Ecclesiastes 9

Ecclesiastes 9:1

The Soothing Tongue

That the tongue, that is, the words spoken with the tongue, is presented as “soothing”, literally “healing”, presupposes that the hearer is dejected. Soothing words are as a medicine, they are gentle, soothing, beneficent words. This fits well with the picture of “a tree of life” signifying a source of vitality for others. The tree of life is mentioned here for the fourth time in Proverbs (Proverbs 3:18; Proverbs 11:30; Proverbs 13:12; Proverbs 15:4).

Whoever manages to cheer up someone who is in misery with his good and comforting words, thereby restores his connection to the tree of life, as it were. Life then regains luster and meaning, it regains something of the splendor of paradise. The words spoken are words from and about the Lord Jesus and refer to Him. He is the Tree of Life.

Words with “perversion” in them have the opposite effect. They are deceptive words that crush the spirit. Perversion in words inwardly affects the person addressed, breaking him down and causing him to languish (Isaiah 65:14). What Job’s friends said was not medicine of the tongue for Job. There was perversion in what they said, with the result that the breach in Job’s mind about the suffering that befell him remained.

Ecclesiastes 9:2

Rejecting or Regarding Discipline

Only “a fool rejects his father’s discipline”. No one but a father can discipline a child in the most penetrating and yet appropriate way. He knows his child and knows what he needs. He also knows life and knows where the dangers lurk. The child who takes no notice of a loving discipline from his father and even rejects it contemptuously is a fool.

In contrast, a son testifies that he is “sensible” when he “regards reproof”. By doing so, he shows that he realizes that he still has much to learn and needs correction. He shows common sense

After accepting the fear of the LORD, accepting discipline from the parents is of the highest value. The authority of the father and parents is the authority of God. Discipline must begin at home and is the responsibility of the father or the parents. That is where our life begins. Because we are prone to do the wrong thing, we need correction. David was a sensible one. He considered it a favor when he was reproved (Psalms 141:5).

Ecclesiastes 9:3

Great Wealth or Trouble

“The house of the righteous” is characterized by “great wealth”. By wealth is not necessarily meant money and goods. Above all, it can also mean spiritual wealth. If love, joy and peace, the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), characterize the house of the righteous, it is great wealth (Proverbs 15:16). If the inhabitants of the house treat each other with respect for each person’s abilities and qualities, that is also great wealth.

Of such great wealth the wicked knows nothing. He may have a great income, but in that income is the seed of trouble and misery. There is a curse on it, for he thinks only of himself. Pride and covetousness prevent him from enjoying it with satisfaction. He is led by envy of others who have just a little more. There is also fear that it will be taken away from him. All these factors are in his income and rob him of its joy. Along with his income, confusion, restlessness and sleeplessness enter his house.

Ecclesiastes 9:4

The Lips of the Wise and the Hearts of Fools

Wise people spread knowledge when they speak. Their words are useful and profitable to the listeners. In the same way, so too is knowledge used appropriately. Knowledge is not meant to be kept to oneself, or shared only with a select few. “The lips of wise men” will let all hear the knowledge of God and His will that is in their heart. They do so not to show off their knowledge, but to benefit others. The knowledge they have, they have received to share.

That knowledge is “spread” includes the thought of multiplication. Seed that is spread develops into a great harvest. Whatever knowledge is spread by the lips of the wise comes into the heart of many who, in turn, also spread the received knowledge.

The lips of the Lord Jesus have spread knowledge so that His hearers might know God and His assessment of them. It is important that we pass on to others what we have learned from God’s Word about God and Christ as well as about ourselves. Then we show that we have “lips of the wise”.

There is no knowledge in “the hearts of fools”. Fools keep their hearts closed to knowledge. As a result, there is nothing in the hearts of fools that could be useful to others. Fools have no understanding of knowledge. Nor do they want it; they do not open themselves to it. As a result, they are unable to spread it out.

