The Middle Road; 7:1-8:17
Central Verse:
“There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people who are treated according to the conduct of the wicked, and there are wicked people who are treated according to the conduct of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God has given them under the sun.” Eccl 8:14-15
Central Truth:
Our lives are plagued by the question, “Why do the evil prosper?” In these two chapters, Qoheleth does his typical dance through such a weighty theme. He questions where true wisdom originates, whether it is in the house of laughter or the house of mourning. Then in verse 14 of chapter 7, he seems to allude to the idea that God is the author of all the bad things that happen in our lives.
Qoheleth moves onto the topic of the righteous versus the wicked and reaches a rather stunning conclusion worthy of Buddha. Buddha “described this life as the Middle Path. These three ways of life may be compared to the strings of different tensions on a lute. The loose string, which is like a life of indulgence, produces a poor sound when struck. The overly tight string, which is like a life of extreme asceticism, similarly produces a poor sound when struck and is moreover, likely to break at any moment. Only the middle string which is neither too loose nor too tight, and is like the Middle Path, produces a pleasant and harmonious sound when stuck. So these who follow the Middle Path which avoid the extreme of indulging one's desires and [the] opposite extreme of torturing one's mind and body unreasonably, will find happiness, peace of mind and Enlightenment. This is the Fourth Noble Truth of the path leading to the end of suffering." Qoheleth would put it this way: Don’t be too righteous, and don’t be too evil, because both end up causing problems.
Being too righteous leads to a person being self-righteous, and being too wicked results in death. In the end, while all people were made “straightforward,” Qoheleth learned that “they have devised many schemes.” The teacher then concludes these thoughts with the central verse, that in the end it is simply wrong that good people suffer while wicked people prosper. So, what are we to do? Qoheleth replies, enjoy ourselves.
Food for Thought: (Questions about the text)
Chapter 7 verses 1-14 deal with the issue of where we find the wisdom to deal with life and Qoheleth uses the image of a house of feasting and a house of mourning. What do these images bring to your mind?
In light of what we know about God through Christ, how would you respond to what Qoheleth writes in 7:29?
We don’t live in a monarchical society, so how do you see 8:1-9 applying to your life? Do these verses it have any application?
How would you respond to Qoheleth’s accusation that the wicked prosper and the righteous are punished?
Connections: (time with our society)
There was a popular Billy Joel song in the 80’s written on the very theme that Qoheleth talks about here, entitled “Only the Good Die Young.” This is a theme that has been understood to be a part of our society for a long time. We sense the injustice when a young child dies yet a warlord or mass murderer continues to live.
In 2010 our society was permeated with financial crises. The housing market is collapsing, and we continually hear about CEO’s of major banks taking large bonuses, while their banks are foreclosing on thousands of homes. This hardly seems fair. The CEO’s, many of whom engaged in questionable loan purchases and loan management, receive bonuses, while the working class continues to suffer. It seems that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and there is no relief.
The reality that is presented by Qoheleth clearly portrays the fact that wealth does not make one happy and that true happiness only comes from acknowledging that everything is topsy-turvy in the world. We are to eat, drink and enjoy what we know we have.
While we know that the good dying young, and the wicked prospering, is not the way life should be, it is the reality that we must live and struggle with everyday.
Application:
Questions:
Discussion:
Group Activity: Read Jonah 2:1-10. Review what you know about the story.
Assyrians: The Assyrians were bloody and brutal rulers. They were known to kill all the inhabitants of a village and pile the decapitated heads of the conquered in the center of the town as a warning. It must be noted that there are records of all ancient groups, including the ancient Israelites, brutalizing their conquered territories.
Discuss whether it is fair that God allowed the wicked in that city to live while they had killed innocent children in other towns. How does this relate to what Qoheleth is talking about in these two chapters.
Closing Prayer
“There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people who are treated according to the conduct of the wicked, and there are wicked people who are treated according to the conduct of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God has given them under the sun.” Eccl 8:14-15
Central Truth:
Our lives are plagued by the question, “Why do the evil prosper?” In these two chapters, Qoheleth does his typical dance through such a weighty theme. He questions where true wisdom originates, whether it is in the house of laughter or the house of mourning. Then in verse 14 of chapter 7, he seems to allude to the idea that God is the author of all the bad things that happen in our lives.
Qoheleth moves onto the topic of the righteous versus the wicked and reaches a rather stunning conclusion worthy of Buddha. Buddha “described this life as the Middle Path. These three ways of life may be compared to the strings of different tensions on a lute. The loose string, which is like a life of indulgence, produces a poor sound when struck. The overly tight string, which is like a life of extreme asceticism, similarly produces a poor sound when struck and is moreover, likely to break at any moment. Only the middle string which is neither too loose nor too tight, and is like the Middle Path, produces a pleasant and harmonious sound when stuck. So these who follow the Middle Path which avoid the extreme of indulging one's desires and [the] opposite extreme of torturing one's mind and body unreasonably, will find happiness, peace of mind and Enlightenment. This is the Fourth Noble Truth of the path leading to the end of suffering." Qoheleth would put it this way: Don’t be too righteous, and don’t be too evil, because both end up causing problems.
Being too righteous leads to a person being self-righteous, and being too wicked results in death. In the end, while all people were made “straightforward,” Qoheleth learned that “they have devised many schemes.” The teacher then concludes these thoughts with the central verse, that in the end it is simply wrong that good people suffer while wicked people prosper. So, what are we to do? Qoheleth replies, enjoy ourselves.
Food for Thought: (Questions about the text)
Chapter 7 verses 1-14 deal with the issue of where we find the wisdom to deal with life and Qoheleth uses the image of a house of feasting and a house of mourning. What do these images bring to your mind?
In light of what we know about God through Christ, how would you respond to what Qoheleth writes in 7:29?
We don’t live in a monarchical society, so how do you see 8:1-9 applying to your life? Do these verses it have any application?
How would you respond to Qoheleth’s accusation that the wicked prosper and the righteous are punished?
Connections: (time with our society)
There was a popular Billy Joel song in the 80’s written on the very theme that Qoheleth talks about here, entitled “Only the Good Die Young.” This is a theme that has been understood to be a part of our society for a long time. We sense the injustice when a young child dies yet a warlord or mass murderer continues to live.
In 2010 our society was permeated with financial crises. The housing market is collapsing, and we continually hear about CEO’s of major banks taking large bonuses, while their banks are foreclosing on thousands of homes. This hardly seems fair. The CEO’s, many of whom engaged in questionable loan purchases and loan management, receive bonuses, while the working class continues to suffer. It seems that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and there is no relief.
The reality that is presented by Qoheleth clearly portrays the fact that wealth does not make one happy and that true happiness only comes from acknowledging that everything is topsy-turvy in the world. We are to eat, drink and enjoy what we know we have.
While we know that the good dying young, and the wicked prospering, is not the way life should be, it is the reality that we must live and struggle with everyday.
Application:
Questions:
Discussion:
Group Activity: Read Jonah 2:1-10. Review what you know about the story.
Assyrians: The Assyrians were bloody and brutal rulers. They were known to kill all the inhabitants of a village and pile the decapitated heads of the conquered in the center of the town as a warning. It must be noted that there are records of all ancient groups, including the ancient Israelites, brutalizing their conquered territories.
Discuss whether it is fair that God allowed the wicked in that city to live while they had killed innocent children in other towns. How does this relate to what Qoheleth is talking about in these two chapters.
Closing Prayer
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