I’ve not blogged much recently, mostly because I’ve been working through Ecclesiastes for the Bible for Life website that I’ve contributed material for before (Joshua, Judges, Deuteronomy, 2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings – https://bibleforlife.co.uk/). But while doing that this week I came across this quote in a commentary on Ecclesiastes.
I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with the commentary (Two Horizons, Peter Enns), I liked a lot of it, but thought he pushed his perspective on the text a little harder than the text warranted. But the final reflection chapters were really interesting and the final pages were fantastic – partly because they quoted one of my favourite bits from Silver Chair (and I think Puddleglum would get on very well with the writer of Ecclesiastes), but mainly because I think he captured something of vital importance for our discipleship. Here is the section:
At the end of the day, I think the ultimate point about Ecclesiastes is to keep moving forward, no matter what. Whatever we are going through, however we see the world around us – even if we come to the point of blaming God for the whole mess – the final biblical answer is to push forward. And we do so not by ignoring or whitewashing the pain. We are not to make believe that everything is okay and real people of faith should not be going through this. To the contrary, the admonition to “keep moving” has teeth only because of the pain. It is only moving through the pain that “fear God and keep his commandments anyway” can take hold of us in our deepest distress. It is easy to believe, easy to act as you do, when things are going well. But when they are not, this is where the real growth happens. And like a garden plant we cannot grow tall unless our roots are deep in the manure.
The admonition to “keep moving anyway” is one that takes all control out of our hands. We are stripped down to nothing and then asked, “are you going to follow or not? I understand that everything you hold dear has been taken away, and nothing that once made sense now does. I know that you hold me responsible for everything, that I am not just or good. I will not defend myself. The only matter before you is to follow or not follow. What will you do?” Those who, in the midst of such anguish, continue to follow, can be stopped by nothing else…. And if we have someone else who has gone before us, with more anguish than we can understand, who himself has emerged victorious, having conquered death itself (the very enemy Qohelet feared) – then as Gunnar said, this is truly good news….
Describing what one sees in unflinching terms is not an act of rebellion or faithlessness. It is wisdom. But even more wise is knowing that such wisdom does not explain it all. The one who is truly wise will continue to trust and follow God, even when he/she is weary and worn from trying to make sense of God. He is never more our God than when he bids us to follow, even when we have every good reason not to. And we are never more his servants than when we obey – regardless.
Peter Enns Two Horizons Old Testament Commentary – Ecclesiastes p 219
Joshua's Tree 