THE PARADOX OF ECCLESIASTES
Leo Tolstoy is the most notable literary figure that Russia produced. In his work, ‘A confession’, said to be inspired by the book of Ecclesiastes, he writes of a man chased by a beast into a well, at the bottom of which is a dragon. The man clings to a branch that is being gnawed on by two mice (one black, one white, representing night and day and the relentless march of time). The man is able to lick two drops of honey (representing Tolstoy’s love of his family and his writing), but because death is inevitable, he no longer finds the honey sweet.
Tolstoy goes on to describe four possible attitudes towards this dilemma of life’s meaninglessness in the face of death- choosing ignorance to the problem; Epicureanism- choosing to enjoy life which is impossible for most as they do not have the means to do so; committing suicide so that you can preempt what is inevitable; and finally just holding on, which is absurd. Alternatively, Tolstoy turns to the affirmation of God’s existence, and once he does so, is able to state that life is once again suffused with meaning.
Turning to Ecclesiastes, you wonder how a book, which can hardly be classified as positive, find place in the Biblical canon. Believed to be written by Solomon in his old age, the ‘Teacher’ in this book speaks of the march of time, the repetition of events, the burdens men carry, the injustice that prevails on earth, the misfortunes that come upon men and the folly that abounds.
He goes on to explain that all of man’s efforts are rendered meaningless by three insurmountable problems. First is the insatiable nature of man’s appetites.“All man’s efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied” (Ecclesiastes 6:7). Undertaking great projects, denying himself nothing his eyes desired and pursuing riches, the Teacher learnt from experience of one who actually did reach the summit of experiencing all these, that it was meaningless.
Next is the dilemma of lack of control.The unpredictability of life implies that misfortune arrives when least expected and justice is often not established on earth. The Teacher bemoans the fact that ‘no man can contend with one who is stronger than he’(Eccl 6:10), this frustration being most acute when man considers himself a mere pawn in the hands of God who appears to do as He pleases, causing trouble and pain for man.
Finally the inevitability of deathconstantly haunts all of man’s efforts. “—-Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return”(Eccl 3:19,20). A lifetime passes with man rushing from pillar to post, achieving, gathering, worrying and planning, only to find that around the corner, death meets him with a wide grin, making mockery of his toil and zest.
As the book draws to an end, the Teacher begins to give us answers to the dilemmas raised. “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come——”(Eccl 12:1). As man ages, he becomes increasingly set in his ways as he finds a philosophy with which he learns to live his life by. Any philosophy that leaves God out will continue to echo the recurrent words of the Teacher, “Meaningless, Meaningless, Everything is meaningless” (Eccl 12:8). He goes on to conclude, “Now all has been heard: here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man(Eccl 12:13).
Ecclesiastes is as honest an evaluation of life as you will get. It is firmly grounded in the harsh realities of life. Man is burdened with a need to find meaning in his pursuits, but consistently fails to do so. But when he turns to God and anchors his life in God, meaning dawns on the horizon. It is then that life, with all its imperfections still makes for a coherent storyline for man as he journeys through.
The Bible is the most practical book ever written and would hardly have been complete without Ecclesiastes.
