A Death Well Lived (Ezekiel 8:16-9:10)

In the mid-1700’s lived a man who could have written Ecclesiastes if Solomon hadn’t already done it. He entered the university at age 12. From there, his life took many adventurous turns. He was a cleric, then a soldier, a gambler, a poet, and a conman alchemist. He once saved the life of a Venetian senator and became a spy in Amsterdam.^[1] He was imprisoned by the Inquisition, then became the only person to ever escape the prison.^[2] He reportedly helped to write the libretto for Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni and penned a 12 volume autobiography. He knew wealth and poverty, saw the world, and left a string of scandals and broken hearts in his wake.

Some idolize him. To others he is notorious. You know his name, at least his last name: Giacomo Casanova. One author wrote that Casanova’s quest was to “drink as much pleasure from the cup of life as possible.”^[3]

And yet, while many celebrate his lust for life, his womanizing, and his unrestrained worldliness, the truth is that at the end of his life Casanova knew no joy. At the age of 65, exiled from Venice, worn out, and unhappy, he got a job as a librarian. He was so lonely he considered suicide.

But there was a problem: Casanova was afraid of death. He described death as a monster who chases you out of a theater before the play is over. And so he lingered at his librarian job for the last dozen years of his life.

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes is the Bible’s Casanova – A man who tried everything he could think of to drink in life. But no matter what he did, he couldn’t escape the shadow of death. It haunted and frustrated and demoralized him.

In tonight’s text he comes to a couple of conclusions. The first is that human beings don’t know nearly as much as we think we know. The second is that the one thing we do know is that we are going to die. And the third conclusion is how we should respond to the first two.

Ecclesiastes 8:16-17 – ¹⁶ When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the activity that is done on the earth (even though one’s eyes do not close in sleep day or night), ¹⁷ I observed all the work of God and concluded that a person is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though a person labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if a wise person claims to know it, he is unable to discover it.

The Teacher speaks as someone who is trying to solve the puzzle of life on his own, using human wisdom, human genius, human philosophy. The problem is: Human philosophy cannot solve the puzzle. Derek Kidner very aptly points out that every human philosophy comes along and exposes the omissions of its predecessors.^[4] Another scholar writes, “Human insight, understanding, and reason, like water, cannot rise higher than their source or own level.”^[5]

We are finite beings. We cannot comprehend the infinite unless it is revealed to us. The Bible puts it very plainly in Job 28: “Where can wisdom be found? It cannot be found in the land of the living” (meaning under the sun). But God understands the way to wisdom, and He knows its location.^[6]

Not only does God reveal His wisdom to us, He also reveals that He is in charge of all things. He is sovereignly accomplishing His will. While we often don’t know why things are happening the way they are, we do know that God is working. That means we can be s Christians no matter what happens. In the first 10 verses of chapter 9, the Teacher shows us how it’s possible to live a joy-filled, faithful life even in the midst of hevel, of unfairness, and even when facing death.

Ecclesiastes 9:1 – Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands. People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them.

We don’t know what’s going to happen. We know some things, like that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. But we don’t know a lot of important specifics, like whether we’ll be alive to see it. Will your Thursday be full of delight or disaster? Or will it be a mixture of both? We don’t know.

Here’s what we do know: Your life is in God’s hands. Not only in the general sense that He reigns over all the universe. Look at what Solomon says here: He specifically carves out the righteous – God’s people. He is our loving Shepherd and we are the sheep of His gentle hand.^[7]

Yesterday I saw a video where Ben Shapiro said, “We live in a timeline where God clearly hates us.” I think he was probably being a little sarcastic, but he said it multiple times as he expressed his fear for the election.^[8] I can’t help but note that he speaks and feels as someone who has rejected Christ as Messiah. Someone who turns away from God’s revelation.

But God doesn’t hate us. And we can be hopeful because that the righteous are safe in His hands.

That doesn’t mean believers won’t experience problems or suffering. The Teacher is about to make the point that everyone on earth is subject to the same effects of time, death, and chance. But rather than being frustrated about the mysteries and disappointments of life, we can remain hopeful and joyful and confident in our lives.

Ecclesiastes 9:2-3a – ² Everything is the same for everyone: There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. ³ This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone.

The one fate he’s talking about is physical death. That’s always what the Teacher returns to, because  as a self-centered secular humanist, that’s the end of the line. And, as usual, he’s incredibly upset by the fact that there’s no apparent escape from the grave. Whether you’re good or bad, clean or unclean, honorable or dishonorable, everyone has a date with death. All of us are dying right now!

The Teacher thinks this is unfair. Since God exists, shouldn’t making the sacrifices count for something? Shouldn’t religious activity get people an exemption from death?

It does, but not in the way the Teacher wants. You see, a real relationship with God makes all kinds of difference. But the differences are internal and eternal. The Teacher wants external and temporal differences. He wants to keep living this life. He wants to find human experiences to fill up the void in his heart. But that fulfillment cannot be found under the sun. It can only be found in eternity.

