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Written by Paul J Bucknell on July, 13, 2024

Ecclesiastes 7:15-22 Making Sense of Nonsense

A life that honors God is the best life.

¹⁹ Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. ²⁰ Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. ²¹ Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. ²² For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others” (Ecc 7:15-22 NASB).

Life often doesn’t make sense. We wrestle with truth and its claims in our lives and decisions, but then we see or read something that contradicts our thinking and get confused again. Solomon noticed this much more because he kept track of the many things he saw—“he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs” (Ecc 12:9), including nonsensical situations.

In Ecclesiastes 7:15-22 we will examine some of Solomon’s observations. These might not be our experiences, but they provide a good sample to evaluate our responses and reset our convictions on God and His Word as necessary.

1) Life’s Complexity (Ecc 7:15)

Our text begins with verse 15, where Solomon states,” I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility.” This is not a literal statement but a hyperbole. He, as king, reveals that he has seen life’s extremes—the good and the bad, that which should and should not occur. He illustrates this with a real-to-life observation, “There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.” These astute observations occur throughout this book. One reason is to attract his readers’ attention and make them willing to extend their faith borders to include God in their lives. Life with God makes no sense.

In short, he means that some righteous people, whom we often call good, die early. They are born yet do not have a full life. We expect God, like ourselves, for the righteous to live longer. Solomon also points out that some very mean and selfish people live long lives. They perpetuate evil. When your good husband, friend, or child dies early, these issues become tricky issues for our faith. Making it more difficult, the evil one is right there to make us doubt the good intent of our Great Comforter. But things are even more complicated than this.

He sets before us a quandary, making us wonder again about God’s involvement in this world. How shall we interpret Solomon’s observations and conclusions? Is he insinuating that God is not rightly watching over this world? This mimics how the evil one often tempts God’s people—“Look, God doesn’t care!” The deists wrongly conclude that God is not involved in governing this world; He just created it. However, we don’t pretend we understand life. There are many questions without answers. Solomon chooses a few issues in the next chapters and works through them instigated by these two surprising observations: (1) Sometimes righteous people die young, and (2) the wicked sometimes live long lives. How do you respond to these two observations?

Are his observations true?
What makes his observations troubling?

You may have seen or known about such situations. With the rise of the internet, we have become more familiar with good and evil. This raises the question of why a just God does not intervene sooner to make the earth a better place—to extend the lives of the righteous and judge the wicked earlier. Why does a just God not properly reward the righteous and tolerate evil? We can sympathize with Solomon’s troubling observations. When we experience someone we love dying early or oppressed under a wicked and selfish authority, these questions press themselves for answers.

What have you seen? Do these unjust situations trouble you? How does your faith in God handle this? Let’s see how Solomon handles it.

2) Advice’s Paradox (Ecc 7:16-18)

Solomon’s introduction to this topic does not immediately lead to clever and hoped-for answers. There may be a brief bumpy ride, but he does come to a resolution in the end.

(1) Alarming Situations (7:16-17)

¹⁶ Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? ¹⁷ Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

Verses 16-17 are two alarming Bible verses. You might wonder if I quoted them correctly because they seem to contradict the rest of the Bible. Verse 16 advises not to be overly righteous and wise, for it may lead to ruin. Verse 17, discussing the wicked, advises that they should also not be excessively wicked or foolish, as it can lead to an early death.

First, we agree with Solomon’s observations; they are illustrated in the Bible. Two prominent Bible characters, John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, died early because they lived righteous, God-pleasing lives. The unrighteous killed the righteous. John spoke against the inappropriateness of an adulteress government official, Herod the Tetrarch (Mat 14:1-12). Jesus’ righteousness showed up in His willingness to address the evil choices of the pompous religious classes who later put Him to death. Both were killed because they insisted on living and ministering uprightly without compromise. God’s will dictated righteous preaching.

We see this in Judas Iscariot’s evil plot when he betrayed Jesus; he died early due to his evil choices. Excessive righteousness and excessive evil can bring early death, but this is not what we mean by contradicting the Scriptures.

