(“Excesses To Avoid”)

Ecclesiastes 7:15-18 (NASU)

16“Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? 17Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?” (Ecclesiastes 7:16-17)

(A) SETTING THE SCENE (SEEN)

(1) Back in the days when the phrase “horse power” literally meant just that – i.e. when one or more horses were pulling your plow, your wagon, or your carriage – people often used something called “blinders” to keep their horses from being startled by any sudden movements, or distracted by any extraneous activities happening off to the side of the animal’s vision.

Some people go through life with “blinders” on – in this regard, that they pay little or no attention to what’s happening around them – and seldom, if ever, consider the implications of what’s taking place outside their own little world. To put it another way, they are focused solely on what’s going on in their own life – and only rarely do they allow themselves to become distracted (as it were) by anything that doesn’t obviously affect them directly.

(2) Not so in the case of Solomon. By God’s grace, he was a man of vast observation¹ – a man who paid attention to what was going on around him – who took note of what was happening in the world, even to the point of trying to make sense out of it.

One way he conveys his observations to us in the Book of Ecclesiastes is by using the phrase, “I have seen”. For example, in chapter three he said: “I have seen … that in the place of justice there is wickedness” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:16a) – and in chapter four: “I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:4) – and in chapter five: “There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: (namely) riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 5:13).

(3) Tonight’s Scripture lesson opens with another one of Solomon’s observations, where he says: “I have seen everything during my lifetime of futility …” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:15a). Obviously this is hyperbole, because even Solomon – who observed far more than most men – didn’t see “EVERYTHING” during the course of his life. Nor is that what he’s claiming here – for he goes on to explain what it is he has “seen”, saying: “there is a righteous man who perishes (despite) his righteousness and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life (in spite of) his wickedness” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:15b).

(4) What Solomon “saw” is that life in a fallen world isn’t always fair – that the “righteous” and the “wicked” don’t always get the justice they deserve in this life² – in fact, sometimes it seems as though they each get what the other deserves. Hence, in the next chapter Solomon will say: “… there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. (And) there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous …” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:14).

(a) An example of the former would be Jesus, whom the Bible says: “had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth” (c.f. Isaiah 53:9c). And yet, it also says He was “cut off out of the land of the living” (c.f. Isaiah 53:8c) in the prime of His life, and “numbered with … transgressors” (c.f. Isaiah 53:12d).

Stephen would be another example. Scripture says he was a man, “full of faith and of the Holy Spirit” (c.f. Acts 6:5b) – a man, “full of grace and power, (who) perform(ed) great wonders and signs” (c.f. Acts 6:8). And yet, we’re told he was stoned to death unjustly on the testimony of false witnesses (c.f. Acts 6:9-7:60).

Job would be still another example. Scripture says he was a “blameless (and) upright (man), (who) fear(ed) God and turn(ed) away from evil” (c.f. Job 1:1b). And yet we also know he lost his wealth – that all his children were killed – and that he suffered through some severe health problems of his own (c.f. Job 1-2).

These are the kinds of things people with any sense of fairness or justice would expect to happen to the wicked as punishment for their sins. And yet, these things happened (and continue to happen – albeit not always, of course) to folks who are good by comparison – to people the Bible would call decent, or “upright” (c.f. Psalm 7:10) – to people we would say deserved better.

(b) An example of the latter – i.e. of an “evil (man) to whom it happen(ed) according to the deeds of the righteous” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 8:14c) – or, “a wicked man who(se) (life is) prolong(ed) (despite) his wickedness” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:15c) – (an example of this kind) would be King Manasseh, who had one of the longest reigns of any of Israel’s kings, lasting fifty-five years (c.f. II Kings 21:1) – even though Scripture says, “he did much evil in the sight of the Lord provoking Him to anger” (c.f. II Kings 21:6b) – that he “acted more wickedly than all the Amorites who were before him” (c.f. II Kings 21:11b, NKJV) – and that he “shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another” (c.f. II Kings 21:16a).

