"Live and Let Die" - Ecclesiastes 9:1-6

How long can most famous people expect to be remembered after they die? Between five and 30 years. That's according to Cesar A. Hidalgo, director of the Collective Learning group at the MIT Media Lab. Hidalgo is among the premier data miners of the world’s collective history. With his MIT colleagues, he developed a dataset that ranks historical figures by popularity. So, for instance, who is the most famous tennis player of all time? Frenchman Rene Lacoste, born in 1904 (Roger Federer places 20th.).

Last month Hidalgo and colleagues published a paper that put his data-mining talents to work on another question: How do people and products drift out of the cultural picture? They traced the fade-out of songs, movies, sports stars, patents, and scientific publications. They drew on data from sources such as Billboard, Spotify, IMDB, Wikipedia, the US Patent and Trademark Office, and the American Physical Society.

Hidalgo’s team then designed mathematical models to calculate the rate of decline of the songs, people, and scientific papers. They found that "The universal decay of collective memory and attention concludes that people and things are kept alive through ‘oral communication’ from about five to 30 years.”

Here we are back to the topic of death again. It seems that every time we turn a corner in this book we have to deal with the topic of death. But is that not like life? It seems every-time we turn a corner in life we are face to face with the reality of death. We just cannot escape it. Not only do we witness murder; mass killings in places like New Zealand, aborted babies and so on. We witness the frailty of life when we witness the passing of our loved ones. Most people try to avoid even thinking about death, but Qoheleth talked about it as often as he could. Here he gives us another memento mori, or reminder of death, from the Latin phrase which means “remember that you must die.” So lets continue to look into this topic, lets remember, and see if we can find hope when face to face with death.

Most people try to avoid even thinking about death, but Qoheleth talked about it as often as he could. Here he gives us another memento mori, or reminder of death, from the Latin phrase which means “remember that you must die.”

Ecclesiastes 9:1–6 NLT

This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions of godly and wise people are in God’s hands, no one knows whether God will show them favor. The same destiny ultimately awaits everyone, whether righteous or wicked, good or bad, ceremonially clean or unclean, religious or irreligious. Good people receive the same treatment as sinners, and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don’t. It seems so wrong that everyone under the sun suffers the same fate. Already twisted by evil, people choose their own mad course, for they have no hope. There is nothing ahead but death anyway. There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!” The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth.

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 206). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.

Better Alive Than Dead

Life After Death

Life and Life More Abundant

The first thing we will look at is the clear comparison of life and death with life winning out concluding that it is better to be alive than dead. Second, we will see how when we look past Ecclesiastes to the cross we do find life after death and not just life but life more abundant.

Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world may cause us to despair in the ultimate meaninglessness of life under the sun, it is the grace of our Lord Jesus that will cause our eyes to be opened to see that to live is Christ and to die is gain.

I. Better Alive Than Dead

- Contrasting a living dog and a dead lion.

A. The Latin phrase… “remember that you must die.” What the Preacher says about death here is that it is better to be alive than dead. Yet we must remember that in the end no matter what… Sooner or later death will take us all.

Sooner or later death will take us all.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 207). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ecclesiastes 9:4 NLT

There is hope only for the living. As they say, “It’s better to be a live dog than a dead lion!”

“remember that you must die.”

What the Preacher says about death here is that it is better to be alive than dead.

B. In order to compare life and death the preacher is gonna use a proverb known to many at the time. The lion is a noble beast, as everyone knows...

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 206–207). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Proverbs 30:30This was especially true in Biblical times, when the lion served as the royal insignia of the house of David—the emblem of our Messiah (see ). By contrast, few animals were more despised than dogs. Some people are fond of dogs, but in those days they were considered wild and filthy animals. The kind of dog that Qoheleth has in mind is not a household pet but a “contemptible cur who ranged the streets as a scavenger.” To get a sense of the way people regarded dogs in those days, think of Goliath’s taunt to the boy David: “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” ().

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 207). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Proverbs 30:30 NLT

the lion, king of animals, who won’t turn aside for anything,

This was especially true in Biblical times, when the lion served as the royal insignia of the house of David—the emblem of our Messiah…

Genesis 49:9 NLT

Judah, my son, is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

C. By contrast, few animals were more despised than dogs. Some people are true dog lovers, but in those days dogs were considered lowly, wild, and filthy animals. The kind of dog that Qoheleth has in mind is not a household pet…like dino, astro, or even Scooby doo. To get a sense of the way people regarded dogs in those days, think of Goliath’s taunt to the boy David:

1 Samuel 17:43 NLT

“Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods.

1 Samuel 17().

().

