SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON PLAN - 8-22-2021 - ECCL. 9:1-10 - WHEN FACING DEATH?
LAST WEEK: In Eccl. 7:11-22, Solomon talked to us about challenges of finding the right balance between wisdom, wealth, and serving God in this earthly life and proposed four broad guiding principles to follow: (1) When we apply God's wisdom to our wealth, it can produce eternal purposes that transcend this life into the next, and when we do this, we truly discover what it means to live with joy. (2) Once we understand that God controls both prosperity and adversity in our lives, we can use God's wisdom to live through adversity whenever it strikes. (3) A wise, God-fearing person understands and learns how to live a balanced life between the extremes of righteousness and evil. And (4) God's wisdom can give us the inner strength to deal with anything in life. It not only helps us deal with adversity, but also helps to rectify sinful mistakes and heal broken relationships with others.
THIS WEEK: In Eccl. 9:1-10 Solomon will discuss an inconvenient truth: the certainty of death in this life. While Solomon didn't have the hope of eternal salvation promised by NT revelation, he still can give us some very practical insights on how to maximize our present life on this planet. Solomon is imminently qualified to advise us on this topic because he tried practically every approach to human life and found that none of them were satisfactory. He tried materialism, pleasure, humanism (e.g., scholarship, philosophy, science, etc.), and even fatalism (the futility of even living). The reason that this lesson is relevant to 21st Century Christians is that these approaches to life are still being tried and often lead to damaging consequences. Solomon will reveal some important conclusions in this lesson: Three major realities that give our earthly existence definition and meaning. So, if any of us hope to embrace the right (most wise) approach to this life, these are three realities that we must confront.
Read Eccl. 9:1 - REALITY #1: GOD'S SOVEREIGN HAND IS ON US
1 But 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.
v. 1: Last week Solomon informed us about the reality of God's sovereignty: that He brings both prosperity and adversity to our lives, and we have NO control over these events (7:13-14). We can't begin to understand much of what happens to us in life until we accept the truth that our future is in God's hands and we don't know whether it will be good or bad. God controls all of it, whether it's "love or hate." In short, we don't know the troubles (family, financial, health, etc.) that we might have to face tomorrow. However, as Christians, we can know one thing without any doubt: That our all-seeing, all-powerful God is still in control and nothing takes place apart from Him. This is the reality that gives our human existence on this planet definition and meaning. As imperfect humans, we sometimes have the tendency to make plans as if we were sovereign, and this is a big mistake.
APPLICATION 1: We don't know the troubles might face tomorrow. We can't even begin to understand much of what happens to us in life until we accept the truth that our future-down to the smallest detail-is in God's hand and under His control, and we're clueless as to whether it will be good or bad. This is the reality that gives our human existence on this planet definition and meaning. As frail humanity, we can't allow ourselves to make plans as if we were sovereign-a huge mistake.
Read Eccl. 9:2-3 - REALITY #2: DEATH IS AN ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY
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.
v. 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." - The "same event" all of us share-the good, the bad, and everybody in between-is death. Death isn't an accident; it's an appointment that none of us can cancel. The truth that Solomon teaches here is that if you are going to enjoy this life, you must accept that death is unavoidable. As Christian believers, our reality of death includes this promise: That only a believer in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior has nothing to fear from death. The apostle Paul said, "...our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). So, if you have never believed in Him, then this may be the day you need to take that step.
APPLICATION 2: Death isn't an accident. It's an appointment-made for us in eternity by God-that none of us can cancel. If you we hope to enjoy anything in this life, we must accept that death is unavoidable. And as believers in Jesus Christ, we don't need to fear death in this life because we live with the promise of a new life in eternity. If you have never given your life to Jesus as your Savior, the right time to make that decision in NOW! Because you might not have a tomorrow.
v. 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." - Many people respond to the fear of death by trying to escape from it in this life. People party at every opportunity, take drugs, and drink alcohol out of an effort to escape from reality. This is what Solomon describes as "madness in their hearts." They seize the evil diversions of this world as a means of coping with the reality of death. The ultimate outcome of escapism is self-destruction-a complete waste of this life. Sadly, most of them simply die sooner.
APPLICATION 3: Human efforts to escape the fear of death always result in the waste of this life. Whether a person attempts to escape the reality of death by having non-stop fun, using drugs, or anesthetizing themselves with liquor, they all lead to a path of self-destruction and a shorter life.
Read Eccl. 9:4-6 - REALITY #3: THERE IS "LIVING HOPE" IN THIS LIFE
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.
v. 4: "But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion" - Here Solomon informs us that a better way to respond to the fear of death is to simply learn to endure life. Despite the fact that every human being is subject to the same unknowable division of prosperity and adversity, and despite the fact that we are all going to join one another on death, Solomon tells us that we shouldn't despair of life. Why? Because life has its advantages over death! He compares a live dog (they weren't "man's best friend but unwanted scavengers in Solomon's day) as being better off than a dead lion (considered to be a noble beast).
v. 5-6: "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." - Here, Solomon compares the "hope" of the living (mentioned in v. 4) with the dead (no hope). This hope is very specific: Despite the shadow we all live under, we have opportunities today to respond to the other realities of life. Only the alive can experience knowledge; only the alive can experience love, or even hate and jealousy. To sum-up these three verses, Solomon is pointing out the importance of seizing opportunities while we live, rather than blindly and carelessly hoping for something better in the future, and here's the reason: Death will end all of our opportunities on this earth. I suspect that every single one of still has a lot of unfinished work we can still do, so let's do it!
