Ecclesiastes 2:12-17 – Despair and Hatred of Vanity and Futility

The collector of sentences come to think there are no unexplored works left to investigate through the application of wisdom, madness, and folly. All works to come have come before. This expands this consideration starting in the 1st chapter,” 10 Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages,  which were before us.”

Wisdom has, so far been seen to end in futility. Here the mood of the scroll changes. Though ending in vanity, living with wisdom is different. Folly has been entwined with wisdom and madness up till now in the text. But here the Qohelet prunes wisdom ( חָכְמָה khok-maw’ -skill, wisdom) from folly, stating that wisdom has an advantage (יִתְרוֹן yith-rone’ – advantage, excels, profit) over foolishnes. Wisdom here is chokmah, chokmah is skill related wisdom. Brown-Driver-Briggs has the following meanings listed for chokmah:

1. skill in war
2. wisdom in administration
3. shrewdness, wisdom,
4. wisdom, prudence in religious affairs,
5. wisdom, ethical and religious, a. of God, as a divine attribute or energy, b. the divine wisdom is personified c. of man,

From the statement, “as light excels darkness”, practical advice is added. We know what it is like to have the electric go out. It causes us to have a hard time getting around. We might stumble around with hands out to make sure we do not injure ourselves. We live in a safer environment, serious injuries are limited due to the dark. To the author, it was a totally different world. We might bump into a wall or stub our toes but we do not usually have to worry about falling on gravel or rocky soil. Moreover; do not have to worry about falling over a wadi bank, or an even higher drop mush less running into a dangerous beast. Finally, if we do not have light, chances are slim we will find our target easily.

We all, in the end, face the hopelessness of death, both the wise and the fooling. So, even if we excel walking in wisdom, our end is the same as anyone including the mad and the foolish. The finality of death was one historic Jewish position. Paul’s words in Acts 23 show that there were differing beliefs among the various branches of Judaism, “8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. 9 And there occurred a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

As someone who struggles with bipolar 1, it is hard not to see depression in the mind of the preacher. Again wisdom leads to a useless end.

Death is brought in here specifically as the time fate makes all people the same. The lament over how to leave a lasting memory is seen against the background of time. Rulers have attempted to leave a lasting memory. We see this longing as far back as the Epic of Gilgamesh c. 2100 BCE, the pyramids, the arches of triumph, and monuments like the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. If we are honest, many consider children and grandchildren our enduring stamp on the world.

Again the despair is thick. How many people do we know that have hit the end of life and see no real value in the affairs of their life.