Ecclesiastes 9:1-6 says,...Bible reading week 10, day 1

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 9:1-6, which say,

v.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.

Solomon has elevated wisdom as one of those goods for us to follow even though there are injustices that loom in our world that rewards the evil and punishes the good at times.  In this unfair world, it is still better to be wise even though the outcome of this planet could be the opposite of justice and rightness.  But in the end, God will have a final judgment.  There will be something that awaits him that is in the hand of God.  God is sovereign and has the final word about our lives but those who are wise and righteous have their deeds of following after Him in fear and reverence in His hands.  

v.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 these is one fate for all men.  Furthermore, the hearts of the sons men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives.  Afterwards they go to the dead.

Solomon comes back to the fact that we are all going to die.  The righteous die and the wicked die.  The clean die and the unclean die.  The one who offers sacrifices dies and the one who doesn't offer sacrifices die.  The one who swears dies and the one who is afraid to swear dies.  He says it in multiple ways.

The righteous is one who is following and fearing God while the wicked is someone who is not.  The clean is one who observes God's commands and the unclean is the one who is not.  The one who sacrifices is one who is in active worship of God and the one who doesn't sacrifice is the one who is not.  The one who swears is one who has bowed in submission to God with a vow to Him as Lord and the one afraid to swear is one who has not.

Why do we die?  The answer is because we are all sinners.  All our hearts are evil and this leads to what can change that.  Can we change that?  The answer is no and points us to Someone who can.  The need for the gospel of Jesus is screaming from the pages of Ecclesiastes.  We need a Savior who can change our hearts for death awaits us along with the judgement of God to our final fate.  Earthly fate ends at the grave and it is all the same for all but spiritual fate is another matter.

v.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.

Solomon is sharing with us that something needs to happen before we die.  The live dog is better than the dead lion.  The lion was prized and powerful but he is dead.  The dog was wild and despised but he is still alive.  Even though you could be a despised dog in this world alive, it is better than being an admired lion in this world and be dead.  The despised dog still has time.  There comes a point in our lives when time is up and what we have loved and hated and strived for ceases.  We physically stop so what are we doing with time we have now?

Even though we know we are going to die, what are we doing with our lives in light of the eternity?  Does it match up with the One who will judge us in the end?  Does it glorify His direction on how we should live even if it means that our physical life might be cut short because of it?  Do we value His directives more than the world's pleasures?  Each day is a gift from God and therefore Solomon is guiding us through that we have a decision to make today and the next day and the next day that are given to us.  Who will this day glorify?  Let us pray.

"Lord, we need to keep thinking and acting as aliens of this place and not get to attached to the things of this world.  We love others because You love them and command us to love them as You do but we are not to love the devices of this world that take us from fully following after You.  Even in the face of what seems to be a deficit in our physical life, may we always think of our spiritual life forever with You.  Amen."

Pastor Adam