Ecclesiastes 9:1-18
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Ecclesiastes 9:1
For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous
men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know
whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.
While in Ecclesiastes 8:12-13 Solomon examined the fate that awaits the
wicked man and the uncertainty of his life based upon his human wisdom,
here he looks at the man who is righteous and wise.
Only once before in Ecclesiastes has Solomon linked these two concepts together
and that was in Eccl. 7:16 where he warns of being legalistically righteous
and extreme in human wisdom.
He notes that the deeds of righteous men and wise men are also in the hand
of God.
For the believer who reads this there is a comfort in that statement. That
God is Sovereign and he is in control and what happens to us is in His hands.
For the UNBELIEVER or the believer who stand is in human righteousness and
wisdom a part from God, this statement reminds him that he is not the captain
of his own fate nor is he the master of his destiny.
The last statement could be expanded to read: Man (wicked, righteous, wise,
positive believer, neg. believer, UNBELIEVER) does not know what awaits
him, love or hate or anything else.
The negative self dependent believer can recognize God's sovereignty from
natural revelation.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse
is declaring the work of His hands.
Also Romans 1:18-32, specifically v 20, For since the creation of the world
His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been
clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they
are without excuse.
However, neither the unbeliever nor the negative believer, both of whom
are limited by human wisdom and what they can observe, will be able to know
the grace and love of God.
Therefore, he will never know what kind of a God, God is. So will God meet
him with hate? Love? Or anything else?
The positive believer depending upon God's wisdom will also not know what
the future holds.
Back in chapter seven we saw that God can mingle together both adversity
and prosperity to bring about Him perfect plan in us.
We may hit times of trial, testing, even discipline from our God who loves
us. We may be having a real bad time but out of this great good can come.
There are times when God wants to stretch us in order to grow us. He wants
us to sink our roots deeper as a tree sinks its roots deeper in times of
doubt.
The future may hold adversity, we do not know.
I Peter 4:13 But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ,
keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may
rejoice with exultation.
The positive believer then may not know what the future holds but by faith
knows the one who holds the future.
7. So verse 1, like many of the verses in Ecclesiastes has one meaning for
the believer and another for the unbeliever or negative believer.
Ecclesiastes 9:2,3
It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for
the wicked; for the good, for the clean, and for the unclean; for the man
who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good
man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid
to swear.
This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate
for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil,
and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they
go to the dead.
These verses look only at what is observable by man. Whether good or bad,
the fate of all men is to die.
Solomon also reminds us that the hearts of all men are full of evil.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately
sick; Who can understand it?
When man sees this with eyes of human understand it appears to be an EVIL.
For the believer who is walking with God it is not an EVIL but a PROMOTION
into eternity.
Ecclesiastes 9:4-6
For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live
dog is better than a dead lion.
For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor
have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.
Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and
they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.
Pretty depressing isn't it? But it is true and . . .
It can also be challenging to the believer.
The living have the opportunity for fruitful labor, for fulfilling the destiny
God has for them.
If we but take these depressing words and turn them just slightly we will
see that we have life, make the most of it in the plan of God.
So under the sun a living dog (despicable to the Jews) is better off than
a dead lion.
But to the child of God death is the entrance into heaven and eternal life
and it can mean fantastic eternal blessings and rewards.
Ecclesiastes 9:7-9
So What is One to Do? Enjoy life. Here again we see that we need to use
the gift of the enjoyment of Life God gives us. But here more than in other
passages we have much greater detail regarding the enjoyment of life.
Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful
heart; for God has already approved your works.
The approval of our work is the approval of our labor to have the bread
and the wine that we are to enjoy with a cheerful heart.
The NIV translates this God favors what you do. Which may better express
the idea of the phrase.
Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on
your head.
When a person went to a party in the ancient near east they would wear white
cool clothing. This is the attitude we are to have, that of being at a festive
occasion which we are, every day with the Lord.
Oil on your head was a sign of being anointed for a mission and we are to
have Joy and also be mission oriented. All of us are On a Mission.
Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life
which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life,
and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.
Part of the reward of life is the wife of your life. Enjoy your marriage,
enjoy your relationship totally.
Life is fleeting. We too often put off the enjoyment we could have today,
appreciating what we have today, for some elusive hope of a better tomorrow
that will never come.
Ecclesiastes 9:10-12
Whatever your hand finds to do, verily, do it with all your might; for
there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you
are going.
The next verse seems to contradict this verse but the confusion is cleared
up when we see that Solomon is talking about the outcome of our labor.
I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, and the
battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise, nor wealth
to the discerning, nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake
them all.
Too often in Israel's history God's people saw God's power change the odds
of battle and the one's of less strength won the conflict.
NOTICE: Time and Chance overtake the best plans and abilities of man.
THEREFORE: Man's hopes must not be in his strength or his ability but in
God's hands.
Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous
net, and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an
evil time when it suddenly falls on them.
Probably no one thinks the time of there death is the right time. Or at
least very few. But we have no control over the time of our death.
In the same way we have no control over the outcome of our labor. Some have
worked very hard and ended up with nothing, others have hardly worked and
ended up with much.
Again the issue: Who is in control?
Eccl. 9:13-18 A Parable on the uncertain outcome of Wisdom.
Here and at the beginning of chapter ten, Solomon looks at three ways human
wisdom can be nullified.
By the folly of fools: 9:13-10:1
By a rulers arrogance: 10:2-7
By Improper Timing and Chance: 10:8-11
Even wisdom in its raw form may have benefit to others without bringing
benefit to the one who has wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 9:13-15
A parable based on a historical incident: 2 Samuel 20:15-22, Sheba the enemy
at Abel Beth-Maccah.
Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me.
While Solomon is impressed by this human wisdom, others are not.
The word IMPRESSED is GAW-DOLE and means great, high, mighty.
And while Solomon saw the value, the greatness of this wisdom, others did
not.
There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it,
surrounded it, and constructed large siege works against it.
But there was found in it a poor wise man and he delivered the city by his
wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.
Once the safety of the city was secure by what this man did, he and
his wisdom were forgotten.
II Samuel 20:15-22 In that historical case a wise woman delivered the city
by having the men of the city cut off Sheba's head and throw it over the
wall.
But even in the historical account, we are not given her name. And when
we add this to what Solomon says we can assume that she was soon forgotten.
Eccl. 9:16 to 10:1 Solomon's commentary.
Ecclesiastes 9:16
So I said, Wisdom is better than strength. But the wisdom of the poor
man is despised and his words are not heeded.
The only time the wisdom of the wise is heeded is when all else has failed.
The verb HEEDED is a Niphal Participle which is passive, and sees the words
of the wise as being ignored because something else is seen as being of
more value...strength.
Ecclesiastes 9:17
The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting
of a ruler among fools.
The words of the wise are ignored because of the shouting of the fool. Volume
taking precedent over virtue.
Ecclesiastes 9:18
Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Solomon could recognize the value of wisdom even being greater than mighty
weapons of war.
Many times in the history of war the battle has gone to the wise rather
than to the strong.
One sinner: Here equated with the fool and his folly, destroys the wisdom
of the wise.
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