Psalm 150 (continued, part 7)
"I will go into thy house with burnt offerings; I will pay thee my vows, which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble" (Ps.
The person who loves money cannot be satisfied no matter how much is in the bank account—because the human heart was made to be satisfied only by God
Ecclesiastes 5
This account makes us think of our Lord's parable about the rich fool (Luke 12:13–21). The man thought all his problems were solved when he became rich, but immediately he was faced with providing bigger barns for his wealth. He thought he was safe and secure for years to come, but that night he died! His money provided no security whatsoever.
(3:11). "Take heed and beware of covetousness," warned Jesus, "for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things which he possesses" (Luke 12:15 nkjv). First the person loves money, and then he loves more money, and the disappointing pursuit has begun that can lead to all sorts of problems. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Tim. 6:10 nkjv).
Keep in mind that Solomon was advocating neither poverty nor riches, because both have their problems (Prov. 30:7–9). The Preacher was warning his listeners against the love of money and the delusions that wealth can bring. In the closing verses of the chapter (vv. 18–20), he affirmed once again the importance of accepting our station in life and enjoying the blessings that God gives to us.
Money solves every problem (v. 11). There is no escaping the fact that we need a certain amount of money in order to live in this world, but money of itself is not the magic "cure-all" for every problem. In fact, an increase in wealth usually creates new problems that we never even knew existed before. Solomon mentioned one: relatives and friends start showing up and enjoying our hospitality. All we can do is watch them eat up our wealth. Or perhaps it is the tax agent who visits us and decides that we owe the government more money.
2. Enjoying wealth—5:18—6:12
The thing that is "good and fitting" (v. 18 nkjv) is to labor faithfully, enjoy the good things of life, and accept it all as the gracious gift of God. Solomon gave us this wise counsel before in 2:24; 3:12–13; and 3:22; and he will repeat it at least three more times before he ends his "sermon."
John Wesley, cofounder of the Methodist Church, told his people, "Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can." Wesley himself could have been a very wealthy man, but he chose to live simply and give generously.
There are three ways to get wealth: we can work for it, we can steal it, or we can receive it as a gift (see Eph. 4:28). Solomon saw the blessings of life as God's gift to those who work and who accept that work as the favor of God. "To enjoy your work and to accept your lot in life—that is indeed a gift from God" (v. 19 tlb).
Wealth brings peace of mind (v. 12). The late Joe Louis, world heavyweight boxing champion, used to say, "I don't like money actually, but it quiets my nerves." But Solomon said that possessing wealth is no guarantee that your nerves will be calm and your sleep sound. According to him, the common laborer sleeps better than the rich man. The suggestion seems to be that the rich man ate too much and was kept awake all night by an upset stomach. But surely Solomon had something greater in mind than that. The Living Bible expresses verse 12 perfectly: "The man who works hard sleeps well whether he eats little or much, but the rich must worry and suffer insomnia."
Solomon added another important thought: the ability to enjoy life's blessings is also a gift from God. Solomon will expand on this thought in the next chapter and point out the unhappiness of people who possess wealth but are not able to enjoy it. We thank God for food, but we should also thank Him for healthy taste buds and a digestive system that functions correctly. A wealthy friend, now in heaven, often took me and my wife to expensive restaurants, but he was unable to enjoy the food because he couldn't taste it. All of his wealth could not purchase healing for his taste buds.
More than one preacher has mentioned John D. Rockefeller in his sermons as an example of a man whose life was almost ruined by wealth. At the age of fifty-three, Rockefeller was the world's only billionaire, earning about a million dollars a week. But he was a sick man who lived on crackers and milk and could not sleep because of worry. When he started giving his money away, his health changed radically and he lived to celebrate his ninety-eighth birthday!
Verse 20 may mean that the person who rejoices in God's daily blessings will never have regrets. "The person who does that will not need to look back with sorrow on his past, for God gives him joy" (tlb). The time to start storing up happy memories is now. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).
Yes, it's good to have the things that money can buy, provided you don't lose the things that money can't buy.
It may also mean that the believer who gratefully accepts God's gifts today will not fret and worry about how long he or she will live. It is an established fact that the people who have the most birthdays live the longest, but if they keep complaining about "getting old" they will have very little to enjoy. People who are thankful to God "will not dwell overmuch upon the passing years," as the New English Bible translates verse 20. They will take each day as it comes and use it to serve the Lord.
Wealth provides security (vv. 13–17). The picture here is of two rich men. One hoarded all his wealth and ruined himself by becoming a miser. The other man made some unsound investments and lost his wealth. He was right back where he started from and had no estate to leave to his son. He spent the rest of his days in the darkness of discouragement and defeat, and he did not enjoy life. Like all of us, he brought nothing into the world at birth, and he took nothing out of the world at death (see Job 1:21; Ps. 49:17; 1 Tim. 6:7).
In chapter 6, Solomon will conclude his discussion of "the futility of wealth." He might well have chosen Matthew 6:33 as the text for his message: "But seek
Ecclesiastes 5—6
mysteries: riches without enjoyment (vv. 1–6), labor without satisfaction (vv. 7–9), and questions without answers (vv. 10–12).
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (nkjv). The important thing is that we love the Lord, accept the lot He assigns us, and enjoy the blessings He graciously bestows.
Riches Without Enjoyment (6:1–6) What a seeming tragedy it is to have all the resources for a satisfying life and yet not be able to enjoy them for one reason or another. More than one person has worked hard and looked forward to a comfortable retirement only to have a heart attack and become either an invalid or a statistic. Or perhaps the peace of retirement is shattered by a crisis in the family that begins to drain both money and strength. Why do these things happen?
If we focus more on the gifts than on the Giver, we are guilty of idolatry. If we accept His gifts, but complain about them, we are guilty of ingratitude. If we hoard His gifts and will not share them with others, we are guilty of indulgence. But if we yield to His will and use what He gives us for His glory, then we can enjoy life and be satisfied.
CHAPTER SEVEN Ecclesiastes 6 IS LIFE A DEAD-END STREET? I
Solomon mentioned this subject in 5:19 and hinted at it in 3:13. To him, it was a basic principle that nobody can truly enjoy the gifts of God apart from the God who gives the gifts. To enjoy the gifts without the Giver is idolatry, and this can never satisfy the human heart. Enjoyment without God is merely entertainment, and it doesn't satisfy. But enjoyment with God is enrichment and it brings true joy and satisfaction.
t's interesting to read the different expressions people use to picture futility. Solomon compared the futility of life to a soap bubble ("vanity of vanities") and to "chasing after the wind." I have read statements like "As futile as watering a post," "As futile as plowing the rocks," "As futile as singing songs to a dead horse" (or "singing twice to a deaf man"), and "As futile as pounding water with a mortar" (or "carrying water in a sieve").
