Ecclesiastes 9:1-12 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Ecclesiastes 9:1-12. Let’s go!
Ecclesiastes 9:1-7 (NIV)
1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no man knows whether love or hate awaits him.
2 All share a common destiny–the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them.
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.
4 Anyone who is among the living has hope–even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.
On verses 1-7: While Qohelet believes that the righteous, the wise and what they do are in God’s hands (v1), Qohelet also has no idea what awaits him or anyone else after they die (v1). For Qohelet, death is the great equalizer and eliminates every person without discrimination, regardless of how nobly or wickedly they lived (v2). For Qohelet, the great evil in this world is that everyone dies (v3a), and since Qohelet has no idea what awaits him or anyone else after they die (v1), it sounds like all of Qohelet’s hope is in this life. That is why Qohelet says it is better to be alive and kicking than dead and gone (v4-6). And that is also why Qohelet recommends that people make the most of the life they have now – “Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.” (v7)
What can we learn from this? When we, like Qohelet, have no hope of eternal life, it is easy to default to Qohelet’s approach to life: since we don’t know what happens after we die, we might as well just eat, drink and enjoy our lives now, because what else is there to look forward to. While Qohelet is right that life is short and that we should try to enjoy our lives on earth, we don’t need to share Qohelet’s hopelessness about death. For in Jesus Christ we have a hope that is stronger than death, the hope of eternal life and the assurance that life in heaven will be far better than life as we experienced it on earth.
Ecclesiastes 9:8-10 (NIV)
8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil.
9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun– all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun.
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
On verses 8-10: Qohelet commends that people enjoy food and drink (v7), wear their best clothes (v8 – “Always be clothed in white”, white sometimes being a symbol for joy and celebration), treat their hair well (v8b), enjoy marital relations (v9) and be fully engaged in their work (v10). Qohelet recommends this because he does not see any hope after death (v10). Interestingly, Jesus came to show us that we can enjoy life before death as God enables and that we can have great hope after death. We can do many of the same things that Qohelet recommends in verses 7-10 and have hope for eternity as well.
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 (NIV)
11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.
On verses 11-12: Qohelet also observes how it is not necessarily the most talented and hard working that succeed in the end, but rather “time and chance” play a role in determining who wins and succeeds (v11). Qohelet also observes that (other than those who choose to take their own lives) no one can predict their time of death. Like fish caught in a net or birds in a snare, people can fall prey to unexpected tragedies (v12).
Whereas Qohelet refers to “time and chance” and seemingly senseless tragedies, as followers of Jesus we believe that everything happens for a reason, that God is sovereign and that even in seemingly the most senseless of tragedies, God is writing a greater story through it all. We might not perceive how His plan works on this side of heaven, but He will work it out for good.
Thank You Jesus that I don’t need to be hopeless but that I can have peace and joy in this lifetime together with hope for eternity, all because of You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
