Ecclesiastes Resources Ecclesiastes 2:12-26 Notes Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 Notes Ecclesiastes 4:13-5:7 Notes Ecclesiastes 7:11-22 Notes Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 Notes Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 Notes

Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 Notes

Eccl. 9:1-10 - Exegesis

INTRODUCTION: What is success? What is the meaning of life? Solomon tried many different approaches in his life, and none of them worked. He tried materialism, pleasure, humanism, and even fatalism. The reason Ecclesiastes is so relevant today is because these approaches are still being tried, often with disastrous results. Listen to this story: In 1923, a small group of the world's wealthiest men met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. At the time, these men controlled more money than the total amount contained in the United States Treasury. Of seven men who were present at that meeting, two died broke, two died shortly after being released from prison, and three committed suicide. Conclusion: clearly, their approach to success in life was not the right one

Solomon will draw drawing some important conclusions in this lesson. He will present us with the five major realities that give our lives definition and meaning. These three things are reliable-failsafe. If you and I are going to have the right approach to life, these are three realities all of us will need to confront.

REALITY NUMBER ONE: THE SOVEREIGN HAND OF GOD UPON US

(Ecclesiastes 9:1): 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.

Verse 1 says, "I reflected on all this." Serious Bible students like us immediately ask the question, "All what?" To really understand what he's referring to, you have to look back to what he was discussing in chapter eight. The theme in chapter eight is human ignorance of God's providence. We can't understand much of what happens in life unless we understand this: the future is in God's hand, and no one knows whether that future will be good or bad. Only God knows our future, whether it will bring blessing ("love") or sorrow ("hatred"). And it's no guarantee that things will always go well. It's no guarantee of economic prosperity, physical health, freedom from pain, or popularity. We don't know the troubles that we will face tomorrow. But we can know one thing beyond a doubt: a caring God is in control, and nothing takes place apart from his sovereign control. We tend to make plan as if we were sovereign, and that's a huge miscalculation. This is a reality that gives our lives definition and meaning

REALITY NUMBER TWO: DEATH IS AN ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY

(Ecclesiastes 9:2-3): 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.

Solomon continues the thought he began in verse 1: all people - the good and the bad - share an uncertain future. No one knows what the future will hold, but Solomon further develops this thought by stating man's ultimate destiny: death. Verse 3 says, "Afterward they join the dead," so, death is unavoidable. 'Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (Heb. 9:27-28). Thus, death is an appointment that all of us have and none of us can cancel. Jesus said we ought to be storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where we're going to spend much more time than we'll ever spend here in this life. This is a reality you need to confront: only a believer in Jesus Christ has nothing to fear from death. If you have never believed in Him, maybe this is the day you need to take that step.

REALITY THREE: THERE IS HOPE FOR THE LIVING

(Ecclesiastes 9:4-6): 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.

Despite the fact that every human being is ultimately subject to the same inscrutable distribution of adversity and prosperity, and despite the fact that we are all going to join one another in death, Solomon tells us that we shouldn't despair of life, no, life has its advantages over death! "Even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!" Thus, Solomon is saying, "It's better to be alive and dishonored rather than honored and dead." Only the alive can experience knowledge, love, even hate and jealousy. These are advantages we have over the dead. We're going to conclude this morning with Solomon's advice in light of these realities, and we're going to have some fun doing it. In light of these realities, Solomon's advice is: "Enjoy life as God enables." Another preacher long after Solomon summarized his advice as, "Have a blast while you last. This good counsel on how to live 365 days a year." In view of the uncertainty of life and the reality of death, Solomon recommends that you go flat out and enjoy life to the max, because life is God's gift to us to be enjoyed as long as we're here. We know it's important because this is the fifth time Solomon tells us to enjoy life, and will spell it out in detail in the next four verses.

REALITY FOUR: WE SHOULD ENJOY LIFE TO THE FULLEST

(Ecclesiastes 9:7-10) Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 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.

