Pastor's Sermon Notes: Ecclesiastes (series), #44 and #45 - What is the Chief End of Man? (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

Series: Ecclesiastes

Sermons #44 and #45: 

What is the Chief End of Man?

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

[Audio file from Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/Ecclesiastes1213.]

[Audio file from Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/Ecclesiastes1214.]

¹³ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. ¹⁴ For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Introduction:

Westminster Shorter Catechism (Q.1.), and Keach's Catechism (Q.2.)

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

(1 Cor. 10:31; Ps. 73:25-26)

Westminster Larger Catechism

Q.1. What is the chief and highest end of man?

A. Mans chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully to enjoy him forever.

Outline:

I. The Whole Matter about the Whole Duty (12:13) — The Entire Present Duty of Mankind — The Only Acceptable Response of the Creature to the Creator

II. Every Work Including Every Secret (12:14) — The Exhaustive, Universal, and Absolute Future Judgment of God — The Eternally Sufficient Motivation of the Creature before the Creator

I. The Whole Matter about the Whole Duty (12:13) — The Entire Present Duty of Mankind — The Only Acceptable Response of the Creature to the Creator

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

1. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter

2. Fear God, and keep his commandments

3. for this is the whole duty of man

1. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter

 “…the writer bluntly tells us his purpose…”

— Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Toward An Exegetical Theology: Biblical Exegesis for Preaching and Teaching (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1981), pg. 77.

2. Fear God, and keep his commandments

1) Fear God

2) Keep His commandments

1) Fear God

The Fear of God in Ecclesiastes:

A Biblical theology of the fear of God must include a consideration of the following:

What is the fear of God?

What does it mean to “fear God”?

If “perfect love casteth out fear” doesn’t that contradict this command?

The Fear of God in Ecclesiastes:

Eccl. 3:14 — I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Eccl. 3:17 — I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Eccl. 5:4-7 — ⁴ When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. ⁵ Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. ⁶ Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? ⁷ For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.

Eccl. 7:17-18 — ¹⁷ Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? ¹⁸ It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

Eccl. 8:5 — Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.

Eccl. 8:12 — Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him:

Eccl. 11:9 — Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

A Biblical theology of the fear of God must include a consideration of the following:

Gen. 3:7-10 — ⁷ And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. ⁸ And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. ⁹ And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? ¹⁰ And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Deut. 4:2 — Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

Deut. 6:2 — That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

Deut. 10:12 — And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Job 28:28 [Job] — And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Ps.103:11 — For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

Ps.111:10 — The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Pr. 1:7 — The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Pr. 9:10 — The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Pr. 15:33 — The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.

Mt. 10:26, 28 — ²⁶ Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known….²⁸ And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Other New Testament passages will be considered in due course, but these already cited are the minimum of what should be considered in establishing the basis for a Biblical theology of the fear of God.

What is the fear of God?

!!!Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., “The Theology of the Old Testament,” in The Expositor's Bible Commentary with The New International Version of the Holy Bible, Vol. 1, Introductory Articles: General, Old Testament, New Testament, gen. ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), pp. 299-301.

“Fear of Yahweh is not only a point of beginning for authentic knowledge, but its very substance.” (pg. 309)

“Job, Psalms and Ecclesiastes all reflect this priority…” (pg. 310)

— Carl F. H. Henry, God, Revelation and Authority, 6 vols. (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1976-1983), 3:309-310, 316.           

What does it mean to “fear God”?

1 Jn. 4:17-18 — ¹⁷ Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

If “perfect love casteth out fear” doesn’t that seem to contradict this command to “fear God”?

If: 1) “there is no fear in love,” 2) “fear hath torment,” and 3) “he that feareth is not made perfect in love;” then is the fear of God an Old Testament command that is no longer relevant under the New Covenant?

How can both fearing God and loving God be done at one and the same time? How can these two be maintained, this apparent tension be resolved, while doing justice to the teaching of God’s Word in these verses?