Ecclesiastes 9:5

What Is an Abomination to the LORD

Here, as everywhere else in the Bible, “the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 15:8) because the heart of those who bring it is insincere (1 Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 1:10-17; Jeremiah 6:20). Not only is it unacceptable to God, but He abhors it. Cain was such a wicked who came with a sacrifice that was rejected by God with disgust (Genesis 4:5). Cain brought a self-willed sacrifice and God should be satisfied with that. Thus, so-called Christians come to God with all kinds of sacrifices. These are the sacrifices of their good works, but God rejects them. We find these abundantly in roman-catholicism.

What He accepts is “the prayer of the upright”. Prayer is called a “sacrifice” (Psalms 141:2). When it is offered to Him by the upright, it is “His delight”. The upright take their true place before God. In their heart, they stand right before God. They realize that they can approach Him only on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice and not on the basis of anything of themselves. Their prayer is the prayer of faith. They pray knowing that they are a sinner by nature. Prayer is contrasted with the haughty sacrifice of self-satisfied people who tell God how well they do serve Him (Luke 18:10-14).

Not only is the sacrifice of the wicked, or the mere fulfillment of religious obligations, an abomination to God, but so is “the way of the wicked”, i.e. his whole life (Proverbs 15:9). Similarly, not only is the prayer of the upright His delight, but the whole life of “one who pursues righteousness” is. Whoever does so “He loves”. To pursue righteousness is to give to others what is rightfully his, and above all to God what is rightfully His. It is an active, persistent, and even dangerous search for righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11). A person can do this only if he has new life.

Proverbs 15:10 connects with Proverbs 15:9, the way of the wicked, for the wicked is one who “forsakes the way” that God wants man to go. The way here is the way of righteousness, as emphasized throughout the book. The one who forsakes that way must be grievously punished. This is not pleasant, but it is necessary. Whoever does not listen to punishment from his parents or anyone else, shows thereby that he hates punishment. That will result in death (cf. 2 Chronicles 25:16; 2 Peter 2:15; 21; Romans 8:13).

Ecclesiastes 9:6

What Is an Abomination to the LORD

Here, as everywhere else in the Bible, “the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 15:8) because the heart of those who bring it is insincere (1 Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 1:10-17; Jeremiah 6:20). Not only is it unacceptable to God, but He abhors it. Cain was such a wicked who came with a sacrifice that was rejected by God with disgust (Genesis 4:5). Cain brought a self-willed sacrifice and God should be satisfied with that. Thus, so-called Christians come to God with all kinds of sacrifices. These are the sacrifices of their good works, but God rejects them. We find these abundantly in roman-catholicism.

What He accepts is “the prayer of the upright”. Prayer is called a “sacrifice” (Psalms 141:2). When it is offered to Him by the upright, it is “His delight”. The upright take their true place before God. In their heart, they stand right before God. They realize that they can approach Him only on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice and not on the basis of anything of themselves. Their prayer is the prayer of faith. They pray knowing that they are a sinner by nature. Prayer is contrasted with the haughty sacrifice of self-satisfied people who tell God how well they do serve Him (Luke 18:10-14).

Not only is the sacrifice of the wicked, or the mere fulfillment of religious obligations, an abomination to God, but so is “the way of the wicked”, i.e. his whole life (Proverbs 15:9). Similarly, not only is the prayer of the upright His delight, but the whole life of “one who pursues righteousness” is. Whoever does so “He loves”. To pursue righteousness is to give to others what is rightfully his, and above all to God what is rightfully His. It is an active, persistent, and even dangerous search for righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11). A person can do this only if he has new life.

Proverbs 15:10 connects with Proverbs 15:9, the way of the wicked, for the wicked is one who “forsakes the way” that God wants man to go. The way here is the way of righteousness, as emphasized throughout the book. The one who forsakes that way must be grievously punished. This is not pleasant, but it is necessary. Whoever does not listen to punishment from his parents or anyone else, shows thereby that he hates punishment. That will result in death (cf. 2 Chronicles 25:16; 2 Peter 2:15; 21; Romans 8:13).

