Eccl 9_1-6
We have a cat that hunts birds, mice and who knows what else, as he roams around our garden. We can see that he is a successful hunter because his victims are usually left outside the sliding glass door.
We have come to realise that death doesn’t bother Alfred very much. When Alfred makes a kill he usually just walks away. We have never seen him cry over a wren or grieve for the small mouse laying there. He conducts no funerals for his victims. He doesn’t go for counselling to help him cope with the deaths he has caused.
My family on the other hand sees the body of the small bird and feels sorry for the creature. We see Alfred chasing a vole and we hope the vole gets away and lives.
God has put something in people that loves life and despises death. We try to do everything we can to avoid even talking about the end of life. And yet we know that we will all experience death unless the Lord returns first.
In Ecclesiastes 9:1-6 Solomon speaks to us on the subjects of life and death. (READ)
I. The Reality of Death (vs. 1-2)
Solomon has already told us in chapter 3 that there is a time to be born and a time to die. All are from the dust and to dust all return.
A. He points out in verses 1 & 2 that the righteous are not spared from death.
1 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked,
The righteous and the wise are in the hand of God. This is another way of saying that they are under God’s care and guidance. He is the sovereign Lord over their life and their deeds are known to Him.
(ILL) I might add that this is a great place to be. To be under the watchful eye of the all wise and loving God is a great comfort and security even if we can’t always figure out what the Lord is doing.
Solomon speaks about this in verse 1 when he says Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. You can substitute blessing and sorrow for love and hate in this verse and you will get the sense of what Solomon is saying.
You do not know if the Lord will set a blessing or a sorrow before you but you can know you are in the hand of God if you have answered Christ’s call in John 10.
Jesus said: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28)
Verse 2 mentions an event that happens to the righteous. This event of course is physical death. God has chosen not to spare His people from death but He has taken away its sting.
Paul told the Corinthians “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 15:54-57)
The author of Hebrews reminds us that because of Jesus Christ we need not fear death. Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. (Heb 2:14-16)
To a Christian, death may be a reality but it’s only a doorway into the presence of Christ that will only have to be passed through once. After that death will be no more.
B. We also read in verse 2 that the wicked will not escape death.
2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath.
The wicked are described here in verse 2 as:
1. evil - meaning violators of God’s Holy law.
2. Unclean - meaning they couldn’t be bothered to approach God properly.
3. The wicked do not make sacrifices which indicates they don’t feel a need to deal with their sin.
4. They are called sinners – meaning they have wandered from the right way.
5. They also shun oaths, which means they are unwilling to promise anything special to God.
For the wicked, death is not the end of their troubles like it is for the righteous. After death they will wait for the great White Throne Judgement spoken about in Revelation 20.
There they will be judged by what they have done against the Lord, and what they have not done for the Lord.
Their sentence is described in Revelation 21 as the second death in the lake of fire.
All these details about God’s judgment were not available to Solomon yet. He knew that God would judge those who rejected Him, but he thought the sentence should be carried out in this life. That’s why he often got frustrated when he saw the wicked doing well.
II. As Solomon was coming to terms with all this he voices some of his frustrations about death in verse 3.
A. He wonders why the righteous and the wicked should share the same fate?
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all.
Solomon calls this evil meaning it is a contradiction of the moral order of life. In Solomon’s mind only the wicked ought to die. In one sense he’s right. He just does not have the complete picture yet.
B. Solomon points out in verse 3 that this may even induce the hearts of the children of man to be full of evil,
He felt that if people see the righteous and the wicked suffering the same fate then might wonder why they should bother living a good life!
Warren Wiersbe points out that the righteous and the wicked do share the same destiny here on earth. Both will die if the Lord does not return first, but they share very different destinies in eternity.
C. Solomon concludes that this might produce madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
The fact that the righteous and the wicked suffer the same fate can cause great confusion in people’s mind. In modern words this situation might drive them crazy.
One reason Solomon was troubled about death was because he didn’t have the full revelation of God that we enjoy. An afterlife was spoken about in the Old Testament but it is explained very clearly in the New Testament.