Faith in Christ is not about getting external, temporal things. It’s not about being healthy and wealthy all the time in this life. It’s about the internal transformation as God bears spiritual fruit in us. It’s about the eternal value, the eternal advantages.

Meanwhile, we live on this earth for a time. As we do, “Everything is the same for everyone.” That doesn’t mean we all experience the same things, but that the same rules apply to everybody. We’re in a world that is wrecked by the presence of sin which has brought death to every corner of the cosmos. This universe is spiraling down the drain to destruction. But God reaches down to save, reaches down to sustain, reaches down to make beauty from the ashes. But death still applies to the people of the earth. God has defeated death and He will cast death and hades into the Lake of Fire one day. But for now, we live in a storm of sin and we are headed to the end of our mortal lives.

Ecclesiastes 9:3b – In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live; after that they go to the dead.

Death isn’t the only problem in this world. We see here that life, too, has been infected by the toxicity of sin. It leads people into lives of “moral wildness.”^[9] This is why we shouldn’t focus all our efforts on patching world systems. We should focus on healing hearts. If we only work to make systems better – to solve temporal problems with temporal solutions – it will invariably come undone because the underlying condition of human hearts is evil madness.

Instead, we should work in the power of the Gospel that brings people from death to life. Power that transforms mad kings into evangelists. The power that changes the world.

Ecclesiastes 9:4 – ⁴ But there is hope for whoever is joined with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion.

From this verse comes the often quoted maxim, “While there’s life, there’s hope.”

Most people are generally hopeful that things will work out in the end.^[10] But what is your hope built on? A lot of people hope in the “I’m a good person” idea. That when they die, there will be a scale and all the good things they did will be on one side and all the bad things on the other, and the good will outweigh the bad. What a stupid hope! You’re going to be disappointed.

A lot of people hope that death is just the end, even though their own hearts betray them with the gnawing suspicion that death is not the end. Their hope is built on hevel. Wisps of smoke.

Our hope, on the other hand, does not disappoint. It the anchor for our souls. Our hope is firmly rooted in the justification by faith, in the grace of Almighty God. Fastened to God’s unfailing love that is poured out in our hearts. Our hope is real and secure and adamantine.

Ecclesiastes 9:5 – ⁵ For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten.

The Teacher is not denying an afterlife. He believes in a future judgment.^[11] But the fact of the matter is that these Old Testament believers didn’t have as much revelation as we have. They weren’t exactly sure what to expect after death.^[12]

The point Solomon is making is that you have this life to earn a reward. The problem is, this life is fleeting. At the same time, it’s incredibly important. Your life is not a mistake. Your life is incredibly valuable. As is the life of your neighbor. We must preserve the value of life in our hearts and we must recognize that how we live has monumental, eternal impact.

So many people live out their lives totally distracted and deceived by the enemy, doing all they can to ignore death or put it out of their minds until it suddenly ambushes them. We need to spread the word that there is an antidote to death. That there is a way to take all its sting and all its victory and it is only through faith in Jesus Christ, the King of Life.

Ecclesiastes 9:6 – ⁶ Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun.

We get one life on this earth. There’s no purgatory. There’s no reincarnation. There’s no time machines to do it over. This temporal life is passing quickly, but in it we are locking in eternal absolutes. Our eternal home. Our eternal rewards. From the Teacher’s perspective, death is the most significant moment in life and we’re all dying. So what kind of death are we living out? Are we living out a death in Christ or a death on the run from Him?

Love and hate here can also refer to passions.^[13] What are we passionate about? What are we filling our days with? Spending our lives on? Casanova had a great passion for women. But his passions were worldly. They led to perversions. Scandals. Disgrace. Looking at our passions – would our memoirs sit on the shelf next to Casanovas or someone like Corrie Ten Boom’s?

So, Solomon’s first conclusion is that we know much less than we like to think. His second is that what we do know is that death is coming. In verses 7 through 10 we have his third conclusion, which is how to live life in light of what he’s discovered.

Ecclesiastes 9:7 – ⁷ Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works.

That “Go” can be translated, “Come on!”^[14] It’s an urgent summons to action.^[15] The Teacher says we must live joyfully. And he’ll then point to joy in daily life, in marital life, and in your work life.

Bread and wine refer to life’s staples. Regular, day-to-day enjoyment of the gift of life God has given you. Philip Ryken writes, this is not to live a life of guilty pleasures, but Godly pleasures.^[16] That we seek joy where it can be found.^[17] The beauty of creation. The gratification of a meal. The cheer brought from a favorite song. God gives all sorts of gifts in ordinary life for our enjoyment.

Some Christians tend to think that the more somber we are, the better. That deprivation equals holiness. But that isn’t true. Again, we’re not talking about living a Casanova life. But neither should we think an ascetic life is what the Lord wants. James Smith points out that asceticism only intensifies the gloom of this world and all its problems. “That gloom, however, can be dispelled by resolving to enjoy all the gifts of God.”^[18]

The Teacher says your works are already accepted by God. The verb he used there often referred to God’s divine pleasure at the sacrifices in the Temple.^[19] That doesn’t mean anything you do will please God. But, as we walk with God doing the things He’s given us to do, then we please Him.

