How does Ecclesiastes 7:29 highlight the original righteousness of humanity? setting the verse in context Ecclesiastes 7 moves from practical proverbs to deep reflections on the human condition. Verse 29 is Solomon’s concise summary of the entire drama of creation and fall: “Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” key phrase: “made men upright” • “Made” points to God’s direct creative act (Genesis 2:7). • “Men” (Hebrew ha’adam) can mean humanity as a whole, taking us back to Adam and Eve. • “Upright” (yāšār) means straight, level, morally right—a word used elsewhere for righteous paths (Proverbs 3:6). Together, Solomon declares that humanity’s starting point was not neutral or flawed; it was straight, level, morally right before God. original righteousness explained • Created in God’s image: “Let Us make man in Our image… God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:26, 31) • Endowed with moral capacity: Adam and Eve could commune with God, exercise dominion, and obey His commands (Genesis 2:15-17). • Free from sin’s corruption: No guilt, shame, or death marred creation until disobedience entered. echoes from Genesis Ecclesiastes 7:29 condenses Genesis 1–3: • “God made men upright” = Genesis 1-2. • “They have sought out many schemes” = Genesis 3 and every human rebellion since. Paul affirms the same storyline: “Just as sin entered the world through one man… death spread to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) the tragic turn: “many schemes” • The plural “schemes” hints at the endless, creative ways people twist God’s gift of freedom (Jeremiah 17:9). • Sin is not God’s design; it is humanity’s deviation from uprightness (James 1:13-15). • Yet the original standard remains the measure by which right and wrong are judged (Romans 3:23). implications for today • Human dignity: Every person still bears the Creator’s image and was intended for uprightness (Psalm 8:4-6). • Need for redemption: Our invented schemes cannot restore righteousness; only God’s initiative can. “In Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22) • New creation promise: Through Christ, believers are “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10), recovering the upright purpose God originally intended. |
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