Ecclesiastes Chapter Twelve, Delightful Words

Ecclesiastes 12:9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order (alt. arranged) many proverbs. [10] The Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was upright–words of truth.

The narrative makes a sudden and last minute shift beginning with verse 9. The preacher begins speaking in third person, rather than first person. This has led several commenters to conclude that the final portion of Ecclesiastes is an addendum. This is famously noted in Deuteronomy chapter 34.

Since Moses is recorded to have died in verse 5 of this chapter, it is generally accepted that Joshua finished the record in Deuteronomy, when God led Moses to see all of Canaan before he died on the mountain. It is not entirely unheard of for a book of the Bible to be compiled by another writer, or have a small segment added by another writer, though this is highly uncommon. Another such example is in Proverbs, where Agur and King Lemuel contribute to the book’s conclusion, and it is written that Hezekiah organized chapter 25 onward, Proverbs 25:1.

We are reminded of the preacher’s wisdom, and because of his God-given wisdom he continued to speak the truth to the people. Further, we are informed that he pondered (or considered, contemplated), sought out and set in order (or arranged) many proverbs. How many proverbs? We are told that it was 3000, along with 1005 songs, 1 Kings 4:32. There are about 915 proverbs in the book of Proverbs, which means not even one third of the proverbs King Solomon pondered and wrote down survived. The single song we have of his is, of course, the Song of Solomon, or the Song of Songs.

The goal the preacher strove for was what he called “acceptable words.” The NASB and the HCSB both render the word, “acceptable,” as “delightful,” while the RSV renders it, “pleasing.” Whatever the case, the ultimate purpose of the words was meant to incite joy from the readership. That sounds utterly preposterous after wading through about 217 verses thus far. The preacher went out of his way to dismantle worldviews and foment disillusionment about daily life. But, he assures us, these words are deliberately pondered, sought out, and set in order. There is calculating deliberation involved. The words are upright, he relates. What does this mean? They are words of truth.

We know that the Bible’s message is synonymous with truth. God’s word is the truth about all things pertaining to life and godliness. The verse Peter wrote corresponding with this states, “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,” 2 Peter 1:3. Where is the knowledge, or truth of God to be found? Paul joins Peter, saying, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work,” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. The Psalmist declares, “Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven,” Psalm 85:10, 11.Mercy, righteousness and peace, all qualities man desperately craves, are intrinsically linked to truth.

Christ Himself declared, “I am the…truth,” John 14:6. A little later He adds, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth,” John 16:17. The Psalmist says of God’s inspired word, “I have chosen the way of truth…And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth…Your law is truth…And all Your commandments are truth,” Psalm 119:30, 43, 142, 151. Genuine spiritual truth, and all that is true pertaining to life and godliness come from God. God is truth; if we have Him, then we have obtained truth, and the truth shall set us free, John 8:32. If we do not have God, then we are not acquainted with what is true. This passage is actually a lead in to the next four verses, revealing what the preacher has discovered relating to the nature of existence and human life. It has to do with the excellent set up the preacher painfully constructed for the last twelve chapters. The preacher wasn’t destroying human dignity and purpose; rather, he is attempting to correct wrongful assumptions and lazy assertions void of factual merit. Humanity is building on the wrong foundation. It isn’t that what they are constructing is wholly wrong, it is that the foundation of human life is settled on sinking sand, so that nothing built by human merit will stand. We have an inordinate focus on selfishly pursuing daily life without considering why life exists at all.

The preacher wants people to look away from the ephemeral nature of life to something more substantial, something eternal. Truth does not exist outside of God, because God provides the infrastructure for making reasonable decisions in an orderly world; His presence provides the dichotomy of right and wrong for human thought, elevating our understanding of what we call ethics and morality out of all abstract, personal and subjective pondering. Truth reveals what is right, what is wrong, and more importantly, why it is so. God provides the why, something completely lacking without a metanarrative to provide a universal and objective definition to matters regarding morality, which is intermingled with man’s spiritual state. More on this next, God willing.