Verse 2 may describe a hypothetical situation, or it might have happened to somebody Solomon knew. The fact that God gave Solomon riches, wealth, and honor (2 Chron. 1:11) made the account even more meaningful to him. How fortunate a person would be to lack nothing, but how miserable if he or she could not enjoy the blessings of life.
In his poem "The Task," the hymn writer William Cowper ("There Is a Fountain") pictured futility this way:
What would prevent this person from enjoying life? Perhaps trouble in the home (Prov. 15:16–17; 17:1), or illness, or even death (Luke 12:20). The person described in verse 2 had no heir, so a stranger acquired the estate and enjoyed it. It all seems so futile.
The toil of dropping buckets into empty wells, and growing old in drawing nothing up.
What is Solomon saying to us? "Enjoy the blessings of God now and thank Him for all of them." Don't plan to live—start living now. Be satisfied with what He gives you and use it all for His glory.
If Cowper were alive today, he might look at our "automobile society" and write,
Verses 3–6 surely deal with a hypothetical case, because nobody lives for two thousand years, and no monogamous marriage is likely to produce a hundred children. (Solomon's son Rehoboam had eighty-eight children, but he had eighteen wives and sixty concubines—like father, like son. (See 2 Chronicles 11:21.) The Preacher was obviously exaggerating here in order to make his point: No matter how much you possess, if you don't possess the power to enjoy it, you might just as well never have been born.
As futile as blind men driving cars down crowded dead-end streets.
Is life a dead-end street? Sometimes it seems to be, especially when we don't reach our goals or when we reach our goals but don't feel fulfilled in our achievement. More than one person in the Bible became so discouraged with life that he either wanted to die or wished he had never been born. This includes Moses (Num. 11:15), Elijah (1 Kings 19:4), Job (3:21; 7:15), Jeremiah (8:3; 15:10), and Jonah (4:3). Even the great apostle Paul despaired of life during a particularly tough time in his life (2 Cor. 1:8–11).
Here is a man with abundant resources and a large family, both of which, to an Old Testament Jew, were marks of God's special favor. But his family does not love him, for when he died, he was not lamented. That's the meaning of "he has no burial" (see Jer. 22:18–19). His relatives stayed around him only to use his money (5:11), and they wondered when the old man would die. When he finally did die, his surviving relatives could hardly wait for the reading of the will.
Perhaps the basic problem is that life confronts us with too many mysteries we can't fathom and too many puzzles we can't solve. For life to be truly satisfying, it has to make sense. When it doesn't make sense, we get frustrated. If people can't see a purpose in life, especially when they go through deep suffering, they start to question God and even wonder if life is worthwhile.
The rich man was really poor. For some reason, perhaps sickness, he couldn't enjoy his money. And he
In Ecclesiastes 6, Solomon discussed three of life's
Ecclesiastes 6
mies. (We have cats in our neighborhood.) These birds are not really living; they are only existing. Yet they are fulfilling the purposes for which the Creator made them—and they even sing about it!
couldn't enjoy his large family because there was no love in the home. They didn't even weep when the man died. Solomon's conclusion was that it were better for this man had he never been born, or that he had been stillborn (see Job 3).
Solomon is not suggesting that it's wrong either to work or to eat. Many people enjoy doing both. But if life consists only in working and eating, then we are being controlled by our appetites, and that almost puts us on the same level as animals. As far as nature is concerned, self-preservation may be the first law of life, but we who are made in the image of God must live for something higher (John 12:20–28). In the new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), self-preservation may well be the first law of death (Mark 8:34–38).
Among the Jews at that time, a stillborn child was not always given a name. That way, it would not be remembered. It was felt that this would encourage the parents to get over their sorrow much faster. "It [the child] comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded" (v. 4 niv). In my pastoral ministry, broken-hearted parents and grandparents have sometimes asked, "Why did God even permit this child to be conceived if it wasn't going to live?" Solomon asked, "Why did God permit this man to have wealth and a big family if the man couldn't enjoy it?"
Both questions in verse 8 are answered by "None!" If all you do is live to satisfy your appetite, then the wise man has no advantage over the fool, nor does the poor man have any advantage trying to better his situation and learning to get along with the rich. Solomon is not belittling either education or self-improvement. He is only saying that these things of themselves cannot make life richer. We must have something greater for which to live.
Some would argue that existence is better than nonexistence and a difficult life better than no life at all. Solomon might agree with them, for "a living dog is better than a dead lion" (9:4). But the problem Solomon faced was not whether existence is better than nonexistence, but whether there is any purpose behind the whole seemingly unbalanced scheme of things. As he examined life "under the sun," he could find no reason why a person should be given riches and yet be deprived of the power to enjoy them.
A century ago, when the United States was starting to experience prosperity and expansion, the American naturalist Henry David Thoreau warned that men were devising "improved means to unimproved ends." He should see our world today. We can send messages around the world in seconds, but do we have anything significant to say? We can transmit pictures even from the moon, but our TV screens are stained with violence, sex, cheap advertising, and even cheaper entertainment.
The ability to enjoy life comes from within. It is a matter of character and not circumstances. "I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content," Paul wrote to the Philippians (4:11). The Greek word autarkes, translated "content," carries the idea of "self-contained, adequate, needing nothing from the outside." Paul carried within all the resources needed for facing life courageously and triumphing over difficulties. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13 nkjv).
Verse 9 is Solomon's version of the familiar saying, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." This proverb has been around for a long time. The Greek biographer Plutarch (46–120) wrote, "He is a fool who lets slip a bird in the hand for a bird in the bush." Solomon is saying, "It's better to have little and really enjoy it than to dream about much and never attain it." Dreams have a way of becoming nightmares if we don't come to grips with reality.
The 2,000-year-old man and the stillborn baby both ended up in the same place—the grave. Once again, the Preacher confronted his listeners with the certainty of death and the futility of life without God. He was preparing them for "the conclusion of the matter" when he would wrap up the sermon and encourage them to trust God (11:9—12:14).
Is Solomon telling us that it's wrong to dream great dreams or have a burning ambition to accomplish something in life? Of course not, but we must take care that our ambition is motivated by the glory of God and not the praise of men. We must want to serve others and not promote ourselves. If we think our achievements will automatically bring satisfaction, we are wrong. True satisfaction comes when we do the will of God from the heart (Eph. 6:6). "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34 nasb).
