ECCLESIASTES 9:1 – 10-:20

“Oh, why do people waste their breath inventing dainty names for death?” 

The only way to be prepared to live is to be prepared to die.  Death is a fact of life and Solomon examined many facets of life so that he might understand God’s pattern for satisfied living.  Unless the LORD returns and takes us to heaven, we will one day leave this battlefield for a better land.  We must be ready. 

In Chapter 9, Solomon drew two conclusions about death:  unavoidable v. 1-10 and unpredictable v. 11-18.  Those two being the truth, the best thing we can do is trust God, live by faith and enjoy whatever blessings God gives us.

Heb. 9:27 Death is not an accident, it is an appointment, a destiny that nobody but God can cancel or change.  Only God knows what the future holds for us and what will happen tomorrow because of the decisions we make today.  V. 1  (Remember that in the Valley of the Shadow of Death…Psa. 23, there is no shadow without LIGHT!!!  He is ever present, always with me no matter where or when I walk…)

v. 2 Yes, we share a common destiny on earth – death and the grave – but we do to share a common destiny in eternity.  I Cor. 15:26…we must all face THE LAST ENEMY and decide how to deal with it.  The born again have and do trust Jesus Christ to save us from sin and death and our last enemy has been defeated.  Unbelievers don’t have that confidence and are unprepared to die. 

Solomon mentions 3 responses that people make to the ever present fear of death:  v. 3 ESCAPE  Death does not bring problems, it reveals them.  It reveals the hearts of the mourners.  Someone else’s death confronts us with our own.  People will do almost anything but repent in order to escape the reality of death.  No matter what a person does to delay or avoid the Grim Reaper, death is always there. 

Joseph Bayly wrote “Death is a great adventure, beside which moon landings and space trips pale into insignificance.”  You get that kind of confidence only by facing death honestly, turning from sin and trusting Jesus to save you.

ENDURANCE v. 4-6 “Where there is life, there is hope!”  Oh, really!!!  It is good to keep in mind that you will one day die!  Solomon is 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. 

ENJOYMENT v. 7-10 In essence Solomon is saying, “Don’t sit around and brood!  Get up and live!”  Yes, death is coming, but God gives us good gifts to enjoy so enjoy them.  Enjoy the common experiences of home life…happy leisurely meals v. 7 (simple meals that were designed to nourish both the body and the soul…eating together…a communal act of friendship and commitment.  *joyful family celebrations v. 8…Solomon is saying to make every occasion a special occasion, even if it is ordinary or routine.  Delight in the simple activities.  *a faithful, loving marriage v.9 … Like the prodigal son, we need to discover that the things that are important are back at home at the Father’s house. A wife is a gift from God and marriage is a loving commitment that lasts a lifetime.  It is too bad that Solomon didn’t live up to his own ideals.  Realizing with regret probably V. 9 is his confession…”Now, I know better!”  *and hard work v. 10...The Jewish people did not view work as a curse, but as a stewardship from God.  Even their rabbis learned a trade.  In the N. T. we have many verses regarding work and our attitude.  II Thess. 3:10, Col. 3:17, 23-25.  If we fear God and walk by faith we will not try to escape or merely endure life.  We will enjoy life and receive it happily as a gift from the Lord.    

LIFE IS UNPREDICTABLE v. 11-18 The successful person knows how to make the most of time and procedure but only the LORD controls time and chance.  “I am a great believer in luck.  I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it.”  Christians trust God to guide them and help them in making decisions, and they believe that His will is best.  The LORD may allow trouble to arrive on our scene and wreck all our great plans.  Our abilities are a guarantee of success. 

Our opportunities are not a guarantee of success.  V. 17 suggests that a ruler with a loud mouth got all the attention and led the people into defeat.  The wise man spoke quietly and was ignored.  He had the opportunity for greatness but was frustrated by one loud ignorant man. 

Since death is unavoidable and life is unpredictable, the only course we can safely take is to yield ourselves into the hands of God and walk by faith in His Word.  We don’t live by explanations; we live by promises.  We don’t depend on luck but on the providential working of our loving Father as we trust His promises and obey His will. 

Remember, Jesus has conquered death.  Rev. 1:17-18.  I Cor. 15:57-58

Folly creates problems for those who commit it.  Used the word 9 times in Ch. 9.  Wise people will stay away from folly!

It is the inclinations of the heart that determines if a person is foolish and another wise.  Solomon deals with four different FOOLS:

The foolish Ruler v. 4-7 “A president’s hardest task is not to DO what is right, but to KNOW what is right.  That requires wisdom.  If he is proud, he may say and do foolish things that cause him to lose the respect of his associates.  Easy to anger and does not rule his own spirit well.  Pro. 16:32  25:28. 

If a ruler is too pliable he is also a fool…If he lacks character and courage he will put fools in the high offices and qualifies people in the low offices.  If a ruler has incompetent people advising him, he is almost certain to govern the nation unwisely. 

Foolish Workers v. 8-11 Perhaps we can learn in these verses that one can attempt to do work and suffer loss because of being foolish.  *lack wisdom and fail to take proper precautions.  *overconfident and did not look ahead…stop and sharpen the ax…”Don’t work harder, work smarter!” 

The common denominator among these foolish workers seems to be presumption.  They were overconfident and ended up either hurting themselves or making their jobs harder. 

FOOLISH TALKERS v. 12 – 15  destructive words rather than gracious words that are suited to the listeners and the occasion.  Unreasonable words v. 13.  Uncontrolled words. V. 14 “full of words and saying nothing!” …rather let yes be yes and no be no.  boastful words v. 14-15 presume upon the future…so busy talking…can’t find way.

FOOLISH OFFICERS V. 16-20  Indulgent v. 16-17 Real leaders use their authority to build the nation, while mere officeholders use the nation to build their authority.  They use public funds for their own selfish purposes, throwing parties and having a good time. 

Sometimes the servant can be made ruler by his friends’ aid.  Then he is obligated to give them all jobs so he could remain on the throne. 

Incompetent…v. 18.  Foolish ones are so busy with enjoyment that they have no time for employment…things begin to fall apart.  Immature people enjoy the privileges and ignore the responsibilities, while mature people see the responsibilities as privileges and use them to help others.  Woodrow Wilson said, “A friend of mine says that every man who takes office in Washington either grows or swells.  When I give a man an office, I watch him carefully to see whether is is swelling or growing.”

Indifferent…v. 19 Totally indifferent to the responsibilities of their office or the needs of the people.  “Love of money…”  The courts may not catch up with all the unscrupulous politicians, but God will eventually judge them, and His judgment will be just.

Indiscreet v. 20 Even if we can’t respect the person in the office, we must respect the office.  “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”  Exo 22:28

A statesman asks, “What is best for my country?”  A politician asks, “What is best for my party?”  But a mere officeholder, a hireling, asks, “What is safest and most profitable for me?”

Solomon has concluded that life is indeed worth living, even though death is unavoidable and life is unpredictable.  What we must do is avoid folly and live by the wisdom of God.