Life Is Worth Living

At the beginning of this series on Ecclesiastes, you may recall my opening message as being entitled “What’s the Use?” In other words, Solomon began looking at all of the negative things of life, from an earthly perspective and not a heavenly mindset, (thus, the phrase under the sun) and concluded that life is not all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, summarizing the negative highlights, if I can use that oxymoron, Solomon saw four major areas that brought him to such a negative conclusion, First, life is boring or monotonous or tedious. Second, he felt that having wisdom was not a bonus when looking at the results for those who were fools. Third, he felt that all this chasing after riches and wealth and property was a waste of time since you couldn’t take it with you or control all the potential outcomes. Finally, he felt that all a person had to look forward to was death and that was a sure thing.

Yet, that’s not the end of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say. Fortunately for Solomon’s listeners and for us, he began to evaluate and look at everything by including God in the picture. What a difference that made. In fact, when we remember to include God in the formula, we find an incredible change of perspective, as well. Life without Jesus is indeed bleak. However, life can be glorious when a person has Jesus, for He impacts and influences every area if we will allow Him.

As the old Gaither song phrase goes:

Life is worth the living just because He lives.

So, as we prepare to finish Ecclesiastes, Let’s look at some of the final thoughts and make some personal applications.

Adventure Is Out There - 11:1-6

Take some time to look at this famous video clip: Adventure is out there. - UP

Life is truly an adventure. But, I’ve discovered that since I turned my life over to Jesus Christ, it is even more of an adventure, if I choose to approach it in that manner. In other words, I can’t predict the outcome of multiple situations, but I can live in faith and see what God has in store for me. Too often, we avoid many things for fear of the unknown or the most possible negative outcomes. However, if God is leading us, we don’t have to know the final destination; just enjoy the journey entrusting your life to the One Who loves you the most.

Looking at 11:1-6, we see the businessman sending out ships of commerce and the farmer planting grain for a future crop. The NIV and NLT helps us understand verse 1. For years, I thought I was supposed to send loaves of bread onto a river or lake, not fully appreciating that sort of thought would have never occurred to Solomon’s listeners. Ship your grain across the sea is a more understandable translation and makes much more sense considering all the trade that Solomon had done. This was a long process and there was always the possibility of shipwreck or some other tragedy that would impact the commodity. However, in order to get something in return, you have to have faith and ship it to the destination. In addition, there is the suggested wisdom of what we commonly think of with not putting all our eggs in one basket. In other words, don’t place all the hopes in one ship, lest it be sunk.

Practically speaking, we don’t want to become so fearful, we keep everything at home and don’t bother to invest or ship lest we lose something. At the same time, we don’t want to be careless and put everything in one ship, lest it be destroyed in our presumption. One scholar reworded verse 2 to read: Send cargo on seven or eight ships, because some of them are bound to bring back a good return on the investment.

Then, we see the farmer in verses 3-6. My grandpa used to comment that though we are not to gamble, farming was the biggest gamble there was. How true that is. Verse 3 is simply an illustration of faith and that which cannot be changed. Clouds are never guarantees for rain, though they very well could provide life giving moisture. But when one sees a tree, you are pretty well guaranteed that the tree will be in the same location day to day. However, if the tree falls, a person cannot undo what has been done. We cannot change either situation; however, when God sends the rain we can take advantage of it and plant the seed.

Verse 4 reminds us of the reality that if we’re just watching and observing the situation, without doing what we ought, we will fail in our lives. Verse 5 is simply reminding us that we cannot understand many mysteries. So waiting for total clarity and absolute certainty may never happen, so get on with what you’re supposed to do. Verse 6 basically is reminding us to take advantage of the opportunities that are provided and do our very best, regardless of the time. In God’s sovereignty, our work may be blessed with a bounteous crop. Or we may see crop failure and learn more about relying upon Him.

After all, Adventure is out there, so live life to the fullest. For the follower of Jesus Christ, we understand that because He lives, life is worth living.

A Gift for Us - 11:7 - 12:8

What is one thing that makes life worth living? In this section, we are reminded that life itself is a gift which God has given to us. As with any gift, we receive it with joy. Throughout this book, we are encouraged to enjoy life, but without sin.