Friends, listen - life is not a sentence leveled against us. We aren't designed to live every day with some heavy cloud, doom and gloom. God isn't some cosmic killjoy who is continually angry with us and would like nothing better than to banish enjoyment from the earth. God created this beautiful world with textures and colors and tastes and sensations and emotions for us to enjoy. What did Solomon say we should enjoy? Food and drink, comfortable clothes and pleasant lotions (for the girls). Back then these luxuries (which we take for granted, would be enjoyed only on special occasions, but Solomon says, wear these things every day! In short, Solomon encourages us to make every day a special occasion! Then look at verse 9: enjoy your marriage. Proverbs 18:22 and 19:14 speak of a wife as a gift from God. When Solomon adds the phrase, "all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun," he means this life is short, so enjoy these things while you can.

REALITY FIVE: WE SHOULD TAKE SATISFACTION IN OUR WORK

(Ecclesiastes 9:10): 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.

The Jewish people in Solomon's day looked upon work not as a curse, but as a stewardship under God. Solomon tells us that we ought to be doing our very best at work and finding fulfillment there. The things that make up our enjoyment now won't be present in the grave, so make the most of your opportunities now! I have a feeling that Solomon would agree with the phrase, Seize the day! So, make the most of every day, live life to the fullest!

PS: You know, if we fear God and walk by faith we don't have to escape or merely endure life, but we will receive immeasurable enjoyment from life and receive it as a gift from the Lord. One preacher says, "If you are waiting to live it up when you're six feet under, pal, you're in for a major disappointment! The time to live this life is now. And the way to do it is to pull out all the stops and play full volume. There's a contagious enthusiasm in the way we're supposed to live. When we do life becomes exciting, infectiously happy. It's made up of eating good food and drinking good drink and enjoying a wife, husband, and good friends. "

J. Erwin - Eccl. 9:1-10 - Commentary

Ecclesiastes 9:1-18 Enjoy Life

Death is unavoidable (Ecclesiastes 9:1-10)

"I'm not afraid to die;" quipped Woody Allen, "I just don't want to be there when it happens."

Death is not an accident, it's an appointment, a destiny that nobody but God can cancel or change.1 We talked about this in the last chapter. Here, we address life. In this first section, Solomon addresses the fear of death. Because if you are going to enjoy life, you have to accept that death is unavoidable. Here are three responses to the fear of death.

THREE RESPONSES TO THE FEAR OF DEATH

1. Escape (Ecclesiastes 9:3)

"This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live -after that they go to the dead." (Ecclesiastes 9:3, HCSB)

The first way to respond to the fear of death is to try to escape it in life. People party, do drugs, drink alcohol to escape. People act in evil ways because they are fearful of death. They seize the wrong things in life to cope with the fear of death.

2. Endure (Ecclesiastes 9:4-6)

"But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead don't know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 9:4-6, HCSB)

The second way to respond to the fear of death is to endure life.

"Where there's life, there's hope!"

That motto goes as far back as the third century B.C. It's part of a conversation between two farmers who are featured in a poem by the Greek poet Theokritos. "Console yourself, dear Battos," says Korydon. "Things may be better tomorrow. While there's life there's hope. Only the dead have none." Shades of Ecclesiastes!2

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.3

3. Enjoy (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10)

The third way to respond to the fear of death is to just enjoy life.

FOUR WAYS TO ENJOY LIFE

1. Enjoy your meals

"Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works." (Ecclesiastes 9:7, HCSB)

God gives us means to enjoy. He even gives us extra rich food to enjoy. The idea is to enjoy each meal that God gives you to eat.

2. Enjoy every occasion

"Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head." (Ecclesiastes 9:8, HCSB)

There are times when we enjoy time with others. We dress for the occasion. We dress for the family reunion, or the wedding, or the graduation. So the emphasis is not on what one wears as much as one enjoys the occasion.

3. Enjoy your marriage

"Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 9:9, HCSB)

The Bible encourages us to enjoy life together. One of the purposes of marriages is to live life together. Life is meant to be shared. This is what marriage teaches us.

We as couples made a vow - in sickness and in health, and in good and in bad times, we would stay together. So yes there will be difficult times. But the Bible literally says in this verse that we should "see life" joyfully with our spouse.

Life is an adventure. Life is exciting. Life will never be dull for the two of you. God gives married couples the exciting privilege of sharing everything. Of course, sometimes we don't want to share everything. But sharing is part of marriage. We should share our food. We should share our money, we should share our vacations. We get to share our families. We get to share the same bed. Sharing can be enjoyable.

The writer of Ecclesiastes was a wise man. He said that life can be vain, or feel empty sometimes. Yet, he encourages us by asking each of us to enjoy this life - a life that may sometimes not feel like satisfies us. The reason that God gave us a spouse is to help us feel satisfied in this life.

