"DON'T BE OVERLY RIGHTEOUS OR OVERLY WISE" (ECCLESIASTES 7:16)

 

A few weeks ago our Sunday school class was studying Ecclesiastes 7. When our teacher came to this particular verse, he said that if I had been there (I was watching it on-line) he would have asked me to explain this really strange statement. Fortunately for me, I didn't have to admit my ignorance in public. But since I was not there I had the advantage of being able to consult my “brain” (i.e. my home library of Bible study resources). And after canvassing a number of commentaries, I have come to the conclusion that there are three basic approaches to interpreting this verse.

Approach #1: A.G. Wright holds to the interesting position that the advice in these two verses “is not Qoheleth's [the Teacher's] message at all, but is something he judges as not helpful...Similarly, the various collections of proverbs are not 'Qoheleth's favorites' offered by way of advice as previously treated.” In other words, this is another way of stating the popular liberal two-author approach to Ecclesiastes. It states that an orthodox Jewish author took a cynical document written by an unbeliever or disillusioned Jew and attempted to correct its faulty theology by occasionally inserting some corrective teachings here and there.

Thus, according to this view, the present book is a strange patchwork of contradictory opinions which really leaves the reader in a quandary as to which ones to believe and which ones to reject. My post “Ecclesiastes: Introduction to the Literary Structure” offers one argument against this view.

A milder form of this approach is expressed by Caneday: “His literary image reflects the harsh realities of this present world as he places side by side contradictory elements to portray the twisted, disjointed and disfigured form of this world.”

Approach #2: A somewhat more satisfactory interpretation has been credited by many writers to R.N. Whybray. This view is explained by Kaiser: “The real clue to this passage is to be found in the second verb of Ecclesiastes 7:16, 'to be wise.' This form must be rendered reflexively according to the Hebrew verb form: to think oneself to be furnished with wisdom. As such, it makes the same point as the famous text in Proverbs 3:7 does, 'Be not wise in your own eyes.'” Similarly, Eaton says, “'Do not be greatly righteous' must be taken ironically and must refer to the way a person thinks about himself and presents himself.”

Tremper Longman III states, “Interpreters who want to guard Qohelet's piety or orthodoxy have adopted this...approach.” These would include such names as Stedman, Bridges and Castellino. But Longman himself rejects it in favor of the following interpretation.

Approach #3: Longman explains this view as expressing a warning by Qohelet “against seeking righteousness and wisdom with too much fervor,.” Before quoting from some of those scholars who agree with Longman, it may first be asked why they do not espouse Approach #2 instead.

The reasons for rejecting Approach #2 are mostly too technical for me to understand or convey in my own words. Brindle is probably the clearest in expressing these reasons: “It is perhaps obvious by now that Whybray's interpretation of the passage 7:16b depends almost entirely upon a highly questionable meaning of one word in the passage. Having concluded that this word refers to 'pretensions of wisdom,' he reasons that 7:16a is parallel and that it should therefore read, 'Do not pretend to be righteous' or 'Do not be self-righteous.' This is an unwarranted leap...Whybray's solution fits neither the context not the details of the passage.”

Both Longman and Seow offer similar arguments against Approach #2, and an impressive list of Bible scholars weighs in on the side of this third interpretation, even though they may express it in somewhat different ways.

Scott: “...it is as unprofitable for men to exhaust themselves in struggling for moral perfection as it is to hasten their demise through folly. True reverence for God is shown by a moderation which is not moral indifference but the recognition that, while wisdom is important, no man can be perfect.”

D.G. Moore: “Trying to be good in our own strength is not only exhausting; it is impossible. Furthermore, righteousness, even the godly variety, ought always to be in tandem with mercy and kindness.” I would add that this very idea is expressed in James 1:27.

Seow: “The issue here is not hypocrisy but boasting...not in the sense of pretense but pretentiousness (so NEB: 'flaunt not your wisdom').”

Brindle: The expressions 'excessively righteous' and 'make yourself overly wise' are best understood as an exaggerated striving and seeking after perfection and super-wisdom.”

Hendry: “There is need of humility and restraint in both the thought and the practice of morality. It must be remembered that all moralities are conditioned by man's finitude and tainted by his sin. We must be careful to avoid moral pride.”

Niebuhr: “Moral pride thus makes virtue the very vehicle of sin.” C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters shows the demons switching gears as soon as one of their victims becomes a Christian. Instead of tempting him to commit sensual sins, they now try to lure the person into committing spiritual sins such as pride.

Kwakkel: “...it warns against excessiveness in pursuing righteousness and wisdom. Such zealotry ends in bewilderment or self-destruction because it does not take into account that no one on earth is so righteous as to do good without sinning. Moreover, it gives evidence of too high a view of what people can achieve, which contrasts with the humility of those who fear God.”

Fleming: “The author observes that righteousness does not always lead to happiness nor wickedness to suffering...This prompts the author to suggest a middle course, where one's enjoyment of life will not be ruined either by an over-zealous concern for righteousness and wisdom or by a too tolerant attitude toward wickedness and folly. The person who avoids both extremes and who obeys God will be successful in the end.”