So, I was reading,,,
Posted by Scatterfingers , Thursday, June 09, 2005 6/09/2005 03:17:00 PM
I love the book of Ecclesiastes. There's a tension there, the preacher walking back and forth between saying wisdom is something to gain and something useless to have. Saying to live life young and grab it, to fear God, to gain friends, to be content, to work, to do all these things. But knowledge it tiresome and much wisdom is a burden - and as if to prove the point that there is really nothing new under the sun, we say that life wasn't designed for the self-aware and that those who seek deep answers get lost. The more you know, the more you know it's not all worth that much in the end.
Look at Chapter 8: "I saw the all work of God, that no one can find out what is happening under the sun. However much they may toil in seeking, they will not find it out." However, it goes on in Chapter 9: "Whoever is joined with the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion." (Genius turn of phrase - I love those.) Take life as it comes - don't try to figure too much out - don't try to know the mind of God, simply because it's too far beyond you to grasp. Work with what you're given, know as much as you can, and go from there. Same chapter: "Go eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do... enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are given to you under the sun." It goes on: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with might."
Enjoy life: nothing wrong with that, nothing at all. Back up to chapter 7: "Do not try to be to righteous, and do not act too wise; why should you destroy yourself? Do not be too wicked, and do not be a fool; why should you die before your time?" That is to say, don't be obsessed with being entirely righteous - after all, it's impossible - but don't give yourself over to dissolution because of that fact.
And a verse I especially love: "Don't listen to everything people say: you may hear your servant critisizing you." I've always wondered at people that constantly worry about what others think of them. Let's let those little things go, focus on what's important. A reputation is made with the important things: wisdom versus folly. And many a man it is whose supposed wisdom turn to ashes in the mouths of others when push comes to shove. As for reputations (cue the Derek Webb song here), chapter 7 says "A good name is better than precious ointment."
How about this: "Do not say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' It is not out of wisdom that you ask this." Point a finger straight at the 1950s revivalists and their past-tense superiority.
But in all of this, chapter 12: "Remember the creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come."
It's a hard book. It's like a good jazz tune - it twists around a bit, and the notes seem random sometimes. The keys aren't all major. Someone in the background is hitting a snare lightly. But then, it still is a tune more than anything else. And you can listen, have a beer, and thank God for men, women, work, wisdom, toothpaste, and the darned vanity of it all.