Ecclesiastes 9:8 – ⁸ Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head.

Is this a “let them eat cake” moment? No. In this time, white robes symbolized celebration and festivity.^[20] It’s about attitude more than attire. Don’t live your life in sackcloth.^[21] There are times of mourning or repentance or discouragement, but let those be the exception, not the rule.

In Psalm 45 we read that God anoints us with the oil of joy. In the New Testament the Lord gives His people white robes of righteousness. That’s the reality of our lives. If we don’t live in that reality, it’s a problem. In fact, when writing to the church at Sardis, Jesus said that there were a bunch of people there who had a reputation for being alive, but in reality they were dead. And He said, “But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy. In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.”^[22] We’re called to live the life Christ has given us. White robes of righteousness, anointed with the oil of gladness. Conducting ourselves as joyful people.

Ecclesiastes 9:9 – ⁹ Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life, which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle under the sun.

Marriage was the first institution and relationship that the Lord established on the earth. The Bible is clear that not everyone needs to get married. If God calls you to singleness, that’s not worse than being married, nor is it better. But the vast majority of us are going to be called into marriage. And marriage is meant to be a great blessing to us – a thriving, cooperative relationship based on love. Solomon wrote this when most marriages were arranged. Here he says, “What God wants is for you to enjoy life with the wife you love.” And we see that God has an opinion about who you marry. He has a specific portion, a specific person in mind for you. And He matches you for just the right fit. And when we allow God to lead us in this area of our lives, the result is wonderful. Because he brings us to our helper so we can face the struggles of life together.

Enjoying here isn’t only for you. “In combination with ‘love,’ it seems to have the connotation of keeping one’s marriage ‘alive and happy,’ not allowing it to become ordinary and routine.”^[23]

Ecclesiastes 9:10 – ¹⁰ Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength, because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

Sheol here refers to the grave, not hell. Again, the Teacher isn’t saying there’s no afterlife or that when we die we go into soul sleep. Jesus echoed this verse in John 9 when He said, “We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.”^[24]

The message is: This life matters. What you do matters. The work of your hands and the words from your lips. Life is extremely consequential, but it’s also hevel – fleeting. And we live it out in a frustrating world that is dominated by sin, by suffering, by randomness, and difficulty. Knowing what we know, let’s live life on purpose with purpose.

Casanova reportedly worked 13 hours a day trying to complete his 12 volume memoir. A self-important record of his sinful excesses, crimes, and selfishness. What a waste of work. What a waste of the gift of life God gave to him.

You are dying. John Oxenham wrote, “Death begins at life’s first breath, [but for the Christian] life begins at the touch of death.” In this mortal world, we are living out our death. It’s an extremely important life, full of consequence and opportunity and worth.

As we live, let’s be a people of lively hope. Listen to what the Teacher has learned. Don’t let the mysteries or frustrations of life rob your joy. It doesn’t mean we have to walk around with fake smiles on our face. But, as we face each day, we can do so with a special knowledge. Solomon said that the living know that they will die. Well, as Christians, we are the dying who know that we will live. We’re going to live forever with the Lord, where He will reward us for the lives we lived here under the sun. And we know that He is sovereign and that He has our lives in His hand. We know He gives us innumerable gifts to not only endure life but to enjoy life. Because of these things, we can walk through life in hope, approved by God, and entrusted by Him with the Gospel and with so many other gifts. And not only can we enjoy this life He’s given us, He enjoys it when we receive these gifts from His hand.

It’s never too late to take this gift from God and use it the way He intends. I’ve dumped a lot on Casanova tonight, but let me close with this: At the end of his life, he turned to the Lord. Multiple witnesses record that his last words were, “I have lived as a philosopher and I die as a Christian.” The first road he took led only to sorrow and ruin. The high road of heaven leads to life everlasting, life more abundantly.

Death & Despots (Ecclesiastes 8:1-15)

In 1976, Mao Zedong stepped into eternity. This man responsible for about 80 million deaths was honored with an immense state funeral.^[1] The Politburo demanded that his body be permanently preserved. While he lay in state, a million people came to see him and pay him respects.^[2]

Above his crystal casket was a banner that read, “Carry on the cause left by Chairman Mao and carry on the cause of proletarian revolution to the end.” Sadly, his cause has been carried on. His legacy of oppression continues almost 50 years later, where he’s still called China’s “eternal father.”^[3]

Realities like that bother us. Why should a man like that get honor while countless thousands starve to death just outside the door? That sort of injustice bothered the Teacher, too.

He has talked about our daily lives, our goals, our family relationships, our religious behavior. But what about our relationship to the government? That’s one of his focuses tonight. The Teacher recognizes that sometimes government acts in a good way, but sometimes it acts in very bad ways. As we’ve seen before when he talked about judges and courts: Sometimes the people who are supposed to uphold justice are the very ones who multiply injustice in the world.