We should ask: “How can one compromise his righteous convictions to live longer?” The second, “How can we advise anyone to hold back on their evil just so they won’t die early?” We can’t. Instead, we should be like John the Baptist, calling all to repentance and righteousness.

“³³ “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. ³⁵ The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil” (Mat 12:33-35).

John tells us not to pretend we are one way when we are not. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and it’s fruit bad.” The Bible admonishes us, “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Tim 6:11). There is no room for compromise in our pursuit of righteousness. We should live as our Master lived.

So, how can we understand Solomon’s advice in verses 16-17? This is the difference between worldly wisdom and godly living. The first piece of advice is strictly from “under the sun,” making observations without God’s input. This is the reason some statements throughout Ecclesiastes appear unbalanced. Just as he has repeatedly stated, they are what we will understand if we only use our eyes. He speaks this way to show how inadequate this perspective is, even though it might have some element of truth—they do happen. It disturbs us, maybe because we know it’s not the whole truth; we can’t figure it out. Again, remember Solomon is letting the facts of life speak out and, in a clever way, embarrassing the world of its over-simplistic way of life, showing them their ridiculous acceptance of life. Their view of life “under the sun” does not always align with reality and sometimes seems nonsensical.

Solomon’s dilemma is resolved when we combine an “over the sun” viewpoint with the imminent threat of God’s judgment and the promise of eternal life.

Let me apply this to our age. Living righteous lives might not look wise from under the sun. People will snub you and even persecute you. If you refuse to compromise, you can lose friends, family, wealth, job security, promotions, etc. Societal extremes are getting more and more extreme. Outside a luxury retail store is a sign warning people they cannot steal over $950 (California Penal Code [CPC] §459.5(a)). Why is this wrong? Because it completely misses the “over the sun” vantage point that reminds us that God will judge you for everything you steal, whether under $950, or not!

Modern secularism might appear virtuous from some angles, but it is wholly inadequate when considering life because it neglects the spiritual world. This is why many secularists are so insecure, afraid to debate but instead clutching onto being right. A little light exposes the immature and narrow viewpoint (John 3:20).

A Biblical mindset, however, is glorious because it is comprehensive and can withstand all sorts of attacks (Mat 4:1-11). It is realistic and holistic because it includes world events from God’s perspective. A godly person seeks and loves God, wanting God’s pleasure above the desire to live long. In Revelation 22:11-12 we are admonished to keep the spiritual world in mind when making life decisions.

¹¹ Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.” ¹² “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Rev 22:11-13)

God tells us to be extreme for God and refrain from being lukewarm, “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!” (Rev 3:15). Your life choices make an extreme difference. If you only seek things on earth, you only have temporal days on earth, but if you seek those things above, you will reap eternal benefits.

But what about protecting physical life? We instinctively know we ought to protect life; this is a God-given drive. We understand that the righteous and the foolish can die prematurely. The very righteous and wise are less likely to tolerate the wickedness around them, which can lead to their demise from oppression. Conversely, the foolish may carelessly lose their lives due to their actions. Many cancers have origins in bad choices. Being more moderate can help people live longer, while extremism often leads to a shorter life. Extreme righteousness may lead to a shorter earthly life, if God wills. This does not, however, frustrate our Lord’s greater eternal and redemptive plans. He gives special grace for such situations.

(2) Coming Back to His God-ward Senses (7:18)

“It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them” (Ecc 7:18).

Solomon briefly concludes his thoughts in verse 18 before using three situations to prove the value of wisdom (see verses 19-22). The confusion is largely related to what he is referring to.

What is “one thing”?
What is “the other”?
What does “both of them” allude to?

From the previous verses, the one desirable thing would be righteousness, while the other is long life.

His illustration is intriguing. Stretch out your hand and hold something tightly. Then, with the same hand, grab and hold onto something else. What happens? The earlier object is released. You cannot hold two things at once. You lose one of the objects.

This object lesson simulates the world and its conclusions, proving they cannot be resolved. The world says, “Don’t be too good or too bad. Life will go better for you.” People compromise to live longer, and many compromise their values to keep peace and maintain the status quo. But they have no peace.