Ecclesiastes 9:7

What Is an Abomination to the LORD

Here, as everywhere else in the Bible, “the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD” (Proverbs 15:8) because the heart of those who bring it is insincere (1 Samuel 15:22; Isaiah 1:10-17; Jeremiah 6:20). Not only is it unacceptable to God, but He abhors it. Cain was such a wicked who came with a sacrifice that was rejected by God with disgust (Genesis 4:5). Cain brought a self-willed sacrifice and God should be satisfied with that. Thus, so-called Christians come to God with all kinds of sacrifices. These are the sacrifices of their good works, but God rejects them. We find these abundantly in roman-catholicism.

What He accepts is “the prayer of the upright”. Prayer is called a “sacrifice” (Psalms 141:2). When it is offered to Him by the upright, it is “His delight”. The upright take their true place before God. In their heart, they stand right before God. They realize that they can approach Him only on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice and not on the basis of anything of themselves. Their prayer is the prayer of faith. They pray knowing that they are a sinner by nature. Prayer is contrasted with the haughty sacrifice of self-satisfied people who tell God how well they do serve Him (Luke 18:10-14).

Not only is the sacrifice of the wicked, or the mere fulfillment of religious obligations, an abomination to God, but so is “the way of the wicked”, i.e. his whole life (Proverbs 15:9). Similarly, not only is the prayer of the upright His delight, but the whole life of “one who pursues righteousness” is. Whoever does so “He loves”. To pursue righteousness is to give to others what is rightfully his, and above all to God what is rightfully His. It is an active, persistent, and even dangerous search for righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11). A person can do this only if he has new life.

Proverbs 15:10 connects with Proverbs 15:9, the way of the wicked, for the wicked is one who “forsakes the way” that God wants man to go. The way here is the way of righteousness, as emphasized throughout the book. The one who forsakes that way must be grievously punished. This is not pleasant, but it is necessary. Whoever does not listen to punishment from his parents or anyone else, shows thereby that he hates punishment. That will result in death (cf. 2 Chronicles 25:16; 2 Peter 2:15; 21; Romans 8:13).

Ecclesiastes 9:8

Everything Lies Open Before the LORD

The development of thought in these two lines of verse is an argument from the lesser to the greater (“how much more”). “tomb” (Sheol) and “decay” (Abaddon) represent the remote underworld and all the powerful forces that reside there but are powerless there (Job 26:6; Psalms 139:8; Amos 9:2; Revelation 9:11). This area is completely beyond the perception of humans, but has no secret to God. That this remote region with its inhabitants lies open to Him means that He is omniscient. This also means that He certainly also knows “the hearts of men”.

The word “hearts” means the motives and thoughts (Psalms 44:21b). The eyes of the LORD not only see all men and their deeds (Proverbs 15:3), but He also sees their hearts and all that is in them. No man knows his own heart, let alone another’s, but God knows every heart (Jeremiah 17:10; John 2:25; Hebrews 4:12-13). He knows every intention of every individual.

Ecclesiastes 9:9

A Scoffer Does Not Go to the Wise

A scoffer resists all attempts to reform him. He does not like reproof or rebuke and therefore he “does not love one who reproves him”. He rigidly clings to his own nonsensical opinions which he spreads around him with great pleasure. His goal is to scoff at others and especially God and His service. That is what his life consists of. He loves the fun and mockery far too much to abandon them.

He will not go to the wise to become wise, which proves that a scoffer is a fool. He does not even want to be in the company of the wise. Imagine if he were to take anything from their wisdom. He cannot imagine life without mockery. Scoffers are people who do not want to come to the light because they do not want to be revealed (John 3:19-20). Their own self is their god and goal, and scoffing is their life, causing them to contemptuously reject all wisdom from above.

Ecclesiastes 9:10

A Joyful, Intelligent and Cheerful Heart

The emotional condition of a person, what he experiences in his soul, has a definite effect on his mind. If a person has “a joyful heart”, it can be seen on his face (Proverbs 15:13). One who is on his way to meet his beloved will have a joyful heart. The joy of that encounter will radiate from his face. So it is with a heart that is filled with the Lord Jesus and lives with Him. There is joy over the redemption of sins and the judgment thereof and over the coming encounter with Him.

