Part 2 of 3
We have been looking at Ecclesiastes chapter 8 verse 14 to chapter 9 verse 10. We saw that this section has a similar theme running through it, which is the “enjoyment” of life while you still can because a time is coming when you won’t be able to do so any longer.
In the previous article, we considered the first two reasons why one should “enjoy” life while he can, namely, because there is no justice in this life (8:14-15) and because not even the wise know what the world is all about (8:16-17).
In this article, we will consider the third reason, which is because death comes to all and death is the end of all (9:1-10).
Because death comes to all and is the end of all (9:1-10)
According to the commentator Tremper Longman, these verses are among the most clearly pessimistic of the entire book.
Verse 1 says, “For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.”
The preacher begins by saying that what he is about to declare comes after some serious consideration and thought. Then he says that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hands of God, that is, they and their works are in God’s power and control. So far so good, but the next part of the verse is disturbing. He says that no one knows whether love or hatred awaits them.
You would think that a righteous and wise person will definitely be pleasing in God’s sight and call forth His love rather than His hatred. But the preacher expresses his doubt and skepticism about God’s dealings with man. He is not sure whether God will reward or punish the righteous and the wise.
This follows from what he observed earlier in chapter 8 verse 14, namely, that the righteous receive the lot of the wicked and the wicked get rewarded instead. So if there is no justice in this world, it may be that God is not concerned to reward the righteous and the wise. And so the preacher, speaking from an under-the-sun perspective, adopts a skeptical view of the character of God.
This leads him to the next thought in verses 2-3, “All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.”
The key thought in these verses is that no matter what kind of character or lifestyle a person may have, he will meet the exact same end as everyone else, even death. He illustrates this point by giving 5 pairs of opposites: the righteous and the wicked, the good and the sinner, the clean and the unclean, he that sacrifices and he that sacrifices not, and, he that takes an oath and he that does not. But regardless of what a person is or does in life, one event comes to all – death.
Then from verses 4-6, he moves on to speak of the relative advantage which the living have over the dead. “For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.”
Note that the hope that is mentioned in verse 4 is an empty or temporary kind of hope which will not last. He goes on to say that a living dog is better than a dead lion. Now we must understand that the people in those days despised dogs. They regarded them as dirty and horrible animals. Perhaps a modern equivalent would be a rat. In contrast, the lion is seen as a noble and majestic beast.
Nevertheless, a living dog (or rat) is better than a dead lion. The point is that life is to be preferred to death even if it means living a dog’s life – miserable and horrible as that might be. Verse 5 gives the reason – the living are conscious and aware of things whereas the dead are not.
But really, this is only a relative advantage because in the end, what is it that the living are conscious of but that they will someday die. Here, you can sense a note of sarcasm and cynicism. Yes, the living may be better off than the dead but only by a little.
Then moving on in verse 5, not only do the dead not know anything, they have no reward for all their earthly labours, and their memory is forgotten. Notice that the preacher, speaking from an under-the-sun viewpoint, does not know or consider the possibility of heavenly and eternal rewards.
Verse 6 goes on to say that the dead experience no emotions whatsoever, whether good or bad. Love, hate, envy etc are all gone once a person dies. The end of verse 6 sums up what he’s been saying in these few verses, namely, that the dead have no portion any longer in anything that is done under the sun. Death puts an end to everything and there is nothing left for a person after death. One’s portion is limited to this life, and there is no life after death.
Well then, how should one live in light of this kind of philosophy or approach to life? The last few verses of this passage supply the preacher’s answer.
I’ll briefly comment on each of them.Verse 7 says, “Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart…” In other words, enjoy and indulge in the simple pleasures of life, but do it now before it is too late. The preacher even gives a reason. He says in the next part of the verse, “for God now accepts your works” meaning that God gives His approval for such actions. Remember again that the preacher is not speaking from a biblical or orthodox point of view here. What he thinks of God and what God approves of is not based on the revelation of His word but on mere human observation and interpretation.
Verse 8 says, “Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.” White symbolizes festivity and joy. What he’s saying is to put on the best clothing you can find and refresh yourself often with oil on your head. Waste no opportunity to seize whatever good things that life has to offer, whatever gives you enjoyment and pleasure.
Verse 9, “Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.” The preacher now turns his attention to the pleasures of the home. He recommends his readers to enjoy life in the company of their wives, whom they love all the days of their meaningless life. That is their reward for all their labour in this world.
Notice how in just this one verse, the word vanity appears twice and the phrase “under the sun” appears twice too. Clearly, the preacher is telling us that in the midst of whatever enjoyment you can get out of life right now, remember that it cannot change the overall picture, which is that life as a whole is vanity or meaningless. The phrase “which he hath given thee under the sun” explains where these meaningless days come from. The context makes it clear that the ‘he’ is God. God is the one who has given you all your days of vanity.
But finally, we come to verse 10 which is quite a well-known verse, especially the first part, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” This verse brings to a climax this whole section on the present enjoyment of life in view of certain death, which is the end of all things.
Often, the first part of the verse is understood as calling us to hard work and to be wholeheartedly committed to any task at hand. Now it’s true that the Bible teaches us to work hard and to do our very best in everything that we are called to do because we are the servants of Christ in all areas of life. But when you read the verse in its context, you’ll realize that that is not quite what the preacher is calling his reader to do.
He is not telling us to work hard or be focused on what we’re doing so as to do it well. Rather, the key issue here is opportunity. The preacher is saying that if you have the chance or opportunity to do something, do it now and do it with all your might and not half-heartedly because who knows what the future will bring. The chance to do it may not come round again and once you die, that is it. There are no more opportunities after death. Notice what he says in the second part of verse 10, “for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” In other words, there is no action or thought or knowledge or wisdom in the grave, which is where you are headed for and will arrive at sooner or later.
And so, since death puts an end to any opportunity to do anything, you had better grab whatever opportunities that come your way right now, and you do it with all your might while you still have the ability and chance to do so.
This second part of verse 10 clearly indicates that the under-the-sun perspective has no concept of life after death. Everything comes to a complete stop at death. The grave is the absolute end. That is all there is to life. No possibilities, no opportunities, nothing, absolutely nothing beyond that…
In the next article, we will consider life from a scriptural point of view.
Ps Linus Chua