Ecc 7:15-18 | KingComments | STEP | With a new section begins about righteousness and wickedness, which both are observed by the Preacher about which he shares his testimony with us. What he has seen, brings him to the statement “during my lifetime of futility” ( ). It makes him aware once again how fragile his existence is. He speaks about “a righteous man” to whom something happens that one would not expect at all. One would expect that he lives long, but the opposite happens: he perishes “in his righteousness”. He also speaks about a wicked man to whom something happens that one would not expect at all. One would expect that he perishes in his wickedness, but the opposite happens: he prolongs his life “in his wickedness”. This is the thing that you call ‘bent’ ( ). What the Preacher says is representative of a series of similar cases. It is about perishing in spite of righteousness and staying alive in spite of wickedness. The standard is that righteousness corresponds to the promise of a long life and that wickedness leads to a short life. However, there are exceptions. This has to do with the way that God reigns. In His government it is possible that on the earth, the evil wins and the good is punished. But in the end the good will win and the evil will be punished. These are exercises for having patience of spirit ( ). The righteous man may wrestle with this ‘bentness (crookedness)’ ( ; ; ). It is also something that can make one get upset when wicked people often manage to protect themselves against the sword of righteousness by fraud and violence. Sometimes they even get protection from their own government when there is no extradition agreement with the country where the crimes have been committed. Many war criminals stayed out of jail in this way and have therefore reached an advanced age. Naboth was a righteous man who was killed, while a wicked woman like Jezebel stayed alive. We see the same wit Abel and Cain. And what about the many who in the course of church history were murdered because of their faithfulness to God and His Word. Above all, we see it with the Lord Jesus, the Righteous One above all. He was murdered in the midst of His days, while He had done nothing but righteousness. The believer wants to learn to take life out of God’s hand just as it is. He tries not to solve the mystery of life himself. He finds rest in considering the work of God. In that way he learns that the disasters that happen to him, will shape him for the future kingdom, while the wicked man’s prosperity makes him ripe for the coming judgment. The observation of leads us to the conclusion of which comes as an advice. With that we have to keep in mind that God is not thought of. It is the conclusion of the down-to-earth thinking of man in this world who wants to live from his own conviction. From that point of view, it is smart not to pretend to be too righteous and not to become a moralist, because then people will only hate you and it is your own fault if you lose all pleasure in life. Also with the delusion to be wise, you have to be careful. That is what it is about, which appears from the word “overly”. Do not claim to have all wisdom. The people that you are dealing with on a daily basis will not accept that. You will be out in no time. The people around you will see right through your imagined wisdom and will be finished with you completely. It is devastating to your functioning and you will be banned, you will put on a dead end. In it is about how a person sees himself, how he is in his own eyes and how he presents himself. The Pharisees are a model of this kind of people. They presented themselves like that. They were very righteous in their own eyes and they also wanted to look like that to other people. Because they pretended to be so righteous, destruction came upon them, which the Lord spoke about them ( ). Although is not an advice for the righteous one – he desires to be just and wise, but only as God wants him to be – it includes a general warning for him that he has to be careful not to fall into extremes. We can be so convinced that we are right and let ourselves be carried away by our sense of righteousness that we overestimate ourselves in our judgment and thereby ruin ourselves. That could imply that we will be all alone, outside of the community. It can also imply that due to our conceptions, we call destruction upon ourselves, which others bring upon us because they are tormented by our arrogance (cf. ). In this verse it is about taking a place that is inappropriate. It is arrogance, a pretension (cf. ; ). It is playing the righteous one, it is about somebody boasting to be someone he is not ( ). We can pretend to be holier than we are, for example by fasting and chastising ourselves or go on a pilgrimage. If our outward behavior is to convince others of our piety and if that is our focus, we destroy ourselves. It is an excessive effort to prove we are right in judging things. Modesty is appropriate for us in our attitude. We should not think more highly than what is written ( ; ). We should not take this warning as a relativization of what is righteous and wise. It is a warning for our practice in connection to an attitude which radiates that we are the standard of what is righteous and wise. We can and ought to be convinced of what is right, but must act on it with caution. It does not mean that we should become slack in our practice and compromise at the expense of truth and justice. We do not need to chase every evil and have an opinion about everything. We should not present ourselves as critics to disapprove of everything that is said and done and not interfere in other people’s affairs as if we know everything and can do everything. If we do that we make a caricature of righteousness and wisdom. is the opposite of . is warning for self-exaltation, warns us not to lower ourselves to the level of the world. The Preacher does not say that a little bit of wickedness or foolishness is not a problem, but he points to the capitulation to evil. It is the acceptance of some wickedness and foolishness, as long as it is within the borders that are acceptable for most people. If both parties agree, it should be accepted. That what is wicked and foolish, becomes more and more the standard in society. One should not exaggerate too much and not behave too wickedly and too foolishly. That is how you get the most out of it. This attitude of life is reflected in the mixing of a little bit of good with a little bit of evil and in making compromises. This is how one is able to keep it up for a long time and stay good friends with everyone. This is eating from both sides of the buffet, living two lifestyles. If one chooses the side of wickedness and foolishness, then there is a great chance that he will die before his time, meaning that he will not die of old age, but at an age you would not expect. If we allow God to be involved, we know that the time to die is determined by Him ( ). We cannot prolong our lives ( ). At the same time God knows how to give the foolish actions of man a place in His purpose. He can bring ruin over us soon and shorten our lifespan if we live wickedly and foolishly ( ). That can happen for example, by living a lifestyle that affects our health, such as drugs, and sex outside marriage, or by committing a murder resulting in the death penalty. The advice of corresponds to the advices of the two previous verses. It is a kind of summary advice to do what is “good”. It is good to grasp “one thing”, that is to stick to the warning not to fall into extremes. It is also good not to let go of “the other”, that is what the last line of says: fear God. To fear God means living in reverence and awe of Him. Whoever follows this ‘good’ advice, “comes forth with both of them”. This means that we are only saved from falling into extremes if we fear God. As a result, we are also kept from the related consequences mentioned in the two previous verses: ruining ourselves and dying before our time. The wise walks on the middle road between the two extremes: not in his own righteousness and not in wickedness. He knows how to walk between legalism and indifference. This can only be accomplished if God is feared. The fear of God keeps us from the extremes of own righteousness on the one hand and wickedness on the other hand ( ). The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God results in humility and mistrusting our own wisdom. He who fears God fears sin and shuns foolishness.

