ECCLESIASTES 9

1 ¶ 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 fate of man is ultimately in the hand of God. The hand or arm is a biblical metaphor denoting power. It is used about 200 times in the Old Testament to refer to the sovereign power of God.
• Here’s what Solomon observed. For the righteous and the wise and those who submit to God, their deeds, their lives, the things that befall their lives, it’s in the hands of God.” So, nothing befalls the children of God that doesn’t first pass through God’s hands.
• What he says next is unpopular but absolutely true. And here’s what he says, “Whether it is love or hate...” there is an erroneous teaching that if you are serious about following Jesus, only good things will happen to you. That simply is not true. Read about the persecution that the early church faced. If I read the story right, John the Baptist got his head cut off for doing what God asked of him.
• The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not that if you’re good, He blesses. And do not misunderstand me, God does bless His children. But the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that through Him, we receive forgiveness of sin, and in life, He is enough, no matter what he circumstance. That’s the message.

2 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.

• Whether a person is righteous or wicked, we all die. The only thing we can all be sure of is that we are closer to death right now than we were when we first walked in.  

3 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.

• Sin and death are in this world and we die because something inside of us is fractured and out of rhythm with how God created it to be. Solomon says that this is why men are full of madness and evil. The only “cure” for an evil heart is the new birth.
• Ezek 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

4 ¶ For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 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.

• Solomon is not so much speaking theology here. He is speaking in terms of life under the sun. Once you die, that is it.  In other words, today is a gift to you to use for His glory. You and I have been given by God a measured amount of time on this planet to pursue Him and live a life of significance for His glory.
• Jesus put it this way, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (food and clothing) shall be added unto you.
  Death closes the book on life—its record is complete. We must make the best of what we have now.
• There are those who will try and convince you that, on the basis of this Scripture, when you die, that is it. In Luke 16, however, Jesus says this isn’t so. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man said, “Let me go back and tell my brothers that hell is real.” In other words, he was cognizant of both hell and earth.
  
  

6 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.

7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.

• According to the Scriptures, dinner is this really holy time period that should be slow, that should be deep, that we should laugh, that we should chew our food slowly and be grateful. Heavenly fellowship and eating a meal together go hand in hand.
• Enjoy the portion that God has given you beloved. Enjoy where you are. Enjoy the friends that you have. Enjoy the portion that has been given to you. Don’t live in the past or in the furture; be in today.
• Go to Psalm 104 and read the entire chapter, specifically verses 14-16 that will tell you that from the cattle of the field to the grains in the field to the wines in the vineyard, all was given to make the heart of man merry.

8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.

• In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, white garment are symbolic of practical acts of righteousness.

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.

• Seek depth with your wife, with your husband, this is your portion. We are living in a day and age where couples are now living what is been called an “open marriage”. In other words, as long as you are open about your “relationships” with other men or a woman that is okay with me as long as this is the place where your bread is buttered. 
• You cannot enjoy the wife or husband that’s been given to you if you are flirting and spending your vitality on someone else. You cannot enjoy the husband or wife that has been given to you as your portion if you are spending your vitality and energy and creativity imagining scenarios with you and someone else. You cannot enjoy the husband or wife that was given to you if you are cheating on them physically, emotionally or spiritually.
• In short, Solomon says this, “The grass is not greener on the other side. Enjoy your relationships, particularly with your spouse (v. 9) and be wholehearted in your work (v. 10), for these things have been appointed for you by the sovereign God for your good (Rom. 8:28).
• Here is a very simple formula for a godly marriage. And with no pun intended, it is not focus on your spouse. Love the Lord. Worship Him daily. Serve Him faithfully. Any husband, any wife who makes Jesus the love and passion of his or her life will find his or her marriage radically de-pressurized. But try and make your marriage partner your fulfillment, your focal point, and you will experience continual frustration.

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.