When a heart is sad, when it is filled with worry, “the spirit is broken”. The words used here emphasize pain and depression with a thought of despair. A broken spirit gives a sad facial expression. Nehemiah was experiencing “sadness of heart”, which could be read on his face (Nehemiah 2:2; cf. Genesis 40:6-7). With Hannah, her face changed from dejected to happy after she received the assurance that her prayer for a son would be answered: “So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad” (1 Samuel 1:18b). Thus, we too can bring our worries, which make us broken of spirit, to the Lord in prayer. This produces a change for the better in our mood.

Here again, this is stated generally, with no guarantee that this always and immediately happens. There may be situations where a person is depressed and remains depressed (for a long time) even though he brings everything to the Lord. This can have all kinds of causes, which we do not always understand. It is so when it happens to ourselves and certainly when it happens to others. For a long time Job did not have a cheerful heart and did not walk around with a happy face. Only when God had come to His purpose with him did this change completely (Job 42:6-17).

Opposite “the mind of the intelligent” is “the mouth of fools”, opposite “seeks” is “feeds” and opposite “knowledge” is “folly” (Proverbs 15:14). Both the intelligent and the fool are bent on filling his mind with something. He who is intelligent in mind seeks knowledge. He who has knowledge longs for more knowledge. It is knowledge about how life should be lived according to the thoughts of God. When a mind seeks that, it demonstrates wisdom.

In the heart of fools, the desire for that knowledge is not present. He does seek something “to eat”. Hence reference is made to “the mouth of fools” and to feeding. To “feed” is to graze as cattle do and points to the fool being satisfied with fodder of the brand of “folly” (cf. Isaiah 44:20).

What a person seeks is evidenced among other things by what he reads and what he looks at. An intelligent mind has “tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:3) and therefore longs for “the pure milk” of the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2). Fools feed their minds on depraved reading and they watch bad movies. They graze like the obtuse cattle in defiled pastures and gobble up the folly of these pastures without any filtering.

Life can be miserable or pleasant, depending on one’s circumstances and nature (Proverbs 15:15). “The afflicted” is one who feels inwardly miserable all the days. All those days “are bad”. He cannot find any joy in anything, because inside he feels afflicted. No matter what is tried to cheer him up, affliction so dominates that he sees only affliction. Everything is bad. Nothing tastes, nothing makes him happy. He is constantly afflicted.

There is affliction when we fail to find our help in God. Jacob said to Pharaoh: “Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life” (Genesis 47:9). That is because his life was full of going his own way without asking God to help him. Naomi, with her husband Elimelech, also went her own way. She testifies that she has experienced “great bitterness” in that way (Rth 1:20-21).

Those who have “a cheerful heart” see and live life in the light of the sun, that is, in the light of the Lord Jesus, Who is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). For a cheerful heart, life is “a continual feast”. We have a cheerful heart when we are rejoicing in the Lord and living in fellowship with Him. Even bad days will not be able to affect the cheerful state of mind. If there is joy within, outward circumstances cannot take away that joy.

The prophet Habakkuk testifies to this. Though he sees around him desolate barrenness and emptiness, he testifies and says: “Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18). We are offered a continual meal by the Lord Jesus in Himself (John 6:35). He wants to dine with us and we may dine with Him if we open our heart to Him (Revelation 3:20).

Ecclesiastes 9:11

A Joyful, Intelligent and Cheerful Heart

The emotional condition of a person, what he experiences in his soul, has a definite effect on his mind. If a person has “a joyful heart”, it can be seen on his face (Proverbs 15:13). One who is on his way to meet his beloved will have a joyful heart. The joy of that encounter will radiate from his face. So it is with a heart that is filled with the Lord Jesus and lives with Him. There is joy over the redemption of sins and the judgment thereof and over the coming encounter with Him.

When a heart is sad, when it is filled with worry, “the spirit is broken”. The words used here emphasize pain and depression with a thought of despair. A broken spirit gives a sad facial expression. Nehemiah was experiencing “sadness of heart”, which could be read on his face (Nehemiah 2:2; cf. Genesis 40:6-7). With Hannah, her face changed from dejected to happy after she received the assurance that her prayer for a son would be answered: “So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad” (1 Samuel 1:18b). Thus, we too can bring our worries, which make us broken of spirit, to the Lord in prayer. This produces a change for the better in our mood.

