Ecclesiastes 9:1-10--Enjoy Life Despite Death

Ecclesiastes 9:1-10Christian Standard Bible

Enjoy Life Despite Death
9 Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands. People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them. 2 Everything is the same for everyone: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. 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. 4 But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 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. 6 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.

​7 Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. 8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. 9 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. 10 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.

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Solomon couldn't make sense of all this other than to say that the LORD was good to keep his promises, especially to the righteous.  We know that the promises that he makes are not always fulfilled "under the sun" in this life but sometimes are fulfilled in a spiritual way or will be given to us when we receive all the blessings that are due to Christ who really works in and through us.  It is Christ who deserves the blessings, but He will make us co-heirs so that we receive and equal part of His inheritance.  Just because you are a moral or righteous person doesn't mean that troubles will not come your way.  They may come as trials to refine you, or it may simply be the work of the LORD to prune you (which feels like punishment, but it helps us to grow).  Though there is one "under the sun" fate for all living things, including the righteous and the wicked (we all will die according to the flesh), there are two very different destinations for our spirits.  Solomon may not be addressing that directly, but his Jewish audience would be keenly aware of this fact and realize their hope comes not from what they can gain in this life, but the joy, peace, and blessings that are in store for those who are declared righteous by God after they die according to the flesh.

Solomon posits that if this were the end of the matter, it would be an extreme evil for the righteous and unrighteous, the clean and unclean, the good and the sinner to have the same end--the same fate.  However, there is more to the story that Solomon is intentionally leaving out.  Man is an eternal creature made in the image of God and will either live eternally in a place of blessing if he was part of the kingdom of God or in eternal torture and punishment if he died in rebellion to God and was a part of the kingdom of this world--the kingdom of darkness whose prince is the devil.

Solomon does say that it is good to be alive--to be remembered and to be able to make an impact on the way things are and the way things may be for a short time after you die (however, you will eventually be forgotten and have no more influence).  We should not glorify death and seek to die because we then stop experiencing all the blessings that God intended for us to have in this life.  They may not compare to the blessings to come, but God intends us to enjoy nature, family, friends, and all the other things that He has given to us (yet we are not to worship or serve pleasure).

Solomon's advice is to be content with what God has given to you and enjoy it.  Eat and drink what He has provided to you today.  Be happy about the works He has already accepted (He has accepter their sacrifices).  We should live lives of integrity and purity, for there is an advantage to walking in a way that is blameless.  Have a good work ethic and enjoy the work that the LORD has given to you.  Enjoy your position in life and do not covet that which you do not have.  Live life to the fullest because one day life will end and there will be no more opportunity to do these things or cultivate the relationships that are with the people around you.  Trust God to reward those who earnestly seek Him and obey Him completely, even if we don't see the blessings of obedience immediately.