For all this I considered in mine heart
What goes before, in the latter end of the preceding chapter,
concerning the various providences of God, the difficulty of
finding out the reasons of them, and the fruitlessness of
attempting it; and also what follows, the work of Providence:
Solomon gave his mind unto, attended it with great application,
and strictly considered and examined it, in order to find it out,
but could not; and if he could not, no other man could. And he
had a good intention in all; his views were, even to
declare all this;
for the end of search and inquiry should be, to make known what
is found for the good of others, ( Job 5:27 ) ; and as the
wise man had done before, ( Ecclesiastes
7:25-29 ) ; or "to purge", or "purify", as the word
F16 signifies; to make dark providences
clear, and consistent with the perfections and promises of God;
to free and vindicate them from all charges of unrighteousness
and partiality, and to set them in a clear light to others: now
though he failed in his attempt, yet having made some
discoveries, he imparted them, as follows: and the observations
he made were, that the righteous, and the wise, and their
works, [are] in the hand
of God;
that those who are truly "righteous" in the sight of God; are so,
in an evangelical sense, made so by the obedience of Christ; and
who believe in him for righteousness, and live soberly,
righteously, and godly: and who are "wise", not for the things of
this world but another, who are wise unto salvation; and are
concerned for the truth of grace, as well as an outward
profession, and walk wisely in the world; these, their persons,
are under the special care of divine Providence; they receive
from the hand of God what is needful and proper for them, and
they are preserved and protected by him, ( 1 Timothy
4:8 1 Timothy
4:10 ) ; and their "works", or affairs; all events relating
to them, are all appointed, ordered, and directed by the hand of
God, and all for their good. In a more evangelic sense, their
persons are in the hands of God, Father, Son, and Spirit; in the
hands of the Father of Christ, being engraven there: he looks at
them, and upon them; with delight and pleasure, and never forgets
them; he has a high and honourable esteem of them, they are a
crown of glory, and a royal diadem in his hand; he directs and
guides them, holds them, and upholds them with his right hand;
and keeps them, by his power, through faith unto salvation, (
John 10:29 ) (
Isaiah
49:16 ) ( 62:3 ) ( 41:10 ) (
Psalms
73:23 Psalms 73:24
) ( 1 Peter
1:5 ) . They are in the hands of Christ; put there by his
Father, as the effect of his love, care, and wisdom; where they
are in his possession, the objects of his delight; and are under
his guidance and direction, his care and protection, ( Deuteronomy
33:3 ) ( Song of
Solomon 8:6 ) ( Psalms 95:7 ) (
Revelation 2:1 ) (
John 10:28 ) .
And they are in the hands of the Spirit, who begins and carries
on his own work in them; leads them to Christ, and into all
truth, and guides them safe to glory, ( John 16:8 John 16:13 John 16:14 ) ( Psalms
143:10 ) . And so their "works" also are in the hands of God;
the work of grace upon the soul is in the hand of the Spirit, to
carry it on and finish it; good works done by them are done by
the assistance of divine grace, the strength of Christ, and the
aid of the blessed Spirit; are received and accepted with God
through Christ; and will not be forgotten, but are retained, and
will be remembered another day; see ( Ecclesiastes
9:7 ) ( Hebrews 6:10
) ( Revelation
14:13 ) ; no man knoweth either love or hatred [by] all
[that is] before them;
no man knows his own love and hatred, his passions are so fickle
and inconstant; what he loves now, he presently hates, as may be
seen in the instances of Ammon, Ahasuerus, and others: or he
knows not that what he loves and hates shall befall him, all
depending on divine Providence; or he does not know the love and
hatred of others, who are his friends or his foes, there is such
deceitfulness in men: or rather, he does not know the love and
hatred of God, with respect to himself or others, by the outward
conduct of Providence; since the same things happen to one as to
another; as health and strength, wealth and riches, honour and
fame, wisdom and learning, long life, and the like: good men may
know that they are loved of God, by his love being shed abroad in
them, by the blessings of grace bestowed on them, and the
witnessings of the Spirit to them; and know that sin is
abominable to God, and wicked men are hated by him; and living
and dying in sin, will be eternally damned; but who is an elect
person, and who a reprobate, is not to be known by the outward
estate of men, as to the things of life. Some render it, "even
love and hatred" F17, in connection with the preceding
clause; that is, these are in the hands of God also; his love to
his people is purely sovereign, according to his own will; not
through any motives in them, as their love, loveliness, or good
works; and his hatred of others, or the punishment of them for
sin, and appointment of them to it; for the same is also as he
pleases; see ( Romans
9:11-22 ) ; or the love and hatred of men; for God has the
hearts and passions of all men in his hand, and at his command,
and can raise or restrain them at his pleasure, ( Proverbs
21:1 ) ; the love and hatred of good men; he works in them
love to himself and all divine things, and hatred of that which
is evil; and also of bad men, he can make them love his people,
and he can restrain their wrath when he pleases, ( Proverbs
16:7 ) ( Psalms 76:10
) ; and then the last clause is rendered, "no man knoweth all
[that is] before them" F18; either before Elohim, the three
divine Persons, to whom all things are manifest, or that were
before decreed, as Aben Ezra; the purposes and decrees of God,
which are the secret and deep things of God, and cannot be known
but by his promises or providences: or man is so short sighted,
that he cannot discern the things that are plain and manifest
before him; and much less things future, that are yet to come.
But the words, according to the accents, may be better rendered,
as by Munster, "neither love nor hatred man knows"; whether the
love professed to him is sincere, and what secret hatred is bore
to him: "but all things are before him"; Elohim, the three divine
Persons.