Ecclesiastes 7:15

7:11-22 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yea better. It shelters from the storms and scorching heat of trouble. Wealth will not lengthen out the natural life; but true wisdom will give spiritual life, and strengthen men for services under their sufferings. Let us look upon the disposal of our condition as the work of God, and at last all will appear to have been for the best. In acts of righteousness, be not carried into heats or passions, no, not by a zeal for God. Be not conceited of thine own abilities; nor find fault with every thing, nor busy thyself in other men's matters. Many who will not be wrought upon by the fear of God, and the dread of hell, will avoid sins which ruin their health and estate, and expose to public justice. But those that truly fear God, have but one end to serve, therefore act steadily. If we say we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves. Every true believer is ready to say, God be merciful to me a sinner. Forget not at the same time, that personal righteousness, walking in newness of life, is the only real evidence of an interest by faith in the righteousness of the Redeemer. Wisdom teaches us not to be quick in resenting affronts. Be not desirous to know what people say; if they speak well of thee, it will feed thy pride, if ill, it will stir up thy passion. See that thou approve thyself to God and thine own conscience, and then heed not what men say of thee; it is easier to pass by twenty affronts than to avenge one.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 . All things have I seen — All sort’s of events, both such as have been already mentioned, and such as I am about to declare. In the days of my vanity — Since I have come into this vain life. A just man perisheth in his righteousness — Notwithstanding his righteousness; whom his righteousness does not deliver in common calamities, or, for his righteousness, which exposes him to the envy, anger, or hatred of wicked men. And a wicked man prolongeth his life, &c. — Not withstanding all his wickedness, whereby he provokes and deserves the justice and wrath both of God and men; and yet for many wise and just reasons he is permitted to live long unpunished and secure.

The days of my vanity - This does not imply that those days of vanity were ended (see Ecclesiastes 1:12 note). The meaning may be best explained by a paraphrase. Solomon states how the wise man should regard the "crooked Ecclesiastes 7:13 work of God" when it bears upon him. He says in effect, "Do not think that thou couldest alter the two instances (described in Ecclesiastes 7:15) of such crooked work so as to make it straight, that thou art more righteous or more wise than He is Who ordained these events. To set up thy judgment in opposition to His would imply an excess of wickedness and folly, deserving the punishment of premature death. But rather it is good for thee to grasp these seeming anomalies; if thou ponder them they will tend to impress on thee that fear of God which is a part of wisdom, and will guide thee safely through all the perplexities of this life" (compare Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). The suggestion that these verses are intended to advocate a middle course between sin and virtue is at variance with the whole tenor of the book.

15. An objection entertained by Solomon in the days of his vanity—his apostasy (Ec 8:14; Job 21:7). just … perisheth—(1Ki 21:13). Temporal not eternal death (Joh 10:28). But see on [664]Ec 7:16; "just" is probably a self-justiciary. wicked … prolongeth—See the antidote to the abuse of this statement in Ec 8:12.

All things; all sorts of events, both such as have been already mentioned, and such as I am about to declare. In the days my vanity; since I have come into this vain and transitory life. In his righteousness; either, 1. Notwithstanding his righteousness; whom his righteousness doth not deliver in common calamities, Ezekiel 21:3,4 33:12 . Or, 2. For his righteousness, which exposeth him to the envy, and hatred, and rage of persecutors or wicked men. In is sometimes used for for ; but it is not so taken in the next clause, which answers to this, and therefore the former seems to be the truer interpretation. In his wickedness ; notwithstanding all his wickedness, whereby he provokes and deserves the justice both of God and men, who yet, for many wise and just reasons, is permitted to live long unpunished and secure.

15 . there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness ] The writer looks back on what he calls “the days of his vanity,” his fleeting and profitless life, and notes, as before in ch. Ecclesiastes 2:14 ; Ecclesiastes 2:16 , the disorders and anomalies of the world. The righteous are “of all men most miserable;” ( 1 Corinthians 15:19 ) the ungodly “prosper in the world” and “come in no peril of death, but are lusty and strong,” Psalm 73:4 (P. B. version). Here indeed those disorders present themselves in their most aggravated form. It is not only, as in ch. Ecclesiastes 3:19 , that there is one event to the righteous and the wicked, but that there is an apparent inversion of the right apportionment of good and evil. The thought is the same as that of Psalms 73, and the Debater has not as yet entered, as the Psalmist did, into the sanctuary of God, and so learnt to “understand the end of these men” ( Psalm 73:17 ). The same problem in the moral order of the Universe furnishes a theme for the discussions of the Book of Job.

Verses 15-22. - Section 3. Warnings against excesses , and praise of the golden mean , which is practical wisdom and the art of living happily. Verse 15. - All things have I seen in the days of my vanity . Koheleth gives his own experience of an anomalous condition which often obtains in human affairs. "All," being here defined by the article, must refer to the cases which he has mentioned or proceeds to mention. "The days of vanity" mean merely "fleeting, vain days" (comp. Ecclesiastes 6:12 ). The expression denotes the writer's view of the emptiness and transitoriness of life ( Ecclesiastes 1:2 ), and it may also have special reference to his own vain efforts to solve the problems of existence. There is a just ( righteous ) man that perisheth in his righteousness . Here is a difficulty about the dispensation of good and evil, which has always perplexed the thoughtful. It finds expression in Psalm 73 , though the singer propounds a solution (ver. 17) which Koheleth misses. The meaning of the preposition ( בְּ ) before "righteousness" is disputed. Delitzsch, Wright, and others take it as equivalent to "in spite of," as in Deuteronomy 1:32 , where "in this thing" means "notwithstanding," "for all this thing." Righteousness has the promise of long life and prosperity; it is an anomaly that it should meet with disaster and early death.

We cannot argue from this that the author did not believe in temporal rewards and punishments; he states merely certain of his own experiences, which may be abnormal and capable of explanation. For his special purpose this was sufficient. Others take the preposition to mean "through," "in consequence of." Good men have always been persecuted for righteousness' sake ( Matthew 5:10, 11 ; John 17:14 ; 2 Timothy 3:12 ), and so far the interpretation is quite admissible, and is perhaps supported by ver. 16, which makes a certain sort of righteousness the cause of disaster. But looking to the second clause of the present verse, where we can hardly suppose that the wicked man is said to attain to long life in consequence of his wickedness, we are safe in adopting the rendering, "in spite of." There is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in ( in spite of ) his wickedness . The verb arak , "to make long," "to prolong," is used both with and without the accusative "days" (see Ecclesiastes 8:12, 13 ; Deuteronomy 5:33 ; Proverbs 28:2 ). Septuagint, Ἐστὶν ἀσεβῆς μένων ἐν κακίᾳ αὐτοῦ , There is an ungodly man remaining in his wickedness," which does not convey the sense of the original. According to the moral government of God experienced by the Hebrews in their history, the sinner was to suffer calamity and to be cut off prematurely. This is the contention of Job's friends, against which he argues so warmly.