Here again, this is stated generally, with no guarantee that this always and immediately happens. There may be situations where a person is depressed and remains depressed (for a long time) even though he brings everything to the Lord. This can have all kinds of causes, which we do not always understand. It is so when it happens to ourselves and certainly when it happens to others. For a long time Job did not have a cheerful heart and did not walk around with a happy face. Only when God had come to His purpose with him did this change completely (Job 42:6-17).

Opposite “the mind of the intelligent” is “the mouth of fools”, opposite “seeks” is “feeds” and opposite “knowledge” is “folly” (Proverbs 15:14). Both the intelligent and the fool are bent on filling his mind with something. He who is intelligent in mind seeks knowledge. He who has knowledge longs for more knowledge. It is knowledge about how life should be lived according to the thoughts of God. When a mind seeks that, it demonstrates wisdom.

In the heart of fools, the desire for that knowledge is not present. He does seek something “to eat”. Hence reference is made to “the mouth of fools” and to feeding. To “feed” is to graze as cattle do and points to the fool being satisfied with fodder of the brand of “folly” (cf. Isaiah 44:20).

What a person seeks is evidenced among other things by what he reads and what he looks at. An intelligent mind has “tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:3) and therefore longs for “the pure milk” of the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2). Fools feed their minds on depraved reading and they watch bad movies. They graze like the obtuse cattle in defiled pastures and gobble up the folly of these pastures without any filtering.

Life can be miserable or pleasant, depending on one’s circumstances and nature (Proverbs 15:15). “The afflicted” is one who feels inwardly miserable all the days. All those days “are bad”. He cannot find any joy in anything, because inside he feels afflicted. No matter what is tried to cheer him up, affliction so dominates that he sees only affliction. Everything is bad. Nothing tastes, nothing makes him happy. He is constantly afflicted.

There is affliction when we fail to find our help in God. Jacob said to Pharaoh: “Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life” (Genesis 47:9). That is because his life was full of going his own way without asking God to help him. Naomi, with her husband Elimelech, also went her own way. She testifies that she has experienced “great bitterness” in that way (Rth 1:20-21).

Those who have “a cheerful heart” see and live life in the light of the sun, that is, in the light of the Lord Jesus, Who is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). For a cheerful heart, life is “a continual feast”. We have a cheerful heart when we are rejoicing in the Lord and living in fellowship with Him. Even bad days will not be able to affect the cheerful state of mind. If there is joy within, outward circumstances cannot take away that joy.

The prophet Habakkuk testifies to this. Though he sees around him desolate barrenness and emptiness, he testifies and says: “Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18). We are offered a continual meal by the Lord Jesus in Himself (John 6:35). He wants to dine with us and we may dine with Him if we open our heart to Him (Revelation 3:20).

Ecclesiastes 9:12

A Joyful, Intelligent and Cheerful Heart

The emotional condition of a person, what he experiences in his soul, has a definite effect on his mind. If a person has “a joyful heart”, it can be seen on his face (Proverbs 15:13). One who is on his way to meet his beloved will have a joyful heart. The joy of that encounter will radiate from his face. So it is with a heart that is filled with the Lord Jesus and lives with Him. There is joy over the redemption of sins and the judgment thereof and over the coming encounter with Him.

When a heart is sad, when it is filled with worry, “the spirit is broken”. The words used here emphasize pain and depression with a thought of despair. A broken spirit gives a sad facial expression. Nehemiah was experiencing “sadness of heart”, which could be read on his face (Nehemiah 2:2; cf. Genesis 40:6-7). With Hannah, her face changed from dejected to happy after she received the assurance that her prayer for a son would be answered: “So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad” (1 Samuel 1:18b). Thus, we too can bring our worries, which make us broken of spirit, to the Lord in prayer. This produces a change for the better in our mood.

Here again, this is stated generally, with no guarantee that this always and immediately happens. There may be situations where a person is depressed and remains depressed (for a long time) even though he brings everything to the Lord. This can have all kinds of causes, which we do not always understand. It is so when it happens to ourselves and certainly when it happens to others. For a long time Job did not have a cheerful heart and did not walk around with a happy face. Only when God had come to His purpose with him did this change completely (Job 42:6-17).