D. But think about it...Even the greatest dog-lover would probably admit that dogs are no comparison to lions. When people go to the zoo, for example, they do not go to see the hyenas (if the zoo even has any). They want to see the lion exhibit, of course. Yet it all changes if the lion happens to be dead. Then the dog comes out on top because at least he is alive!

E. What we find here is that in the vanity of life under the sun it is better to be alive than dead. Solomon gives some of the problems with death. 1. Death brings ignorance. He said the dead know nothing. The end of verse 6 makes it clear that the Preacher is not denying the afterlife but is describing the permanent end that death brings to our earthly existence. As soon as we die, we forever forfeit our “share in all that is done under the sun.”

Even the most ardent dog-lover would admit that dogs are no comparison to lions. When people go to the zoo, for example, they do not go to see the hyenas (if the zoo even has any). They want to see the lion exhibit, of course. Yet the situation changes if the lion happens to be dead. Then the dog comes out on top because at least he is alive!

F. Number 2. Death brings loss. They lose all of their earthy reward and gain. And they have no opportunity to gain anymore. Number 3. Death brings oblivion. We see that no one remembers the dead when they are gone. Even the earthly emotions that make us feel the most alive—feelings like the love and hatred and envy that the Preacher mentions in verse 6—will all disappear when we die.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 207). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

The simple point is that living is better than dying. Here the Preacher mentions some of the problems with death. Death brings ignorance, for the dead know nothing—at least nothing about what is happening on earth. The end of verse 6 makes it clear that the Preacher is not denying the afterlife but is describing the totally permanent end that death brings to our earthly existence. As soon as we die, we forever forfeit our “share in all that is done under the sun” (). Death

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 207). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Death also brings irreparable loss, for the dead do not gain any earthly reward

no one remembers the dead when they are gone. Even the earthly emotions that make us feel the most alive—feelings like the love and hatred and envy that the Preacher mentions in verse 6—will all disappear when we die.

G. When we consider all of the things that we lose through death—the people whom we love and all the little joys of life on this beautiful planet—it ought to make us appreciate the fact that we are still alive and breathing. However difficult life may be, at least it is better than the alternative! Where there’s life, there’s hope.

II. Life After Death

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 207). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 207). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 207). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Preaching the Word: Ecclesiastes—Why Everything Matters Life after Death

Yet what hope does life really give us? In verse 4 the Preacher refers to this hope in general terms, but in verse 5 he gets more specific: “the living know that they will die.” This may seem like small comfort. Relatively speaking, life is better than death, but the main advantage of living turns out to be the knowledge of dying. How hopeful is that? According to some Bible scholars, this is only “a sarcastic or bitter preference.” Life may be better than nothing, but not by much.

- Since living is better, what does life really give us?

A. In verse 4 the Preacher refers to this hope in general terms, but in verse 5 he gets more specific: “the living know that they will die.” This may seem like small comfort. Relatively speaking, life is better than death, but the main advantage of living turns out to be the knowledge of dying. How hopeful is that? Ok so life may be better than nothing, but not by much.

Yet what hope does life really give us? In verse 4 the Preacher refers to this hope in general terms, but in verse 5 he gets more specific: “the living know that they will die.” This may seem like small comfort. Relatively speaking, life is better than death, but the main advantage of living turns out to be the knowledge of dying. How hopeful is that? According to some Bible scholars, this is only “a sarcastic or bitter preference.” Life may be better than nothing, but not by much.

B. It is important for us to acknowledge that this is one of the most pessimistic passages in Ecclesiastes.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 208). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Nevertheless, we need to acknowledge that this is one of the most pessimistic passages in Ecclesiastes. According to Derek Kidner, this section of the book “confronts us with the little that we know, then with the vast extent of what we cannot handle: in particular, with death.” It does this without giving any clear indication of a life to come. But if life only ends in death, what hope is there at all?

- Derek Kidner, this section of the book “confronts us with the little that we know, then with the vast extent of what we cannot handle: in particular, with death.”

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 208). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

It does this without giving any clear indication of a life to come. But if life only ends in death, what hope is there at all?

C. The British preacher and evangelist David Watson tells about a medical student who came to see him after dissecting his first cadaver. The student was deeply shaken by the experience, because as he cut through muscle and other tissue to expose the body’s internal organs, he said to himself, “If this is all that we become at death, what is the point of anything?”

The British preacher and evangelist David Watson tells about a medical student who came to see him after dissecting his first cadaver. The student was deeply shaken by the experience, because as he cut through muscle and other tissue to expose the body’s internal organs, he said to himself, “If this is all that we become at death, what is the point of anything?”