So, how should we relate to human government? What should we do when governments are unrighteous? What does wisdom dictate? The Teacher has thoughts.

Ecclesiastes 8:1 – Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.

The Teacher has just said that only one in a thousand people have real wisdom he’s searching for. But we know any of us can be that person if we will believe God and fear Him and go His way. When we do, heaven’s wisdom is a gift given to us to help us navigate life and please the Lord.

Whose face is the Teacher talking about here? Depending on how you read these verses, it could be our face or God’s face or a human king’s face.

The truth is, it can apply to all three. When we believe God and follow Him, we please Him. His face shines upon us as His grace flows into our lives. Wise speech and action will also help us in our relationships with earthly authorities. If you’re the kind of person who speaks knowledgeably and can solve problems, generally you will find yourself in the good graces of your boss, your supervisor, your commander, or other authorities.

But God’s wisdom doesn’t only change how other people perceive you. It actually transforms a person from the inside out. We heard about this in our study of Ezekiel this past Sunday. God’s people, going God’s way are – by definition – a transformed people. Visibly identifiable.

There are many people out there who are savvy, or smart, or successful. Are they transformed? Are we? Is the power of God at work in us as we walk with the Lord?^[4]

Ecclesiastes 8:2 – ² Keep the king’s command because of your oath made before God.

The Teacher is finally coming out of the depression he’s been in for a few passages.^[5] He sees that there is an advantage to wisdom. Whether he means human wisdom or God’s wisdom, either way, it’s better to live with them than without them.

He starts to talk about a person serving in the court of the king. We can apply it at the level of government or military or in other areas where there is authority over us.

The Teacher says, “Keep the king’s command.” Obey the government. Naturally and culturally we think, “Well, sure, if the command is good.” But the Teacher doesn’t add any qualifiers. In fact, by the end of this section, the Teacher is thinking more of an oppressive dictator than a King David.

Some commentators suggest that he really means God, not the earthly kings we’re under. But that really doesn’t line up with the rest of his description.

The primary question at this point is not whether the king deserves to be obeyed. The primary question is: Do we believe that government is ordained by God? Do we believe Romans 13? Do we believe Titus 3:1, which tells us to submit to rulers and authorities? Do we believe 1 Peter 2:16-17, which says, “Submit as free people…honor the emperor?” Do we believe God is right?

The truth is, we are a rebel people. Rebels by nature, rebels by culture. We come to the table in the default mode of revolution and resistance and self-governance. Now, let me say that I love our country. I think the American system has led to a great decrease in autocratic oppression on a global scale for hundreds of years. Liberty and democracy are very good things.

And let me also say that the Bible does not command blind or absolute obedience to earthly authorities. The book of Daniel is a treatise on Godly civic disobedience. The apostles, too, famously stood before the supreme court of Israel and said, “We’re going to obey God, not you.”^[6]

But the Bible is clear that the default position of a believer is to be peaceable, civic obedience even to ungodly governments. In God’s Word, the carve outs for disobedience are never for comfort or for prosperity or for our opinions. The only time civic disobedience is sanctioned by the Bible is when human authorities demand that God’s people disobey God’s specific commands.

Daniel served joyfully and faithfully in the court of Babylon for decades. He followed their rules, he enforced their laws, he supported their kings except when they demanded that he break specific commands of God. Even then, he did not resort to violence or revolution. He did not stage a coup. He simply said, “I won’t do that.” And then he waited around for the consequences.

Ecclesiastes 8:3-4 – ³ Do not be in a hurry; leave his presence, and don’t persist in a bad cause, since he will do whatever he wants. ⁴ For the king’s word is authoritative, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

We shouldn’t be a people who huff and puff. “Unending vexation is pointless.”^[7] The New Living Translation shows another layer. It says, “Don’t try to avoid doing your duty.”

At this point I find myself thinking, “Well, a republic is different. The system exists for me to get what I want.” Ok. That’s not always wrong. But remember what Peter said: “Submit as free people.” They weren’t free in the Roman Empire. Peter says, “Act like you’re free and submit to the state as a testimony of God’s grace and peace.” Show the world that you’re just passing through.

But the king is corrupt! Or, my boss is an idiot! Or, I know more than the board of directors! Ok. That may be true, too. But here’s a question for us: If I’m unwilling to submit to an earthly king, what makes me think my heart will be willing to submit to my heavenly King? Again, that doesn’t mean we do things that are evil. But a lot of things we don’t want to obey aren’t actually about good and evil, they’re about my wants and comforts. They’re about my will, not God’s will.

When faced with a ruler that is doing something we don’t like, don’t be hasty to turn your back in rebellion. As one commentator writes, “When suffering oppression at home or at work or in society, do not let the desire for revenge turn your heart to ungodliness.”^[8]

Ecclesiastes 8:5-7 – ⁵ The one who keeps a command will not experience anything harmful, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure. ⁶ For every activity there is a right time and procedure, even though a person’s troubles are heavy on him. ⁷ Yet no one knows what will happen because who can tell him what will happen?