God gives us the privilege of waking up every day, not only with Him - but with a spouse that we know that God has given to us. There can be all kinds of trouble in life. Certainly, there will be times of difficulty. But God lets us know through our spouse, whom we love, that God loves us. He shows us through our marriage that He will not leave us. He shows us that He will help us. God wants us to go through this life with a positive attitude - not a negative one.

When we encounter tough times, we have someone there who can help us, who can talk to us, who can share our experience - that is our spouse. God teaches us to enjoy life together with our spouse, because when we enjoy life with our spouse and we show love to our spouse, we love God. We love God by loving our spouse. One way to love our spouse is to enjoy everything together.4

4. Enjoy your work

"Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going." (Ecclesiastes 9:10, HCSB)

Life is unpredictable (Ecclesiastes 9:11-18)

My abilities are no guarantee of success (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12)

"Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all of them. For man certainly does not know his time: like fish caught in a cruel net or like birds caught in a trap, so people are trapped in an evil time as it suddenly falls on them." (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12, HCSB)

The turtle can beat the hare. The weak can win against the strong. The fact is that everyone encounters experience. Sometimes our abilities help us succeed, but many times they do not. You might think that Solomon is saying that everything is left to chance. From a world's perspective of observing, yes, it seems random. Life can be unpredictable sometimes.

When Dave Boon first saw the avalanche that swept his car over a guardrail on Interstate 40 in Denver, Colorado, it was only a puff of powder. After that brief warning, a snowy burst of wind knocked the car out of control. "Not even a second later, a freight train hit us," Boon said.

Boon had been traveling with his wife, June, and Gary Martinez, thirteen, on their way to a youth group ski trip. The three of them had been discussing the possibility of an avalanche. "We were talking about avalanches and how there was so much snow and stuff. Then we turned the corner and saw some white powder, and it slammed us into the guardrail," Boon said.

The wall of snow knocked the car over the rail and caused it to roll hundreds of feet down a steep mountain slope. In the middle of the descent, the car struck a tree and was knocked out of the avalanche's grasp. It came to a stop upside down and pointing back uphill.

Fortunately, Boon and his wife were well trained. After clearing an airway and freeing himself from the seat belt, Boon was able to exit the car along with Martinez and then cut his wife free from her restraints. Despite several bumps, bruises, and scrapes, none of the three required hospitalization.

For Boon, the experience was a reminder that warnings and hints of danger need to be respected. "The signs read, 'Avalanche Area, No Stopping,' " he said. "We've driven by that place hundreds of times. We've skied avalanche chutes, worn beepers, always carried an avalanche shovel. We've seen avalanches. But in our wildest dreams, we never imagined getting hit in a car by one."5

Eccl. 9:1-10 - Bible Studies.org

Ecclesiastes 9:1 "For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred [by] all [that is] before them."

Man cannot know God's disposition by observation since the same calamities strike both the wicked and the righteous.

Without God, man does not even have the power to tell the difference between love and hate. Everything that man is, God created him to be. Solomon is wise, because God gave him wisdom. Even the breath that we take is by permission of God.

Even the little we do understand is by the Holy Spirit of God revealing it to us. Solomon had searched the world over to find out what life is. He came back to the conclusion he started with. God is all in all. There are no solutions aside from God.

Solomon is a thinker, and he has come to the end of his earthly wisdom, no smarter than when he began. We are like sheep that must have a Shepherd to lead us.

There will be no inequities in the final judgment of the righteous or the wicked, because God remembers both in perfect detail.

Ecclesiastes 9:2 "All [things come] alike to all: [there is] one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as [is] the good, so [is] the sinner; [and] he that sweareth, as [he] that feareth an oath."

This is like the statement, "It rains on the just and on the unjust". Certain things happen to all of us. We are all born. We all die.

These things are alike for the sinner and for the righteous. On this earth, it pretty much appears that similar things happen to all of us. That is true, until God's wrath comes, and then, those who are not righteous in the sight of God, have terrible trouble.

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is a very good example of the wrath of God being poured out on the wicked. The flood in Noah's time was another example of God's wrath. In that particular time, the people had sinned so greatly that God was sorry He had made man.