Labor Without Satisfaction (6:7–9) Solomon had spoken about the rich man; now he discusses the situation of the poor man. Rich and poor alike labor to stay alive. We must either produce food or earn money to buy it. The rich man can let his money work for him, but the poor man has to use his muscles if he and his family are going to eat. But even after all this labor, the appetite of neither one is fully satisfied.
Yes, in the will of God there can be riches with enjoyment and labor with satisfaction. But we must accept His plan for our lives, receive His gifts gratefully, and enjoy each day as He enables us. "Thou wilt show me the path of life. In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Ps. 16:11).
Why does a person eat? So that he can add years to his life. But what good is it for me to add years to my life if I don't add life to my years? I'm like the birds that I watch in the backyard. They spend all their waking hours either looking for food or escaping from ene-
Ecclesiastes 6
Questions Without Answers (6:10–12) Thus far, Solomon has said that life is a dead-end street for two kinds of people: those who have riches but no enjoyment and those who labor but have no satisfaction. But he has tried to point out that true happiness is not the automatic result of making a good living; it is the blessed by-product of making a good life. If you devote your life only to the pursuit of happiness, you will be miserable; however, if you devote your life to doing God's will, you will find happiness as well.
us to work with Him. We cooperate with God as we accept the "names" He has given to things: sin is sin; obedience is obedience; truth is truth. If we alter these names, we move into a world of illusion and lose touch with reality. This is where many people are living today.
We are free to decide and choose our world, but we are not free to change the consequences. If we choose a world of illusion, we start living on substitutes, and there can be no satisfaction in a world of substitutes. "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3 nasb). "And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20 nasb).
The British essayist and poet Joseph Addison (1672–1718) wrote, "The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for." Addison probably didn't have Christianity in mind when he wrote that, but we have all three in Jesus Christ!
Why disagree with God? We can't oppose Him and win, can we? "…neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he" (v. 10b). The word translated "contend" also means "dispute." Solomon seems to say, "It just doesn't pay to argue with God or to fight God. This is the way life is, so just accept it and let God have His way. You can't win, and even if you think you win, you ultimately lose."
The Preacher was not finished. He knew that life was also a dead-end street for a third kind of person—the person who required answers to all of life's questions. Solomon was not condemning honest inquiry, because Ecclesiastes is the record of his own investigation into the meaning of life. Rather, Solomon was saying, "There are some questions about life that nobody can answer. But our ignorance must not be used as an excuse for skepticism or unbelief. Instead, our ignorance should encourage us to have faith in God. After all, we don't live on explanations; we live on promises."
But this is a negative view of the will of God. It gives the impression that God's will is a difficult and painful thing that should be avoided at all cost. Jesus said that God's will was the food that nourished and satisfied Him (John 4:32–34). It was meat, not medicine. The will of God comes from the heart of God and is an expression of the love of God. (See Ps. 33:11.) What God wills for us is best for us, because He knows far more about us than we do.
It's been my experience in pastoral ministry that most explanations don't solve personal problems or make people feel better. When the physician explains an X-ray to a patient, his explanation doesn't bring healing, although it is certainly an essential step toward recovery. Suffering Job kept arguing with God and demanding an explanation for his plight. God never did answer his questions, because knowledge in the mind does not guarantee healing for the heart. That comes only when we put faith in the promises of God.
Why would anyone want to have his or her "own way" just for the privilege of exercising "freedom"? Insisting on having our own way isn't freedom at all; it's the worst kind of bondage. In fact, the most terrible judgment we could experience in this life would be to have God "give us up" and let us have our own way (Rom. 1:24, 26, 28).
Without going into great detail, in verses 10–12 Solomon touches on five questions that people often ask.
God is free to act as He sees best. He is not a prisoner of His attributes, His creation, or His eternal purposes. You and I may not understand how God exercises His freedom, but it isn't necessary for us to know all. Our greatest freedom comes when we are lovingly lost in the will of God. Our Father in heaven doesn't feel threatened when we question Him, debate with Him, or even wrestle with Him, so long as we love His will and want to please Him.
Since "what's going to be is going to be," why bother to make decisions? Isn't it all predestined anyway? "Whatever exists has already been named, and what man is has been known" (v. 10a niv). To the Jewish mind, giving a name to something is the same as fixing its character and stating what the thing really is. During the time of creation, God named the things that He made, and nobody changed those designations. "Light" is "light" and not "darkness"; "day" is "day" and not "night." (See Isa. 5:20.)
What do we accomplish with all these words? Does talking about it solve the problem? (v. 11). In fact, there are times when it seems like the more we discuss a subject, the less we really understand it. Words don't always bring light; sometimes they produce clouds and even darkness. "The more the words, the less the meaning"(v. 11 niv). But this is where we need the Word of God and the wisdom He alone can give us. If some discussions appear useless and produce "vanity," there are other times when conversation leads us closer to the truth and to the Lord.
Our name is "man"—Adam, "from the earth" (Gen. 2:7). Nobody can change that: we came from the earth and we will return to the earth (Gen. 3:19). "Man" by any other name would still be "man," made from the dust and eventually returning to the dust.
The fact that God has named everything does not mean that our world is a prison and we have no freedom to act. Certainly God can accomplish His divine purposes with or without our cooperation, but He invites
Ecclesiastes 6—7
Solomon had come to a similar conclusion when he argued in 1:12–18 that wisdom did not make life worth living. "For in much wisdom is much grief," he wrote in 1:18, "and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow."
Who knows what is good for us? (v. 12). God does! And wise is the person who takes time to listen to what God has to say. Yes, life may seem to be fleeting and illusive, like a soap bubble ("vain") or a shadow, but "he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17 nkjv).
But then the king took a second look at the problem and modified his views. In Ecclesiastes 7 and 8, he discussed the importance of wisdom in life ("wisdom" is found fourteen times in these two chapters); and he answered the question asked in 6:12, "For who knoweth what is good for man in this life?" The Preacher concluded that, though wisdom can't explain all of life's mysteries, it can make at least three positive contributions to our lives.
Does anybody know what's coming next? (v. 12b). In spite of what the astrologers, prophets, and fortunetellers claim, nobody knows the future except God. It is futile to speculate. God gives us enough information to encourage us, but He does not cater to idle curiosity. One thing is sure: death is coming, and we had better make the best use of our present opportunities. That is one of the major themes in Ecclesiastes.
Wisdom Can Make Life Better (7:1–10) "Better" is a key word in this chapter; Solomon used it at least eleven times. His listeners must have been shocked when they heard Solomon describe the "better things" that come to the life of the person who follows God's wisdom.
Solomon has discussed two of his arguments that life is not worth living: the monotony of life (3:1—5:9) and the futility of wealth (5:10—6:12). He has discovered that life "under the sun" can indeed be monotonous and empty, but it need not be if we include God in our lives. Life is God's gift to us, and we must accept what He gives us and enjoy it while we can (3:12–15, 22; 5:18–20).
