How should you live? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 is a rather difficult read:
15 In my vain life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.
What? Is the Teacher actually telling people to not be overly wicked? Is he saying “Be somewhat wicked. A little bit is okay. Throw some spice into your life that way.”?
I don’t think so. I think right off, what he is saying is there are no guarantees. You can be a righteous person and die young. Because you are righteous, it does not mean that you will find favor in this life. On the other hand, being wicked doesn’t mean you will live to be 100. Sometimes wicked people do die because of their wickedness, by putting themselves in situations where they pay for the consequences of their actions.
It does not matter how wise you are. You cannot tell what will happen in any life. You can see a person who is righteous and having a great life and the next day they are hit by a car and die. You can see a person who is wicked and doing self-destructive behaviors and somehow they cheat death numerous times and die of natural causes at an old age. Life is strange. There is no such thing as karma.
But that doesn’t answer what is being said.
For the wicked, I think he’s saying, “If you want to walk the path of wickedness, at least try to have some sense. Don’t put yourself in stupid positions. Your arrogance will overtake you.”
However, for the righteous, I think he has something to say to people like myself who are overly scrupulous and can make a big deal out of any perceived wrong. (Think also of how much Martin Luther went to confession for everything.) He warns us to not overdo things to the point that we cannot even function. The Pharisees were also people who tried to be righteous in everything and yet they were the ones in the wrong in the end.
The Teacher’s preference lies with those who are on the side of righteousness as he says fearing God will deliver you from both errors. Walking in wisdom can help you see when things matter and when they do not. If you come here wanting to find specific answers, you won’t. This is part of the struggle that we have in our day and age where we think we should have a clear answer to every question. (Another reason I think people think God is telling them stuff. They think they have to have clear answers instead of using wisdom. That could also explain why it’s not found so much today.)
Next time, we’ll talk about listening to others and when to not do so.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)