The Pulpit Commentary — Ecclesiastes — Section 188

recognizes God's band in introducing crooked things into men's lots ; in this all should follow his example. III. DEMAND DIVERSE TREATMENT FROM THE INDIVIDUAL, 1. Straight things call for chee1fu,/11ess. "In the day of prosperity be joyful,"" be in good spirits," be thank- fully happy and happily thankful. (1) Gratitude, an element in that treatment God's goodnes~ ~lls for ~Ps. _ciii. 1, 2), Every creature of God is good if H be received with tbanksg1vmg (1 Tlfil. 1v. 4). (2) Use, another ingredient in a proper return for God's gifts. These are not to be despised and shunned, but valued and enjoyed. Asceticism, or volunt-al'y abstinence from meats and drinks, as if these were sinful harmonizes no~ ':ith the spirit _of_ either the Old (eh. ix. 7) or the New Testament (Coi. ii. 20-23) religion. If perm.1ss1ble under the latter as a means of spiritual discipline (1 Cor. ix. 27), or as an expedient for preventing sin in others (Rom. xiv. 21), it should not be forgotten that God" giveth us all things richly to enjoy" (1 Tim. vi. 17). 2. Crooked things demand consideration. "In the day of adversity consider : " (1) Whence adversity comes, viz. from God (Lam. iii. 32; Job ii. 10). Hence should it be accepted "·ith submission (1 Sam. iii. 18; Job ii. 10; Ps. xxxix. 9). (2) How adversity comes, Not as a strange thing, i.e. allotted in an exceptional way to the individual (1 Pet. iv. 12), but rather as an experience common among men (1 Cor. x. 13; 1 Pet, v. 9). Not as an isolated thing, unmixed with good or untempered with mercy (Ps. ci. 1). Not as a constant thing, as if life were a perpetual calamity (Job xxii. 18). Not as an arbitrary thing, as if the sovereign Disposer of events acted without reason in sending troubles upon men (Lam. iii. 33; Heh. xii. 10). Certainly not as a. malignant thing, as if the .Almighty took plea.sure in the sufferings and miseries of his creatures (Lam. iii. 33; Heb. xii. 10). (3) Why adversity comes; because of man's sinfulness, though not always in each instance connected with some particular offence. (4) Wherefore adversity comes; to fulfil the Divine purpose concerning man, which is not one, but manifold (Job xxxiii. 29). IV. COMBINE To BEBVE A LOFTY PURPOSE, "God hath even made the one side by eide with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything that shall be after him." The .A.lmighty's design variously explained. 1. Unlilcely interpretations. (1) That God, willing man to be rid of all things at death instead of punishing him hereafter, puts evil into his existence here, and allows it to alternate with good (Hitzig). This does not harmonize with the Preacher's doctrine of a future judgment (eh. ix. 9; xii. 14), and is ruled out of court by the general sco·pe of the New Testa- ment. (2) That man might find nothing which he, dying, might take with him into the I.IIlBeen world (Ewald). But this end is secured by death (eh. v. 15), and if more were needed would have been more effectually attained by makiug man's lot on earth all adversity and no prosperity, rather than a commingling of the two; while if the proposed interpretation explains the presence of evil alongside of good, it leaves unaccounted for the existence of good alongside of evil in man's lot. (3) That man might pass through the whole school of life, so that on departing from this scene nothing might remain outstanding (in arrears) which he had not experienc~d (Delitzsch). This seems equivalent to saying that God co~mingles jo:y: and sor~ow m man's experience that man might have a taste of both-which sounds like a truism- or that his discipline might be complete by being subjected to both, so that nothing more should be possible to or required by him in a future state to render him responsible-which, though true, indicates a clearness and fulness of theological conception manifestly beyond the Preacher. (4) That no one coming after God by way of review should be able to find anything of blame to cast on his procedure (Mer- cator, Poole, Fausset); which, though undeniable, is not warranted by a just transla- tion of the Hebrew. 2. Likely interpretations. (1) That the alternation of prosperous and adverse dispensations was designed to prevent man from findmg out the course of future events; in other words, that man should never be able certainly to predict bis own future, or even what should be on the morrow (Zockler, Hengstenberg), iiud therefore sh(l)uld be disposed to trust in God and calmly wait the development of events; with which teaching may be compared Christ's about taking no thought for the morrow (Matt, vi 34), and that of Horace (' Odes,' iii. 29. 29-38), " God in bis wisdom bides from sight, Veiled in impenetrable uight, The future chance and change; OH, VII. 1-29.] EOOLESIABTES; OR, THE PREACHER. 175