Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
Certainly, there is no one so righteous on earth that he always does what is good and never sins.
“I have found only this: God made people decent, but they looked for many ways to avoid being decent.” (Eccl 7:20, 29 GW) [context– Eccl 7:19-29]
The good-person syndrome
“I’m a good person.” As a pastor, I’ve heard this statement countless times. Many times it’s offered as a defense in answer to some flawed moral choice or circumstance in a person’s life. Let’s call it the “good-person syndrome.”
Even when we know we’re in the wrong about something, we don’t want to be defined by our moral failure. We may admit to a particular lie or misbehavior yet claim it’s not normal for us— “Yes, I know this is wrong but I’m still a good person.”
When I hear people say, “But I’m a good person,” it sounds like they’re trying to convince themselves more than anyone else.
In general, we value morality, ethics, and good behavior. Many people believe in the innate goodness of humanity. Sure, we know there are sociopaths and evil people, but we tend to see them as the exception, not the rule.
Even among those of us in the Christian faith, different opinions abound regarding personal goodness. The spectrum includes those who see people in general as good, to those who say all humanity is morally bankrupt and depraved.
I’ve always had difficulty accepting either extreme. Not that I believe in some notion of a balance between the two. I believe it’s not an either-or proposition.
Every person has the imprint of our Creator, yet we are not intrinsically good on our own. Somehow, I sensed this from childhood but couldn’t give a reason for it until much later in life.
I know we are all selfish by nature, yet we are not beyond redemption. But in this last segment of Chapter 7 of Ecclesiastes, Solomon has another thought on all of this.
Insights
As with the proverbial sayings Solomon collected and wrote in the Book of Proverbs, his thoughts in Ecclesiastes need to be understood within their cultural and historical context. This is ancient wisdom, not modern philosophy.
Solomon himself is an important part of the context of Ecclesiastes. He excelled in many things including wisdom, but he also excelled in pursuing excess, especially when it came to pleasure and women (Eccl 2:3-11).
Solomon reminds us of the value of wisdom—it’s stronger than ten rulers of a city. True wisdom—godly wisdom—is better than the combined efforts of human politics and thinking. This is followed by a simple observation about people—none of us are righteous in and of ourselves (Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:10-12).
We’re given an example of our shortcomings and warned not to take to heart what others say to us or about us. After all, we’ve all said things about others that are better left unsaid.
We tend to say things in the emotion of the moment and to generalize and objectify others— “They/he always… they/she never… they’re all the same like that.”
Solomon returns to the topic of wisdom and admits it is too deep to fathom or understand all there is to know. It is beyond human capabilities, and yet, our pride leads us to believe and behave as if we know it all.
Even though Solomon sought wisdom with great diligence, he realized it’s beyond his grasp— “I am still seeking a reason for things, but have not found any.” (verse 28)
Along the way, Solomon realized the dangers of lust and pleasure. What he says about women (verses 26, 28) is related to his experience with many concubines and wives who turned his heart from the Lord (I Kings 11:4).
This leads us to Solomon’s last thought in Chapter 7 (verse 29 NKJV and GW)—
“Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes.”
“…God made people decent, but they looked for many ways ⌞to avoid being decent⌟.”
Did God really make people “upright”?
If so, why do we seek out “many schemes (ways) to avoid being decent”?
Existential Reflections
God created people in His image (imago dei– Gen 1:26-27). We have the spiritual imprint of our Creator embedded in us. We are more than the elements of our DNA or genetic code. This spiritual imprint is the seed of our conscience (Prov 20:27; Rom 2:14-15).
Spiritual rebirth is the regeneration of this spiritual imprint of God embedded in all humans (John 3:3-8; Titus 3:5). But our conscience gets buried under the thick skin of our innate selfishness, which we inherited from our first ancestors who ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Unless our selfish nature is kept in check, our conscience can get numbed and calloused (Eph 4:17-19; 1 Tim 4:2; Titus 1:15). But our natural inclination towards selfishness creates a constant inner conflict.
This conflict between our conscience and our selfish inclination is the reason we come up with “schemes” contrary to godly wisdom and sound judgment, as Solomon put it in verse 29 (see above).
So, how can we resolve or overcome this inner conflict?
First, we need to acknowledge and admit our human limitations as Solomon pointed out in verse 24—
Whatever wisdom may be, it is out of reach. It is deep, very deep. Who can find out what it is?
Here is where we need the Lord’s help and guidance.
Just as a young child needs their parent’s (or grandparent’s) help from time to time, so we need God’s help.
Our youngest grandchildren are learning to put puzzles together among many other things. Our 2-year-old grandson is most interested in dumping the puzzle pieces out of the box. But our 3-year-old granddaughter can fit together the pieces of some puzzles by herself.
Of course, this was a learning process they both needed help with. Now, our grandson’s big sister helps him work on puzzles and we help when he gets too frustrated for her to help him.
Trying to live each day with a clear conscience can frustrate anyone and even lead to spiraling into depression if our frustration goes unchecked.
For example, trying to maintain a healthy regimen of diet and exercise can get disrupted easily by the reality of everyday life, especially within a typical family household.
I think Solomon gives us a good starting place to help overcome this inner conflict when he says—
Don’t take everything that people say to heart, or you may hear your own servant cursing you. Your conscience knows that you have cursed others many times. (Eccl 7:21-22 GW)
In other words, don’t be so easily offended and overly sensitive about what others may say and how they might act. We tend to be our own worst enemies when it comes to this. We allow what others say to have too much influence and power over our lives.
To not do this requires us to choose what we dwell on in our minds and how we allow others to affect our emotions.
Just as when our grandchildren get frustrated, over-tired, or obstinate, Susan and I need to help them get past their struggles and navigate their way beyond the immediate situation causing problems. Sometimes we need to employ a “timeout” for them.
So it is with us and the Lord. When we get to a point of frustration or anger or perhaps find ourselves slipping into depression, we need to seek the Lord’s help, along with the help of others whom we trust.
Sometimes, we also need a “timeout” of sorts. We need to disengage from self-destructive behaviors and the influence of others who feed or stir up our tendency towards self-pity.
But we can’t stay in a suspended state of not doing anything. Nature hates a vacuum! We need to fill our minds with the truth and set our hearts on what is encouraging and uplifting.
How?!
Start by turning off the continuous cycle of “breaking news” and stop scrolling through social media.
Instead, watch or read something humorous and encouraging.
Go take a walk or get outside for some fresh air or do something creative.
Also, fill your mind with the truth of God’s Word and your heart with praise and worship (Col 3:15-17).
This is how we can avoid the various schemes and snares of life and the futility of trying to “be a good person.”
This is an excerpt from my newest book available on Amazon! Glimmers of Light in the Darkness of Life
The Scripture text for this devotional study can be found by clicking the blue button link– “Ecclesiastes Chap 7” [I’ve used God’s Word Translation (GW) for ease of reading but the button link will take you to the text in a parallel version with the NKJV text.]
Also, for further commentary, I recommend Enduring Word by Ptr David Guzik.