Sorrow is better than laughter (vv. 1–4). If given the choice, most people would rather go to a birthday party than to a funeral, but Solomon advised against it. Why? Because sorrow can do more good for the heart than laughter can. (The word heart is used four times in these verses.) Solomon was certainly not a morose man with a gloomy lifestyle. After all, it was King Solomon who wrote Proverbs 15:13, 15; 17:22—and the Song of Solomon! Laughter can be like medicine that heals the broken heart, but sorrow can be like nourishing food that strengthens the inner person. It takes both for a balanced life, but few people realize this. There is "a time to laugh" (Eccl. 3:4).
Solomon will next take up his third argument, the vanity of man's wisdom (7:1—8:17), and discuss whether or not wisdom can make life any better. Though wisdom can't explain all the problems or answer all the questions, it is still a valuable ally on the journey of life.
C.The vanity of wisdom—7:1—8:17 1. We make life better—7:1–10
CHAPTER EIGHT Ecclesiastes 7 HOW TO BE BETTER OFF W
Let's begin with Solomon's bizarre statement that the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth (v. 1). This generalization must not be divorced from his opening statement that a person's good reputation (name) is like a fragrant perfume. (There is a play on words here: "name" is shem in the Hebrew and "ointment" is shemen.) He used the same image in 10:1 and also in Song of Solomon 1:3.
here ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." Thomas Gray wrote those oft-quoted words in his poem "Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College." He pictured the students on the playing field and in the classroom, enjoying life because they were innocent of what lay ahead.
Solomon was not contrasting birth and death, nor was he suggesting that it is better to die than to be born, because you can't die unless you have been born. He was contrasting two significant days in human experience: the day a person receives his or her name and the day when that name shows up in the obituary column. The life lived between those two events will determine whether that name leaves behind a lovely fragrance or a foul stench. "His name really stinks!" is an uncouth statement, but it gets the point across.
Alas, regardless of their doom, The little victims play! No sense have they of ills to come, Nor care beyond today.
His conclusion was logical: at that stage in life, it is better to be ignorant and happy, because there will be plenty of time later to experience the sorrows that knowledge may bring.
If a person dies with a good name, his or her reputation is sealed and the family need not worry. In that sense, the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. The life is over and the reputation is settled. (Solomon assumed that there were no hidden scandals.) "Every man has three names," says an ancient
Yet ah! why should they know their fate? Since sorrow never comes too late, And happiness too swiftly flies. Thought would destroy their paradise. No more; where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise.
Ecclesiastes 7
7–9). Beware of "easy" routes; they often become expensive detours that are difficult and painful. In 1976, my wife and I were driving through Scotland, and a friend mapped out a "faster" route from Balmoral Castle to Inverness. It turned out to be a hazardous one-lane road that the local people called "The Devil's Elbow," and en route we met a bus and a cement truck! "Watch and pray" was our verse for that day.
adage; "one his father and mother gave him, one others call him, and one he acquires himself."
"The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot" (Prov. 10:7; and see Prov. 22:1). Mary of Bethany anointed the Lord Jesus with expensive perfume and its fragrance filled the house. Jesus told her that her name would be honored throughout the world, and it is. On the other hand, Judas sold the Lord Jesus into the hands of the enemy; and his name is generally despised (Mark 14:1–11). When Judas was born, he was given the good name "Judah," which means "praise." It belonged to the royal tribe in Israel. By the time Judas died, he had turned that honorable name into something shameful.
Bribery appears to be a quick way to get things done (v. 7), but it only turns a wise man into a fool and encourages the corruption already in the human heart. Far better that we wait patiently and humbly for God to work out His will than that we get angry and demand our own way (v. 8; see also Prov. 14:17; 16:32; James 1:19.)
In verses 2–4, Solomon advised the people to look death in the face and learn from it. He did not say that we should be preoccupied with death, because that could be abnormal. But there is a danger that we might try to avoid confrontations with the reality of death and, as a result, not take life as seriously as we should. "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12).
"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning" applies when we are living according to God's wisdom. The beginning of sin leads to a terrible end—death (James 1:13–15), but if God is at the beginning of what we do, He will see to it that we reach the ending successfully (Phil. 1:6; Heb. 12:2). The Christian believer can claim Romans 8:28 because he knows that God is at work in the world, accomplishing His purposes.
The Preacher is not presenting us with an either/or situation; he is asking for balance. The Hebrew word for "laughter" in verse 3 can mean "the laughter of derision or scorn." While there is a place for healthy humor in life, we must beware of the frivolous laughter that is often found in "the house of mirth" (v. 4). When people jest about death, for example, it is usually evidence that they are afraid of it and not prepared to meet it. They are running away.
An Arab proverb says, "Watch your beginnings." Good beginnings will usually mean good endings. The Prodigal Son started with happiness and wealth, but ended with suffering and poverty (Luke 15:11–24). Joseph began as a slave but ended up a sovereign! God always saves "the best wine" until the last (John 2:10), but Satan starts with his "best" and then leads the sinner into suffering and perhaps even death.
The late Dr. Ernest Becker wrote in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book The Denial of Death, "… the idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else; it is a mainspring of human activity— activity designed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny for man" (Free Press, 1975, ix). King Solomon knew this truth centuries ago!
Today is better than yesterday (v. 10). When life is difficult and we are impatient for change, it is easy to long for "the good old days" when things were better. When the foundation was laid for the second temple, the old men wept for "the good old days" and the young men sang because the work had begun (Ezra 3:12–13). It has been said that "the good old days" are the combination of a bad memory and a good imagination, and often this is true.
Rebuke is better than praise (vv. 5–6). King Solomon compared the praise of fools to the burning thorns in a campfire: you hear a lot of noise, but you don't get much lasting good. (Again, Solomon used a play on words. In the Hebrew, "song" is shir, "pot" is sir, and "thorns" is sirim.) If we allow it, a wise person's rebuke will accomplish far more in our lives than will the flattery of fools. Solomon may have learned this truth from his father (Ps. 141:5), and he certainly emphasized it when he wrote the book of Proverbs (10:17; 12:1; 15:5; 17:10; 25:12; 27:5, 17; 29:1, 15).
Yesterday is past and cannot be changed, and tomorrow may not come, so make the most of today. "Carpe diem!" wrote the Roman poet Horace. "Seize the day!" This does not mean we shouldn't learn from the past or prepare for the future, because both are important. It means that we must live today in the will of God and not be paralyzed by yesterday or hypnotized by tomorrow. The Victorian essayist Hilaire Belloc wrote, "While you are dreaming of the future or regretting the past, the present, which is all you have, slips from you and is gone."