‏ Ecclesiastes 7:15-18

Righteous and Wicked

With Ecc 7:15 a new section begins about righteousness and wickedness, which both are observed by the Preacher about which he shares his testimony with us. What he has seen, brings him to the statement “during my lifetime of futility” (Ecc 7:15). It makes him aware once again how fragile his existence is.

He speaks about “a righteous man” to whom something happens that one would not expect at all. One would expect that he lives long, but the opposite happens: he perishes “in his righteousness”. He also speaks about a wicked man to whom something happens that one would not expect at all. One would expect that he perishes in his wickedness, but the opposite happens: he prolongs his life “in his wickedness”. This is the thing that you call ‘bent’ (Ecc 7:13).

What the Preacher says is representative of a series of similar cases. It is about perishing in spite of righteousness and staying alive in spite of wickedness. The standard is that righteousness corresponds to the promise of a long life and that wickedness leads to a short life. However, there are exceptions. This has to do with the way that God reigns. In His government it is possible that on the earth, the evil wins and the good is punished. But in the end the good will win and the evil will be punished. These are exercises for having patience of spirit (Ecc 7:8).

The righteous man may wrestle with this ‘bentness (crookedness)’ (Job 21:7; Psa 73:3-12; Hab 1:4 ; 13). It is also something that can make one get upset when wicked people often manage to protect themselves against the sword of righteousness by fraud and violence. Sometimes they even get protection from their own government when there is no extradition agreement with the country where the crimes have been committed. Many war criminals stayed out of jail in this way and have therefore reached an advanced age.

Naboth was a righteous man who was killed, while a wicked woman like Jezebel stayed alive. We see the same wit Abel and Cain. And what about the many who in the course of church history were murdered because of their faithfulness to God and His Word. Above all, we see it with the Lord Jesus, the Righteous One above all. He was murdered in the midst of His days, while He had done nothing but righteousness.

The believer wants to learn to take life out of God’s hand just as it is. He tries not to solve the mystery of life himself. He finds rest in considering the work of God. In that way he learns that the disasters that happen to him, will shape him for the future kingdom, while the wicked man’s prosperity makes him ripe for the coming judgment.

The observation of Ecc 7:15 leads us to the conclusion of Ecc 7:16 which comes as an advice. With that we have to keep in mind that God is not thought of. It is the conclusion of the down-to-earth thinking of man in this world who wants to live from his own conviction. From that point of view, it is smart not to pretend to be too righteous and not to become a moralist, because then people will only hate you and it is your own fault if you lose all pleasure in life.