Wisdom recognizes that human beings actually need governance. It would be nice if we didn’t, but we do. What child doesn’t need a parent? Soldiers need commanders. Authority is good for us.

Now, human authorities are not perfect. In fact, they’re often oppressive. But that doesn’t mean we don’t need authority. It doesn’t mean we don’t need to learn how to obey for our good and for the good of society. Let’s remember what Hebrews 5 says about Jesus: That “although He was the Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered.”^[9] Obviously, you and I also need to learn to obey.

Ecclesiastes 8:8 – ⁸ No one has authority over the wind to restrain it, and there is no authority over the day of death; no one is discharged during battle, and wickedness will not allow those who practice it to escape.

This verse reminds us that even though we’re so sure we know what every president and boss and quarterback should do, the reality is that there is a ton we don’t know and more we cannot control. “I think the government should do this and not that.” You might be right. Or there might be more going on that you haven’t considered. But let’s say you’re right. Even still, you and I have obligations to our nation and government.

What are they? Well, obeying the laws. Paying taxes. Praying for our leaders. Living at peace with our neighbors. Being a shining example of Godliness. Working righteousness, which will exalt our nation. These are our Biblical obligations to whatever society we live in. Whether we’re under Mao or Reagan, Stalin or Solomon. Specifics within our personal activity will change depending on which of those rulers we find ourselves, but the broad callings remain the same.

Ecclesiastes 8:9 – ⁹ All this I have seen, applying my mind to all the work that is done under the sun, at a time when one person has authority over another to his harm.

The Teacher is thinking of a dictator who oppresses his people. But what a comfort that we can live with faithfulness and wisdom even under bad rulers because most of history’s rulers have been very bad! But Christianity works in every time and in every place because God’s truth and power remain the same yesterday, today, and forever!

But, if the rulers are oppressive, why not overthrow them? Why not destroy them? “Since God is slack in His promise, why not do God’s job for Him?” We want justice as we see it. We want revenge for ourselves. And often we don’t want to wait for the Lord to be our Avenger.

The Teacher says, “Violent disobedience to authority is not the answer.” And then, to help us deal with the disappointment of injustice, he now pivots to say, “Chin up – Stalin will eventually die!”

Ecclesiastes 8:10 – ¹⁰ In such circumstances, I saw the wicked buried. They came and went from the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they did those things. This too is futile.

There are six different ways this verse can be translated.^[10] Your version may say the wicked are forgotten, not praised. Others say the righteous are forgotten. The point is that this world often doesn’t get it right. It’s hevel.

But, the evil king eventually answers to the King of kings. Chairman Mao – that evil oppressor – died and stood before the Lord to face judgment. He was no longer a king or commander and he is going to be repaid for his wickedness for all eternity.

But what happened back on earth? This world is so spoiled by sin, so defined by hevel that people here were crying for Mao. Honoring him. Praising him. Burying him with great pomp.

He doesn’t deserve that burial! He doesn’t deserve that praise! You’re right. He doesn’t. But this is the world we live in. A hevel world. And our job is not to execute our wrath on the people around us. Grace is the way forward. In an absurd world, we can cling to our faith in the fact that God will make things right. Mao is getting what he deserves right now.

Ecclesiastes 8:11 – ¹¹ Because the sentence against an evil act is not carried out quickly, the heart of people is filled with the desire to commit evil.

This is a principle that we wish our government would take to heart. But, in the moment, it seems the Teacher is actually criticizing God, not human rulers.^[11] As if he’s saying, “God, why don’t You wipe out these evil people so that people will stop being evil???”

Why doesn’t He? Because of His kindness. Because He loves people like us and wants to save us from the punishment we deserve. That’s the heart of God. When a person refuses God’s offer, then He will be a Judge to them. But His heart is to be their Savior and Father and Friend.

But, knowing what kind of Person He is, we should never take advantage of God’s mercy. We don’t sin that grace may abound and we don’t assume that mercy never expires. It does. For individuals, for nations, and ultimately for all mankind as God brings the history of this world to a conclusion.

Ecclesiastes 8:12 – ¹² Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before him.

I had a great teacher in college named Richard Unruh. I took as many of his classes as I could. He taught political science classes. He was very careful to never reveal his own political opinions in class. Some people were convinced he was a red-blooded conservative, others said a flaming liberal. He was acting like the Teacher. But every once in a while his core beliefs would sneak out.

Out of nowhere, the Teacher talks with the afterlife in mind. It’s uncharacteristic. Speaking of this sudden spiritual declaration Derek Kidner writes, “the Teacher drops the veil of his secularism and shows a window into his true faith.”^[12]

For the first time, the Teacher hints that death is not the end. For those who fear the Lord, there is something absolutely good and just and right waiting for us. And, as one commentary points out, the Teacher presents this idea to us without any supporting evidence! It’s all by faith.^[13] But his faith is comforting him in the midst of this unfair world. It’s carrying him through the futility.

Ecclesiastes 8:13 – ¹³ However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God.

