Ecclesiastes part eleven

We continue on from chapter nine verse seven. The author is still in his "this is the best there is, so enjoy it" mood. Will he switch again to moaning how "this is all there is and it's not very fair to the wise" mode? For now, he tells us to heartily enjoy our food and wine. We should live happily with the spouse that we love "all the days of this meaningless life." "Your meaningless days" he says again, just to be sure you get the message. He says to do everything with all your might, because there is nothing to do in the grave. True words. But that's exactly what gives meaning to life.

Next is a small poem. "The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned (yes, sometimes it does.) but time and chance happen to them all." Now I feel like the author is not being completely honest here. He's probably not speaking in a literal sense of how life itself works. He's probably harping about there being no final reward, no afterlife where someone gives you a prize for doing well. "Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come." He doesn't even get a warning about when it will all end.

In verse thirteen, the author tells us he has a story about wisdom. A poor wise man saved a small city from invasion by a powerful king. This proves that wisdom is better than strength. Yet, no one remembers what the wise man did and they don't listen to him any more. Is that why wise people do things? For validation? Perhaps the truly wise man would be happy enough that his city was saved.

From 9:17, through all of chapter ten, there appears to be another collection of sayings or proverbs about the wise, the fool, the king, and more evils under the sun. Some of them are quite strange. According to the author, "the heart of the wise inclines to the right, the heart of the fool to the left." What does that mean?? He also says "A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything." (?!) That sure contradicts many other bible teachings.

Chapter eleven continues on in the same vein, with proverbs that state the obvious or are meaningless (smile). The author also tells us we do not know the path of the wind or how a body is formed in a mother's womb. Well, he didn't know, but now we do. A wonderful thing called science has revealed these things to us. No gods needed.

Chapter eleven tells young men to be happy and follow the ways of their heart. But know that "God will bring you to judgment." What judgment? This must be a different author than the one who has told us again and again that when life is over that's it. The end of the chapter tells the young man not to worry, be happy, but it's all Meaningless. Erg.

One more chapter to go!