Ecclesiastes Chapter Twelve, The Proper Use Of Words

Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. [12] And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.

Verse 11 gives us another clue as to the point the preacher was endeavoring to make. In verse 9 he reminded us of his wisdom, choosing to teach the people knowledge. In verse 11, he informs his readership that the words of the wise are like goads.

What is a goad? Oxford has two definitions for the word. The first is a thing that stimulates someone into action. The second is a spiked stick used for driving cattle. The term could be employed here to suggest that people, like cattle, complacently roam without a care, unless given a painful reason to course correct. Then the preacher states that the words of scholars are like well driven nails. The Hebrew for the term, “scholars,” apparently translates literally into, “masters of the assemblies.” This appears to be a call back to verse 9 once again, since it is written that the preacher, in his wisdom, still taught an assembly of people knowledge. He was a master of the assemblies, or a scholar.

Scholarly words are like well driven nails. The idea here is to hold something firmly in place, or to assemble something systematically, point by proverbial point. If you’re putting together a piece of furniture, a single nail avails nothing. But when you have secured every part to one another piece by piece, it all comes together securely and snugly. The finished product turns from a pile of unrelated components into a functional, viable piece of furniture that is useful to those who employ it. The same notion applies here.

Both wise men and scholars receive their words from one Shepherd, the preacher tells us. David informs us who that Shepherd is. “The Lord is my shepherd,” Psalm 23:1. The anonymous writer of Hebrews elucidates further, writing, “our Lord Jesus…that great Shepherd of the sheep,” Hebrews 13:20. Our Lord Jesus put it best, however, when He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep…and I know My sheep, and am known by My own,” John 10:11, 14. Finally, Isaiah writes, “Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young,” Isaiah 40:10, 11. God is the only Shepherd the preacher could possibly be referencing, and the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in these passages to be God Himself. He is the aforementioned Shepherd, as the Bible knows only one qualified for this title.

God distills wise words for men to speak for the sake of others, so that they might be saved. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God does not wish for anyone to perish. This does not mean physical death, but spiritual, eternal separation from the Father in the Lake of Fire. This is not God’s desire for anyone, 1 Corinthians 9:22, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, Ezekiel 33:11. A wise man, discerning this once he has come to the knowledge of the truth, attempts to disseminate the word of God, so that others may likewise be saved from death. To this end Peter wrote, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear,” 1 Peter 3:15.

I have seen some who belligerently wield the word of God like a club on the heads of others. If I were to analyze the scenario further from some of what I’ve heard or read, I would even go so far as to say these certain people delight in being spiritually superior as they expertly maneuver Scripture to demonstrate their inherent intelligence and ability. But, as the preacher relates, this is not godly wisdom. These are not words given by God to seek and save the lost. Christians are not armed with the word of God to use the sword of the Spirit on our fellow man. Not in a  spirit of spite or malice or intellectual bullying. How many times have we used the words of truth, or the nails given by one Shepherd to win an argument or to prove we’re right? But is this speaking the truth in love, Ephesians 4:15, see also 1 Corinthians 13:4.

The preacher employs the phrase, “my son,” in verse 12. These two words appear numerous times in the book of Proverbs, a book Solomon wrote primarily for his son Rehoboam, Proverbs, 1:8, 10, 15, 2:1, etc. Returning to the first person here, the preacher advises his son to be admonished by these things. To be admonished means to be firmly warned or reprimanded. An old father, whose sins in his elder years were grievous, was cautioning his son about the frivolity of life divorced from God’s personal presence.

His second caution is about constantly making books, learning or teaching. Of it he says there is no end. Any subject one delves into could take a lifetime to become an expert at, but one will not know it exhaustively. In this life and in our current state, it is impossible to know anything exhaustively. That is not to say one should not learn and grow; it is a cautionary tale that no matter how we learn and grow, much room remains and therefore much humility should remain as well. Intense study wearies the body. Anyone subjected to public school can attest to this. Our Lord said of the body, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,” Matthew 26:41. Also, there is the danger of always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth, 2 Timothy 3:7. Even the Bible can become just one more topic we’re good at memorizing and regurgitating at need. We become storehouses of trivia, but the reality of what the truth within tries to impress upon us is lost to us. Nonetheless knowledge will increase as we approach the end of the age, Daniel 12:4. This does not mean superiority of understanding, but merely quantitative knowledge. The best medicine one could apply in this instance is to step away from always learning, and practice what we preach. Live the truth out in our daily lives, with the Holy Spirit at the helm to inspire and inform our decisions.