Solomon critiques this worldly view, showing that life does not work that way. We cannot interpret life with a simple earthly observation. From under the sun, we cannot discern what will happen when we make compromises.

Towards a resolution, the fear of God

This is why Solomon concludes with, “For the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.” The only way to resolve this matter is to live in light of God. Let God work it out. When we fear God, we pay attention to what He wants. Life remains unpredictable, but we have the best life possible by living, like Job, a righteous and perhaps long life. If it doesn’t work out, and sometimes it doesn’t, as in Jesus’ case, we can equally entrust our lives to God. We know He will reward the righteous because our life extends into eternity.

Despite the lack of clarity, his last statement, “the one who fears God comes forth with both of these,” like the rest of Ecclesiastes, comes out with its powerful call to live in the fear of God, just like at the end of the book (Ecc 12:13). We cannot be sure of what “Both of these” means, but they are good and what we desire.

Interestingly, Solomon doesn’t use the name of God, Yahweh (in Proverbs 87 times), in Ecclesiastes but just “God.” He persuades people to consider God by common observation rather than by returning to tradition or religion, which they seem to have rejected. It’s the only thing that makes sense. But he also rebukes the compromisers, telling them to repent and get right with God.

Daniel and his friends

Daniel and his friends provide two examples of this. Daniel refused to stop praying only to God (Daniel 6). The emperor was forced to cast him into the pit with the lions. His life was preserved because Daniel feared God and refused to compromise his spiritual duty to pray and worship God alone. Daniel’s friends, likewise, refused to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s hideous idol (Daniel 3). They refused to compromise. Though tossed into a fiery furnace, they were not burned but promoted. The chapter concludes, “Then the king caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon” (Daniel 3:30).

Summary

God can reward and save the righteous with a long life if He chooses. He is a God of miracles. He is involved in this world but only fully reconciles matters in the next.

“Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly. But it will not be well for the evil man, and he will not lengthen his days like a shadow because he does not fear God” (Ecc 8:12-13).

The fear of God involves faith, and though it doesn’t ignore happenings in the world, it lives in light of the invisible world. It doesn’t matter if one’s life is cut short, like Jesus’, or if one has a long life, like Daniel’s. We can fully trust God when living uncompromising lives. “For the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.” We need an eternal perspective that comes with the fear of God to navigate our lives on earth rightly.

3) Wisdom’s Tools (Ecc 7:19-22)

Solomon returns to making wise statements, as he earlier did in verses 1-14. He buttresses his call to fear God by living in His wisdom through them. We will look at three points that can move us far ahead in life, even when surrounded by trying or incomprehensible situations.

(1) Wisdom’s Advantage (7:19)

“Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city” (Ecc 7:19).

No matter what you say about life and your choices, a life of wisdom is the best.

Wisdom strengthens a wise man. Notice he does not say it strengthens the foolish man. Wisdom slides away from the foolish man as water slides off a duck’s back. The foolish man has no way to hold onto wisdom. Wisdom multiplies insight. Wisdom makes you better off than ten rulers with all their powers—“more than ten rulers.” But it also hints at the foolishness among rulers. Poor policies make people poor.

Plead for wisdom and humbly apply it. Do not fear being among the few in number or having little money. God will use wisdom like a secret path through this terrible, sinful, and foolish world. The fear of the Lord in wisdom safely navigates us through this increasingly wicked age.

(2) Humility’s Benefit (7:20)

“Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (Ecc 7:20).

This verse jumps out as a clear Old Testament witness of our sinful state. Other verses, such as Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” We all are sinners. Now, we do not deny mankind’s sinful nature. We wholeheartedly concur with this statement. Paul testified from the Old Testament in:

“As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3:10).

“There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 53:3; also Ps 14:1-3).

But don’t get distracted from Solomon’s purpose. His argument suggests that there might be another point. Solomon teaches us that we are all sinners and not perfectly righteous. This statement is built on our need to live righteous lives before God. A paraphrase might go like this: “Don’t think you are perfectly good, for no one is perfect.”

