Eld Ko Swee Chay

Live Joyfully in the Lord (Ecclesiastes 9:7-12)

Introduction

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6 speak of the sovereignty of God once more. Man and all his works are in the hand of God. Man does not know and hence must not judge whether a person is loved or hated by God simply by looking at the external factors.  Man cannot know upcoming evil, except this one event that is common and certain to every man: death. Though this thought is unpleasant and sobering, the living should not despair of life, for they have advantages over the dead in that they still have hope to repent from evil and turn to God.

In Ecclesiastes 9:7-12, Solomon encouraged us to live joyfully in the Lord and do all things with our might, while recognising and being mentally prepared for the unpredictability and uncertainty of life.

Live joyfully in the Lord (Eccl 9:7-9)

⁷ Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. ⁸ Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. 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.

After stating the apparent paradoxes and injustices of man’s life under the sun and that all will have to die one day and soon be forgotten, Solomon offered valuable guidelines on how we should live our lives and enjoy all that God gives us.

1. Eat and drink with joy and gladness (verse 7). The word “wine” refers to non-alcoholic drink, grape juice. Regarding the word “works” here, Solomon was talking much more holistically about the list of daily activities, beginning with basic nourishment. For God to accept our works, we must be Christians, living and labouring according to God’s Word such that all that we do is pleasing and acceptable to Him.
2. Decent clothing and appearance (verse 8). “Garment be always white” means to dress properly, not shabbily and untidily. “Head lack no ointment” means to make ourselves fresh and look good. Solomon was not talking about wearing fanciful, expensive clothing and jewellery and putting on elaborate make up and perfume (although there is nothing wrong with that in our context as long as it is done with the right motive and appropriately), but simply to dress in a manner that is pleasing both to self and others reflecting a joyful demeanour, a cheerful and pure heart.
3. Enjoy the companionship of a wife (verse 9). Solomon encouraged every man to enjoy the sanctity of marriage, and to live happily with the wife (not wives) whom he loves for all the days of his life on earth. One’s spouse is the gift of God. We all know that the importance of keeping a happy and fulfilling marital relationship cannot be over-emphasized. Follow the blueprint for a happy marriage from God: “Wives submit to your own husbands; Husbands love your wives” (Eph 5:22-33). The husband must learn to be a godly and responsible husband and live happily with his wife; and the wife must learn to be a godly and responsible wife and live happily with her husband. Never commit the sins of adultery, envy and lusting after other women or men. Guard against focusing heavily on career and earning more money, leaving no time and energy to enjoy the marriage companionship God has given to married couples.

We can choose a perspective based on God’s Word that leads to a merry heart and brings to us a life of contentment, satisfaction and fulfilment. The real secret to living joyfully is to live in gratitude and thanksgiving to God: thank God for being alive, treasure every day, embrace and enjoy everything and every provision God graciously gives us.  

Do all things with our might (Eccl 9:10)

¹⁰ 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.

Solomon reminded that for whatever work God gives us to do in this life, be it work to earn a living or in serving God, even daily activities like “eating and drinking”, we are to do it well with all our might and strength. The context is the reality that there is no more opportunity to work and testify for Christ, no activity or planning, or knowledge or wisdom for the dead buried underground. This is not the denial of life after death; just the observation that death is the end of life on earth as we know it, and we cannot do our undone works in the grave. It is God’s desire for man to work while on earth – Paul says, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” (2 Thess 3:10). It is God’s command for man to serve Him (Deut 6:13 and 13:4) and to do well for His glory: “Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:11); “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;” (Col 3:23); “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31). Nothing of worth can be achieved with half a mind, with a faint heart, and with a lame endeavour.  

Be aware that life is unpredictable and uncertain (Eccl 9:11-12)

¹¹ I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. ¹² For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

Solomon returned to his thoughts on events that he saw under the sun. In life, we move in a certain direction or pursue a specific career that seems right under the prevailing conditions, but we may not see the results we expected. We are often disappointed with the results we had great hopes for.  Solomon gave five examples to illustrate that not everything happens according to normal cause-and-effect reasoning, and to remind us that we should never assume all things will happen the way we expect them to be.

1. The race is not to the swift. Normally, we expect the fastest person to win the race. But sometimes an accident might happen and the fastest might get injured or trip and fall.
2. The battle is not to the strong. Usually, the battle is won by the mighty. But sometimes the battle is decided by other factors such as weather conditions or pestilence.
3. The bread is not to the wise. Normally, the wise are expected to acquire a lot of wealth. But sometimes the wise don’t get material needs because of unfavourable situations.
4. Riches are not to men of understanding. Usually, men of understanding (discernment or intelligence) amass riches. But sometimes events like war and financial crisis lead to business collapse and bankruptcy.
5. Favour is not to skilled men. Normally, men with special skills or good abilities gain favouritism in the form of recognition or reward. But sometimes this is not so, for example working in a family-run company.

Two factors “time and chance” can impact man and his accomplishment. “Time” is what God allocates to us. “Chance” can be translated as “event” or “circumstance”. We cannot control the outcomes in life. No matter how capable we are and how hard we work, we cannot ensure success and the outcome is beyond our control.  Success or failure is in the hand of our sovereign God, for He controls “time and chance”. We must commit all events to God and know that failure and trouble will draw us closer to God.

Solomon proclaimed that man does not know his time. Death is certain for all, but no one knows how and when he will die. To describe the frailty, unpredictability and uncertainty of life, Solomon used an analogy of fishes caught in a net and birds trapped in a snare. Just as the fishes are suddenly caught in a net, or the birds are trapped in a snare, so will men suddenly be caught unawares by life-changing events such as being diagnosed with terminal illnesses, being involved in a road accident causing disability, loss of loved ones, or company closure. Life can take a sudden direction change that we never expect. 

Life is complicated and uncertain. One can be prosperous today but not tomorrow; one can be healthy and alive today but is gone tomorrow. Not knowing the future is not a problem when we know the One who holds the future in His hand. We must trust Him that in His infinite wisdom, all things will happen according to His plan for His glory and our good. This is a valuable spiritual lesson for us to lean on God and trust in His will for our lives, for He is the only One who knows and controls all things.     

Conclusion

We only have one life to live, for how long only God knows. If we acknowledge this reality and live with wisdom found in faith according to God’s Word, we can live joyfully in gratitude and thanksgiving to God. Whatever work God has given us to do, we must do it with all our might and do it heartily as unto the Lord. We must accept that we cannot control the outcomes in life. Unexpected and unpredictable circumstances are part of life and often interrupt and impact our otherwise smooth and comfortable lives, but they are good in drawing us closer to God. We need to recognise these facts and be mentally prepared to face them and accept them as the will of our heavenly Father. 

AMEN.