2. We see life clearer—7:11–18
The British literary giant Samuel Johnson was at the home of the famous actor David Garrick, and a "celebrated lady" persisted in showering Johnson with compliments. "Spare me, I beseech you, dear madam!" he replied; but as his biographer Boswell put it, "She still laid it on." Finally Johnson silenced her by saying, "Dearest lady, consider with yourself what your flattery is worth, before you bestow it so freely."
Wisdom Helps Us See Life Clearly (7:11–18) One of the marks of maturity is the ability to look at life in perspective and not get out of balance. When you have God's wisdom, you will be able to accept and deal with the changing experiences of life.
The "long haul" is better than the shortcut (vv.
Wealth (vv. 11–12).Wisdom is better than a generous
Ecclesiastes 7
"Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future" (v. 14 niv). Just about the time we think we have an explanation for things, God changes the situation, and we have to throw out our formula. This is where Job's friends went wrong: they tried to use an old road map to guide Job on a brand-new journey, and the map didn't fit. No matter how much experience we have in the Christian life, or how many books we read, we must still walk by faith.
inheritance. Money can lose its value, or be stolen, but true wisdom keeps its value and cannot be lost, unless we become fools and abandon it deliberately. The person who has wealth but lacks wisdom will only waste his fortune, but the person who has wisdom will know how to get and use wealth. We should be grateful for the rich treasure of wisdom we have inherited from the past, and we should be ashamed of ourselves that we too often ignore it or disobey it. Wisdom is like a "shelter" to those who obey it; it gives greater protection than money.
Righteousness and sin (vv. 15–18). If there is one problem in life that demands a mature perspective, it is "Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper?" The good die young, while the wicked seem to enjoy long lives, and this seems contrary to the justice of God and the Word of God. Didn't God tell the people that the obedient would live long (Ex. 20:12; Deut. 4:40) and the disobedient would perish? (Deut. 4:25–26; Ps. 55:23). Two facts must be noted. Yes, God did promise to bless Israel in their land if they obeyed His law, but He has not given those same promises to believers today under the new covenant. Francis Bacon (1561–1626) wrote, "Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New." Our Lord's opening words in the Sermon on the Mount were not "Blessed are the rich in substance" but "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matt. 5:3; and see Luke 6:20).
Providence (v. 13). The rustic preacher who said to his people, "Learn to cooperate with the inevitable!" knew the meaning of this verse. The Living Bible paraphrases it, "See the way God does things and fall into line. Don't fight the facts of nature." This is not a summons to slavish fatalism; like Ecclesiastes 1:15, it is a sensible invitation to a life yielded to the will of God. If God makes something crooked, He is able to make it straight; and perhaps He will ask us to work with Him to get the job done. But if He wants it to stay crooked, we had better not argue with Him. We don't fully understand all the works of God (11:5), but we do know that "He hath made everything beautiful in its time" (3:11). This includes the things we may think are twisted and ugly.
While I don't agree with all of his theology, I do appreciate the "Serenity Prayer" written in 1934 by Reinhold Niebuhr. A version of it is used around the world by people in various support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, and it fits the lesson Solomon teaches in verse 13:
Second, the wicked appear to prosper only if you take the short view of things. This was the lesson Asaph recorded in Psalm 73 and that Paul reinforced in Romans 8:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:16–18. "They have their reward" (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16), and that reward is all they will ever get. They may gain the whole world, but they lose their own souls. This is the fate of all who follow their example and sacrifice the eternal for the temporal.
O God, give us Serenity to accept what cannot be changed, Courage to change what should be changed, And wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
Verses 16–18 have been misunderstood by those who say that Solomon was teaching "moderation" in everyday life: don't be too righteous, but don't be too great a sinner. "Play it safe!" say these cautious philosophers, but this is not what Solomon wrote.
Adversity and prosperity (v. 14). Wisdom gives us perspective so that we aren't discouraged when times are difficult or arrogant when things are going well. It takes a good deal of spirituality to be able to accept prosperity as well as adversity, for often prosperity does greater damage (Phil. 4:10–13). Job reminded his wife of this truth when she told him to curse God and die: "What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil [trouble]?" (2:10). Earlier, Job had said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (1:21).
In the Hebrew text, the verbs in verse 16 carry the idea of reflexive action. Solomon said to the people, "Don't claim to be righteous and don't claim to be wise." In other words, he was warning them against self-righteousness and the pride that comes when we think we have "arrived" and know it all. Solomon made it clear in verse 20 that there are no righteous people, so he cannot be referring to true righteousness. He was condemning the self-righteousness of the hypocrite and the false wisdom of the proud, and he warned that these sins led to destruction and death.
God balances our lives by giving us enough blessings to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble. If all we had were blessings in our hands, we would fall right over, so the Lord balances the blessings in our hands with burdens on our backs. That helps to keep us steady, and as we yield to Him, He can even turn the burdens into blessings.
Verse 18 balances the warning: we should take hold of true righteousness and should not withdraw from true wisdom, and the way to do it is to walk in the fear of God. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10), and Jesus Christ is to the believer "wisdom and righteousness" (1 Cor.
Why does God constitute our lives in this way? The answer is simple: to keep us from thinking we know it all and that we can manage our lives by ourselves.
Ecclesiastes 7—8
tured God's wisdom as a beautiful woman (1:20ff.; 8:1ff.; 9:1ff.). But keep in mind that women in that day had neither the freedom nor the status that they have today, and it would be unusual for a woman to have learning equal to that of a man. It was considered a judgment of God for women to rule over the land (Isa. 3:12; but remember Miriam and Deborah, two women who had great leadership ability).
1:30), so God's people need not "manufacture" these blessings themselves.
3. We face life stronger—7:19—8:17
Wisdom Helps Us Face Life Stronger (7:19–29) "Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city" (v. 19 niv). The wise person fears the Lord and therefore does not fear anyone or anything else (Ps. 112). He walks with the Lord and has the adequacy necessary to face the challenges of life, including war (see 9:13–18).
God made man (Adam) upright, but Adam disobeyed God and fell, and now all men are sinners who seek out many clever inventions. Created in the image of God, man has the ability to understand and harness the forces God put into nature, but he doesn't always use this ability in constructive ways. Each forward step in science seems to open up a Pandora's box of new problems for the world, until we now find ourselves with the problems of polluted air and water and depleted natural resources. And besides that, man has used his abilities to devise alluring forms of sin that are destroying individuals and nations.
What are some of the problems in life that we must face and overcome?