Well, when will it go poorly for them? We’ve had a bunch of references to how they seem to get away with everything in this life. But, once this life ends, they don’t get away with anything. God brings the bill due. He settles every score. Justice is done.

Ecclesiastes 8:14 – ¹⁴ There is a futility that is done on the earth: there are righteous people who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked people who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.

If all my affections are tied to this world, I’m going to be disappointed. Because hevel defines this world. And God is working to save us from it. But even here, the word hevel gives us hope. Remember: hevel means vapor – a wisp of smoke. Something temporary and fading away. The unfairness of this world is a passing vapor that will soon be gone, replaced with the Kingdom of Perfect Righteousness that will never, ever end.

So, after this discussion about government and unfairness and death and despots, what’s the bottom line? Are we just to grit our teeth and bear with the unrighteous unfairness of life?

Ecclesiastes 8:15 – ¹⁵ So I commended enjoyment because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat, drink, and enjoy himself, for this will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

Six times the Teacher comes to this conclusion: Enjoy life. Not in the sense of “eat, drink, and be merry because tomorrow we die.” The whole point of the book is that you can’t find ultimate enjoyment in life unless you understand that your life is made by God, sustained by God, and given to you by God along with other gifts like day-to-day enjoyment.

The only way to truly enjoy life is by fearing God and recognizing that we don’t know everything. But we know the ultimate truths. We know what is coming. We know that Christ is the real King. We know what God offers us. We know what really matters. Because we fear God and receive His wisdom, we are able to enjoy life, even when it’s difficult or uncomfortable or unfair.

When Chairman Mao was getting prepped for burial, the embalmers were told his remains needed to last forever. They were promised any facilities, personnel, or equipment they might possibly need.^[14] But the task was impossible. The result of their efforts was comedic and grotesque.

Our Lord supplies what we need for joy and peace and meaning in life and it works. He preserves us. He enlivens us. He fills us with joy. Even when city hall or Sacramento or Washington are against us. Even when we’re not getting what we think we should. Remember what God has provided. David Hubbard writes, “The simple graces from God’s hand are the daily staff of life. We should lean on them particularly hard.”^[15] By doing so, we can carry on in His cause, enjoying life along the way.

One In A Thousand (Ecclesiastes 7:15-29)

One in a thousand. That is the odds of you flipping a coin 10 times and getting heads on every flip. It’s also the odds of you catching a foul ball at a professional baseball game^[1] and the odds of the egg you crack tomorrow morning having a double-yolk.^[2]

The Teacher spent his life hunting for something much more significant than coin flips or foul balls. He was looking for someone who actually found meaning in life – someone who beat the system and was not only a good person, but also was able to enjoy their lives in a meaningful way, despite the difficulties, adversity, unfairness, and chance that all of us are subject to.

The odds of being that person? The Teacher says in his experience it’s one in a thousand. Maybe. And he admits that he is not one of those people. His experiments have failed.

Tonight’s passage is one of those eyebrow-raising sections of the book. We’ll find ourselves thinking, “Excuse me?” after some of these verses.

One commentator notes: “There is perhaps no book int he Bible that is the subject of more controversies than Ecclesiastes.”^[3] Chapter 7 is a major contributor to those controversies. Scholars tell us that some of the grammar is difficult to parse, as is the Teacher’s intent. But, on top of that, some of these verses seem to fly in the face of what the Bible teaches elsewhere.

So, let’s buckle up and take a look.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 – ¹⁵ In my futile life I have seen everything: someone righteous perishes in spite of his righteousness, and someone wicked lives long in spite of his evil.

In verse 14 the Teacher tried to reassure us. He said, “God is in charge. The best thing you can do is trust Him and go along with His plan.” But then he immediately acknowledges the reality that God-fearing people still suffer, sometimes unfairly. And some people who are doing life all wrong seem to escape any consequences.

Pastor Chuck Smith never smoked a cigarette in his life and then he died of lung cancer.^[4] We don’t live in an ideal world, we live in a fallen world. And even though the Lord provides for us, cares for us, and walks with us, we still are impacted by the effects of the fall every single day of our lives.

The Teacher says “in my futile life.” He acknowledges that much of his life has been a waste  – a hevel life. In the days of his apostasy.^[5] It will help if we remember this assessment as we get to the final verses of the chapter.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 – ¹⁶ Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Come again? Did he just say what I think he said? No. Remember: The Teacher is not speaking for a position of real faith in God, but from a secular position of trying to solve the problems of life with his own intellect, his own strength, his own will.

The righteousness here is self-righteousness. Derek Kidner writes, “[The Teacher] shuts out for a while any gleam of genuine faith, and introduces religion…only in the form of superstition.”^[6] And we know he’s not talking about real, heavenly righteousness because in a moment he’s going to say “No one is actually righteous.”

Self-righteousness cannot help you. It blinds you of your true condition and then robs you of joy in life. It breeds hypocrisy, a false sense of superiority. It is an inert medication for a deadly disease.

