The Teacher in verse 13-18 of chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes resumes his pondering about life and wisdom. He calls us to consider.
13 Consider what God has done:
Who can straighten
what he has made crooked?
14 When times are good, be happy;
but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, no one can discover
anything about their future.
15 In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness,
and the wicked living long in their wickedness.
16 Do not be overrighteous,
neither be overwise—
why destroy yourself?
17 Do not be overwicked,
and do not be a fool—
why die before your time?
18 It is good to grasp the one
and not let go of the other.
Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.
We cannot predict the future. Most of us have been T-boned by life at some point. My husband died before me and yet he wanted to live to 100 and I was always told I would die young like my grandmother whom I was like. Who would have predicted? I am now reinventing myself as I face the future. The stock market crashes or a recession enters and our saving shrink. The routine tests by the doctor shows shadows. The neighboring country invades ours and we are suddenly fleeing with our belongings on our backs. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. The Teacher phrases it as if we are suddenly facing a crooked path that we thought was straight and we realize it is beyond our control and our understanding. At crisis points like this we are faced with questions about the character of God. How do we explain evil seeming to triumph when God has all power and cares for us? The Teacher acknowledges that God has made good days and is with us in bad days. Often though, his presence seems hidden.
Tough times challenge our faith. We see good people, righteous people, people we care about and admire get hurt by life. Young children die and women miscarry through no fault of their own. Meanwhile people who never acknowledged God or a higher power thrive and live to old age. Wealth and long life does not necessarily favor “the good guys.” I already feel cynicism clouding my thinking as I face the upcoming elections as “dirt” is thrown by all and wonderful promises are made by all candidates.
The Teacher advises finding a middle road and not tearing yourself apart by living in the extreme. Hmmmm. I do not think he is saying to avoid extreme sports nor is he encouraging not going hard after the desires of our heart. Passion and convictions are important boundary guides on our journey. But I do think the teacher is advising us to keep our focus and perspective. Perhaps we are back to “turn, turn, turn” of chapter 3:1. He advises we take a deep breath when faced with change, make time for more prayer and realize we do not see the whole picture of our lives nor of history. That does not affirm evil but sometimes we need to remind ourselves that God will eventually bring justice as he says, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord.”
Let us take a moment now and ask the Holy Spirit to shine its flashlight of truth on my soul and reveal if there are areas where we might be off center and need to be reminded to put the issue in God’s hands. Let us pray for those who are truly fighting the battle with evil in the war zones, the environmentally challenged areas, facing medical challenges and for our upcoming elections. Lord, have mercy and help us be agents of your peace.
On the Way to Wonder 