Making sanity out of
vanity
Christian realism in
the book of Ecclesiastes
Stanley D. Gale
EP Books, 176 pages,
£ 6.99
978-0-85234-745-4
Stan Gale is clear that Making
sanity out of vanity is not a commentary on Ecclesiastes, but on life,
utilizing Ecclesiastes as a lens. Accordingly, it is not developed
exegetically, but thematically, investigating most spectrums of life. The book
is well presented and clearly written (although its cultural references best
suit a Western context), and contains some good pastoral wisdom. Ultimately,
Gale points us away from the ‘Vanity of vanities’ to Christ, the ‘Verity of
verities.’ Each chapter concludes with a list of ‘Questions from Qoheleth’,
suitable for personal or group study.
The preface claims that Ecclesiastes is ‘extraordinarily
relevant’, and for that reason I believe that Gale could have written a book
that is exegetical, expositional, and still intensely practical, infused with
helpful illustrations and applications, without changing his style or the book’s
length (Dan Lioy’s The Divine Sabotage is
an example). Also troubling is Gale’s somewhat novel ‘interpretive key’: two
voices speak in Ecclesiastes - the Preacher (‘jaded, sceptical, cynical and
fatalistic’, observing only life ‘under the Sun’) and the Teacher, who warns
against the Preacher’s earth-bound wisdom and looks heavenward instead. This is
not as obviously textual as Gale would have us to think, and seems to be based
on dangerous presuppositions and misunderstandings.
I would have loved to report a biblically sound new book on
Ecclesiastes suitable for average readers, individuals, and small groups.
Instead, I found a somewhat culture-driven reading that studies life, not
Scripture and its Spirit-enabled application, and is marred by an interpretive
key which adversely affects Gale’s book, and does injustice to Ecclesiastes as
a whole.
Ryan King is Assistant Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Wood Green.
Ryan King is Assistant Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Wood Green.
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