APPLICATION 4: A "living hope" means to endure this life by seizing the many opportunities it gives us while we live. The point here is that only the alive can experience knowledge; only the alive can experience love, or even experience hate and jealousy. So, instead of brooding over certain death, we should be seizing all the opportunities for living that we see in front of us right now, because death, when it happens, will end any opportunity we have on this earth. Do it while you have the chance-don't let those opportunities pass!
Read Eccl. 9:7-9 - ALTERNATIVE #1: ENJOY LIFE TO THE FULLEST
Note: In this verse and the next three, Solomon advises that a better way to respond to the fear of death is to simply enjoy life. Listen my friends, life isn't a sentence that God has leveled against us. He didn't design us to live out our days with gloom and doom hanging over us. No! God created a beautiful world for us to inhabit, with colors, smells, tastes, sensations, and emotions for all of us to experience and enjoy.
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.
v. 7: "Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do." - Do you like to eat? Boy, I do! Although I enjoy the simple meals that I fix for myself at home, I really love the food that I share in the company others, whether they are family or friends. One of my all-time, most favorite categories of eating and sharing food is attending Baptist "pot luck" dinners. We Baptists know how to do it right and enjoy it to the fullest, don't we? I've often wondered why God called the best cooks in the world to the Baptist faith.
Do you enjoy the instant refreshment you get from a drink of ice cold water on a hot day? Do you savor the taste of that first cup of coffee in the morning? Although I don't drink them anymore, I still think that Coca-Cola was one of the most perfect beverages that man ever invented.
v. 8: "Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head" - The expression, "always white," might be a figure of speech for clean or bright clothing. In Solomon's day these clothes would have been their best. People seem to enjoy "dressing up," the ladies especially. I'm not really fond of this modern trend towards casual dress everywhere. Everyone looks the same, men and woman. I like to see gatherings where everybody is "spiffed-up," men wearing coats and ties and ladies adorned in their best finery. "Oil" in Solomon's day was used as a perfume. Not so today but 50 years ago a room full of dressed-up people produced a mixed aroma of after shave lotion and eau de cologne. As a boy, I could recognize my mother's friends by the way they smelled.
v. 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" - It cheers me to see people in this church who have been married 50 or more years who appear to be as much in love as the day they gave their vows to one another. A Godly marriage is more valuable than any other earthly thing, and if you are blessed to have one, "your portion in life" is immeasurably huge.
APPLICATION 5: The best way to deal with the fear of death is to simply enjoy life. God did not design us to live out our days with gloom and doom hanging over us. Not at all! He created a beautiful world for us to live in and experience. He gave us things to touch and feel, colors to see, flowers and vegetation to smell, tasty things to eat and drink, and all kinds of other sensations and emotions for all of us to experience and enjoy.
Read Eccl. 9:10 - ALTERNATIVE #2: TAKE SATISFACTION IN YOUR WORK
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" - All work is important. It's what makes the world go around, and God gives men and women the opportunity to make their own contribution to life on this world. We don't work just to make a living; we should be working to make a difference in whatever line of work we choose. And we are fortunate to live in a nation where "rags to riches" is a very common story. Whatever your line of work is (or was if you're retired like me) Solomon tell us to "do it with all your might" (Heb. geburah lit. all strength and power), which means putting all of your energy, all of your God-given talents, all of your care, and all of your honor into it.
APPLICATION 6: Another excellent way to deal with the fear of death is to stay busy. If you're still working for a living, perform your job "with all your might," which in simple words, means doing it with all of your energy, all of your God-given talents, all of your care, and all of your honor. God gives all of us an opportunity to make a contribution to life on this world. If you happen to be retired, find something else to do and do it with all your might for as long as you are able. For Christians, God really just has one retirement plan: spending eternity in heaven with Him. So, while you're still down here on terra firma, you need to get to work, storing up all that heavenly treasure.
PRAYER: Lord, our Father in heaven, we thank you for this church and the good fellowship we have among one another. We thank you, God, that we are blessed to live in nation where we are free to gather to together to learn how to apply the truth of your Word to our day-to-day lives. Lord, Solomon's lesson to us today reminds us of a very inconvenient truth: that we all are facing death. And Lord, even though we are Christians who all live with the hope and promise of eternal life, I imagine that there's not a single one of us who actually looks forward to the prospect of physical death. But Solomon tells us there's better way to look at it. That rather than brooding over it, we need to seize all the opportunities we still have in this life now-and maybe tomorrow. We need to enjoy what life has to offer, like the fellowship meal we're having today after church, and Lord, we thank you for those things. Solomon advises us to stay busy-to use our time doing things that have eternal value and impact. And if we do this, Lord, we just might make this world a little better place
when we leave it. In Jesus name, I pray, AMEN.
