In Ecclesiastes 7:5-7 the Teacher had taken us down the path of a rebuke given a man who had strayed from the righteous path (verse-5). Therefore, the advice he offers is developed from a negative perspective. That is, the story is told from the point of view of a man who has actually heard and is presently following foolish advice. The Teacher in verses 5-7 points out to his reader what would necessarily occur, when a wise rebuke goes unheeded. In Ecclesiastes 7:8-10, however, the Teacher takes us down the same path, but from a positive perspective, which is recorded from the point of view that a man is actually taking the rebuke seriously and contemplates repentance?
The argument begins with a truism: the end is better than the beginning (Ecclesiastes 7:8a), which is alluded to in verse-1, so we are still speaking of gaining or retaining a good name. Nevertheless, the Teacher’s ‘truism’ is of value only in a righteous context (Proverbs 5:3, 4; 16:25). Folly is never blessed by the Lord. However, as this pertains to a good name (verse-1), the end is definitely better than when one begins a thing. Both the beginning and the end are important, but, while the beginning points to planting the seed, the end focuses on the harvest. There is hope in the seed (the beginning), but the harvest is the reward or one’s hope fulfilled. Moreover, this basic truth was used in matters pertaining to the Gospel by both by Christ (Matthew 24:13; Luke 8:18; Revelation 2:10) and Paul (Romans 2:7; Hebrews 3:14).
The Teacher went on to say, a man of quick temperament often errs, because he lacks the patience to wait for the end to be discovered. So, a patient spirit is better than a proud one (Ecclesiastes 7:8b). One often meets with an arrogant spirit after a natural or personal disaster. Such a person’s wisdom or philosophy tells him (and he is quick to share it with others): “there could be no God, because…” and then he points out the occurrence of some tragic event. Such a person believes that the whole world should, indeed must, be ordered according to his own sense of justice and fair play. He is arrogant and of a quick spirit. He never considers the cycles of life (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8), and, so, rebels against the sore labor, which the Lord has sentenced rebellious mankind to endure in hope of their repentance (cp. Genesis 3:14-19; Romans 8:20).
The text in Ecclesiastes 7:9 mentions the words angry (H3707) and anger (H3708), which is the usual translation of the Hebrew in the KJV. Nevertheless, the word is translated differently in other passages of scripture. Being hasty (H926) in spirit (Ecclesiastes 7:9) probably refers to Ecclesiastes 5:2, “be not rash (H926) with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter anything before God,” where the words rash and hasty are translations of the same Hebrew word. In the present context, I don’t believe the Teacher refers to anger per se, although the alternative is nearly the same. The point is that, rather than a hot spirit, a person’s dissatisfaction is with how circumstances have befallen him. In other words, the hypothetical person believes he could have arranged his life better than the state in which he presently finds himself. So, his discontent is directed at God, just as Adam’s was in Genesis 3. Therefore, I believe angry (H3708) might be better translated provoked as is done by the NET translators, and anger (3707) may be better rendered indignation as is done in Job 10:17. This may be a very slight difference, but, in my opinion, the Teacher doesn’t have a hot spirit in mind in this text, but rather refers to a more subtle discontent and unrepentant displeasure with how life has treated a man, and such an attitude is very foolish. The Teacher wants his reader to understand and be content to permit the Lord to bring things to their ultimate conclusion (cp. Ecclesiastes 5:8).
How often have we longed for or heard of others longing for the good old days of the past (Ecclesiastes 7:10)? “Things were better back when…” is the chant of folks dissatisfied with their present lot, or the present state of worldly affairs. Such discontent with the present is actually a discontent with what scripture calls the Lord’s table (Ezekiel 39:20). Nevertheless, we are also reminded: “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24). In other words, don’t consider the Lord’s table contemptible (Malachi 1:7, 12). Even Jesus, when he saw that his disciples were ready to fight to protect him, referred to his circumstances as coming from the table of his Father, saying: “…the cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). We need to keep in mind that we live in the sore travail, which the Lord has given mankind “to be exercised therewith” (Ecclesiastes 1:13; cp. Genesis 3:14-19). Mankind has rebelled, and in hope of repentance (Romans 8:20), man was made subject to vanity or the meaninglessness of the constant repetition of the cycles of life (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 3:1-8).
Smoodock's Blog 