Ecclesiastes 9 Commentary
Death Comes To All
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KEY THOUGHT: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked [Ecclesiastes 9:2b NKJV]
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Ecclesiastes 9 NKJV
Death Comes to All
9 For I [a]considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. 2 All things come alike to all:
One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;
To the [b]good, the clean, and the unclean;
To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die;
But the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward,
For the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;
Nevermore will they have a share
In anything done under the sun.
7 Go, eat your bread with joy,
And drink your wine with a merry heart;
For God has already accepted your works.
8 Let your garments always be white,
And let your head lack no oil.
9 [c]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.
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.
11 I returned and saw under the sun that—
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
12 For man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.
Wisdom Superior to Folly
13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 14 There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great [d]snares around it. 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.
16 Then I said:
“Wisdom is better than strength.
Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised,
And his words are not heard.
17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But one sinner destroys much good.”
Footnotes
a. Ecclesiastes 9:1 Lit. put
b. Ecclesiastes 9:2 LXX, Syr., Vg. good and bad,
c. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Lit. See life
d. Ecclesiastes 9:14 LXX, Syr., Vg. bulwarks
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 9 Commentary
All share a common destiny: the righteous and the wicked. Does it really matter what one does? Death is once again thought of as an equalizer.
Yes, an equalizer when we narrow our thoughts. Other things happen at death. Wickedness comes to an end. Righteousness also comes to an end. The exam paper is completed and marked. You have passed the exam, or you have failed the exam. Consequences follow.
In the context of eternity, death isn’t an equalizer. It’s a gateway. It’s not the end, but the token of grace granted to mortals to escape eternal condemnation.
When humanity failed in the Garden of perfection, the LORD God decreed death to cut short eternal punishment. Humanity was banned from eating of the fruit of life, lest they do so and live under punishment in perpetuity.
This life, therefore, presents an opportunity for life. You have another day to decide for Jesus – a decision for life.
But this Book must explain the current situation. Chaos and more chaos. It’s an environment created by wickedness. And those who must see another day in the vineyard of the LORD may be subjected to the harsh environment. Of course, the LORD sustains His own people in His special way.
Death itself is a terrible phenomenon. We should hate it. It makes righteousness nothing. Wickedness escapes into forgetfulness and erasure. Yet these thoughts here don’t make anyone comfortable. The LORD has put eternity into the hearts of men. Of course, they don’t exactly understand it.
The fear of death could be the greatest proof of an inner desire for immortality – a trait that we cannot erase, but a trait that defines fear.
Fear exists because of the thought that something will be terminated, that the immortality of an activity or a quality comes to an end. Yes, we fear fire because of the pain, but importantly, that the “no pain state” will come to an end.
Who will sit down and make it big, hoping that is all there is to life? Eat and drink, clothe yourself richly, have possessions, enjoy your wife and pleasure, and push your career upwards. Does it not all look empty still?
The terrible fact of death for everyone aside, the randomness of events is yet another maddening fact. Proverbs did teach us that Wisdom is a sure passport to a good life. But here, everything is random, favor or misfortune popping up everywhere, regardless. Who will argue with this observation?
The Book of Job goes for straight equations. Evil times fall expectedly upon the wicked man. Good times fall expectedly upon the righteous man. Of course, Job’s life contradicts this thought. Here, everything is random.
The prophet-cum-teacher has observed something else. It is the story of a poor but wise man. He saves the city against an overpowering invasion with his wisdom. And the author underlines the fact that Wisdom is better than strength. The word is Wisdom in the KJV version.
Interestingly, wisdom or Wisdom, importantly Wisdom should make someone rich. But the city’s savior is poor. The Wisdom that enables him to save the city hasn’t helped him overcome his own poverty. Think about it. Moreover, the poor man’s wisdom is despised. Interesting, indeed.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war, as clearly seen in the story of the poor but wise man. But wickedness is destructive.
The author switches between riddles and straight teaching in an interesting but deeply effective way. The brilliance is even more when the riddle is also a straight teaching!
Verse 11 is all pessimism, as it all means nothing whether you run fast or crawl. Imagine a game of football being decided neither by skill nor hard work; strategy nor discipline. At the same time, who wouldn’t love it that the LORD avails the chance to compete with the very best in the race of life?
It speaks to the fact that the race of life isn’t prefixed or predetermined. There isn’t a path defined for success stories. Equally, there isn’t a path defined for failure. The LORD avails grace to all regardless of endowments. Always just!
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