A similar example would be King Ahab, whose reign was about half that of Manasseh’s – but who still lived far longer than he deserved, seeing as how Scripture says he, “did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him” (c.f. I Kings 16:30) – and that, “there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord” (c.f. I Kings 21:25).

Why is it that men like these (and others, even today) seem to go through life without being held accountable for their sinful behavior? Of course, many wicked men and women are held accountable for their actions – which is one reason why our nation’s prisons are so crowded. But the idea even ONE would escape the just consequences of their evil deeds raises questions in the minds of those who aren’t walking around with “blinders” on.

(5) In tonight’s Scripture lesson Solomon wrestles with an issue that’s spoken of elsewhere in Scripture – (a) like in the Book of Jeremiah,³ where that bewildered prophet asked God: “Why has the way of the wicked prospered? Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?” (c.f. Jeremiah 12:1b) – and in the Book of Job, where that suffering man, who had lost almost everything, asked: 7“Why do the wicked still live … (and) become very powerful? 8 (Why are) their descendants … established … (and) 9their houses … safe from fear(?) … (why is) the rod of God … not on them(?) 10His ox mates … his cow calves … 11… (his) children skip about. 12They sing to the timbrel and harp and rejoice at the sound of the flute. 13They spend their days in prosperity …” (c.f. Job 21:7-13) – and also in Psalm Seventy-Three, where Asaph confesses that he REALLY STRUGGLED with this issue, saying in part: 2“my feet came close to stumbling, my steps had almost slipped. 3(Because) I was envious of the arrogant (and of) the prosperity of the wicked. 4For there are no pains in their death, and their body is fat. 5They are not in trouble (like) other men, nor are they plagued like mankind … 7Their eye bulges from fatness … 8 (Despite the fact) they mock and wickedly speak of oppression … 9(and) set their mouth against the heavens … 11(saying), ‘How does God know? … is there knowledge with the Most High?’ 12Behold, these are the wicked … always at ease … increased in wealth. 13Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence; 14for I (unlike them) have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning” (c.f. Psalm 73:2-14).

(b) This issue – i.e. that “the righteous often perish while the lives of the wicked are often prolonged” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:15) – is made all the more painful and perplexing by the fact that Scripture frequently speaks to the contrary.

For example, Solomon himself exhorts us in the Book of Proverbs to 20“walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. 21(Because) the upright will live in the land and the blameless will remain in it; 22(while) the wicked will be cut off … and the treacherous will be uprooted …” (c.f. Proverbs 2:20-22).

Now that sounds more like it! And if we inquire as to where Solomon got this idea, it’s possible he learned it from his father David, who wrote (in part): 27“Depart from evil and do good … 28For the Lord … does not forsake (the) godly … they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off” (c.f. Psalm 37:27-28) – and again: 9“evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord … will inherit the land. 10Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more … you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. 11But the humble will inherit the land and … delight themselves in abundant prosperity” (c.f. Psalm 37:9-11).

Elsewhere Scripture says: “The Lord preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud …” (c.f. Psalm 31:23, NKJV) – and again: 14“Depart from evil and do good … 15(For) The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. 16(But) The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth” (c.f. Psalm 34:14-16) – and once more (God speaking): 26“I am setting before you … a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord … 28and the curse, if you … turn aside from the way which I am commanding you …” (c.f. Deuteronomy 11:26-28).

(c) The problem is, as we look at what’s going on in the world around us, that doesn’t always appear to be the case. Indeed, sometimes it seems as though the opposite is happening – that the wicked are the ones being blessed, while the righteous are the ones being cursed – that it doesn’t pay to “depart from evil in order to do good”, because those who are doing evil seem to be the ones who are prospering – that the Lord is preserving the wicked, and letting the righteous perish.

How else do we explain, for example, why young Christian couples going to seminary struggle financially – while “rascals” like Donald Trump and Paris Hilton have more money than they know what to do with? How else do we explain why a Christian soldier serving in Iraq gets killed, while a degenerate soldier comes home safe and sound? How else do we explain the inequities and injustice we see all around us?