I don’t think Solomon is teaching mankind’s sinful nature as a doctrine but instead applies it to our lives so that we are not arrogant or overconfident. In relation to wisdom, he provides a stepping stone for the fool, who suddenly distastes his life, to move toward wisdom. Jesus is the doorway to wisdom and to life itself. It’s also a way to increase wisdom. He is not discouraging us from righteousness but rather trying to use a proper perspective of ourselves to navigate the path of righteousness leading to life.

Start gaining wisdom where you are, even if a fool.
Don’t give up because others are ahead of you.
Don’t think it is easy or natural for others. We all can live by wisdom.

I have a derivative of this, a principle that I live by: “We never stop learning.” A humble picture of our lives helps us see things rightly and grow in our wisdom and knowledge of God.

(3) Mercy’s Riches (7:21-22)

“²¹ Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. ²² For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others” (Ecc 7:21-22).

Wisdom and righteousness cannot increase when we protect our glory. We are unbalanced when we fixate on ourselves and seek to avoid criticism. This verse talks about a specific attitude in those conquered by vanity; they continually listen to and analyze the speech of those around them to see if they gain others’ approval. Instead of valuing others, they despise them, being critical and easily offended. The vain can make a mountain out of a molehill and tend to read into conversations and social media comments, either patting themselves on the back or being offended.

In verse 22, the writer uses practical language to humble even the proudest individuals. We shouldn’t be too upset if we hear others speaking ill of us. Although it’s wrong, we should let God defend us. Remember how Jesus stood quiet when people mocked and accused him?

Instead, we should reason that God is trying to catch our attention and give us an opportunity to humble ourselves. We are not perfect and have, at times, spoken ill of others. This should prompt us to show mercy. It’s wrong and conceited to judge others based on a standard we ourselves have not attained. (This doesn’t mean wrong is not wrong, however.) These comments should remind people of the need to show mercy.

A merciful person forgives because he has also wrongly spoken. He does not retain bitterness. “¹⁴ For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Mat 6:14-15).

Application

Let me take a life scene that can happen at home, church, or work. How do we handle conflict?

A wise man is a peacemaker, willing to listen and live in light of his imperfections. Though he does not apologize for what he did not do wrong, he recognizes his wrong and allows this insight to treat others humbly and kindly. We can learn from others, even when holding contrary opinions, by being wise, humble, and merciful.

Wisdom can only be added to a wise man. A righteous person observes his sinful actions and thoughts, refuses to cover them up, and does not get angry over another’s wrong. Instead, as necessary, he repents from his wrong and continues on. That is wisdom. A man can grow in righteousness only when he remembers he is still a sinner.

Summary

Solomon holds the “fear of God” as a sufficient light to guide us. Because of Solomon’s relentless presentation of viewing the world from “under the sun,” he takes the liberty to teach of greater light in God’s truth. The introductory phrase, “Our Father who is in heaven” (Mat 6:9), forces us to view all of life in light of God’s heavenly or spiritual wisdom and, through this, shape our decisions.

Contrasting the worldly with the spiritual, the temporal with the eternal.

Ecclesiastes 7:15-22 Bible Study Questions

Solomon raises questions about life from some simple observations that we have seen, too.

“¹⁵ I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness. ¹⁶ Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? ¹⁷ Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? ¹⁸ It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them. ¹⁹ Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. ²⁰ Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins. ²¹ Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. ²² For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others” (Ecc 7:15-22 NASB).

What do you think Solomon meant by saying in 7:15, “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility?”
Rephrase the end of verse 15 in your own words to capture Solomon’s two observations.
Are Solomon’s observations from verse 1 true? Discuss.
What is Solomon’s advice in verses 16-17? Why might he say this?
Do you agree with his advice in verses 16-17? Explain and give evidence from the Bible for disagreement.
Read verses 16-18 and guess at what things people might want to hold on to.
What does his illustration of grasping in verse 18 teach us about the difficulty of holding onto a long life and one’s righteousness?
What does Solomon say about the solution at the end of verse 18? Do you agree?
What are several things about wisdom taught in verse 19?
Why might he say verse 20?
What is the result if we follow Solomon’s advice in verse 21? What is his point?
How does fear of God in your life help you better learn from God and listen to others?