Eccl_9
2014 Bible Reading,  Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 9

Eccl_9

One event happens to all.

Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth …”                      (I Kings 2:1,2)

[I]t is appointed for men to die once, …         (Hebrews 9:27)

Bible Passage: Ecclesiastes 9

It’s what you do when you realize the fact that determines its antithesis – your life.

4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

Appreciate that we are alive. That life is indeed very precious. That even in our poverty, our living is better than a very rich man lying dead in his expensive coffin. That there is hope for better things while we are yet alive and not be like some who extinguish their own lives and their hopes forever because they think that their situations are hopeless – things can always get better!

7-9 Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

Be happy! It shouldn’t surprise us that this teaching from God’s Bible existed long before Pharrell Williams’ catchy song. God wants us to be happy (Philippians 4:4).

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Do something useful while you can. Use your God given wisdom and strength to leave something good behind in this world.

Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: “I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man.”          (I Kings 2:1-2)

Live this life like a man – a man as intended by God, in His image (Genesis 1:26-30), in the image of our Lord Jesus (Romans 8:29; I Corinthians 15:49).

[I]t is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.                               (Hebrews 9:27)

Be prepared for the judgment. Read carefully again and consider prayerfully the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:20-31), the parable of the foolish rich man (Luke 12:15-21), and the three parables of the judgment in Matthew 25.

Solomon’s advice in Ecclesiastes was inspired by God but he lacked still the complete understanding of the future salvation work of the Lord Jesus. Thus, his advice referred very much to making the best of our physical life. With the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice, death now is but a door to eternal life and this perspective makes life even more interesting!

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

(Revelation 21:3-4)

One Comment

  • Camelinaneedle

    I am moved by the fact that God does indeed want us to be happy people. No one in this world likes to be sad and soppy because that’s not the intention of living.
    As cliché as this is, more often than not, people forget that life is so much more than having good grades, so much more than earning a decent salary, so much more than letting others have a good impression of you, so much more than building a desirable image of yourself for the rest of the world to see, so much more than what all of us have been striving for. And then again, life is just as simple as finding the ability to be happy and living for the One who makes you happy and has given you that strength to feel.
    Don’t waste portions of your life worrying about what the future holds because in some way or another, even if your life seems to be in pieces and fragments and well, your life seems to be in a mess all of the time, things are going to get better as time progresses. Somehow they will.
    Be of good use to yourself and most of all, to God.

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