Here is the conclusion of the matter
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 - Contradicting twelve chapters of vain and meaningless mortal life with two verses of truth
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV
There haven’t been too many visits by Heaven On Wheels to the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. Attributed to “The Preacher” (known in the ancient Hebrew as קֹהֶלֶת or qōheleṯ), the book is the most existential in the Bible. For the most part, it’s all about the vanity or meaninglessness of human existence.
Almost all of Ecclesiastes is written from the viewpoint that humanity is not accountable to God and that there is no eternal life, so why not just enjoy the simple things in life? Drinking, eating, taking pride in one’s handiwork; all of these things should be enough… and then The Preacher challenges all of his “wisdom” in the last two verses.
After twelve chapters of advice about how to live a simple, happy life, he imparts his final advice — “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind”. Boom! Suddenly The Preacher throws a bucket of ice-cold reality onto his readers, who were probably nodding happily in agreement with his relatively benign view of life. The Wikipedia entry for Ecclesiastes includes this statement about the rather schizophrenic nature of the book:
Scholars disagree about the themes of Ecclesiastes: whether it is positive and life-affirming, or deeply pessimistic; whether it is coherent or incoherent, insightful or confused, orthodox or heterodox; whether the ultimate message of the book is to copy Kohelet, "the wise man," or to avoid his errors.
Most other Old Testament texts have a common theme, describing God as the Creator who reveals truths, redeems His people, and cares for them deeply. Those themes are missing from Ecclesiastes, perhaps as an indication that Qōheleṯ struggled with his faith in his old age. But he finally comes to understand that it obeying God makes life worth living — it pleases God and it fulfills our reason for being here.
Here are some wonderful commentaries on Ecclesiastes 12:13 from Enduring Word:
i. “Fear God is a call that puts us in our place, and all other fears, hopes, and admirations in their place.” (Kidner)
ii. “From that to this should be every man’s pilgrimage in this world. We begin at vanity, and never know perfectly that we are vain till we come to fear God and keep his commandments.” (Trapp)
iii. “If it is the ‘beginning of wisdom’ it is also the end, the conclusion; no progress in the believer’s life leaves it behind.” (Eaton)
The final verse of the book, Verse 14, answers the question “Why should I fear God and keep His commandments?” — “For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Some more insightful commentary from Enduring Word on this verse:
i. There is, and will be, an eternal accounting for everything we do. This is the complete opposite of believing that all is vanity or meaningless; it means that everything has meaning and importance, both for the present and for eternity. “If God cares as much as this, nothing can be pointless.” (Kidner)
ii. Through this book the Preacher carefully thought through (and lived through) a premise commonly held: of life lived without consideration of eternity and the eternal God. After all that, he comes to this conclusion – and challenges all those who continue holding to the premise he held through most all the book. “What would it be like, asks the Preacher, if things were utterly different from what you thought? What if this world is not the ultimate one? What if God exists and is a rewarder of those who seek him?” (Eaton)
iii. As Paul explained, this puts life into perspective: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven. (2 Corinthians 4:17-5:2)
Contradicting twelve chapters of vain and meaningless mortal life with two verses of truth, The Preacher shows us everything it takes to live an eternal life of service and significance. Next time I think I’ll skip Ecclesiastes Chapters 1 through 11 and just fast forward to the last two verses of Chapter 12.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I thank You for all of Your Word and its timeless treasure of wisdom. Continue to guide me to learn all of the lessons contained in Your Word so that I live my life wisely and to Your praise and glory. I pray this in the name of Your Son Jesus, AMEN.