The Teacher is looking at someone who is trying to live a fanatically religious life, in the sense that they do all sorts of things that they think will put God in their debt so that He has to bless them or elevate them or exempt them from suffering. But that path, which looks so pious, really ends in ruin. Asceticism doesn’t work. Phariseeism doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because it’s just play-acting.^[7]

Ecclesiastes 7:17 – ¹⁷ Don’t be excessively wicked, and don’t be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

The Teacher now swings to the other extreme. If being a goody-two-shoes, religious fanatic doesn’t guarantee me a better life, might as well go all the way over to the other side and indulge myself. The Teacher says, “No, that’s stupid. If you do that there’s a good chance you’ll kill yourself.”

He’s not saying you’ll definitely die early – verse 15 made that point – but excessive vice, excessive worldliness does very often lead to an early death.

In these two verses, the Teacher has covered the philosophies of the vast majority of human beings. You have those who try to earn their life through self-imposed rules that they think will obligate God to do things for them. Then you have those who ignore their duty toward God. They dive into self-indulgence, feeding every urge whether it’s good or not.

And then in the middle you have people who think like the Teacher – people who want it both ways. One commentator writes, “They know better than to live a life of total wickedness because deep down they believe that God will judge [them]. Yet secretly they suspect that trying to be holy will take the fun out of life. Generally speaking they try to be good, and they hope they are good enough to get by on the Day of Judgment. But their consciences are troubled too little by their sins. As long as they are not overly righteous or overly wicked, they are happy the way they are.”^[8]

Ecclesiastes 7:18 – ¹⁸ It is good that you grasp the one and do not let the other slip from your hand. For the one who fears God will end up with both of them.

So is Solomon saying “be a little good, but be a little bad?” That is the conclusion that conventional wisdom leads to. But when we fear the Lord, something new happens. Because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of true wisdom^[9] – wisdom that leads to abundant life and eternal satisfaction.

When a person fears the Lord, they are able to escape the traps of self-righteousness and self-indulgence and they are able to get what the others failed to achieve. The self-righteous reaches for religion and casts off enjoyment. The self-indulgent person does the opposite. When a person fears God, they are able to to live a life of true religion and true enjoyment.^[10] They are gifts God gives us freely as we walk with Him. Sanctification and satisfaction. Devoted and delighted.^[11]

Ecclesiastes 7:19 – ¹⁹ Wisdom makes the wise person stronger than ten rulers of a city.

Remember, the Teacher speaks from the level of human wisdom. That doesn’t mean these proverbs are wrong, just that they will not ultimately lead to the eternal guarantees we all long for.

Verse 19 encourages us to value wisdom over other traits in our leaders. More than success. More than strength. More than wealth. More than will. Wisdom, meaning thoughtful understanding, will benefit a city or a society most. That’s a good reminder for a country like ours where we have the privilege of choosing our leaders. Do you want a truly strong leader? Then pick a wise one.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 – ²⁰ There is certainly no one righteous on the earth who does good and never sins.

Even the Teacher in his secularism cannot help but preach this obvious truth. As we listen to his lecture, we can’t help but feel bad for the him. He’s the smartest person in the world. He’s the most accomplished, the most impressive, all the things. He’s right there, so close to the truths he really needs to grant him the hope and peace that he’s longing for. But, thus far, he won’t surrender himself to God. The Teacher recognizes that God is Judge over all the earth and is sovereign and that He has laws that we sin against. But the Teacher won’t give himself to the Lord. Not yet, anyway. And the result is that he is trapped in futility. He can’t shake the plague of unrighteousness.

Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 – ²¹ Don’t pay attention to everything people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you, ²² for in your heart you know that many times you yourself have cursed others.

It’s so easy for us to get upset about things people say or post or suggest. Social media really brings the worst out of us on that level. It thrives on aggravation. But listen: I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. Sometimes criticisms we hear are legitimate. And sometimes we misunderstand what was meant. Sometimes we hear things that were said in confidence. We can let it go.

In your version, this verse may say, “don’t take it to heart.” That was a good image for me. Our heart is a garden. What we plant there grows. If we plant these seeds of anger or resentment or bitterness, what kind of fruit do we think is going to come out? Be careful what you take to heart. Certain crops crowd out a lot of space and they produce nothing but rotten fruit.

Ecclesiastes 7:23 – ²³ I have tested all this by wisdom. I resolved, “I will be wise,” but it was beyond me.

How could the wisest man on earth be so disappointed? We know why. It’s because, in his old age, Solomon did not love the Lord.^[12] That is why peace and satisfaction and rest and fulfillment and meaning was always just beyond his reach. And that’s why the more he looked for good, the more he found bad not only in himself but also in others.

Ecclesiastes 7:24 – ²⁴ What exists is beyond reach and very deep. Who can discover it?

At the close of his life, Isaac Newton said, “I have been paddling in the shallows of a great ocean of knowledge.”^[13] A truly wise person is quick to recognize how much they don’t know.

The Teacher had the practical but not the eternal – the rational but not the essential. After all this time, he had no answer to what life is about. The further he went, the further he felt from the goal.

