Wisdom Of The Teacher For College Students, Ch. 7Sample

Our life experiences teach us that the righteous do not always live long lives and sometime the evil man lives a much longer and, in some ways, a better life than the righteous. This contradicts some who claim that only believers live their best lives now and that God will punish those who disobey Him with a quick and often painful death. The Teacher points out the fallacy of this line of thinking in our verses for today.

Just as it was a popular thought in his day, this line of thought of God blessing the righteous with a long life continues to this day. I’ve known some very righteous people who have died way too young in my estimation and I’ve seen some evil leaders continue for way too long for my liking. However, the teacher reminds us that this type of thinking is just not right. 

In these verses the Teacher seems to point us to a life that is lived in moderation. The truth is that none of us live a perfect life of righteousness before God. We would be wise to stop trying to portray our lives as if we do. We are warned not to pursue wickedness, but we all know that we are guilty of some level of it in our lives. Therefore, we would be foolish to not acknowledge that it is a part of our life or to not try to limit it’s expression in our daily living either. 

The Teacher closes this segment with an example to remind us not to be so quick to judge others or give ourselves to listening to what everyone says about us. He reminds us that when we get mad about what others say about us or curse us, that we too have said things and cursed others as well. Even in his day, it was true that humans often point to the flaws in others that are common in our own lives.