Ecclesiastes 7:13

WHY GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES ARE INTERMINGLED

"Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything that shall be after him."

"Consider the work of God" (Ecclesiastes 7:13). "The author (Solomon) here has not given up belief in God, although he is a pessimist."[19]

"Who can make that straight which he (God) hath made crooked" (Ecclesiastes 7:13b)? This means that, "No one can change, with a view to improving it, what God has determined shall be."[20]

"Man shall not find out anything that shall be after him" (Ecclesiastes 7:14b) The underlined words here are not in the Hebrew; and we have often observed when the translators add that many words, even including verbs expressing the future tense, it is very probable that there is uncertainty of the meaning. This is true here.

Franz Delitzsch stated unequivocally that the literal translation here is, "That man may find nothing behind him," but added, "That is meaningless."[21] Most modern translators have concurred in this; but this writer finds it impossible to believe that the literal translation is meaningless. In fact, it is our version (American Standard Version) and the whole crop of current translations (which are not translations at all, but are the words of the translators) - it is these current renditions that are meaningless. Read our version here. What does it say? That God has set the days of prosperity and adversity side by side so that man cannot predict the future; but, of course, HE CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE. He can be absolutely certain that in the future the good days and bad days will continue to be side by side exactly as God has ordained it! The true rendition of this place is:

"God hath also set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing AFTER him" (KJV).

This translation uses the word "after", which is a synonym for "behind". If the family of a deceased person follows behind the hearse on the way to the cemetery, then they most certainly follow after it. This verse (Ecclesiastes 7:14b) simply means that God has mingled the good days and the bad days in such a manner that man's estate shall be exhausted by the time of his death; and the experience of millions of people corroborates this. For the vast majority of mankind, when the medical expenses of the terminal illness and the funeral expenses are all paid, nothing is left.

EXCEPTIONS TO THE GENERAL RULE

As a general principle, it is certain that God blesses the righteous and judges the wicked; but Solomon here deals with exceptions that he has seen in the operation of this law.