• The Scriptures here are pleading with you to be a good worker. Now, there’s a time to sit and read and nothing. There is. But the Scriptures say, “Work with all your might...turn off mine sweep, get to work, quit chatting, get to work, pour yourself into a place and see what you’re capable of.”
• Solomon’s big mistake is he lived his life for himself, for his own pleasures. These were the conclusions he came to, it’s empty. Those following the New Testament exhortation, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do it to the glory of God” if you live for God’s glory, you will find that your life will be very rich and very satisfying. If you live for your own glory, your life is going to be empty; you’ll be like Solomon.

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.

• Time and chance? What determines the course of our lives and the end of them? The secular man sees it as the ‘luck of the draw’ or ‘the way the cookie crumbles’.
• The believer sees it differently. The Bible said that God is control in our lives and “all things are working together for good” there is a purpose and plan of God for my life and nothing happens to me by accident. I don’t live by chance. I live by divine appointments and God brings into my life those things that he knows are best for me. I don’t subscribe to this philosophy of Solomon but I believe that God’s hand is upon my life, has been upon my life and will continue to be upon my life bringing into my life that which he knows is best for me. Nothing happens to me by accident. It is appointed by God and it is intended for my good. All things, not some things, “all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose”.
• Verse 12 tells us that one event can destroy all of our well laid plans. It’s better to put your faith in something beyond the sun rather than under it, where in an instant, you can get snared up in it like a bird or get hung up in a fish in a net.

13 ¶ This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:

14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

• I am convinced that some of the holiest, wisest, greatest men and women in the body of Christ are those who you and I will never know until we get to heaven.

16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

• Wisdom is better than strength’. God’s way is better than man’s, even though it is a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others (1 Cor. 1:23).

17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

• Wisdom is better than weapons of war. By hearing and understanding what God has asked of us and what He wants and walking in obedience to it, we can overcome the largest of armies or the biggest of ignorant men.Am I listening for the Lord and following Him in obedience?” Are you being obedient to what I know?
• Wisdom is better than weapons of war’. George Whitefield and John and Charles Wesley often met with violent opposition as they proclaimed the gospel in the open air.
• One sinner destroyeth much good. It is through the sin of one man that we have been brought into the bondage of death, and through the obedience of another that we have been delivered (Rom. 5:12–21).Adam…Achan.

ECCLESIASTES 10

1 ¶ Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

• The Preacher has already referred to a good name as ‘precious ointment’ (7:1). Now he is showing us how that good name can easily be lost. ‘Dead flies’ or ‘flies of death’ ruin the perfume. When a dead fly ended up in the oil of the apothecary, it would cause a very offensive odor. In the same way, one act of folly will ruin a lifetime’s wisdom.  All the good that has been done in the past counts for nothing. A little folly can take a man who is in authority, power and great reputation and bring him down very quickly.

• As it is with folly, so it is with all sin. The Bible uses the picture of a little yeast in a loaf to illustrate its power. It was often used as a metaphor for corruption, ignorance, and even political guile (Matt. 16:6; 22:23–29; 22:16–21). Paul writes of its destructive power: ‘Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?’ (1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:9).

2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

• What Solomon is saying here is this: You can throw out all the categories that society breaks people into. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how pretty you are, how ugly you are, how rich you are, how smart you are. You can throw all that out, because there are only two categories of people in this planet. There’s a wise way to walk, and there is a wrong, or foolish ay to walk.
• The idea behind that is a wise man’s heart will lead him to right things, to right actions, whereas fool’s heart will lead him to wrong activities and wrong actions.
• The wise man knows where he’s going, knows what he wants to be and he’s working a plan to get there. He also surrounds himself with men and women who are beyond him and exemplify who he wants to be later. The fool surrounds himself with people who are stuck in the same rut he is and is completely content walking with people who are okay where they are, have no plan, no desire to go anywhere else.