Nearer our time, the Black Plague killed many, because the wrath of God had fallen. In our generation, I believe the disease A.I.D.S. is the wrath of God on the earth.

Sometimes when the wrath of God comes, innocent people are injured, because of their close proximity to the sinners. The only thing that stops the wrath of God is true repentance. In many instances, when the wrath of God falls, He saves a few, like He did with Noah's family. God does make a separation, but the natural man cannot see it. We must remember in all of this that Solomon is looking at world conditions.

Ecclesiastes 9:3 "This [is] an evil among all [things] that are done under the sun, that [there is] one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness [is] in their heart while they live, and after that [they go] to the dead."

There is one fate for both the righteous and the unrighteous and that is death because of universal depravity.

"Sons of men" is speaking of mankind in his sinful condition before he is saved. When a person is saved, he becomes a son of God.

Unregenerate man does have a sinful heart. If he does not repent and become saved, he will go to hell. The following is a very good example of unsaved man.

Genesis 6:5 "And God saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually."

Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:" These are describing a man born of the flesh.

Ecclesiastes 9:4 "For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion."

The hope of all men is to stay alive. The lion was highly regarded but the dog was despised; nevertheless, a living dog is better that a dead lion because with life comes knowledge, reward (verse 5), and continued activity on earth (verse 6).

As long as a person is alive, there is hope for him. As long as there is a breath in the body, he can repent and be saved. The dog was thought of as a useless animal, and the lion was thought of as being the bravest. A dead lion has less courage than a live dog, regardless of how useless the dog is.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten."

This is not a pessimistic statement about life after death; rather it affirms that life on earth is the only arena of opportunity for accomplishment and reward.

The wicked and the righteous realize that they will die. The dead do not know anything. Their spirits have left their bodies. The living is usually trying to accomplish something, before they die. Those that die are soon forgotten. All of this is speaking of the flesh man. This is speaking of death of the flesh. The spirit of man lives on.

Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

Ecclesiastes 9:6 "Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any [thing] that is done under the sun."

All of these things are speaking of those living in the flesh on this earth. When their bodies die, they stop feeling love, hate, and envy. All of their feelings that manifested themselves in their lives on the earth are gone when they die. They have no more effect on the earth.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works."

For the first time in the passages on enjoyment, the key words of the exhortation are put into the imperative mood; eat, drink, live, and so on. Also a new motivation is expressed: God now accepteth thy works. Meaning clearly that God approves of the enjoyment of life. His will is that men enjoy life.

Man's labors on the earth give him the right to enjoy the food and drink he has earned. Food and wine, here, are spoken of as his daily foodstuff. Wine was drunk with meals, and this is not speaking of getting drunk.

They lived for the time on earth. The last part of the verse above, is offering salvation through God for them. Jesus Christ makes us acceptable to the Father.

Ecclesiastes 9:8 "Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment."

The idea of enjoyment is further reiterated (in verse 8), with two directives. White garments on the body and ointment on the head made life more comfortable in the torrid Near Eastern climates; they serve here to symbolize purity and the enjoyment of life.

The garments being always white speaks of being clothed in righteousness (white). White speaks of purity, and righteousness.
In the 23rd Psalm, we read "thou anointest my head with oil".

Ecclesiastes 9:9 "Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that [is] thy portion in [this] life, and in thy labor which thou takest under the sun."

Another command concerns the enjoyment of life with one's wife. The reasons for these commands are: It is man's portion in the life and there is no work in the grave as we will see in (verse 10).

In chapter 7 of this book, it appeared that Solomon thought all women to be evil. As we can easily see here, that is not what he believed at all. The women he had married were from tribes forbidden to intermarry.

Solomon had taken these women as wives in form only, because he did not want war with their fathers and brothers. The worst thing about this, was the fact that they brought their false gods with them. They brought idol worship into the country, and Solomon built them temples for their false gods.

A good wife is more precious than rubies. Notice, I said wife, not wives. The best arrangement is for one man and one woman to become one flesh and live that way, until one of them dies. This is a peaceful, contented life.

Colossians 3:19 "Husbands, love [your] wives, and be not bitter against them."

Ecclesiastes 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

I truly believe to have a happy life, mankind must work. It is wonderful to be loved and wanted, but it is much more wonderful to be needed. There is a feeling of accomplishment that comes from a job well done.

