Ecclesiastes Chapter Three, Reality Verses Perception

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, [13] and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor–it is the gift of God.

Remember that throughout this letter the preacher does not refer to God as Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, but rather as Elohim, the Creator God established in the opening chapter of Genesis. God is revealed to all men of every society throughout history through human conscience and the natural order, Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20, etc.

God is kind to both the good and evil, according to Scripture, evidenced by the common blessings both may equally enjoy. In fact the Psalmist, when reflecting on the fortunes of the wicked, perceives that perhaps the wicked have it better than the just, Psalm 73:3-5. The preacher utilizes what is under the sun to behold what is naturally revealed of God from human experience. This natural revelation, as it were, reveals to this wisest of men that rejoicing in what is actually good in their lives and enjoying small pleasures such as meals (a social affair in Israel) is a blessing from this Creator God.

Note that the preacher does not state that men should rejoice in what they find to be good, but rather in what IS good. There is a distinct difference. We read of Israel adrift in apostasy throughout the era of the Judges, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes,” Judges 21:25. The overarching theme of Judges applies here. There is what is good, and what men perceive to be good. How does one know the difference? Intuitively we dimly perceive justice and equity since governments ancient and modern eschewed wicked behavior such as theft, murder, rape, kidnapping, divorce, etc. Having God’s image, we know what is wrong and what is right; not right and wrong on a personal, subjective level, but right or wrong on an objective, universal level. When we reject right or wrong for personal preference we have delved into the realm of the Judges, and have moved away from rejoicing in what is good, to rejoicing in what we find good, robbing the concept of good of any inherent meaning. The thief may find fleecing his victims to be good. The child molester finds robbing a child of innocence good. It pleases them, or else they would not do it.

But humanity is not only to rejoice in good, but to do good all of our lives. Seeing that God is just (revealed by conscience) and powerful (revealed by nature), humanity should be driven to discern what else God is like. If humanity, flawed and sinful as we are, is as complex as we are, surely God is infinitely more so. The good we rejoice in, and the good we perform should compel us to seek the ultimate giver of all good things. The preacher is speaking from his worldview, in which wisdom, ordained by God above, governs the man’s conscience to make decisions that are good, for the good of others. Paul wrote of joy and rejoicing, saying this, “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death,” 2 Corinthians 7:9, 10.

This is why the wisest man on earth commends visiting the house of sorrow; one’s joy and rejoicing intensifies when we realize the natural outcome of life and that daily life is a blessing. There is a blesser who wishes to further bless us, and He left evidence of His existence on earth so that mankind may find Him once we understand the precarious position we stand in. Realizing there is a God is a beginning, or foundation, but as James chided his readership, one must go past that rudimentary belief to know the true God, and what His purpose is for each of us as individuals, Titus 2:14, James 2:19.

One’s labor brings good, the preacher informs us. This good is defined initially as eating and drinking. In other words, the creature comforts of life, the necessities our Lord reminded us that the Father knows we need, and is not remiss to provide them, Matthew 6:25, 30, 32. This commentary was given following Jesus’ appraisal of man’s penchant for worshiping the power of wealth, while relegating God to the periphery. The pursuit of wealth shouldn’t be man’s objective; because it is said that if our goal while working is riches, our view of God diminishes. We trust more in our efforts to acquire material comfort and not rest in the blessings of the Father, who provides what is necessary for His children. If we see labor and its blessing as gifts from the Almighty, it becomes easier to celebrate the Lord’s bounty and praise the giver. If we view them as our due from industry and as a means to an end to further advance our worldly ambition, we will not humble ourselves to recognize the Creator’s hand in our life and risk becoming like Israel in the time of the Judges. We do not rejoice in what is good, but only what our sinful minds perceive to be good: that is, whatever personally benefits us. Let us then practice simple gratitude and humble ourselves before God, that He may lift us up in His own time.