Opposite “the mind of the intelligent” is “the mouth of fools”, opposite “seeks” is “feeds” and opposite “knowledge” is “folly” (Proverbs 15:14). Both the intelligent and the fool are bent on filling his mind with something. He who is intelligent in mind seeks knowledge. He who has knowledge longs for more knowledge. It is knowledge about how life should be lived according to the thoughts of God. When a mind seeks that, it demonstrates wisdom.

In the heart of fools, the desire for that knowledge is not present. He does seek something “to eat”. Hence reference is made to “the mouth of fools” and to feeding. To “feed” is to graze as cattle do and points to the fool being satisfied with fodder of the brand of “folly” (cf. Isaiah 44:20).

What a person seeks is evidenced among other things by what he reads and what he looks at. An intelligent mind has “tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter 2:3) and therefore longs for “the pure milk” of the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2). Fools feed their minds on depraved reading and they watch bad movies. They graze like the obtuse cattle in defiled pastures and gobble up the folly of these pastures without any filtering.

Life can be miserable or pleasant, depending on one’s circumstances and nature (Proverbs 15:15). “The afflicted” is one who feels inwardly miserable all the days. All those days “are bad”. He cannot find any joy in anything, because inside he feels afflicted. No matter what is tried to cheer him up, affliction so dominates that he sees only affliction. Everything is bad. Nothing tastes, nothing makes him happy. He is constantly afflicted.

There is affliction when we fail to find our help in God. Jacob said to Pharaoh: “Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life” (Genesis 47:9). That is because his life was full of going his own way without asking God to help him. Naomi, with her husband Elimelech, also went her own way. She testifies that she has experienced “great bitterness” in that way (Rth 1:20-21).

Those who have “a cheerful heart” see and live life in the light of the sun, that is, in the light of the Lord Jesus, Who is called “the sun of righteousness” (Malachi 4:2). For a cheerful heart, life is “a continual feast”. We have a cheerful heart when we are rejoicing in the Lord and living in fellowship with Him. Even bad days will not be able to affect the cheerful state of mind. If there is joy within, outward circumstances cannot take away that joy.

The prophet Habakkuk testifies to this. Though he sees around him desolate barrenness and emptiness, he testifies and says: “Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18). We are offered a continual meal by the Lord Jesus in Himself (John 6:35). He wants to dine with us and we may dine with Him if we open our heart to Him (Revelation 3:20).

Ecclesiastes 9:13

Better … Than …

These two verses clearly belong together. They say that spiritual things are better than material things or material wealth (cf. Psalms 37:16). Proverbs 15:16 is about money and the fear of the LORD; Proverbs 15:17 is about food and love.

Proverbs 15:16 says that fear or reverence of God brings more satisfaction than “great treasure and turmoil with it”. Turmoil expresses itself in confusion, panic, tumult. Turmoil is fear. There is a saying that goes: The more possessions, the more fear. The reverence of God knows no such fear, for through it comes contentment and peace, the opposite of turmoil.

Solomon makes it clear that the righteous will not let wealth dominate them. So you can have a lot of money, the most expensive car, the fastest computer, the largest television with the sharpest screen, a house equipped with everything and still not have peace (cf. Ecclesiastes 4:6; Ecclesiastes 5:12). That peace is found only in walking reverently with God.

Proverbs 15:17 says that a happy, loving relationship is better than a delicious meal where the hearts of those who partake of the meal are filled with hatred toward one another. This is the situation in a family where wealth replaces love. Certainly, there can also be a rich meal with love, but here we are talking about a situation where a choice must be made between a luxurious meal and hate on the one hand and a poor meal and love on the other.

Many people recognize that a house with cheap furniture in which people love each other is preferable to a luxuriously furnished house in which people hate each other. Love makes difficult circumstances bearable, while hate destroys all the joy that a good meal is meant to bring about. You can have food of the very best quality in abundance on the table and still not have that “continual meal” of Proverbs 15:15. Instead, you feel miserable every day and are consumed in your heart by fear, turmoil, hatred and bitterness. The leaven of hatred prevents one from truly enjoying the meal.