As I look at verses 7-9, I’m reminded of what a gift each day is. August 28, 2018, could have been my last day on this earth. However, God chose to allow me the privilege of staying alive on this planet so I could continue living for Him. Though I may not be how I would wish to be physically, I am reminded even when walking or getting dressed or any other exhausting activity, God has gifted me with a brand new day.

Now the following is actually great counsel for young people. So listen carefully.

I have heard from many that growing older is not for wimps. Maybe that’s what Solomon was getting at in his comments to the younger. Enjoy life always and especially when you are younger. Don’t look back with regrets. However, don’t go crazy and do things that oppose God or bring dishonor to the Name of Jesus. But while you are able, take advantage of the opportunities placed in your life.

Verse 10 is a great reminder not to let grief, worry, anxiety, anger, etc., be a part of your life. Get rid of all that stuff. Again, if you have Christ in charge of your life, you should be experiencing peace and joy in our lives. Often, it is the negative things that are held onto from youth that rob people of peace and joy later in life. Warren Wiersbe states: Young people who take care of their minds and bodies, avoid the destructive sins of the flesh, and build good habits of health and holiness, have a better chance for happy adult years than those who “sow their wild oats” and pray for a crop failure. Charles Spurgeon stated Youthful sins lay a foundation for aged sorrows.

12:1 is literally instructing us to pay attention to, consider with the intention of obeying. That certainly is much more powerful than just glibly saying Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth. Sounds a bit like Jesus’ instructions in the sermon on the mount in : But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness . . .

Charles Spurgeon stated Youthful sins lay a foundation for aged sorrows.

Have you ever noticed that we don’t pay much attention to God and His will when we’re in the midst of the fun and good times, especially in our youth? It’s usually when things are not going so well that we start to think about what God wants us to be doing. Yet look at what is ahead according to verses 3-7. It’s a picture of a house that is become dilapidated and is falling down all around till there’s nothing left. Interestingly, the Bible often speaks of our bodies as dwelling places. I won’t deal with each of the specifics, but if you’ll read it and think in terms of the human body, it is quite interesting. Verses 6-7 are very descriptive of the end of life.

Verse 8 is a reminder of an empty life if God is not in it. Yet, if Jesus be Lord and Savior of your life, it is indeed well worth the living.

School of Life - 12:9-12

We may not get a diploma or initials after our name, but I’m convinced that the very best school is the school of life. The problem is the fact that there is no syllabus and we often have no idea what Christ, the Master Teacher, has in store for us to learn.

In these verses, Solomon is explaining his teaching and its value. Solomon was gifted with wisdom from God and he applied it by studying many facets of life. He was thorough and organized in his studying and his presentation. In his presentations, he sought to be clear and absolutely honest in what was said. He also recognized in verse 11, that his words were not his own, but inspired by God.

Now we might wonder what exactly are the goads . . . nails? Very simply, these are two basic elements that help us in truly learning what God has for us through His Holy Spirit and the Bible. The goads are as the NLT puts it like cattle prods. In that time, they were actually a rod with a sharpened point to be used in driving livestock. In other words, they are used by the Holy Spirit to prod His people to get our attention and to go the direction we need to go. Then, as we learn the truths from God, the nails would be what we can solidly hang what we’ve learned on so we don’t drift away or forget the teachings we’ve learned. This gives organization and a sense of solidness in the lessons. They are an anchor to which we can firmly hold.

As we look at verse 12, many of us can recall using that verse totally out of context as a reason to try to get our teachers and professors from giving too many reading assignments and too much homework. Obviously, nobody who taught really bought into our pleas. Most scholars see this verse as a caution to not allow books to replace God’s Word. We dare not become enamored by well-worded and seemingly wise ideas to replace or contradict the wisdom from God and the Bible. We dare not prove Scripture by the use and comparison to what else is written or taught. We always evaluate everything else by what God’s Word has to say.

I appreciate what one author suggested in that if life is a school, we need to be busy studying and learning as much as we can. Our knowledge ought to come from the text of the Bible and we must listen to the instructions and teaching by the Holy Spirit.

Closing Curtain - 12:13-14

At the end of every play, there is a closing curtain which involves a curtain call reminding us of what we’ve all witnessed in the production. I like to look at these last two verses in the same way.

