Everything is In The Hands of God
August 13, 2019
Commentary
Righteous people would surely create a God who would immediately reward the righteous and judge the wicked. However, what actually happens in this life is very different. The sinner and the saint seem to share a common lot. These key words describe the passage:
l. Destiny (v. 2) – “All share a common destiny.” This is in reference to this life and not eternity. Fate makes no distinction among men on moral grounds. Men do not direct the course of their lives; all persons and the works that they do are in the hands of God and He does as He pleases. The fates and fortunes of all men seem remarkably similar.
2. Death (vv. 3-6) – The same destiny overtakes everyone. As bad as life may seem to be, it is better than death because everything stops at the grave as far as this life is concerned.
3. Desire (vv. 7-10) – In view of the uncertainties of this life and the certainty of death. Solomon recommends enjoying various aspects of this life:
(a) A desire first of all to enjoy food. Most of us do pretty well on this one.
(b) A desire to enjoy your family. Proverbs 18:22 says that “He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.”
(c) A desire to enjoy your work. “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning.”
Application
I serve God and not people (Col. 3:23). I must keep my perspective with eternities values and not the things of this life in view.
Ecclesiastes 9:1– 10 (NET)
1 So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated — no one knows what lies ahead.
2 Everyone shares the same fate — the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the ceremonially clean and unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
3 This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives—then they die.
4 But whoever is among the living has hope; a live dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything; they have no further reward—and even the memory of them disappears.
6 What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago, and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.
7 Go, eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, because God has already approved your works.
8 Let your clothes always be white, and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
9 Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.
10 Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.