Ecclesiastes 12 · a question people ask
After all the Preacher's words, the book ends, "Fear God and keep his commandments" (12:13). How do these closing words stand to what the Preacher said?
Start with who is speaking. "“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher" (12:8) speaks about him, and so do 12:9-10: "because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge" (12:9), "The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words" (12:10). Then someone speaks to "my son" (12:12), and the book closes: "This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man" (12:13), "For God will bring every work into judgment" (12:14). Who the Preacher is was chapter 1's question, and these notes don't ask it again. Christians read how the close stands to the Preacher's words in two main ways, each resting on the book's own verses. Both agree that 12:13-14 is the book's own close, and that the whole book, the Preacher's words and the close together, is Scripture. These notes choose neither.
How Christians read it
Where Christians differ, Favor sets out the main views side by side and doesn't pick one.
The close gathers what the Preacher said
Those who read it this way start from what the close says of him: "because the Preacher was wise" (Ecclesiastes 12:9), and he sought out "words of truth" (Ecclesiastes 12:10); "The words of the wise are like goads" (Ecclesiastes 12:11). They point to how often the Preacher himself already called his hearers to enjoy what God gives and to fear God: "This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God" (Ecclesiastes 2:24); "I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice, and to do good as long as they live" (Ecclesiastes 3:12), and "God has done it, that men should fear before him" (Ecclesiastes 3:14); "but you must fear God" (Ecclesiastes 5:7); "for this is his portion" (Ecclesiastes 5:18); "surely I know that it will be better with those who fear God" (Ecclesiastes 8:12); "but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment" (Ecclesiastes 11:9). On this reading his vanity is an honest look at life under the sun, and 12:13-14 gather what he has been saying all along.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 · Ecclesiastes 3:12-14 · Ecclesiastes 5:7 · Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 · Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 · Ecclesiastes 11:9 · Ecclesiastes 12:9-11
The close sets the search under its last word
Those who read it this way start from how the book reports the Preacher's search, most of it as he saw it "under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:14), and from sayings the close doesn't repeat: "So I hated life" (Ecclesiastes 2:17); "Therefore I praised the dead who have been long dead more than the living who are yet alive" (Ecclesiastes 4:2); "but the dead don’t know anything" (Ecclesiastes 9:5). They point to the closing voice, which speaks of the Preacher rather than as him (Ecclesiastes 12:9-10) and then says, "This is the end of the matter. All has been heard" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). On this reading the book gives the whole search, and then sets it under "Fear God and keep his commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13) and "For God will bring every work into judgment" (Ecclesiastes 12:14), the words it is to be read by.
Ecclesiastes 1:14 · Ecclesiastes 2:17 · Ecclesiastes 4:2-3 · Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 · Ecclesiastes 12:9-10 · Ecclesiastes 12:13-14