Please read “E1. Meaning to the Meaningless” before reading any of my other articles on Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 Romans 4
It is possible to be book smart and real world foolish. Most of us have known someone like this. Some of us have even been a little bit like this. Ecclesiastes warns us that we can spend so much energy studying books that we do not have any energy left to live life. It would be just such an effort to attempt to settle the debate about who wrote Ecclesiastes, or even how many writers were involved with the last six verses. Some say one writer wrote all of Ecclesiastes, others say a second writer wrote 1:1-11 and 12:9-14, a third view holds that 12:9-12 is written by a second writer, and 12:13-14 was written by a third writer. Are we getting tired yet?

Let us get to the real world point. In a world that often seemed meaningless, Ecclesiastes arrives at a simple conclusion, it is the duty of humanity to fear God and keep his commandments. God will judge everything we do including the hidden things as to whether they are good are evil.

Jesus gives us a better conclusion; “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39) Love God, love your neighbor, that is real world and it is so clear that we do not need to be scholars to understand it.

Do we still have to be afraid of God’s judgment? No, for those who have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus there is no need for fear. Paul tells us in Romans 4, that God has forgiven our transgressions, and His grace covers our sins. Because the Lord will never count our sin against us, we are blessed.
Here is the conclusion of the matter: love, not fear, is what motivates us to Christian obedience.