Ecclesiastes 7:25 – ²⁵ I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness.

He wants us to understand how meticulous he was in this pursuit. It wasn’t just a hobby. He wasn’t a weekend warrior. He dedicated himself to finding out the meaning of life, how to live a life that matters, how to have peace in his heart. What is the bottom line – what is the sum of all things?^[14]

Ecclesiastes 7:26 – ²⁶ And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a trap: her heart a net and her hands chains. The one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be captured by her.

Some use the next three verses as evidence that the Teacher was a deplorable sexist, or that the Bible is a chauvinistic book. The words taken without context or consideration are controversial. But let’s pause and remember what we know.

First, we know the Teacher isn’t anti-woman. He will say in chapter 9 that one of the best things a man can do is enjoy the wife that he loves. We also know that, as a person, Solomon had a great love for women. And we know how he venerated women in his other writings. The book of Proverbs ends not with the portrait of a great man, but of an excellent woman.

We also know that the Teacher is detailing the results of his personal study. These are his findings from his own experience. And we know that Solomon’s life was brought down to ruin because he surrounded himself and deeply attached his heart to pagan women who turned him away from the Lord.^[15] His relationships with them did become a net and chains, spiritually speaking.

Some scholars make a case that the Teacher is personifying folly as a woman in these verses the same way Solomon personified Wisdom and Folly as women in Proverbs. They also point out that there is a lot of reference to Genesis 1 through 3 in these verses.^[16]

So, before modern ears are offended, we should consider the whole context. Philip Ryken writes, “Taken as a whole, the Bible has as much (if not more) to say about sinful men than sinful women. Iniquity is an equal opportunity employer.”^[17]

As an application there are a couple of good warnings here. First, to the fellows: There are women out there who are a trap. Perhaps some of you are going to the computer and have what you think is a victimless relationship with an enticing woman or harem of women as you watch pornography, but you are actually being snared and chained. That’s something you need to escape from.

But then, the second warning is the fact that any of us could be a trap to another person. God has an opinion about who you should marry or stay married to. When we don’t follow Him, obey Him, and honor Him, we potentially become a dangerous trap to other people. And when we get into a marriage or extra-martial relationship that God wants to rescue us from or keep us from, the only result is misery. The Teacher is the expert on this and he is giving us firsthand testimony.

It’s so easy for us to put ourselves in the victim’s position, but we also need to acknowledge that we could also be the problem. Instead of causing problems because we’re trying to please our own flesh or go our own way, we’re called to please God. How does a person please God? Through faith. By believing God’s Word, by going God’s way, by trusting that God has an opinion, discerning it and following in it. In this example, by coupling in faith.

Ecclesiastes 7:27-28 – ²⁷ “Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation, ²⁸ which my soul continually searches for but does not find: I found one person in a thousand, but none of those was a woman.

Again, this isn’t sexism. A paraphrase of these verses is, “I have found very few people who please God—no one at all really.”^[18] There’s a poetic parallelism happening here.

Isn’t it interesting that his sample size is 1,000? How many wives and concubines did Solomon have? So, the Teacher says, “I looked all around at these people, trying to find someone who was upright, who had life figured out, and I found maybe one in a thousand.” Well, that ratio might improve if you didn’t fill your court with pagans who hated the God of Israel!

Meanwhile, the world is generally full of people who are not going God’s way – people captive in sin and stuck under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 – ²⁹ Only see this: I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.”

Schemes here can mean inventions or devices or downward path. It can mean people have gone after their own explanation of things.^[19] And this looks back to the fall of man in the Garden. God showed His way, man decided to go his own way. And Ecclesiastes is the result.

In ancient Babylonia there was a poem written that we call the Babylonian Theodicy. It was a piece of their wisdom literature. It’s very possible that it was known to Solomon – the dates work out.

In that poem, we’re told that the gods made humans the way they are today. It’s not our fault that we lie and slander and steal and kill. Those things were endowed to us by our creators.

But here is the truth: God made us upright. Perfect. We broke the world. We invented the ruin around us because we are determined to take a downward path to ruin and death.

But God, out of His love and grace, didn’t stop at being our Creator. He then went on to be our Savior and Redeemer and Advocate and Helper and Great Physician. And now, He invites us to join Him on the high road of heaven. The road that leads to life more abundantly. To joy and peace and purpose and satisfaction.

Today, we’re invited to walk with Him. We talked about those one in a thousand odds. The truth is you can be the one in a thousand the Teacher talked about in these verses, not by chance but by choice. You know the winning numbers. You can decide to be that person by believing God and walking with Him.

Have you seen the commercials where they have the old smokers who have to speak through that voice box hole in their throat? The point of those ads is simple: Don’t be like these people!

Here’s the Teacher saying, “My life is hevel. I’m totally dissatisfied and despondent. I still haven’t found what I’m looking for. Don’t be like me!” Instead, be one in a thousand. It’s not odds, it’s an opportunity God extends to every one of us. Have you taken Him up on it?