This life which we’ve been given is a gift from God. Everything we do with our days will require an accounting before God. I think of the individual who had never had a car and was given one. Unfortunately, he left it in the garage, lest he wear it out by using it. Too many people have been given wonderful lives with multiple talents and gifts and end up playing it safe by not enjoying or using what they’ve been given. Corrie ten Boom stated: The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration but its donation. So how do we do that?

Verse 13 tells us that we need to fear God. That means that we ought to be in absolute awe of God and have an attitude of reverence toward Him. After all, He is the Creator of all that there is, seen and unseen. He is the One Who loved us so much that He sent His Son to be our sacrifice, becoming our Savior. He is the One Who watches over every single person and guides and directs His children. But if we’re not spending time studying the Bible and doing what it says, most likely there will be no fear of the Lord.

A bit further in verse 13, we’re told this very thing when Solomon says to keep His commandments. One commentator stated that To obey God is truly human. Folks, I hope you realize that no matter what you may think about certain issues, we will never have a better idea than God how things ought to be. When a person looks at everything only under the sun, it can be quite depressing or can lead to an arrogant way of thinking that we can know and do better. Yet, when we approach life with God as the focal point, we will have a loving, awe-inspired fear of God so that we will want to study His Word and do what it says.

That leads us to the final verse in which we must recognize that God will bring every act to judgment. Sadly, there are many who run away from this, not realizing that if they have not trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, they have set themselves up for hell. Charles Spurgeon spoke of this in a very sobering manner: The eternity of punishment is a thought which crushes the heart. The Lord God is slow to anger, but when He is once aroused to it, as he will be against those who finally reject His Son, He will put forth all his omnipotence to crush His enemies.

And the only way we can truly enjoy life is to know Jesus Christ as your person Savior. You don’t have to worry about judgment because that was already taken care of when our sin was judged on the cross.

Final Thoughts

Ecclesiastes is certainly a fascinating book and not really as depressing or confusing as we might have thought on first read. I believe there are a few things that are quite obvious that we can carry with us on a daily basis that can be a great encouragement in our Christian lives.

First, anybody that thinks life is boring really doesn’t understand anything about life. As much as I’d like to think that everything is predictable, like many of you, I’ve been surprised and caught off guard several times. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I can honestly say to you that everyday there is some sort of adventure. I don’t mean like taming wild tigers, or discovering some amazing find. I’m talking about following Jesus and trusting Him completely to guide me in every step of the way. Sometimes, that means I can’t even seem to see what’s around the corner, but I know by placing my faith in Him for each step, something amazing is bound to happen.

Secondly, I’ve been reminded again that death is an absolute reality and certainty. Yet, I’m amazed that I get to enjoy this life on this earth right now. I’m well aware of all the negative, but I have no need to dwell on that. God has gifted me with life and more importantly, He’s enabled me to say yes to eternal life. Therefore, I’m going to enjoy my time on this earth because it is God’s gift to me while I wait for the unwrapping of that greatest gift; eternity in heaven with Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, I don’t have to know everything nor am I expected to figure everything out. There’s just a lot of mysteries out there that God never intended me to concern myself with. However, He’s also given us a lot of clues and information about a lot of things that we can discover and learn. He’s also given us the ability to gain wisdom which comes from Him. This also helps us to discern what we need to focus on and what we need to avoid.

Fourthly, I can understand that all of us are entrusted with varying amounts of wealth. However, every single one of us is going to have to give an account to God as to how we managed that wealth. Did we use it foolishly or wisely? Were we busier storing up treasures that can be destroyed or disappear or were we focusing on investing in heavenly treasures?

With all of this, we can echo Solomon in verse 13: . . . fear God and keep His commandments . . .

Or as Jesus stated in : If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Then we remember what He stated were the two greatest commandments:

Matthew 22:37–39 NASB95

And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update Chapter 22

YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’

38 “This is the great and 1foremost commandment.

39 “The second is like it, ‘aYOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’

And the only way this is possible is when you have a personal saving experience with the Lord Jesus Christ; where you have experienced forgiveness for your sins and have allowed Him to be in charge of your life as your Lord and Savior. If you have not yet done this, or even if you have questions or concerns or are experiencing confusion about this, I invite you to settle this matter today, right now.

This is what makes life worth living. Regardless of what happens in your life, because Christ is alive and living in you, you can be truly alive.