We are the happiest, when we are the busiest. Then we do not have time to worry and fret. When we are in the grave, all activity stops.

Die One Day ' Live All Others- Ecclesiastes 9:1-18 from Damascus Road Church on Vimeo.

Introduction |

Good morning! This week we are continuing our series of Ecclesiastes called The Pursuit: Chasing Meaning Under the Sun. Where do we go to find wisdom, meaning, and purpose? What is the point of all our accomplishments? Where is our hope when we life is met with failure or even simple toil and boredom? Is this all there is to life? In life under the sun all seems to be vanity as we struggle to find our purpose and meaning apart from God. The message of this sermon of Ecclesiastes isn't "all of life is meaningless and nothing matters"; it's because of God as the source of all meaning, and goodness, as we live the life we are given EVERYTHING matters! Over the last two week we've seen a wrestling with God in Chapter 7 and 8 about injustice and why some bad things happen to good people, etc. Chapter 9 continues the theme as resolution is sought between what is generally true and the unpredictability of life.

Verse 9:1-6 ' Die One Day

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6 '

1But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.

After wrestling with the apparent injustice and severity of the world, the preacher of Ecclesiastes begins to try to makes sense of it all. In light of our limited ability to understand the world there comes a point when you have to look beyond what you can see and begin to explore a faith in something greater. These verses assume a baseline belief in a God who is in control of all things, and yet is difficult to understand. Examination leads the preacher to see our lives are held in the "The Hand of God". We are uncomfortable with this because we assume we're captain of our own souls and destiny. Yet we all know we're not as powerful as we like to think we are and we are more fragile and dependent than we care to admit. Here are words about God "in his hand" that speak to His power (God made it all!) and sovereignty (God is in control of all!) All that we are and all that we do is under His supervision and ultimate judgement. When we consider this reality it naturally leads us to question. "If there is a big God who created everything, exists eternally, and actively engages with His creation, where do I stand (or fall) before him?" Love or Hate is speaking about acceptance or rejection. Some of us walk in a tension of not knowing how we stand before God. We read. at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11). It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31) Which is it?! It's going to take more the merely observing the outcomes of people or if they've experienced favor, success, or trial and tragedy. There are absolutely no guarantees that a righteous or wise life will ensure earthly blessing or ease. Further we don't always see visible rebukes for wickedness. What frustration!!! We want justice for the wicked and grace and mercy for the righteous. Yet we see the same fate comes to each of them.

You can avoid being committed to God all you want you can deny his existence or believe there is no sin (or at least none you have) that warrants judgement but in the end if it's true than it's true. It is crystal clear "the same event happens to all." We. Will. All. Die. Righteous, good, clean, sacrificial committed worshiper....Dies Wicked, evil, filthy, irreverent rejecter of God.... Dies. Last week we mourned the death of Officer Garrett Swasey. His wife and two young kids won't have their dad this Christmas and a church lost one of their pastors. This week in San Bernardino after killing 14 people (injuring others) gathered for a party at a center that serves developmentally disabled adults the two shooters were taken out by police. Two totally different types of people responding to the world in drastically different ways... all dead.

Be frustrated! Desire it not be so! Go ahead and dislike death. The preacher of Ecclesiastes is right Death isn't natural, it's evil. It is the consequence of sin (Fall) Because of sin we live in a moral wilderness of the madness of humanity. Corruption, frivolity, violence, disobedience, self-justification this universally applies to ALL "Children of men" and total infects and affects all "while we live." And dominates us, our hearts are "full" of it. We're all going to be mowed down. We all will die one day..... But we're alive today.

Where there is life there is hope!! We all have life so we all have hope. Dogs weren't trusted pet they were despised scavengers, Lions were signs of nobility. But a miserable dog is better off than a dead lion. Even if you're miserable now don't think death is the answer, there can be hope found in our lives today.

The hope is specific. It is this; while we live in the shadow of death we have opportunities to respond to the reality of our small lives. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrew 9:27 We can evaluate our lives now and our relationship with our creator now but later, it will not be so. After we die, "Under the sun" we are "forever" no more" a permanent and total passing. In death all we're concerned with all our affections, angers, and anxieties die with us. There is a totality to our death and a permanence "forever they have no more share..." We can engage with the truth of death, judgement etc, because there is hope for the living! Christians pray for the living, serve the living. Yes honor the dead but don't worship them. Their time has gone; we're not like some religions that teach worship of ancestors or praying for/baptizing for the dead. There is not opportunity and no reason to pray for, or to, the souls of the dead. We are to be joined with the living today. What does this look like? Why try in this world at all if we're going to die at the end? Yes we will die one day but all our other days we won't.

