End of the Search

12:9—14

Not only was the Teacher wise, but also he imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.

The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

In these concluding verses of Ecclesiastes, the koheleth summarizes and concludes the matter. The Preacher, who at some point in his past, left the Lord for a time to explore life on his own, learned many valuable lessons, and as a result, he who Preached become one who Taught. After all, what good is knowledge if it can’t be passed on?

1. A model preacher

Here is good picture of a model preacher for Pastoral Search Committees. A model preacher should be:

• A wise person. A good preacher should have a good education, that is, have secular knowledge. Knowledge is subservient to the preacher’s art and can be used by the preacher to get his point across to his listeners effectively and efficiently. But secular wisdom is never enough, a model preacher must have wisdom from above. Earthly wisdom changes and is temporary because the earth will pass away. But wisdom from God is eternal and never changes because He is eternal. One commentator wrote: “A preacher without the former wisdom may be rude; without the latter he must be ineffective.”
• A student. Like the Preacher, he must be always learning, seeking out wisdom and teaching it others. Like Timothy, he must do it with his focus on God, 1 Timothy 4:13. In particular, the model preacher must be a student of: (1) the Word of God, 2 Tim. 3:16; (2) human nature, so he can relate to the people around him, Isa. 53:3; (3) the world around him, Romans 1:18—20.
• A skillful teacher. All the men of God were able to teach Scripture to others. Consider: Ezra, Nehemiah 8:8; Jesus Christ, Mark 10:1; the apostles, Acts 4:2; 11:26; 18:25; etc.

The model preacher needs to know three words:

• Words of truth. What the preacher imparts to others must be words of objective truth, not his own thoughts and opinions.
• Words of uprightness. 2 Cor. 4:2; 13
• Words of delight. The model preacher must be able to convey the objective truth of Scripture to people so as to inspire them to dig deeper in the Word of God themselves. W.F. Adeney once said, “Dullness, darkness, dryness, deadness, are inexcusable faults in a preacher.”

2. Reading, Writing, Speaking

Looking at the life of Solomon, we can find some more applications for those of us who sit in the pew. Consider the following points, courtesy of Sir Francis Bacon:

A. Reading makes a full man

Of course, pushed to the extreme can make a man boring, and it’s not all that healthy, either, see 12:12. However, when pursued in moderation, it can serve to educate the mind and add to one’s understanding of many things, see 8:1.

B. Writing makes a correct man

In other words, take notes during Bible study and during the sermon! This is important for a number of reasons, including: (1) Note taking promotes clearness of thought. You listen more carefully to a sermon or a teaching and you summarize what you hear. Often the Lord speaks to us through the words of a sermon. (2) Keeps your mind from wandering. Paying attention to what is being said, writing down key points, will help keep you focused and, as a side benefit, the pastor becomes a better preacher. (3) Helps make sense of a sermon. As one writer so aptly stated: If brevity is the soul of whit, and loquacity the garment of dullness, the the sure way of attaining the former, and avoiding the latter, is to write.

C. Speaking makes a ready man

Solomon said it best in 12:11. Don’t be afraid to tell people about your faith. Take your notes to heart, and share the Word. Living your faith is important, but speaking about it important too. (1) Your words stimulate. That is, they make people think. They may also be persuasive. (2) They stay with people. The Word of the Lord, spoken by the preacher or the hearer, lodge in people’s hearts, see Isaiah 55:11.

3. The conclusion of the matter is the duty of man

Verses 13 and 14 give us Solomon’s wrap up. Really, man’s duty seems pretty simple.

The essence of man’s duty is two fold: (1) The fear of God. This is not servile or guilty fear, but rather it is: reverential fear (Deut. 28:58; Matt. 10:28; Heb. 12:9). (2) The service of God. This is not just outward worship (Deut. 7:11; Heb. 10:25), but inward devotion (John 4:24), which expresses itself in obedience to God’s Word.

The reason for man’s devotion to God is obvious: the certainty of judgment. (1) God is the judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25), of all (Heb. 12:23); and He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31). (2) The judgment is yet to come. This will happen in the world to come (Dan. 7:10; Matt. 11:22; 16:27, etc.). (3) It will be a judgment of works. For the believer, God will judge man’s works. God will judge the individual (Rom. 2:5—6); He will judge the inside of man, not just the outside (Rom. 2:16; 1 Cor. 3:13; 4:5); not of good works only, but also of evil works (2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Pet. 2:9).