D. I got good news for you today. There is life before and after death. We need to look beyond Ecclesiastes to the wonderful Gospel of Jesus. It is important to remember that Ecclesiastes does not have all the answers, nor does it claim to. Remember, this is not the kind of book that we keep reading until we get the answer, but the kind of book that helps us know how to serve God when we do not have all the answers.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 208). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ecclesiastes does not have all the answers, nor does it claim to. Remember, this is not the kind of book that we keep reading until we get the answer, but the kind of book that helps us know how to serve God when we do not have all the answers.

E. We should also remember that Ecclesiastes is also part of a larger book that gives fuller answers to many of the same questions that Ecclesiastes only begins to address. Therefore, we always need to read Ecclesiastes in the context of the whole Bible.

F. What does the rest of the Bible teach us about the life to come? It teaches us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has gone ahead of us into glory. First Jesus gave his life for our sins by dying on the cross. Then he was buried in the ground; he was as dead as dead could be. But on the third day he rose to immortality, bringing eternal life out of the deadly grave.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 208). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

It is also part of a larger book that gives fuller answers to many of the same questions that Ecclesiastes only begins to address. This book, says Derek Kidner, “pushes us towards a synthesis which lies mostly beyond its own pages; in this case, the prospect of reward and punishment in the world to come.” Therefore, we always need to read Ecclesiastes in the context of the whole Bible.

What does the rest of the Bible teach us about the life to come? It teaches us that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has gone ahead of us into glory. First Jesus gave his life for our sins by dying on the cross. Then he was buried in the ground; he was as dead as dead could be. But on the third day he rose to immortality, bringing eternal life out of the deadly grave.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 208). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 208–209). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

G. Now the promise of God for every believer in Christ is that we too shall live. “Our belief in Christ raises us up to heaven and promises eternity to our souls.” This means that our lives will not end in mindless oblivion. We will never suffer endless loss. On the contrary, death will be our passage to glory. “Blessed are the dead,” the Bible says, “who die in the Lord” (). We will rest from all our labors.

Now the promise of God for every believer in Christ is that we too shall live. “Our belief in Christ raises us up to heaven and promises eternity to our souls.” This means that our lives will not end in mindless oblivion. We will never suffer endless loss. On the contrary, death will be our passage to glory. “Blessed are the dead,” the Bible says, “who die in the Lord” (). We will rest from all our labors.

H. We will enter the presence of God and know the fullness of his joy. Our bodies will rise, never to die again. By the mercy of God, we will be “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (). All of this is only the beginning, because “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” ().

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 209). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

We will enter the presence of God and know the fullness of his joy. Our bodies will rise, never to die again. By the mercy of God, we will be “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (). All of this is only the beginning, because “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” ().

I. What hope these promises bring to life, and what confidence they give us for the day of death! Consider the dying words of the infamous Giacomo Casanova. Like the Solomon of Ecclesiastes, Casanova had tasted almost everything that life has to offer, including many sinful pleasures. We know from his writings that none of these experiences ever satisfied his soul. Yet we also know, by the testimony of multiple witnesses, that his last words expressed his hope in resurrection life. “I have lived as a philosopher,” Casanova said, “and die as a Christian.”

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 209). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

What hope these promises bring to life, and what confidence they give us for the day of death! Consider the dying words of the infamous Giacomo Casanova. Like the Solomon of Ecclesiastes, Casanova had tasted almost everything that life has to offer, including many sinful pleasures. We know from his writings that none of these experiences ever satisfied his soul. Yet we also know, by the testimony of multiple witnesses, that his last words expressed his hope in resurrection life. “I have lived as a philosopher,” Casanova said, “and die as a Christian.”

J. As we read Ecclesiastes, we learn something about what it means to live as a philosopher. With the Preacher as our guide, we experience almost everything that life has to offer and struggle to find the answers to life’s questions. Many of us have learned some of the same lessons from our own experiments with life and our own experiences of suffering. Like Casanova, we have “lived as philosophers.”

K. But will we die as Christians? This is the most important question of all. If we are wise, we will get ready to die now by asking Jesus to forgive our sins and by trusting him to raise our dead bodies to eternal life. Then, when we come to the last of our days, we will be ready to die with full confidence in Christ.

As we read Ecclesiastes, we learn something about what it means to live as a philosopher. With the Preacher as our guide, we experience almost everything that life has to offer and struggle to find the answers to life’s questions. Many of us have learned some of the same lessons from our own experiments with life and our own experiences of suffering. Like Casanova, we have “lived as philosophers.”

But will we die as Christians? This is the most important question of all. If we are wise, we will get ready to die now by asking Jesus to forgive our sins and by trusting him to raise our dead bodies to eternal life. Then, when we come to the last of our days, we will be ready to die with full confidence in Christ.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 209). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 209). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.