Ecclesiastes Chapter Eleven, Youthful Indiscretions

Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. [10] Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity.

Again the preacher is patronizing in his tone, as he tells the young man to enjoy his youth. He encourages such a man to walk in the ways of his heart and the sight of his eyes. The modern saying my culture has embraced would be, “listen to your heart.” We have already seen what the Bible says about the deceitful, wicked nature of man’s heart, so this counsel is either treacherous or the preacher is being facetious.

The Apostle John wrote about this subject, warning Christians, “For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world,” 1 John 2:16. John wasn’t stating that sexual perversion or substance abuse was of the world. His incrimination is as encapsulating as the preacher’s. He warns that all that is in the world–that is, everything the world offers divorced from God–is of the world, and not from the Father. So the upstanding, morally righteous religious person of the world is in the exact same boat as the murderer or rapist; their works are of the world.

With the veneer stripped away, the preacher’s words are seen as a cautionary note; man is at liberty to defy and rebel against his Creator. God does not program man to obey like a robot; overriding free will would destroy the concept and foundation of love. God loves man, and offers to us the solution to our woes, but it is up to each of us individually to assess what God offers and accept or reject this kind offer. But if we accept, we must accept it on His terms. And if we reject, we must be prepared for what our refusal to be saved means for our spiritual state. This is why the preacher informs the young man that, while he may indulge the passions of his youth, it invites judgment from God. The Hebrew word for “judgment,” is “mishpat,” and means, “a judicial verdict.” In Ecclesiastes alone the term is employed 6 times, with the same Hebrew term used. The Apostle Paul wrote about our sinful conduct, saying, “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow after,” 1 Timothy 5:24.

What does this mean? Scripture tells us that when the dead are judged before the Great White Throne, there are books opened, Revelation 20:12. These are the books of their works done in this life. John records this, calling it, “their works…written in the books.” God notices everything, and for every transgression there will be a reckoning. Mind you, one is not convicted or acquitted by their works., despite what religion may have you believe. Catholicism, Islam, etc, teach that good works can outstrip bad ones, and open the gates of Heaven for you. But John isn’t writing about the souls of men being tried to determine if they’ve “made the cut,” so to speak. No, the Book of Life was opened with the books of their works, and when the names of those standing before the throne were not found in the Book of Life, the severity of their sentence was rendered. The Book of Life is the Book of Life of the Lamb, and believer’s names may be found within it, Revelation 21:27, Philippians 4:3.

Christ our Lord explained how the judgment of the unsaved would ensue: “And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few,” Luke 12:47, 48. The Apostle Paul explained that God, “will render to each one according to his deeds,” Romans 2:6, see also Psalm 62:12.

As Ecclesiastes begins to reach its conclusion, the preacher advises the young man to remove sorrow and evil from himself. The evil of our deeds will bring sorrow to our hearts; this cause and effect is universal and timeless. James informs us that we want and do not have because God knows the heart, and our interests are in a desire for pleasure rather than the pursuit of God, James 4:1-3. The young man in his passions desires many pleasures. And while sexual pleasures spring to the fore as the poster child for youthful indiscretions, that would be narrow minded to say the least. James attributes warfare to this fundamental human deficiency. Our selfish, single-minded pursuit of what we want is the foundation for war and its ensuing suffering. When we are subdued by God, His interests become priority, and therefore selfless love and caring for one’s neighbor become a part of our nature. When the flesh is in control our own interests always have priority, and without a proper barometer to measure the merit (or danger) of pursuing them, we are left, each to our own devices and the consequences. Life under the sun cannot adequately answer moral needs and questions. In fact, morality itself is an artificial and malleable construct mankind “evolved” as culture improved and population increased. In other words, Atheistic morality is a reflection of what today’s culture finds permissible. But God, who is unchanging, defined morality by His own existence, and impressed that moral order upon His created beings. We have a conscience that convicts us of absolute moral truth when we choose to err, and to that end God will bring man into judgment for his moral choices, measured against how much he understands.

Finally, the preacher disregards childhood and youth (young manhood) as vanity, or pointlessness. A time of play and passionate pursuit of volatile and often hurtful things, forming habits and molding patterns that serve to solidify how vain life really is. Truly, man is, “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,” 2 Timothy 3:7. Of course this harsh outlook serves a final, poignant purpose. This purpose will be clearly revealed by the end of the preacher’s consideration of life under the sun. But for now, he disregards childhood and youth as vanity, turning his attention to himself and his peers as he critiques the nature of old age next.