that most
explanations don’t solve personal problems or make people feel better. When the physician explains an X-ray to a
patient, his explanation doesn’t bring healing, although it
is certainly an essential step toward recovery. Suffering
Job kept arguing with God and demanding an explanation for his plight. God never did answer his questions,
because knowledge in the mind does not guarantee healing for the heart. That comes only when we put faith in
the promises of God. Without going into great detail, in verses 10–12
Solomon touches on five questions that people often
ask. Since “what’s going to be is going to be,” why bother to
make decisions? Isn’t it all predestined anyway?
“Whatever exists has already been named, and what
man is has been known” (v. 10a niv). To the Jewish
mind, giving a name to something is the same as fixing
its character and stating what the thing really is.
During the time of creation, God named the things
that He made, and nobody changed those designations. “Light” is “light” and not “darkness”; “day” is
“day” and not “night.” (See Isa. 5:20.) Our name is “man”—Adam, “from the earth” (Gen.
2:7). Nobody can change that: we came from the earth
and we will return to the earth (Gen. 3:19). “Man” by
any other name would still be “man,” made from the
dust and eventually returning to the dust. The fact that God has named everything does not
mean that our world is a prison and we have no freedom
to act. Certainly God can accomplish His divine purposes with or without our cooperation, but He invites
us to work with Him. We cooperate with God as we
accept the “names” He has given to things: sin is sin;
obedience is obedience; truth is truth. If we alter these
names, we move into a world of illusion and lose touch
with reality. This is where many people are living today. We are free to decide and choose our world, but we
are not free to change the consequences. If we choose a world
of illusion, we start living on substitutes, and there can be
no satisfaction in a world of substitutes. “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent” (John 17:3
nasb). “And we know that the Son of God has come, and
has given us understanding, in order that we might know
Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His
Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1
John 5:20 nasb). Why disagree with God? We can’t oppose Him and
win, can we? “…neither may he contend with him that
is mightier than he” (v. 10b). The word translated
“contend” also means “dispute.” Solomon seems to say,
“It just doesn’t pay to argue with God or to fight God.
This is the way life is, so just accept it and let God have
His way. You can’t win, and even if you think you win,
you ultimately lose.” But this is a negative view of the will of God. It
gives the impression that God’s will is a difficult and
painful thing that should be avoided at all cost. Jesus
said that God’s will was the food that nourished and
satisfied Him (John 4:32–34). It was meat, not medicine. The will of God comes from the heart of God and
is an expression of the love of God. (See Ps. 33:11.)
What God wills for us is best for us, because He knows
far more about us than we do. Why would anyone want to have his or her “own
way” just for the privilege of exercising “freedom”?
Insisting on having our own way isn’t freedom at all; it’s
the worst kind of bondage. In fact, the most terrible
judgment we could experience in this life would be to
have God “give us up” and let us have our own way
(Rom. 1:24, 26, 28). God is free to act as He sees best. He is not a prisoner of His attributes, His creation, or His eternal
purposes. You and I may not understand how God
exercises His freedom, but it isn’t necessary for us to
know all. Our greatest freedom comes when we are lovingly lost in the will of God. Our Father in heaven
doesn’t feel threatened when we question Him, debate
with Him, or even wrestle with Him, so long as we love
His will and want to please Him. What do we accomplish with all these words? Does talking about it solve the problem? (v. 11). In fact, there are
times when it seems like the more we discuss a subject,
the less we really understand it. Words don’t always bring
light; sometimes they produce clouds and even darkness.
“The more the words, the less the meaning”(v. 11 niv).
But this is where we need the Word of God and the wisdom He alone can give us. If some discussions appear
useless and produce “vanity,” there are other times when
conversation leads us closer to the truth and to the Lord. Who knows what is good for us? (v. 12). God does!
And wise is the person who takes time to listen to what
God has to say. Yes, life may seem to be fleeting and
illusive, like a soap bubble (“vain”) or a shadow, but “he
who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17
nkjv). Does anybody know what’s coming next? (v. 12b). In
spite of what the astrologers, prophets, and fortunetellers claim, nobody knows the future except God.
It is futile to speculate. God gives us enough information to encourage us, but He does not cater to
idle curiosity. One thing is sure: death is coming,
and we had better make the best use of our present
opportunities. That is one of the major themes in
Ecclesiastes. Solomon has discussed two of his arguments that
life is not worth living: the monotony of life (3:1—5:9)
and the futility of wealth (5:10—6:12). He has discovered that life “under the sun” can indeed be
monotonous and empty, but it need not be if we
include God in our lives. Life is God’s gift to us, and we
must accept what He gives us and enjoy it while we can
(3:12–15, 22; 5:18–20). Solomon will next take up his third argument, the
vanity of man’s wisdom (7:1—8:17), and discuss
whether or not wisdom can make life any better.
Though wisdom can’t explain all the problems or
answer all the questions, it is still a valuable ally on the
journey of life.
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