Sin (v. 20, and note 1 Kings 8:46). We are all guilty of both sins of omission ("doeth good") and sins of commission ("sinneth not"). If we walk in the fear of God and follow His wisdom, we will be able to detect and defeat the wicked one when he comes to tempt us. Wisdom will guide us and guard us in our daily walk.
What people say about us (vv. 21–22). The wise person pays no attention to the gossip of the day because he has more important matters which to attend. Charles Spurgeon told his pastoral students that the minister ought to have one blind eye and one deaf ear. "You cannot stop people's tongues," he said, "and therefore the best thing to do is to stop your own ears and never mind what is spoken. There is a world of idle chitchat abroad, and he who takes note of it will have enough to do" (Lectures to My Students; Marshall, Morgan, and Scott reprint edition, 1965, 321). Of course, if we are honest, we may have to confess that we have done our share of talking about others! (See Ps. 38 and Matt. 7:1–3.)
Yes, there are many snares and temptations in this evil world, but the person with godly wisdom will have the power to overcome. Solomon has proved his point: wisdom can make our lives better and clearer and stronger. We may not fully understand all that God is doing, but we will have enough wisdom to live for the good of others and the glory of God.
CHAPTER NINE Ecclesiastes 8 WHAT ABOUT THE WICKED? A
Our inability to grasp the meaning of all that God is doing in this world (vv. 23–25; and see 3:11; 8:17). Even Solomon with all his God-given wisdom could not understand all that exists, how God manages it, and what purposes He has in mind. He searched for the "reason [scheme] of things" but found no final answers to all his questions. However, the wise man knows that he does not know, and this is what helps to make him wise!
s King Solomon continued to investigate the value of wisdom, he came face to face with the problem of evil in the world, a problem that no thinking person can honestly avoid. It is not unbelief that creates this problem, but faith. If there is no God, then we have nobody to blame but ourselves (or fate) for what happens in the world. But if we believe in a good and loving God, we must face the difficult question of why there is so much suffering in the world. Does God know about it and yet not care? Or does He know and care but lack the power to do anything about it?
The sinfulness of humanity in general (vv. 26–29). Solomon began with the sinful woman, the prostitute who traps men and leads them to death (v. 26; and see Prov. 2:16–19; 5:3–6; 6:24–26; 7:5–27). Solomon himself had been snared by many foreign women who enticed him away from the Lord and into the worship of heathen gods (1 Kings 11:3–8). The way to escape this evil woman is to fear God and seek to please Him.
Some people ponder this question and end up becoming either agnostics or atheists, but in so doing, they create a whole new problem: "Where does all the good come from in the world?" It's difficult to believe that matter alone produced the beautiful and enjoyable things we have in our world, even in the midst of so much evil.
Solomon concluded that the whole human race was bound by sin and one man in a thousand was wise— and not one woman! (The number 1,000 is significant in the light of 1 Kings 11:3.) We must not think that Solomon rated women as less intelligent than men, because this is not the case. He spoke highly of women in Proverbs (12:4; 14:1; 18:22; 19:14; 31:10ff.), Ecclesiastes (9:9), and certainly in the Song of Solomon. In the book of Proverbs, Solomon even pic-
Other people solve the problem by saying that evil is only an illusion and we shouldn't worry about it, or that God is in the process of "evolving" and can't do much about the tragedies of life. They assure us that God will get stronger and things will improve as the process of evolution goes on.
Ecclesiastes 8
ence could lead to his death (see Dan. 4). Paul used a similar argument in Romans 13:3–4. We all have enough misery, so why add to it (v. 7)? Furthermore, since nobody can predict the future, we don't know how the king will respond to our decisions.
Solomon didn't deny the existence of God or the reality of evil, nor did he limit the power of God. Solomon solved the problem of evil by affirming these factors and seeing them in their proper perspective. We must not forget that one major source of evil in this world is fallen man and his "many devices," both good and evil, that have helped to create problems of one kind or another (7:29 nasb). God certainly can't be blamed for that!
One thing is sure: a day is coming when wickedness will be judged (v. 8b), and even kings will not escape. Nobody can control the wind or prevent the day of his death ("wind" and "spirit" are the same word in the Hebrew), and nobody can get discharged from the army when a war is on. Likewise, nobody can stop the inexorable working of God's law, "Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7 nkjv). "Be sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:23).
During the darkest days of World War II, somebody asked a friend of mine, "Why doesn't God stop the war?" My friend wisely replied, "Because He didn't start it in the first place." Solomon would have agreed with that answer.
The Preacher explored the problem of evil in the world by examining three key areas of life.
But suppose the servant simply cannot obey his master? Then the servant must consider the other possibilities.
Authority (8:1–9) Beginning with Nimrod (Gen. 10:8–9) and continuing over the centuries through Pharaoh, Sennacherib, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, the caesars, and the latest petty dictator, millions of good people have been oppressed in one way or another by bad rulers. The Jews often suffered at the hands of foreign oppressors, and Solomon himself had been guilty of putting his own people under a heavy yoke of bondage (1 Kings 4:7–28; 12:1ff.). Keep in mind that Eastern rulers in that day held the power of life and death in their hands and often used that power capriciously. They were not elected by the people nor were they answerable to them. Some leaders ruled as benevolent dictators, but for the most part rulers in the ancient East were tyrannical despots who permitted nothing to stand in the way of fulfilling their desires.
Desertion (v. 3a). You can just see the officer leaving the king's presence in disgust and giving up his position in court.
Even this action may not be safe since the king might be offended and punish the man anyway. But more than one person has quit a job or resigned from office in order to maintain his or her integrity. I recall chatting with a Christian press operator who left a fine job with a large printing firm because the company had decided to start printing pornographic magazines. He lost some income, but he kept his character.
Defiance (v. 3b). "Do not stand up for a bad cause" (niv) can mean "Don't promote the king's evil plan" or "Don't get involved in a plan to overthrow the king." I prefer the second interpretation because it goes right along with the first admonition in verse 3. The officer rushes from the king's presence, finds others who are opposed to the king's plans, and with them begins to plot against the crown. Solomon did not approve of this approach.
Solomon described an officer in the royal court, a man who had to carry out the orders of a despotic ruler. The officer had wisdom; in fact, it showed on his face (v. 1; and see Neh. 2:1ff.; Prov. 15:13). Suppose the king commanded the servant to do something evil, something that the servant did not want to do? What should the servant do? Here is where wisdom comes to his aid. His wisdom told him that there were four possible approaches he could take to this problem.
Is there ever a place for "civil disobedience" in the life of the believer? Do law-abiding citizens have the right to resist authority when they feel the law is not just? Thomas Jefferson wrote, "Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God." Was he right?