Verse 9:7-10 ' Live and Enjoy Life Today

7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. 9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Go! This is the most urgent command to joy in this book! 4 or 5 times it's been suggested we should enjoy and engage with our world. But here it's a big call to action. Get out of bed and get busy living.... (or get busy dying). "Go Eat, Drink, enjoy, do!" Don't complain get to work with enjoying and participating fully with life today. Why? What is the point? God has already approved. All the good things in this life we enjoy are God's ideas! He has created each of us for a purpose.

Bible often talks about predestination, before you were born God created a world full of things to enjoy. To be clear we are not justified (right standing) by our enjoyment of the world but by faith in the one who created the world. Those who trust in the God above the sun don't fear approval because of their works; but work because of His approval of them. This is Gospel Motivation. God gives life, purpose, and meaning. Even in our fallen world He gives:

Contentment | Not eat drink for tomorrow you die, but Eat and drink to the glory of God! God made us to need food and refreshment, but he also made it enjoyable. God is pleased when we're pleased in his provision. We have some belief that if we shun what is enjoyable in the world in terms of created things. (food, etc) we are being more spiritual. Instead we should enjoy what God has made enjoyable and be thankful to God for them. Enjoying good gifts from God is spiritual. When we don't enjoy gifts from a giver we dis honor Him. Think about kids opening Christmas presents. "Thank you father for this gift, I'll feel guilty for having it and make sure I don't enjoy it." No! Celebrate what is good. Not sure what is "good"? We are called to "receive what comes from God "with thanksgiving" (1Tim 4:4) Can you in good conscience give God thanks for what you enjoy? If not, maybe it's not "good" and you shouldn't do it.

Comfort | White clothes and oil were to help be a comfort in the sever heat often experienced in Israel. It's still hot and uncomfortable but go ahead and enjoy when things are a little more comfortable. There are difficult circumstances in this world and God gives us some tangible items to easy our discomfort. Treat yo self! Well not really, yes enjoy and experience comfort in our harsh world, but we regularly tend towards self-indulgence at the expense of good stewardship and blessing others White is the color of purity and victory. Those in can Christ be comforted and walk a new life free from the bondage of sin.

Committed Companionship | One of the greatest gifts we've been given by God is marriage. He says enjoy YOUR Bride who YOU love. There is a unique and exclusive joy that comes in having a specific focus of your earthly devotion and affections. Your spouse is "Your portion", yes for the good times but also for the adversity of toil. Tara and I have times to celebrate and enjoy each other but we've grown the most when we've been there to comfort each other in difficultly and encourage each other in defeat. Marriage is made for our joy but also for the midst of frustration. It can be our solace in a vain life. You might not be great in the world but your family is who you're uniquely called to! Give affection, pursue enjoyment. "All the days" show a lifelong companionship. This a small sliver and picture of the eternal purpose Marriage reflects. Enjoy and cherish your family in each season you have with them. (My kids yell out the window when I leave, I know there will be a day it's not so. So I savor it!)

Commission/Call - Because life is sort we work hard! Work where you are called. Where is that? It's where you are! Don't look around and think "I wish I was at.." or I can't wait until... " But work vigorously where you are now!" Because we're alive we don't slothfully disengage. Work boldly and confidently! God has the whole world in His hands.... but you have things that have been put into our hands, so we work!!! I have becoming increasingly more passionate about the work I've been called to at a Damascus Road as we've been studying Ecclesiastes. This book is not a downer it is a motivator!! We are to be active and energetic, practical (don't think practical is bad, it's a gift from God) We work Thoughtfully as we seek to grow in our abilities (study/knowledge) with skill and wisdom. We can all do this NOW. We can't do it after we're gone. John 9:4 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. Because our faith is in the one who made things enjoyable we can be free to enjoy food, drink, our spouse and our work. But don't be surprised when things are tough 9:11-12 ' Buckle up and Keep going.

J. Irwin - Eccl. 9:1-10