Figure This Out

Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins. [Ecclesiastes 7.20]

Ecclesiastes is a hard one to figure out. It is obvious in some places (like in yesterday's OYCB reading) that Solomon is having doubts and shortsightedness, then, in other places (like today's OYCB reading), what he says is mind-blowingly profound. Most of what I read in today's reading spoke directly to me in the latter way.

In the subject verse above, Solomon makes an accurate observation that I wish to expound upon (at least for myself)...

Sometimes I get the unfounded idea that I must be perfect. After all, God demands holiness. But man is simply not equipped for the quest for holiness in and of himself. Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins. 

However, to simply give up on being good certainly cannot be right. Are we to let go of the anchor-chain of holiness and let our ship drift into whatever sin is in our path? Again, this sounds ludicrous. But, in similar mindset, how much more ludicrous is it to think we can be perfect? Interestingly enough, Solomon makes a provocative statement in today's OYCB reading that deserves at least some consideration:

I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself? On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time? Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes. [Ecclesiastes 7.15-18]

In my own frustration with sin in my life, I find Ecclesiastes 7.15-18 striking a chord.

The problem with "being bad" is actually one and the same as "being good." Our "effort" either way puts the responsibility upon us. Stay with me... If we can simply stop our efforts, and instead, give ourselves over to God, we stand a much better chance of stability and peace in our lives. As cloaked as this message might have been in Solomon's day, it is far less so today with the message of the Good News in Jesus Christ.

If I die to myself, then it is logical that I cannot be good or bad! If I "die with Christ," then any activity whatsoever found in my otherwise dead self IS CHRIST. Keep staying with me here...

In light of the previous statement, now consider Solomon's words about death:

Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time. [Ecclesiastes 7.2-4]

What if, instead of obsessing over "being good" we obsessed over death? A dead man has nothing to lose by forgiving others (or giving up any other selfish fleshly indulgence), but everything to gain in resurrection with Christ. 

To "fear God," as Solomon urged in Ecclesiastes 7.18, is to understand that only God produces good in us through our death and resurrection in Christ. This does not however preclude Ecclesiastes 7.20 (the subject passage of this writing): Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins. 

Can we not just turn off the whirring machine of self-righteousness that constantly grinds us into self-awareness and instead just focus (obsess) on being, in every way, "dead" in Christ so that He might live in and through us?

Father, I can relate to Solomon's "meaningless" attribution upon the life we live as I compare it to the resurrected life of Christ we are offered. May I be found dead to myself and my efforts to be good or bad so that I might be found alive as I trust in Jesus.