We learn that yes the righteous and the wicked both die but one is welcomed into heaven and the other awaits judgement. Jesus told the thief on the cross Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise (Lu 23:43).
The Scriptures are equally clear that those who die in their sins go to a place of judgment. (Luke 16, Rev 14)
Solomon may not have had all the answers but he does not drift into despair.
III. Instead he leaves his questions about death behind him and focuses on life in 4-6.
A. Sometimes we have to do leave our questions aside to centre on what God has revealed. When we are going through a difficult time, maybe even the death of a loved one, we are tempted to keep asking “why”. Why did God allow this? Why so young? Why did they have to die like they did?
At some point you have to leave those questions with the Lord and focus on what His Word says:
· It tells us that God is in control. (Psalm 123:1)
· That He is good and that He never causes needless pain. (1 Peter 1:6)
· It reminds us that God will comfort those who grieve and that one day He will take away all sorrow and death. (Revelation 21:4)
B. In verse 4 Solomon reminds us that we need not get despondent about death because we still have hope.
4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
Hope looks to the future for something better. In Solomon’s case I think he’s just hoping for better answers to the questions he was wrestling with. His hope was justified because God did reveal answers to many of his questions in the rest of Scripture.
When the New Testament speaks about hope it is usually referring to what God has promised us in eternity. Our hope is that one day we will dwell with the Lord forever.
This is not a “Gee I hope it happens” kind of hope. It is “I know it will happen and therefore I can press on in life!”
It’s what Peter calls a living hope in 1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Those who are living can enjoy this hope. It is something that is solid that keeps us looking forward to the fulfilment of all God’s promises.
Paul pointed out to the Thessalonians that this hope will keep us from despair in the face of death. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
You can see how much our hope is tied up in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.
C. Solomon also points out that the living still have time to consider the outcome of their life. v.5-6
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.
1. While alive, both the righteous and the wicked still have time to prepare for eternity. Sinners need to repent and trust in the Lord Jesus or else they will face an eternal judgment. The time to come to Jesus Christ is while you are alive. There will be no second change after you die.
2. A Christian will face a different type of judgment that we can prepare for. This judgement will not decide whether we go to heaven or not. We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ.
The judgement for Christians will decide our rewards and responsibilities in heaven. Paul was speaking to Christians when he said each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. (1Cor 3:13)
3. That judgment will be the basis for our rewards in eternity. These rewards are called crowns.
There is the crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4)
Crown of Life (James 1:12)
Crown of Righteousness (2Tim 4:8)
and the Crown of Joy (1Thess 2:19).
These crowns in turn will determine how much glory you can return to God. I believe that is what Revelation 4:10-11 refers to. the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” The more crowns the more glory that can be given to God.
In verse 5 Solomon says after death there is no further opportunity to earn rewards. Now is the time to invest your efforts for eternity.
4. How we live on this earth will also be the basis of our responsibility in heaven.
Turn with me to Matthew 25:19-23 (READ)
Now is the time to show your faithfulness to the Lord. (ILL) The film It’s A Wonderful Life is a cute story but we will not be coming back like Clarence to earn our wings.
Hebrews 9:17 reminds us that it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
Verses 6 says the dead have no more share in all that is done under the sun.
That’s why the Scriptures urge us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
That’s why it’s so important for you to heed what Paul said earlier in Ephesians 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise (v.15)
This morning we have heard that death will be a reality for all of us if the Lord does not return first. It does cause us sorrow and anguish but it’s tempered by the hope we have in Jesus Christ and the fact that we still have an opportunity to serve the Lord and prepare for eternity.
Two questions that come to my mind this morning are:
Q: Do you have that hope in Jesus Christ that takes away the fear of death? If you don’t there is still time to put your trust in the one who has defeated the power of death.
And the second question is:
Q: Are you living for the Lord while you still have the breath of life? This little saying is true: Only one life, will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last. Are you investing in eternity with your time, talents and resources?
Let’s pray!