(d) Actually, Scripture gives us several explanations – including the fact God works ALL things together for the good of His redeemed people (c.f. Romans 8:28) – that He disciplines us for our own good (c.f. Hebrews 12:6-10) – that He will ultimately set straight that which is crooked, and/or that justice will prevail in the end (c.f. Luke 18:7-8) – and that the final, eternal destiny of the wicked and the righteous will be exactly as He has described (c.f. Psalm 37:1-11, 20, 22).

(B) TWO CURIOUS CAUTIONS

(1) Solomon, however, doesn’t offer any explanations in tonight’s Scripture lesson. Instead, he simply tells us what he has observed – and then proceeds to give us two rather strange sounding pieces of advice. First he says that, since “the righteous sometimes perish while the wicked go on living” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:15), therefore: “Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:16).

(a) Is it really possible to be “excessively righteous” – or “overly wise” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:16)? Can a fallen human being ever be too good – too blameless – or too obedient to God’s word? Is it possible for someone like you or me to become too sensible – too judicious – or too discerning? If anything, Scripture as a whole indicates our problem is just the opposite – that we’re never righteous enough – and that we often lack the wisdom we need.

For example, even Solomon says (just a few verses from here) that: “there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:20) – thereby appearing to contradict what he just said in our text.

Elsewhere, Solomon asks rhetorically: “Who can say, ‘I have cleansed my heart, I am pure from my sin’?” (c.f. Proverbs 20:9) – the implied answer being, no one can say such a thing because no one can do such a thing! So, if that’s the case – and it is! (c.f. Romans 3:23; I John 1:8) – what does Solomon mean by “excessive righteousness”? – and why does he say pursuing it could lead to our “ruin” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:16)?

As for wisdom, Scripture indicates we often don’t have it. Hence, the Book of James tells us what to do when we discover we lack wisdom (c.f. James 1:5) – while the Book of Romans talks about those who think they are wise, when they really aren’t (c.f. Romans 1:22). So, given the fact Scripture says most of us lack wisdom, what does Solomon mean by “overly wise” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:16)? – and why does he warn us to guard against it?

(b) Some have suggested this much-debated passage⁴ means Christians should practice moderation in all things.⁵ And that’s certainly true – especially when it comes to matters like food and wine (c.f. Proverbs 23:20). But do we really think God wants us to be moderately “righteous”, or moderately “wise” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:16)? Do we really believe it’s okay to be moderately “wicked”, or moderately “foolish” in the way we think or behave (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:17)? And if we that is what we think, then what are we do with passages like the one where Jesus says: “you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (c.f. Matthew 5:48)? Surely that one verse tells us Solomon must have had something else in mind.

(c) Others have suggested Solomon was talking about self-made righteousness, and/or Pharisaic wisdom – that he was talking about what John once called, “the boastful pride of life”, which comes from the world of men rather than God (c.f. I John 2:16) – that same prideful attitude of heart and mind Paul had prior to his conversion, when he was a zealous “persecutor of the church”, and claimed to be “blameless” so far as “the righteousness which is (attained by keeping) the Law” is concerned (c.f. Philippians 3:6) – the kind of pseudo-righteousness lost men believe makes them acceptable to God, like that of the Pharisee who prayed: 11“… ‘God, I thank You … I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get” (c.f. Luke 18:11-12) – the kind of excessive devotion to things of secondary importance,⁴ like “tith(ing) mint and dill and cummin”, while ignoring the more important aspects of God’s law, like “justice and mercy and faithfulness” (c.f. Matthew 23:23).

(d) Many believe that’s the correct interpretation, and it may well be. But, there’s one more we need to consider – namely, the idea that men should not make the mistake of thinking their “righteousness” and/or “wisdom” guarantees God’s blessing (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:16) – that if they obey God’s commands, blessings will naturally follow – that if they just do what God has told them to do, nothing but good things will come their way. Men should not think like this, lest they be “ruined” in the sense of becoming confused, dismayed or even disillusioned (i.e. with God, or a life of faith and obedience) when they “perish” (as it were) despite their righteousness and/or their wisdom.⁶

In a fallen world, good people – even godly people –often suffer. For example, the Bible never says anything negative about Daniel – and yet, look what happened to him. He was carried off to Babylon as a captive – forced to serve a godless king – and even thrown to the lions. It’s true, of course, that God protected him and preserved his life – but don’t think for a moment he didn’t suffer as a result of these things.