Even though someone is not listed as rich and has to make do with very modest meals, he can still be in a constant feasting mood. That is so, if he knows, appreciates and enjoys his spiritual riches. That makes the heart truly and constantly happy. There is peace and contentment, the opposite of turmoil and restlessness.

We can also apply these verses to a local church. If in a church there is a “great treasure” of knowledge, the possibility of turmoil is also great if people start boasting about it. Such was the case in Corinth, where the believers were rich in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:4-7). However, this did not make them humble and thankful, but puffed up, while love was lacking (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Because the Corinthians boasted of their knowledge, there was discord and confusion and all kinds of abuses (1 Corinthians 1:10-12; 1 Corinthians 14:33; 1 Corinthians 11:17-22). In contrast, what the Lord Jesus says of the church in Philadelphia ( which means “brotherly love”) is that they have only “little power”. He praises and encourages them (Revelation 3:7-13).

Ecclesiastes 9:14

Better … Than …

These two verses clearly belong together. They say that spiritual things are better than material things or material wealth (cf. Psalms 37:16). Proverbs 15:16 is about money and the fear of the LORD; Proverbs 15:17 is about food and love.

Proverbs 15:16 says that fear or reverence of God brings more satisfaction than “great treasure and turmoil with it”. Turmoil expresses itself in confusion, panic, tumult. Turmoil is fear. There is a saying that goes: The more possessions, the more fear. The reverence of God knows no such fear, for through it comes contentment and peace, the opposite of turmoil.

Solomon makes it clear that the righteous will not let wealth dominate them. So you can have a lot of money, the most expensive car, the fastest computer, the largest television with the sharpest screen, a house equipped with everything and still not have peace (cf. Ecclesiastes 4:6; Ecclesiastes 5:12). That peace is found only in walking reverently with God.

Proverbs 15:17 says that a happy, loving relationship is better than a delicious meal where the hearts of those who partake of the meal are filled with hatred toward one another. This is the situation in a family where wealth replaces love. Certainly, there can also be a rich meal with love, but here we are talking about a situation where a choice must be made between a luxurious meal and hate on the one hand and a poor meal and love on the other.

Many people recognize that a house with cheap furniture in which people love each other is preferable to a luxuriously furnished house in which people hate each other. Love makes difficult circumstances bearable, while hate destroys all the joy that a good meal is meant to bring about. You can have food of the very best quality in abundance on the table and still not have that “continual meal” of Proverbs 15:15. Instead, you feel miserable every day and are consumed in your heart by fear, turmoil, hatred and bitterness. The leaven of hatred prevents one from truly enjoying the meal.

Even though someone is not listed as rich and has to make do with very modest meals, he can still be in a constant feasting mood. That is so, if he knows, appreciates and enjoys his spiritual riches. That makes the heart truly and constantly happy. There is peace and contentment, the opposite of turmoil and restlessness.

We can also apply these verses to a local church. If in a church there is a “great treasure” of knowledge, the possibility of turmoil is also great if people start boasting about it. Such was the case in Corinth, where the believers were rich in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:4-7). However, this did not make them humble and thankful, but puffed up, while love was lacking (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Because the Corinthians boasted of their knowledge, there was discord and confusion and all kinds of abuses (1 Corinthians 1:10-12; 1 Corinthians 14:33; 1 Corinthians 11:17-22). In contrast, what the Lord Jesus says of the church in Philadelphia ( which means “brotherly love”) is that they have only “little power”. He praises and encourages them (Revelation 3:7-13).

Ecclesiastes 9:15

Hot-Tempered or Slow to Anger

The contrast is between “a hot-tempered man”, literally “a man of anger”, one who is quick-tempered, and one who is “slow to anger” (cf. James 1:19). Hot-temperance is expressed by certain circumstances. Someone who is hot-tempered is proud by nature, otherwise he would not be so quick to get excited about something that affects him. Because of hot-temperance, arguments arise. A hot-tempered man must and will demand his right, even if it is in court.

