Part 1 of 3
We are continuing our study of the book of Ecclesiastes. In this article and the next two, we’ll be looking at chapter 8 verse 14 to chapter 9 verse 10. This section has a similar theme running through it, namely, the “enjoyment” of life while you still can because a time is coming when you won’t be able to do so any longer.
I’ve divided it into three smaller parts corresponding to the three reasons why one should “enjoy” life while he can.
“Enjoy” life while you can because there is no justice in this life (8:14-15), because not even the wise know what the world is all about (8:16-17), and because death comes to all and death is the end of all (9:1-10).
So first of all, the preacher advices his reader, based on the under-the-sun mentality, to “enjoy” life while he can because there is no justice in this life.
Because there is no justice in life (8:14-15)
Verse 14 contains the preacher’s observation while verse 15 records his corresponding advice. “There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.
Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.”
In the original, verse 14 begins and ends with the word hevel which means vanity or meaningless. The phrase “upon the earth” is similar to “under the sun” so clearly, verse 14 is based on mere human observation.
Basically, what the preacher is saying is that no one gets what he deserves. The righteous do not get rewarded. Instead, they get punished. On the other hand, the wicked do not get punished. Rather, they get rewarded. The phrase “unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked” refers to an early death whereas the phrase “unto whom it happenth according to the work of the righteous” refers to dying at an old age.
So what the preacher is saying is that the righteous person dies young whereas the wicked person lives to a ripe old age. That ought not to be. There is no justice upon the earth. And so he declares this to be another instance of the vanity of life.
And in light of life’s meaninglessness, he goes on to recommend the simple pleasures of eating, drinking and making merry. There is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat and to drink and to have pleasure.
Why? Because that is all the pleasure and enjoyment they are going to be able to lay their hands on all the days of their miserable toil and labour, which God gives them under the sun. And so one should take it while he can and not expect anything more. Certainly, he should not expect any justice in this world for there is none to be found. What a miserable outlook!
Next in verses 16-17, the preacher goes on to give another reason why we should “enjoy” life while we can.
Because not even the wise know what the world is all about (8:16-17)
“When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:)
Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.”
The preacher, like many people, is seeking to know wisdom and to understand what is going on in this world, but his conclusions are extremely disappointing. He does not achieve the goal his goal but what he does discover is the limitation of knowledge.
No one, not even the wise can understand or comprehend the world or search out its meaning. The phrase in brackets in verse 16, “for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes” probably means that people are so preoccupied with their business that they never have the chance to sleep or rest properly. In other words, there is so much activity that is going on in this world day and night. Who can make sense of all that is going on?
Furthermore, in spite of all the effort a person may put into seeking out life’s meaning, no one will be able to really understand it, not even the wise man. Who can really understand the work of God, that is, who can figure out what God is doing in the universe or what His purposes are?
And so the preacher ends this section on a note of frustration and skepticism. Who knows what the world is all about? No one, not even the wise.
This leads us back to verse 15, which teaches that the only thing left for man to do in the face of such skepticism is just to eat and drink and be merry. Don’t think too much. Just enjoy what you can while you can.
Now before we proceed to the third part of our text, which we will look at in the next article, I want us to notice something interesting and important in these first two parts. In both of them, God is mentioned. In verse 15, the preacher speaks about God giving to man all the days of his life and in verse 17, he mentions the work of God.
What this means is that the preacher is not speaking as a pure atheist. He acknowledges the existence of God. But the mere acknowledgement of God’s existence or the general idea of a God out there does not make one a believer and it is not enough to bring hope, meaning and purpose to life.
Far more important than knowing whether God exists is knowing how God has revealed Himself to man and what He has revealed to man concerning life’s purpose and meaning. There is absolutely no way that finite man can obtain any knowledge of the infinite God and of His ways if God does not first reveal that knowledge to him.
And so the answer to the preacher’s frustration and skepticism is found in divine revelation as it is recorded for us in scripture. Here, we are reminded again of the importance of scripture in our lives. Without a knowledge of God’s Word, we will never be able to escape the kind of hopelessness that the preacher experienced when he set aside God’s revelation and tried to find meaning and purpose by human observation, wisdom and understanding.
Let us understand that it is not going to do us any good if we merely have a vague idea about God but are not seeking to grow in our understanding of His will and His ways. And God has ordained that we come to a greater knowledge of Him through the reading and especially the preaching of His word.