The End of the Matter: Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

We move now from the Preacher’s own words to those of the author and his concluding remarks about what he has shared with us. An old beer commercial used to say, “You only go around once…you’ve got to grab for all the gusto you can, even in the beer you drink.” Surprisingly, this does capture to an extent what the Preacher’s message has been. You’re going to have plenty of sorrow in life and you can’t predict or prevent it, but you can enjoy what your Creator gives you to enjoy. And the author’s summary includes more than that.

Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:9–14, ESV)

Why We Should Believe the Preacher

He was an accepted teacher among the people
He weighed and studied wisdom with great care
He learned to express himself in delightful words
He wrote words of truth in righteousness

What Wisdom Like the Preacher’s Should Accomplish

It should goad us into action
It should provide us a standard by which to judge all other claims to wisdom
It should point us to Yahweh, the Shepherd of Israel
It should warn us not to readily accept anything that has not been so attested
It should keep us from seeking knowledge in too many books

What We Should Conclude

God is to be feared, revered and trusted
God’s commands are to be kept above all
God will judge all our deeds and secret motives

Life must be lived within these boundaries of understanding. Our sinful pursuit of control in our lives must be abandoned and reliance upon God alone and His control must become our pattern of living.

About the Author Randall Johnson

A full-time pastor since 1979, Randall originally graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM) in 1979 and from Reformed Theological Seminary (DMin) in 1998. He is married with four grown children and a pile of epic grandchildren.

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