Ecclesiastes: A Mentor Commentary

Mentor Commentary

by Richard P. Belcher Jr.

The book of Ecclesiastes, part of the wisdom literature of the Bible, can be a perplexing maze to interpret and teach. Full of apparent contradictions and much-debated Hebrew, the theme focuses on the gritty realities of life 'under the sun'. Richard Belcher approaches this book with the depth and care it needs, presenting solid guidance on the intricacies of interpretation - alongside continual comments on the practicalities of preaching.

176 pages, Hardcover

Published October 6, 2017

About the author

Dr. Belcher is the Professor of Old Testament. He is an ordained minister in the PCA and pastored an urban nondenominational church in Rochester, NY for ten years before pursuing the Ph. D. This pastoral experience in an unusual and challenging setting gives him great insight into the practical, modern issues that will be faced by future pastors studying with him at RTS. He graduated from Covenant College and received his M. Div from Covenant Seminary. He also received an S.T.M. from Concordia Theological Seminary, and his Ph. D. is from Westminster Theological Seminary. He has served as stated supply for numerous churches in the area since coming to RTS Charlotte in 1995.

Reviews

[Michael Beck · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is bound well and the overall layout is good for a commentary. Also, the textual notes attached to Belcher's translations are often helpful for the person who knows Biblical Hebrew. However, the view presented throughout this book is that Ecclesiastes is a pessimistic, negative warning against speculative wisdom. Belcher says that he holds to Solomonic authorship, but his comments do not always back it up.

[Cameron Barham]

“The danger is that someone as wise as Solomon can leave the true foundation of wisdom and end up struggling to understand life from a wrong basis (1 Kings 11:1-8). Thus the epilogue stands as a warning not to get so caught up with analyzing life that one forgets the basic truths of Scripture. The simple answer is that one must submit to God by doing what is pleasing to Him.”, p. 423

[Jeff Breeding · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very frustrating commentary. Belcher takes a pessimistic view of the Preacher's quest, seeing the Preacher as fundamentally unorthodox. It is only in the final two verses (12.13-14) that any true wisdom is found. The frustrating component is how often Belcher assumes his interpretation in his exegesis. He regularly claims that the Preacher makes no appeal to God's judgment and does not reference the traditional view of fearing the Lord. But those claims are only true if you agree with Belcher's interpretation. For example, it is much more likely, in my view, that 'fear' in Ecclesiastes 3.14; 5.7; 7.18; and 8.12-13 means the same thing as in 12.13. If so, then Belcher's claim that the Preacher undermines the traditional view of the fear of Yahweh is incorrect. What's more, the appeal to God's judgment in 11.9, which I take as fundamentally the same as 12.13-14, counters Belcher's claim that the Preacher never appeals to God's judgment.

Finally, if Belcher's reading is correct, then I am quite unclear as to why the majority of the book is needed. To Belcher, the only wisdom found in the book comes in the epilogue. He says (408), "If Qohelet is orthodox, why is an epilogue needed?" But if you reverse Belcher's view, you have an even greater question: If Qohelet is unorthodox, then why is the book itself needed? Why not just be content with Proverbs, which affirms the point of 12.13-14? I know that Belcher says the rest of the book is a warning against pursuing speculative wisdom, but such a conclusion stretches credulity. It is hard to understand why Scripture would include 11 sustained chapters of speculative wisdom, if speculative wisdom were so dangerous.

In the end, that is my critic of Belcher's interpretation. If his reading is correct, then why is the remainder of the book included in the canon? To my reading, Belcher has no answer to that question, at least not one that connects Ecclesiastes with Scripture's provision of all that the church needs for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1.3).

[Paul Mulner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best commentary on Ecclesiastes among all that I've read. Belcher is an expert at the language and the genre and it shows. It's a difficult book on a difficult book - more geared to preaching preparation than casual study. If you're preaching this book and not using this commentary for aid you're making a mistake. :-)