3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

• A fool is a person who says in his or her heart that there is no God. The fool is the man who pretends he’s indestructible and that he stands as center of the universe. That’s the fool.” The fool is the person that feels big despite the fact that the universe screams out to him that he is small. God has wired the universe to communicate to you how fragile, small and insignificant you are.
• Nobody is going to sit on the sand in front of the roar of the Pacific Ocean and feel mighty, no one, except maybe the fool. No one’s stood at the base of Mount Everest, or at the base of the Rockies and said, “I’m powerful.”

·      Let me ask you a question. Do people who do pilates (a type of exercise) and eat spinach still get cancer? How about they guy who runs marathons? Does he finish his 3 mile run, walk into his garage and die of a heart attack? Do you need me to keep on going? The fool pretends these things are not reality. The fool does no thinking about the fact that maybe even tonight, life is required and then judgment.

4 ¶ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

• In this passage he is dealing with the specific situation where the king or some other official is angry with you.  The fool lacks self control—even in his dealings with those that are in authority over him. The wise man keeps a cool head when all around are losing theirs.
• We are commanded to submit to authority (1 Peter 2:18–25). Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the meek’ (Matt. 5:5) and we must remember that meekness is not weakness but ‘tamed strength’
• Yielding pacified great offences. If your boss comes down on you, don’t stand up and storm out of the office. Just turn the other cheek. If we wouldn’t fight, if we wouldn’t retaliate, but rather understand that there is something the Lord has for us to learn in every situation, how much better off we would be.

5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

• We live in a maddening world where stupidity, folly, debauchery and wickedness is exalted and put up like a crown achievement to be pursued when what is good and right and real and makes a difference walks on the side of the road.

8He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

• Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai.

9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

• Whoso removeth stones- These stones were the markers for the field and a person would try to pick up a little extra acreage by going out and moving these stones that marked off the limits of the field.

10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

• A dull ax requires a lot more energy than a sharp one.

11 Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

• The ‘babbler’is like an uncharmed snake and just as deadly!

12 ¶ The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

14 A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

• Listen to what this says because I find this to be really true. A person who doesn’t know where he’s going, what he’s trying to be, what he’s trying to accomplish, they tend to get exhausted by life because they’re walking but they’re not going anywhere. They exemplify the treadmill that we’ve been talking about through Ecclesiastes, running their guts out but not going anywhere. A person who has no idea where he’s going, no idea who he’s trying to become, no idea what life holds for him, no goals, not going anywhere, they have a tendency to get overwhelmed by nothing.
• There is no premium placed on willful ignorance in Scripture.

16 ¶ Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

• Immaturity in a leader is a recipe for disaster. The young leader will make up for his lack of experience by consulting with those who have more experience than him. The picture of the ‘child’, petulant, is contrasted with ‘the son of nobles’, someone who may well be as young, but who has grown into his position and has been prepared for it.

18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

• It’s not a sin to be poor, not at all. It’s a sin to be lazy.

19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

• Money answer all things- Under the sun beloved, money affords us opportunity. Money enables us to rent an apartment or buy a house. Money enables us to buy a dining room table. Don’t be lazy, work hard as unto The Lord.  

20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

·      Have you ever heard the saying, “a little bird told me”? Have you ever wondered where they got that? This is the scripture that that saying comes from. Solomon is saying to be careful of what you are saying, even in secret, even in the privacy of your own home. It’s amazing how your words can get out, how you can be exposed. Just be careful of the things you say, even in secret.

• It is very difficult to harbour a thought continually without it eventually finding expression in words. Feelings of anger, resentment and criticism will eventually be expressed—sometimes bursting forth when we least expect it. It is better not to harbour such dangerous thoughts in the first place.

Beloved, may we live lives that count for Jesus Christ. Lives that are fulfilling are lives that are lived for Jesus Christ. Don’t buy into Solomon’s philosophy. You’ll end up like Solomon, jaded, cynical, miserable and empty. Live your life for Christ, follow Him, and the joy never ceases.