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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Ecclesiastes 7:16 says, "Do not be overrighteous, / neither be overwise- / why destroy yourself?" Given the Bible's standard of righteousness and the premium it sets on wisdom, it seems strange tha...
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Douglas Offermann
Supporter
The first point of interpretation should be that of context. And in particular, the reader should recognize the experience of the person who wrote Ecclesiastes. The Book of Ecclesiastes was not written by an obscure man, but a ruler, and not of just a city, but of an entire nation. This person had the benefit of years of being able to observe and scrutinize the work of administrators and rulers with fewer responsibilities, their policies and procedures. He had seen other rulers come and go, succeed and fail in their public service. The righteousness and folly of these public servants is what I believe he is referring to. To boil it down to one word, this passage is about governance. The ability to govern wisely. And it is not about being right all the time. It is about being a centrist when it comes to governance policies. The second perspective I would offer is to understand that in any nation the basis for a civil society depends on two divisions of philosophy. One is civic and the other religious. The two are meant to keep a society in balance by not going to either extreme when setting policies in order for a society to peaceably exist.
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