When it comes to matters of conscience and the law, devoted believers have pretty much agreed with Peter: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Christian prisoners and martyrs down through the ages testify to the courage of conscience and the importance of standing up for what is right. This doesn't mean we can resist the law on every minor matter that disturbs us, but it does mean we have the obligation to obey our conscience. How we express our disagreement with the authorities demands wisdom and grace; this is where the fourth possibility comes in.
Disobedience. But Solomon's admonition was, "Keep the king's commandment" (v. 2). Why? To begin with, the officer must be true to his oath of allegiance to the king and to God, who is the source of all authority in this world (Rom. 13). To disobey orders would mean breaking his promise to the ruler and to God, and that has serious consequences.
The king's word would have more power than the word of his servant (v. 4) and was bound to prevail, even if the king had to eliminate the opposition. Nobody could safely question the ruler's decisions because "the king can do no wrong." There was no law that could find the king guilty.
Discernment (vv. 5b-6). The wise servant understands that "time and judgment [procedure, nasb]" must be considered in everything we do, because it takes discernment to know the right procedure for the right time. The impulsive person who overreacts and storms out of the room (v. 3) is probably only making
Third, the officer should obey orders so that he might avoid punishment (v. 5a). After all, his disobedi-
Ecclesiastes 8
godly life. Yet he was given a magnificent funeral, with an eloquent eulogy, while the truly godly people of the city were ignored and forgotten.
the problem worse. Wisdom helps us understand people and situations and to figure out the right thing to do at the right time. "The wise heart will know the proper time and procedure" (v. 5b niv).
As he reflected on the matter, Solomon realized that the deceased man had continued in his sin because he thought he was getting away with it (v. 11). God is indeed longsuffering toward sinners and doesn't always judge sin immediately (2 Peter 3:1–12). However, God's mercy must not be used as an excuse for man's rebellion.
This is illustrated beautifully in the lives of several Old Testament believers. Joseph didn't impulsively reveal to his brothers who he was, because he wanted to be sure their hearts were right with their father and their God. Once he heard them confess their sins, Joseph knew it was the right time to identify himself. His handling of this delicate matter was a masterpiece of wisdom (see Gen. 43—45).
The Preacher concluded that the wicked will eventually be judged and the righteous will be rewarded (vv. 12–13), so it is better to fear the Lord and live a godly life. The evil man may live longer than the godly man. He may appear to get away with sin after sin, but the day of judgment will come, and the wicked man will not escape. It is wisdom that points the way; for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10).
Nehemiah was burdened to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but he was not sure the king would release him for the task (Neh. 1—2). He waited and watched and prayed, knowing that God would one day open the way for him. When the opportune hour came, Nehemiah was ready and the king granted him his request. Nehemiah knew how to discern "time and procedure."
No matter how long or full the wicked man's life may seem to be, it is only prolonged like a shadow and has no substance (v. 13). In fact, the shadows get longer as the sun is setting. Solomon may be suggesting that the long life of the wicked man is but a prelude to eternal darkness. What good is a long life if it is only a shadow going into the blackness of darkness forever (Jude 13)?
A prisoner of war in a Gentile land, Daniel refused to eat the unclean food set before him, but he didn't make a big scene about it. Instead, he exercised gentleness and wisdom by suggesting that the guards permit the Jews to experiment with a different diet. The plan worked, and Daniel and his friends not only kept themselves ceremonially clean, but they were promoted in the king's court (see Dan. 1).
How should the wise person respond to the inequities and injustices in this world? Certainly we should do all we can to encourage the passing of good laws and the enforcement of them by capable people, but even this will not completely solve the problem. Until Jesus Christ sets up His righteous kingdom, there will always be injustices in our world. It is one of the "vanities" of life, and we must accept it without becoming pessimistic or cynical.
The apostles exercised spiritual discernment when they were arrested and persecuted (Acts 4—5). They showed respect toward those in authority even though the religious leaders were prejudiced and acted illegally. The apostles were even willing to suffer for their faith, and the Lord honored them.
We have the options of disobeying, running away, defying orders, and even fighting back. But before we act, we must first exercise wisdom and seek to discern the right "time and procedure." It's not easy to be a consistent Christian in this complicated evil world, but we can ask for the wisdom of God and receive it by faith (James 1:5; 3:17–18).
Mystery (8:15–17) The person who has to know everything, or who thinks he knows everything, is destined for disappointment in this world. Through many difficult days and sleepless nights, the Preacher applied himself diligently to the mysteries of life. He came to the conclusion that "man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun" (v. 17; see 3:11; 7:14, 24, 27–28). Perhaps we can solve a puzzle here and there, but no man or woman can comprehend the totality of things or explain all that God is doing.
Inequity (8:10–14) Solomon summarized his concern in verse 14: "righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve" (niv). In spite of good laws and fine people who seek to enforce them, there is more injustice in this world than we care to admit. A Spanish proverb says, "Laws, like the spider's web, catch the fly and let the hawks go free." According to famous trial lawyer F. Lee Bailey, "In America, an acquittal doesn't mean you're innocent; it means you beat the rap." His definition is a bit cynical, but poet Robert Frost defined a jury as "twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer."
Historian Will Durant surveyed human history in his multivolume Story of Civilization and came to the conclusion that "our knowledge is a receding mirage in an expanding desert of ignorance." Of course, this fact must not be used as an excuse for stupidity. "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut. 29:29). God doesn't expect us to know the unknowable, but He does expect us to learn all that we can and obey what He teaches us. In fact, the more we obey, the more He will teach us (John 7:17).
In verse 10, Solomon reported on a funeral he had attended. The deceased was a man who had frequented the temple ("the place of the holy") and had received much praise from the people, but he had not lived a
Ecclesiastes 8—9
"go to sleep" and "go home," but this assurance should not make death any less real in our thinking or our feeling. The person who treats death lightly may fear death the most. If we take life seriously— and we should—then we can't treat death flippantly.
A confession of ignorance is the first step toward true knowledge. "And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know" (1 Cor. 8:2 nkjv). The person who wants to learn God's truth must possess honesty and humility. Harvard philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said, "Not ignorance, but ignorance of ignorance, is the death of knowledge."
This is not the first time the subject of death has come into Solomon's discourse, nor will it be the last. (See 1:4; 2:14–17; 3:18–20; 4:8; 5:15–16; 6:6; 8:8; 12:1–7.) After all, the only way to be prepared to live is to be prepared to die. Death is a fact of life, and Solomon examined many facets of life so that he might understand God's pattern for satisfied living. Robert E. Lee's last words were, "Let the tent be struck!" Unless Jesus Christ returns and takes us to heaven, we will one day "strike our tent" (2 Cor. 5:1–8) and leave the battlefield for a better land. We must be ready.
