Ecclesiastes 8 · The Lantern

The wisdom of a man shineth in his countenance, and the most mighty will change his face.

Moreover, wisdom, when it is found in a man, shows itself also in its possessor's face, and makes his countenance to shine; as, on the other hand, effrontery convicts the man in whom it has taken up its abode, so soon as he is seen, as one worthy of hatred.

"Who is like the wise man? And who knows what things mean? A man's wisdom lights up his face, and the boldness of his face is transformed. "He had taught above that it is hard to find a good man, and he had answered the question to the contrary, saying that men are made good by God, but that they fall into sin because of their own free will.

Above he described the vanity of concupiscence. Here against that vanity he intends to give the remedy of wisdom: for no one is rescued from concupiscence unless he walks with wisdom.

I observe the mouth of the king, and the commandments of the oath of God.

Be not hasty to depart from his face, and do not continue in an evil work: for he will do all that pleaseth him:

And his word is full of power: neither can any man say to him: Why dost thou so?

He that keepeth the commandment, shall find no evil. The heart of a wiser man understandeth time and answer.

There is a time and opportunity for every business, and great affliction for man:

Because he is ignorant of things past, and things to come he cannot know by any messenger.

It is not in man's power to stop the spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death, neither is he suffered to rest when war is at hand, neither shall wickedness save the wicked.

In the direct and literal sense, there is no person who has power over the spirit so as to understand the movement of air, that is, the wind as breath. The human being has no great power as long as he does not have power over the wind. He can do nothing to cause it and nothing to prevent it when it wants to harm him.

"Man is powerless over the spirit-to restrain the spirit; nor is there authority over the day of death; nor discharge in war; and wickedness cannot save the wrong-doer. "Our mind does not have the power to prevent the spirit from being taken from us, and when the spirit leaves to the realm of God, it helps nothing to shut out mouth and hold in our fleeting life.

Neither can it be prevented, whence he says: Nor is it in man's dominion, that is, power, to prevent the spirit, namely from departing, because no one can prevent the time of death from coming.

All these things I have considered, and applied my heart to all the works that are done under the sun. Sometimes one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

I saw the wicked buried: who also when they were yet living were in the holy place, and were praised in the city as men of just works: but this also is vanity.

For because sentence is not speedily pronounced against the evil, the children of men commit evils without any fear.

Let them rest assured that punishment shall be inflicted on the wicked, and rewards shall be bestowed upon the righteous, by him who deals with everyone as each deserves, and who will proportion his rewards to the good that each has done, and to the account of himself that he is able to give.

Until now, never confuting him with your own answer or that of another, you allowed him to lord it over you, according to that saying of Solomon's: "Because sentence is not speedily pronounced against the evil, the heart of the children of men is full within them to do evil." Therefore after his exposure that evil spirit will no longer be able to disturb you, nor will that foul…

And he shows this: For because sentence is not speedily pronounced against the wicked, but they are kindly waited for, according to what is said in 2 Peter 3: "The Lord does not delay his promise, but deals patiently on your account, not willing that any should perish, but that all should return to repentance." And without any fear the sons of men perpetrate evils, and so they…

But though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and by patience be borne withal, I know from thence that it shall be well with them that fear God, who dread his face.

But let it not be well with the wicked, neither let his days be prolonged, but as a shadow let them pass away that fear not the face of the Lord.

There is also another vanity, which is done upon the earth. There are just men to whom evils happen, as though they had done the works of the wicked: and there are wicked men, who are as secure as though they had the deeds of the just: but this also I judge most vain.

"There is a futility that takes place on earth: sometimes there are righteous men who are treated as if they had done according to the deeds of the wicked; and there are wicked men who are treated as if they had done the deeds of the righteous. I declared, this, too, is vanity.

So Solomon bears witness, saying, "There are just men to whom many things happen, as though they had done the deeds of the wicked; and there are wicked, who are as secure as though they had the deeds of the just." God no doubt so ordains it of his inestimable mercy, that scourges should torture the just, lest their doings should elate them, and that the unjust should pass this…

Above he showed how security arises from the sight of the exaltation of the wicked: here secondly he shows how it arises from the sight of the adversity of the good. And indeed he does this in this order. First, the adversity of the good is set forth: second, from this the security of the wicked: third, vanity is concluded: fourth, pleasure is commended.

Therefore I commended mirth, because there was no good for a man under the sun, but to eat, and drink, and be merry, and that he should take nothing else with him of his labour in the days of his life, which God hath given him under the sun.

"So I praised enjoyment, for man has no other aim under the sun but to eat, drink, and be joyful; and this will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God has given him beneath the sun. "I have interpreted this more fully above, and now I shall just speak cursorily.

Now, to be made a sharer at the table is to begin to have life, as we see from a text in Ecclesiastes: "There is no good for a man except what he shall eat and drink." How can we reasonably interpret these words save as an allusion to partaking at the table which the Mediator of the New Testament, priest according to the order of Melchizedek, provides with his own body and bloo…

Here fourthly, from this, pleasure is commended in detestation of so great a vanity, from the fact that good things befall the wicked and evil things befall the good; and this is the praise and word of a troubled man.

And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to understand the distraction that is upon earth: for there are some that day and night take no sleep with their eyes.

And I understood that man can find no reason of all those works of God that are done under the sun: and the more he shall labour to seek, so much the less shall he find: yea, though the wise man shall say, that he knoweth it, he shall not be able to find it.

Ecclesiastes8