Jas. 2:19 —Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Is this “trembling” merely demonic, or is it creaturely, and in fact holy? Is it not the creaturely consequence of faith in God, and who and what kind of being He is? Isn’t there something wrong with a faith that does not tremble? Cannot criticism be leveled against a Christianity that has no place for trembling before God?

2 Cor. 5:9-11 — ⁹ Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

¹¹ Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

Do we truly know this terror of the Lord?

How do we know the terror of the Lord?

If we do in fact know the terror of the Lord, then what does it motivate us to do?

2) Keep His commandments

What is the relationship between the commands? What are the points of comparison and contrast between the command to “fear God,” and the command to “keep his commandments”?

Does this mean that we are under the Law, i.e. the Old Covenant, the Law of Moses?

Isn’t this legalism, or legalistic?

What about loving God and your neighbor, the two great commandments?

3. for this is the whole duty of man

Mic. 6:8 — He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

“Observe: Stay in Condition Yellow 

In his seminal book, Principles of Personal Defense, gun-fighting expert Jeff Cooper laid out a color code system to help warriors gauge their mindset for combat scenarios. Each color represents a person’s potential state of awareness and focus:

For optimal situational awareness, Cooper recommends that we always stay in Condition Yellow.”

— Brett and Kate McKay, “How to Develop the Situational Awareness of Jason Bourne” (5 FEB 2015), on The Art of Manliness http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/02/05/how-to-develop-the-situational-awareness-of-jason-bourne/ [accessed 28 SEP 2016].

Consider also the significance of the title of a book referenced in this article: Gavin de Becker, The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us From Violence (New York: Dell, 1997).

There is someone and something to fear beyond death: God, the Creator of the sun, the ruler of heaven, and His judgment to come.

[Sermon preached 2 OCT 2016 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]

II. Every Work Including Every Secret (12:14) — The Exhaustive, Universal, and Absolute Future Judgment of God — The Eternally Sufficient Motivation of the Creature before the Creator

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

1. God shall bring every work into judgment

            — The Judgment by God is Exhaustive

            — No escape!

            The End of Confusion

2. God shall bring every secret thing into judgment

            — The Judgment by God is Universal

            — No hiding!

            The End of Deception

3. God shall bring every good and evil work into judgment

            — The Judgment by God is Absolute           

            — No exceptions!

            The End of Evil

1. God shall bring every work into judgment — The Judgment by God is Exhaustive — No escape! The End of Confusion

For God shall bring every work into judgment

Job 19:29 [Job] — Be ye afraid of the sword: for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgment.

Eccl. 8:5-6 — ⁵ Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. ⁶ Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.

Eccl. 11:9 — Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.

Acts 17:30-31 — ³⁰ And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: ³¹ Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Gen. 18:25 — That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Ps. 58:11 — So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Rev. 20:11-15 — ¹¹ And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴ And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

2. God shall bring every secret thing into judgment — The Judgment by God is Universal — No hiding! The End of Deception

with every secret thing

Mt. 12:36 — But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Rom. 2:16 — In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

1 Cor. 4:5 — Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

3. God shall bring every good and evil work into judgment — The Judgment by God is Absolute — No exceptions! The End of Evil

whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Rom. 14:10-12 — ¹⁰ But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹ For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. ¹² So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

1 Cor. 3:10-17 — ¹⁰ According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. ¹¹ For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; ¹³ Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. ¹⁵ If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. ¹⁶ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? ¹⁷ If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

2 Cor. 5:9-11 — ⁹ Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. ¹¹ Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

Jas. 2:9-26 — ⁹ But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. ¹⁰ For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. ¹¹ For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. ¹² So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. ¹³ For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. ¹⁴ What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, ¹⁶ And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. ¹⁸ Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. ¹⁹ Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. ²⁰ But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? ²² Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. ²⁴ Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. ²⁵ Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? ²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

[Sermon preached 9 OCT 2016 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]

Complete Outline:

I. The Whole Matter about the Whole Duty (12:13) — The Entire Present Duty of Mankind — The Only Acceptable Response of the Creature to the Creator

1. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter

2. Fear God, and keep his commandments

3. For this is the whole duty of man

II. Every Work Including Every Secret (12:14) — The Exhaustive, Universal, and Absolute Future Judgment of God — The Eternally Sufficient Motivation of the Creature before the Creator

1. God shall bring every work into judgment — The Judgment by God is Exhaustive — No escape! The End of Confusion

2. God shall bring every secret thing into judgment — The Judgment by God is Universal — No hiding! The End of Deception

3. God shall bring every good and evil work into judgment — The Judgment by God is Absolute — No exceptions! The End of Evil

Select Sources on Ecclesiastes:

J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore The Book: A Basic and Broadly Interpretive Course of Bible Study from Genesis to Revelation, 6 vols. in 1 ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d., 1960 printing).

William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes: The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series (Fearn, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012).[1]

Thorleif Boman, Hebrew Thought Compared With Greek, 2nd ed. rev., trans. Jules L. Moreau (New York: W. W. Norton. 1960; from Das hebrӓische Denken im Vergleich mit dem Griechischen, Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1954).

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes (New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860).[2]

C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books: The Wisdom and Songs of Israel (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979).

Franz Delitzsch, “Commentary on The Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes,” trans. M. G. Easton, in Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Vol. VI: Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon: Three Volumes in One (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d., 1975 reprint), III:179-442.

Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and Commentary, Vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1983).

Sinclair B. Ferguson. The Pundit's Folly: Chronicles of an Empty Life (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1995).

Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Vol. 14, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman, 1993).

Robert Baker Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament: Their Bearing on Christian Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d., 1976 reprint of 1897 ed.); on Study Light at http://www.studylight.org/lexicons/gos/ [accessed 13 JUL 2016]; and on NTS Library[3] at http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books%20II/Girdlestone%20-%20Synomyns%20of%20the%20OT.pdf [accessed 13 JUL 2016]; in an earlier edition, Robert Baker Girdlestone, Synonyms of the Old Testament: Their Bearing on Christian Faith and Practice (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1871); on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/synonymsofoldtes00gird [accessed 13 JUL 2016]; and on Google Books at https://books.google.com/books?id=D3YcA72rnqQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 13 JUL 2016].

Donald R. Glenn, “Ecclesiastes,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. J. F. Walvoord, and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1985).

William Henry Green, “Scope and Plan of the Book of Ecclesiastes,” Biblical Reparatory and Princeton Review 29 (1857), pp. 419-40; on Gordon Faculty Online at http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/21-Ecclesiastes/Text/Articles/Green-ScopeofEccl-1857.pdf [accessed 7 NOV 2015].[4]

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Coping With Change: Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Roth-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2013).[5]

R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament with a comprehensive review of Old Testament Studies and a special supplement on the Apocrypha (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969).

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979).

Derek Kidner, The Message of Ecclesiastes: A Time to Mourn, and a Time to Dance, in The Bible Speaks Today, Old Testament series ed. J. A. Motyer (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1976).

H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Ecclesiastes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952).

Tremper Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).

John MacArthur, MacArthur Study Bible, rev. ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997).

Tim Mackie, “The book of Ecclesiastes explained with illustrations,” on The Bible Project at http://www.jointhebibleproject.com [accessed 18 JUN 2016]; includes downloadable full resolution video (700+ mb), and poster; for the video see also “Read Scripture Ecclesiastes” (10 JUN 2016), on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsQ1tc-2wk [accessed 18 JUN 2016].[6]

D. B. Miller, Ecclesiastes, Believers Church Bible Commentary (Scottdale, PA; Waterloo, ON: Herald Press, 2010).

Roland Edmund Murphy, Ecclesiastes, Vol. 23A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1992).

John G. Reisinger, Studies in Ecclesiastes (Frederick, MD: New Covenant Media, 2008).

Philip Graham Ryken, Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters, in Preaching the Word, gen. ed. R. Kent Hughes (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010).

Philip G. Ryken, Why Everything Matters: The Gospel in Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, Ltd., 2015).

