Challenge Western Worldview

[Ecc. 12:12] And further, by these, my son, be admonished….
In the liturgical tradition of Judaism, the book of Ecclesiastes is read as a part of the religious observance of Sukkot, the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles. Sukkoth is a feast of joy, celebrated a the close of the harvest season (Deut. 16:13-15). It is a time set aside to give thanks to G-d for the abundance that the community has gathered in from the land.
But by tradition it is also a time to remember when there were no crops and no harvest, when the people of G-d wandered in the wilderness, living in flimsy and temporary shelters (Sukkot).
It is at this festival of thanksgiving and joy that the words of Qohelet are read as a reminder to those who are in the midst of their abundance that all of these material blessings are fleeting – they are as transitory as a breath of wind. Like life, they are gifts of G-d to be used and enjoyed but not hoarded.
[13] Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Is the end of the matter and anyone reading the collected sayings of the wise should now be able to conclude that the wholeness of humankind is based on the reverence for G-d. The reward for humility and fear of G-d is riches and honor and life and those that keep the commandments cannot count on receiving their just deserts in their present life under the sun.
The message of Ecclesiastes is that the course of life to be pursued is a G-d centered life.
The pleasures of life are not intrinsically fulfilling and cannot offer lasting satisfaction, but they can be enjoyed as gifts from G-d. Life offers good times and bad and follows no pattern such as that proposed by the retribution principle. But all comes from the hand of G-d. Adversity may not be enjoyable, but it can help make us the people of faith we ought to be.
It is helpful to keep in mind that wisdom literature often tries to convey how to think rather than what to think. Example is to enjoy life for what it is: a gift from the hand of G-d. If G-d is in the center of one’s worldview, the pursuits of life can be put in their proper place, not offering meaning for life, but offering enjoyment.
We are not in control of the ‘times’ of life, and many of the times of life can be difficult. Stability can only be found in a G-d centered approach. G-d has imposed these limitations on us, but has put ‘eternity in our hearts’ so that we might seek him out. The application of the worldview to the situations of life is not difficult to apply, but how does it stand up when adversity comes on the daily, routine frustrations that are all too frequently our common lot?
We must learn to accept both prosperity and adversity as coming from the divine hand. Adversity serves a useful purpose in shaping us as individuals and particularly as people of faith. We need to adjust our expectations of this world for we are accountable for how we live and for the decisions we make.
Time and chance are too great a factor in this life so we need to convey something about G-d rather than offer guarantees in life. Qohelet built his case without any presupposition about revelation.
He made no reference to the Law or the Prophets, and nothing was said about Israel’s place in
G-d’s plan or the Covenant. His approach was philosophical and based on experience and wisdom in the attempt to address a wider audience. His primary purpose was to establish that life ‘under the sun’ cannot offer fulfillment and to offer an alternate worldview.
The philosophy expressed is not simply ‘enjoy life,’ but “enjoy life and fear G-d.”
This book offers as clear a challenge to our contemporary Western Worldview and that enjoyment of life comes not in the quest for personal fulfillment, but in the recognition that everything comes from the hand of the Father.