The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true. – Ecclesiastes 12:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 12, 2019): Ecclesiastes 12

One of my favorite Elton John songs was never released as a single. It is featured on what seems to be an almost forgotten Elton John Album, “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy.” The song is “Writing” and it explains the process of two young songwriters trying to perfect their craft. Bernie Taupin, Elton’s lyricist, writes in the song these words -

We could stretch our legs if we'd half a mind
But don't disturb us if you hear us trying
To instigate the structure of another line or two
'Cause writing's lighting up
And I like life enough, to see it through

Taupin explained this writing process to Music Connection in 1989:

In the early dates, when we were writing those first initial songs, we were living at Elton's mother's apartment in Northwood Hills just outside of London, and it was very much like two young songwriters honing their craft. I mean, we were discovering the way each other worked. It was funny, I'd be in the bedroom writing lyrics and he'd be in the living room at the stand-up piano, and I'd bring him lyrics and go back to the bedroom and write some more. It was very childish.

I love the line in the song about the instigation of “the structure of another line or two.” Writers sometimes are trying to outline what happened. But more often, we struggle with a line because we are trying to evoke an emotional response in those who will hopefully eventually read our words. And with that purpose in mind, words are worthy of the struggle.  

Whoever wrote these final words to Ecclesiastes argues that Teacher struggled with each word, instigating or bringing about each line that had been written with a specific purpose in mind, and that what the Teacher wrote was upright and true. The problem is that as we look back at the words that the Teacher wrote, we see that some of it is true, but that there are elements of the Teacher's words with which we can and do disagree.

But we might be treating the document in an unfair manner. The reality is that with this sometimes depressing work, the Teacher may have been trying to instigate in us a feeling that demanded us to be open to a change inside of our lives. Maybe life is meaningless, but perhaps there is something that we can do to give meaning to life even if it is just in the corner of the world with which we have contact daily. Because even if life is meaningless “I like life enough, to see it through.” And I hope you do, too

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 12