The End of the Matter
For Meditation
So we come to the end of this fascinating book! In this last section of verses, the authorial voice swings back to the original narrator who introduced the teacher in 1:1. In this last section of verses, it’s the narrator’s way of summing up everything Qohelet has taught, while also taking the opportunity to share his own final thoughts.
So how does he sum up everything in this book? First, he summarizes Qohelet’s main conclusion in verse 8: “Everything is meaningless!” He reiterates that in Qohelet’s quest to find meaning “under the sun,” he has discovered again and again that life is baffling and enigmatic. He has not been afraid to ask very difficult questions about life and to draw very painful conclusions about human existence. In this he is speaking truth, and not plastering over the hard realities of human life with sentimental religion. For this we can be very thankful, and it gives us permission to ask our own hard questions and face the truth of injustice, suffering and death.
And yet, despite all this, Qohelet has held on to his faith. In the end, he says, life is not actually meaningless, but has a very clear purpose: to fear God and follow his commands. In this, he is hearkening back to Eden, recalling the original purpose of human existence: to live in relationship with our Creator and to flourish under his reign. Even when we live in a world of hebel, we can claim the true purpose of human life, loving God and loving neighbor, which Jesus Christ has restored for us through his death and resurrection.
So we are left with a dialectical tension of living in a harsh, baffling world, but doing so with hope and purpose.
As you prepare for worship, take a look back over Ecclesiastes and reflect on what we have learned from it. What is one way God has used this book to challenge you? What's an invitation from this book that God is offering to you?
Ecclesiastes 12:8-14
8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
“Everything is meaningless!”
9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
13Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.