He who is slow to anger does not stand his ground and knows how to calm the excitement by not reacting excitedly. By his calm response, he stills the “dispute” that has arisen. It takes a lot of patience and calm to maintain or restore peaceful relationships. It takes two people to argue. If one is slow to anger, the dispute will be quieted. The patient is a peacemaker. Peacemaking begins in the heart that bows before God in Christ. This will characterize the spirit and the walk. Abram showed this spirit when there was dispute between the shepherds of his cattle and the shepherds of Lot’s cattle (Genesis 13:7-9).

Ecclesiastes 9:16

The Way of the Lazy and the Path of the Upright

The lazy man sees his “way”, that is, his life, “as a hedge of thorns”, through which he feels hindered from getting to work. His life, he believes, is littered with difficulties, dangers and painful experiences. He looks for and finds excuses in everything that happens to him in life to avoid working. The hedge of thorns he sees is blocking him, so he believes himself and wants to make others believe. Because the lazy person is contrasted with the upright and not the diligent in the second line of verse, laziness appears to be evidence of insincerity.

Upright people are not bothered by a hedge of thorns. Their “path … is a highway”. It is a well paved path, a path that looks good. They walk on “a highway …, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness” (Isaiah 35:8). They have no reason to take a detour or take evasive action. This does not at all mean that the path of the upright is smooth and that they have an easy life.

Both the lazy and the upright walk a path on which they encounter setbacks and difficulties. The difference is the way they deal with setbacks and difficulties. The lazy sees in the difficulties lions and bears, a hedge of thorns, on his way; the upright also see their difficulties, but see God above them and go their path in trust in Him, because they know that He has put them on that path. They count on His grace.

Ecclesiastes 9:17

The Influence of Wisdom and Folly

If a son (or daughter) behaves wisely in response to the father’s strongly protective love and the mother’s warm affection, he (or she) will cause them joy (Proverbs 15:20). However, if a son (or daughter) behaves foolishly, it represents a contempt for the parental investment of care. It is a declaration to the mother that she was wrong to have brought him (or her) into the world.

Wise children give parents reason to rejoice over them. Foolish children show contempt for their mother. They show an unnatural harshness that causes great suffering to their mother. The greatest joy and the bitterest sadness in this world of tears are found in the hearts of parents. There is no greater joy than to see children walk in the truth (3 John 1:4). There is no greater sorrow than to see a child reject the truth and live and die in unbelief (2 Samuel 18:33).

The fool not only lives without God in his sins, but he finds his joy in foolishness (Proverbs 15:21). This marks him as a man “who lacks sense”. Any man who delights in expressing or seeing foolishness has no sense. He goes a foolish way that ends in eternal death. He who does have sense or “understanding walks straight”, which is the path of life that ends in eternal life.

The fool follows every fad and lives by the whim of the day. That life is a pleasure for him, because he has no understanding of God’s will, nor does he want to. Someone with understanding does know what God’s will is for him and therefore walks straight, he walks the way God has laid out for him. He knows “that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

Ecclesiastes 9:18

The Influence of Wisdom and Folly

If a son (or daughter) behaves wisely in response to the father’s strongly protective love and the mother’s warm affection, he (or she) will cause them joy (Proverbs 15:20). However, if a son (or daughter) behaves foolishly, it represents a contempt for the parental investment of care. It is a declaration to the mother that she was wrong to have brought him (or her) into the world.

Wise children give parents reason to rejoice over them. Foolish children show contempt for their mother. They show an unnatural harshness that causes great suffering to their mother. The greatest joy and the bitterest sadness in this world of tears are found in the hearts of parents. There is no greater joy than to see children walk in the truth (3 John 1:4). There is no greater sorrow than to see a child reject the truth and live and die in unbelief (2 Samuel 18:33).

The fool not only lives without God in his sins, but he finds his joy in foolishness (Proverbs 15:21). This marks him as a man “who lacks sense”. Any man who delights in expressing or seeing foolishness has no sense. He goes a foolish way that ends in eternal death. He who does have sense or “understanding walks straight”, which is the path of life that ends in eternal life.

The fool follows every fad and lives by the whim of the day. That life is a pleasure for him, because he has no understanding of God’s will, nor does he want to. Someone with understanding does know what God’s will is for him and therefore walks straight, he walks the way God has laid out for him. He knows “that a man’s way is not in himself, nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).