The French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in his famous Pensées (#446): "If there were no obscurity, man would not feel his corruption; if there were no light, man could not hope for a cure. Thus it is not only right but useful for us that God should be partly concealed and partly revealed, since it is equally dangerous for man to know God without knowing his own wretchedness as to know his wretchedness without knowing God."
In this chapter, Solomon drew two conclusions: death is unavoidable (vv. 1–10) and life is unpredictable (vv. 11–18). That being the case, the best thing we can do is trust God, live by faith, and enjoy whatever blessings God gives us.
For the fourth time, Solomon told his congregation to enjoy life and delight in the fruit of their labors (v. 15; see 2:24; 3:12–15; 5:18–20). Remember, this admonition is not the foolish "eat, drink, and be merry" philosophy of the unbelieving hedonist. Rather, it is the positive "faith outlook" of God's children who accept life as God's special gift and know that He gives us "all things richly to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17). Instead of complaining about what we don't have, we give thanks for what we do have and enjoy it.
1. Death Is Unavoidable (9:1–10) "I'm not afraid to die;" quipped Woody Allen, "I just don't want to be there when it happens." But he will be there when it happens, as must every human being, because there is no escaping death when your time has come. Death is not an accident, it's an appointment (Heb. 9:27), a destiny that nobody but God can cancel or change.
This ends Solomon's reexamination of "the vanity of wisdom" (1:12–18). Instead of rejecting wisdom, the king concluded that wisdom is important to the person who wants to get the most out of life. While wisdom can't explain every mystery or solve every problem, it can help us exercise discernment in our decisions. "Yes, there is a time and a way for everything" (8:6 tlb), and the wise person knows what to do at just the right time.
Life and death are "in the hand of God" (v. 1), and only He knows our future, whether it will bring blessing ("love") or sorrow ("hatred"). Solomon was not suggesting that we are passive actors in a cosmic drama, following an unchangeable script handed to us by an uncaring director. Throughout this book, Solomon has emphasized our freedom of discernment and decision. But only God knows what the future holds for us and what will happen tomorrow because of the decisions we make today.
CHAPTER TEN Ecclesiastes 9 MEETING YOUR LAST ENEMY
"As it is with the good man, so with the sinner" (v. 2 NIV). "If so, why bother to live a godly life?" someone may ask. "After all, whether we obey the law or disobey, bring sacrifices or neglect them, make or break promises, we will die just the same." Yes, we share a common destiny on earth—death and the grave—but we do not share a common destiny in eternity. For that reason, everybody must honestly face "the last enemy" (1 Cor. 15:26) and decide how to deal with it. Christians have trusted Jesus Christ to save them from sin and death, so, as far as they are concerned, "the last enemy" has been defeated (Rom. 6:23; John 11:25–26; 1 Thess. 4:13–18; 1 Cor. 15:51–58). Unbelievers don't have that confidence and are unprepared to die.
"Oh why do people waste their breath Inventing dainty names for death?" J
ohn Betjeman, the late Poet Laureate of England, wrote those words in his poem "Graveyards." Every honest person can answer the question, as Betjeman did in his poem: we invent "dainty names" because we don't want to face up to the reality of death. Sociologist Ernest Becker claimed "that of all things that move men, one of the principal ones is his terror of death" (The Denial of Death, 11).
D. The certainty of death—9:1—10:20 1. Death is unavoidable—9:1–10
During many years of pastoral ministry, I have seen this denial in action. When visiting bereaved families, I have noticed how often people deliberately avoid the word "death" and substitute phrases like "left us," "went home," "went to sleep," or "passed on." Of course, when a Christian dies, he or she does
How people deal with the reality of death reveals itself in the way they deal with the realities of life. Solomon pointed out three possible responses that people make to the ever-present fear of death.
Escape (v. 3). The fact of death and the fear of
Ecclesiastes 9
"reversed" and applied to the living. The dead do not know what is happening on earth, but the living know and can respond to it. The dead cannot add anything to their reward or their reputation, but the living can. The dead cannot relate to people on earth by loving, hating, or envying, but the living can. Solomon was emphasizing the importance of seizing opportunities while we live, rather than blindly hoping for something better in the future, because death will end our opportunities on this earth.
death will either bring out the best in people or the worst in people; and too often it is the worst. When death comes to a family, it doesn't create problems; it reveals them. Many ministers and funeral directors have witnessed the "X-ray" power of death and bereavement as it reveals the hearts of people. In facing the death of others, we are confronted with our own death, and many people just can't handle it.
"The heart of the sons of men is full of evil," and that evil is bound to come out. People will do almost anything but repent in order to escape the reality of death. They will get drunk, fight with their relatives, drive recklessly, spend large amounts of money on useless things, and plunge into one senseless pleasure after another, all to keep the Grim Reaper at arm's length. But their costly endeavors only distract them from the battle; they don't end the war, because "the last enemy" is still there.
"The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the direction of hope," wrote journalist Norman Cousins, who himself survived a near-fatal illness and a massive heart attack. "That is why the patient's hopes are the physician's secret weapon. They are the hidden ingredients in any prescription."
We endure because we hope, but "hope in hope" (like "faith in faith") is too often only a kind of selfhypnosis that keeps us from facing life honestly. While a patient may be better off with an optimistic attitude, it is dangerous for him to follow a false hope that may keep him from preparing for death. That kind of hope is hopeless. When the end comes, the patient's outlook may be cheerful, but the outcome will be tragic.
Those of us who were privileged to have the late Joseph Bayly as our friend know what a positive attitude he had toward death. He and his wife had been through the valley many times, and God used them to bring comfort and hope to other sorrowing pilgrims. His book The Last Thing We Talk About (David C. Cook) is a beautiful testimony of how Jesus Christ can heal the brokenhearted. "Death is the great adventure," said Joe, "beside which moon landings and space trips pale into insignificance."
Life is not easy, but there is more to life than simply enduring. There is a third response to the fact of death, a response that can be made only by those who have trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior.
You don't get that kind of confidence by trying to run away from the reality of death. You get it by facing "the last enemy" honestly, turning from sin, and trusting Jesus Christ to save you. Have you done that?
Enjoyment (vv. 7–10). This has been one of Solomon's recurring themes (2:24; 3:12–15, 22; 5:18–20; 8:15), and he will bring it up again (11:9–10). His admonition "Go thy way!" means: "Don't sit around and brood! Get up and live!" Yes, death is coming, but God gives us good gifts to enjoy, so enjoy them!