Benjamin Shaw, “On Reading Ecclesiastes,” in The Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson, ed. Robert L. Penny (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2008), pp. 47-58.

Peter B. Steese, ed., Ecclesiastes, gen. ed. Leonard F. Dean (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1966).

Tom V. Taylor, Studies in Ecclesiastes (Port Colborne, Ontario, CA: Gospel Folio Press, 2013).[7]

Hans Walter Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, trans. Margaret Kohl (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974; from Anthropologie des Alten Testaments, Munich: Chr. Kaiser Verlag, 1973).

Addison G. Wright, “The Riddle of the Sphinx: The Structure of the Book of Qoheleth,” in Reflecting with Solomon: Selected Studies on the Book of Ecclesiastes, ed. Roy B. Zuck (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1994), pp. 45-66; originally published in Catholic Biblical Quarterly 30 (1968), pp. 313-334.

J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in Psalms-Song of Songs, Vol. 5, Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991).

J. Stafford Wright, “The Interpretation of Ecclesiastes”, in Classical Evangelical Essays in Old Testament Interpretation, ed. Walter C. Kaiser Jr. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1972), pp. 135-150; from J. Stafford Wright, “The Interpretation of Ecclesiastes,” Evangelical Quarterly 18 (1946), pp. 18-34; on Rediscovering the Bible at http://rediscoveringthebible.com/InterpretationOfEcclesiastes.html [accessed 7 MAY 2015].

Ronald F. Youngblood, “Qoheleth's 'Dark House' (Eccl. 12:5),” in A Tribute to Gleason Archer, eds. Walter C. Kaiser and Ronald F. Youngblood (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), pp.211-228; also published in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 29:4 (DEC 1986), pp. 397-410; on Biblical Studies at http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/29/29-4/29-4-pp397-410_JETS.pdf [accessed 4 APR 2016].

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End Notes:

[1] Barrick’s lecture notes (PDF files) and audio (mp3) are on Dr Barrick at http://drbarrick.org/teaching/ecclesiastes/ [accessed 3 FEB 2016].

[2] On Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/expositionofbook00bridrich [accessed 11 MAY 2015]; on Google Books at  http://books.google.com/books?id=e4kOAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 11 MAY 2015]; and linked on Precept Austin at http://preceptaustin.org/proverbs_commentaries.htm#cb [accessed 11 MAY 2015].

[3] The Hebrew characters did not make it into this digital edition intact.

[4] Walter C. Kaiser, Jr. inexplicably refers to this as an “unsigned article” on at least two occasions in his commentary despite the facts that: 1) William Henry Green is clearly indicated as the author under the title on the first page of the article (pg. 419), and 2) one of his own faculty members (Ted Hildebrandt) has posted the article on the school’s web site where Kaiser served as both faculty member and President. Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979); and Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Coping With Change: Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Roth-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2013).

[5] Although not indicated on the copyright page, this appears in all respects to be a revised edition (2nd ed.) of the Moody Press 1979 original. The relationship to the original is referenced in the “Preface,” where the author mentions the inclusion of his own translation of Ecclesiastes in this revision as one significant change. “Dale Ralph Davis compares the two and says, “the ‘bones’ are much the same but the whole has been updated and expanded.” Source: Tim Challies, “Best Commentaries on Ecclesiastes” (18 NOV 2013), on Challies at http://www.challies.com/resources/best-commentaries-on-ecclesiastes [accessed 7 NOV 2015].

[6] “This video explores the main ideas and flow of thought of the book of Ecclesiastes.

The Bible Project is a non-profit creating animated videos that explain the narrative of the Bible. These videos are free to use for personal and educational purposes. Download a full resolution version of this video along with a study guide at www.jointhebibleproject.com.”

“About the author:

Tim Mackie is a Pastor of Door of Hope church and a Professor at Western Seminary - timmackie.com”

[7] See also the “Thomas V. Taylor Library” on the Interdisciplinary Biblical Research Institute at  http://www.taylorlib.ibri.org/ [accessed 27 NOV 2013].