Everything is in God’s Hands (Ecclesiastes 7:15 to 9:12)

In the previous lesson, we reflected on how the Preacher distinguishes between the wise and the fool, and we saw how he emphasizes that wisdom is superior to riches and pleasures. However, he also reminded us of the importance of considering God’s sovereignty, who is controlling all things.

As we continue reading chapter 7, from verse 15, the Preacher begins to speak about the excesses of wisdom and folly. While the consequences of living in folly are obvious—that person who lives ignoring and disobeying God and centered on themselves—the preacher also warns us about excess wisdom.

This seems contradictory, since in chapter 8, verse 1, he emphasizes that wisdom strengthens us and transforms our way of acting. So why should we be careful not to be too wise?

The Beginning of Wisdom

The answer begins in Ecclesiastes 7:18:

It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.

Ecclesiastes 7:18 (CSB)

Now we are not only seeing the lives of the wise and the fool (wicked), but also the life of the one who fears God. The warning against excessive wisdom refers to the risk of growing in wisdom, but in our opinion, as Proverbs 3:7 says.

The Preacher is telling us, Be careful; wisdom in itself is also vanity. (Ecclesiastes 1:17) He is alerting us that we can fall into the error of accumulating knowledge, making good decisions, and living correctly but without fear of God.

We can forget that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 1:7). To be truly wise or for our wisdom to bear fruit, we must begin with the fear of the Lord.

The same verse tells us that “fools despise wisdom and instruction,” and this is evident, but if we are wise in our own way, we fall into the error of forgetting that everything is in God’s hands.

As believers, we must understand that wisdom is a result of our fear of God and our desire to know Him. We do not seek wisdom to elevate ourselves above others or to obtain power and position. If we do, we are just like the fool; wisdom becomes vanity and distances us from the Lord.

The Preacher shares in the rest of chapter 7 how his search for wisdom, based on reason and human understanding, did not produce the satisfaction he expected but, on the contrary, brought him bitterness and evils.

The consequences of wisdom and wickedness

In chapter 8, the Preacher speaks of the consequences of wisdom and wickedness. Although the wise man can act more justly than the wicked and have better consequences for his acts, he can still fall. As we saw, into the error of not considering God’s work, continuing to live under the anxieties of this world, losing sight of the fact that everything he has comes from God.

The wicked, on the other hand, strive to lengthen their days and enjoy their pleasures, but ultimately this is only temporary. He has rejected God and lives his days enjoying what is given by God but turning his back on Him.

Both end up enjoying what we now call “common grace”—those gifts given by God to all creation. For example, health, medicine, technology, and creation; it doesn’t matter which team we’re on, wise or foolish, we will continue enjoying this common grace.

In chapter 9, the Preacher comes to the conclusion that, just as we enjoy that common grace, regardless of whether we are wise or foolish, we all also face the same destiny: death. All of us, regardless of how we have lived, will come to final judgment. We will all reach eternity, and that is where the results of our way of living will truly be seen.

Who will fare well on the final day?

So it appears that it doesn’t matter how we live our lives, since we all have evil and can only enjoy under the sun what God has granted us, and in the end we will die.

Chapter 8:12-13 tells us that there is a group that, regardless of what they experience under the sun, will fare well when they reach eternity. Those who fear God. That person lives conscious of God’s presence, of God’s nature as Holy, and his own as a sinner. And that knowledge leads him to repentance, clinging by faith to Christ and his redemptive work.

That God-fearing person who lives consecrated to the Lord and desires to please Him despite everything that may happen—that person will fare well at the end of time.

This type of person who lives in the fear of the Lord is the one who can long for eternity.

Fear God

As we approach the end of the book of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher continues sharing his findings and conclusions after the experiment he has done. After observing life and seeing the injustices and difficulties of living under the sun, he is sharing his conclusions about this, and in summary, we have to remember that everything is in God’s hands.

The conclusion is clear: human wisdom is not sufficient to remedy folly or to give meaning to our lives. Remember that this is the preacher’s frustration—everything he has tried has resulted in vanity.

Although wisdom has its benefits, we need something more for the true well-being of our life under and above the sun: the fear of God.

When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil. 

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (CSB)

We have two lessons remaining in this series. We will focus on the importance of growing in holiness and how to live our days while we wait to present ourselves before God. Meanwhile, it is my prayer that you can see that everything is in God’s hands and that we need to acknowledge Him in all our ways.