Also with the delusion to be wise, you have to be careful. That is what it is about, which appears from the word “overly”. Do not claim to have all wisdom. The people that you are dealing with on a daily basis will not accept that. You will be out in no time. The people around you will see right through your imagined wisdom and will be finished with you completely. It is devastating to your functioning and you will be banned, you will put on a dead end.

In Ecc 7:16 it is about how a person sees himself, how he is in his own eyes and how he presents himself. The Pharisees are a model of this kind of people. They presented themselves like that. They were very righteous in their own eyes and they also wanted to look like that to other people. Because they pretended to be so righteous, destruction came upon them, which the Lord spoke about them (Mt 23:28 ; Mt 5:20).

Although Ecc 7:16 is not an advice for the righteous one – he desires to be just and wise, but only as God wants him to be – it includes a general warning for him that he has to be careful not to fall into extremes. We can be so convinced that we are right and let ourselves be carried away by our sense of righteousness that we overestimate ourselves in our judgment and thereby ruin ourselves. That could imply that we will be all alone, outside of the community. It can also imply that due to our conceptions, we call destruction upon ourselves, which others bring upon us because they are tormented by our arrogance (cf. Rev 17:15-18).

In this verse it is about taking a place that is inappropriate. It is arrogance, a pretension (cf. Num 16:18; 2Sam 13:5). It is playing the righteous one, it is about somebody boasting to be someone he is not (Mt 23:7). We can pretend to be holier than we are, for example by fasting and chastising ourselves or go on a pilgrimage. If our outward behavior is to convince others of our piety and if that is our focus, we destroy ourselves. It is an excessive effort to prove we are right in judging things.

Modesty is appropriate for us in our attitude. We should not think more highly than what is written (Rom 12:3 ; 16; 1Cor 4:6). We should not take this warning as a relativization of what is righteous and wise. It is a warning for our practice in connection to an attitude which radiates that we are the standard of what is righteous and wise. We can and ought to be convinced of what is right, but must act on it with caution.

It does not mean that we should become slack in our practice and compromise at the expense of truth and justice. We do not need to chase every evil and have an opinion about everything. We should not present ourselves as critics to disapprove of everything that is said and done and not interfere in other people’s affairs as if we know everything and can do everything. If we do that we make a caricature of righteousness and wisdom.

Ecc 7:17 is the opposite of Ecc 7:16. Ecc 7:16 is warning for self-exaltation, Ecc 7:17 warns us not to lower ourselves to the level of the world. The Preacher does not say that a little bit of wickedness or foolishness is not a problem, but he points to the capitulation to evil. It is the acceptance of some wickedness and foolishness, as long as it is within the borders that are acceptable for most people. If both parties agree, it should be accepted.

That what is wicked and foolish, becomes more and more the standard in society. One should not exaggerate too much and not behave too wickedly and too foolishly. That is how you get the most out of it. This attitude of life is reflected in the mixing of a little bit of good with a little bit of evil and in making compromises. This is how one is able to keep it up for a long time and stay good friends with everyone. This is eating from both sides of the buffet, living two lifestyles.

If one chooses the side of wickedness and foolishness, then there is a great chance that he will die before his time, meaning that he will not die of old age, but at an age you would not expect. If we allow God to be involved, we know that the time to die is determined by Him (Job 14:5). We cannot prolong our lives (Mt 6:27).

At the same time God knows how to give the foolish actions of man a place in His purpose. He can bring ruin over us soon and shorten our lifespan if we live wickedly and foolishly (Psa 55:23). That can happen for example, by living a lifestyle that affects our health, such as drugs, and sex outside marriage, or by committing a murder resulting in the death penalty.

The advice of Ecc 7:18 corresponds to the advices of the two previous verses. It is a kind of summary advice to do what is “good”. It is good to grasp “one thing”, that is to stick to the warning not to fall into extremes. It is also good not to let go of “the other”, that is what the last line of Ecc 7:18 says: fear God.

To fear God means living in reverence and awe of Him. Whoever follows this ‘good’ advice, “comes forth with both of them”. This means that we are only saved from falling into extremes if we fear God. As a result, we are also kept from the related consequences mentioned in the two previous verses: ruining ourselves and dying before our time.

The wise walks on the middle road between the two extremes: not in his own righteousness and not in wickedness. He knows how to walk between legalism and indifference. This can only be accomplished if God is feared. The fear of God keeps us from the extremes of own righteousness on the one hand and wickedness on the other hand (Pro 3:7). The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God results in humility and mistrusting our own wisdom. He who fears God fears sin and shuns foolishness.