Scripture commands us to pursue righteousness (c.f. II Timothy 2:22), and to get wisdom (c.f. Proverbs 23:23) – and they do have their rewards, to be sure – but immunity from trouble and suffering in this life isn’t one of them.

(2) The second piece of rather strange sounding advice Solomon gives us is this: “Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:17).

(a) Is it possible to be “excessively wicked”, or “overly foolish”? Absolutely! Even the first point of Calvinism (regarding Total Depravity) recognizes that while all men are sinners, few are as bad as they could be – and that all of us could be far worse than we are, were it not for the restraints God places on us (c.f. Genesis 20:6). When those restraints are removed, however (c.f. Romans 1:24, 26, 28), every unredeemed person is capable of becoming “excessively wicked”.

All men are sinners – nevertheless, some sin more often than others – or the sins they commit are more grievous. For example, all men are liars (c.f. Psalm 116:11) – but some lie more often than others, thereby making their situation worse. Likewise, all men are murderers – but some confine their murders to their words (which is bad enough!), while others actually take people’s lives (c.f. Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28), thereby committing a more grievous offense.

(b) Solomon’s point is that the wicked should not be deceived by the fact some men’s lives are “prolonged despite their wickedness” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:15) – the wicked should not foolishly think they can get away with whatever they want, just because God doesn’t give some of their “brethren” (or themselves) what they deserve the moment they deserve it.

There are many reasons why God doesn’t dispense justice on the wicked immediately – including the fact He is giving them time to repent (c.f. Romans 2:4) – and that if He did, some of the wheat might be uprooted along with the tares (c.f. Matthew 13:29).

Unfortunately, many of the wicked never get the point – as evidenced by the attitude of their hearts, reflected in comments like these – “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (c.f. II Peter 3:4) – and again: “How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?” (c.f. Psalm 73:11) – and once more: “They have said, ‘The Lord does not see, nor does the God of Jacob pay heed’” (c.f. Psalm 94:7).

(c) And yet, those who are “excessively wicked” not only run the risk of perishing in their sins – they also run the risk of God cutting their life on earth short – of “dying before their time” (as it were) – of getting a head start on hell (so to speak) (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:17). As the Scripture says elsewhere – “You, O God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days” (c.f. Psalm 55:23) – and again: “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be shortened” (c.f. Proverbs 10:27) – while yet another place talks about “the wicked … who were snatched away before their time” (c.f. Job 22:15-16).

There are numerous examples of this happening in Scripture – including the deaths of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu (c.f. Leviticus 10:1-3) – the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira (c.f. Acts 5:1-11) – and several of Israel’s wicked kings, like Zechariah who reigned six months, and Shallum who reigned one month (c.f. II Kings 15:8-15).

The point is, just because some “wicked” men’s lives are “prolonged” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:15) – just because God doesn’t cut the lives of some “excessively wicked” men short (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:17) – doesn’t mean every wicked man or woman will get to live out the full allotment of their days (c.f. Job 14:5). On the contrary, I suspect the lives of the wicked are cut short more often than we realize.

(3) Finally, Solomon concludes tonight’s Scripture lesson by saying: “It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:18).

(a) In other words, it’s good to “grasp” the fact that even godly “righteousness and wisdom” does not guarantee that our life in this fallen world will be free of trouble. At the same time, we must “not let go” of the fact that, just because some wicked people seem to be prospering at the moment, doesn’t mean we should foolishly assume we can do as we please without fear of retribution.

(b) As always, the key is “fearing God and keeping His commandments” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 7:18b; 12:13) – for when we do that, Christ’s enabling grace will help us avoid the two excesses of which Solomon speaks.

Banner of Truth; p. 160.

8:14; Thomas Nelson Publishers; p. 997.

p. 188.