How to Live Before You Die (Ecclesiastes 9:1-10)

Big Idea: True success comes from recognizing God's sovereignty, accepting death's certainty, and fully embracing life's pleasures while we can.

This morning I would like to ask you a question. I want you to answer: what is success?

I came across one definition of success this past week. Success is:

• The wealth of Bill Gates;
• The physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger (or Cindy Crawford);
• The intelligence of Albert Einstein;
• The athletic ability of Michael Jordan;
• The business prowess of Donald Trump;
• The social grace and poise of Jackie Kennedy;
• The imagination of Walt Disney;
• The heart of Mother Teresa.

That sounds absurd, doesn't it?

As we've said before, things haven't changed in the past few thousand years. In Ecclesiastes, people grapple with the same questions we face today. What is success? What is the meaning of life?

Solomon tried many different approaches in his life, and nothing worked. He tried materialism, pleasure, humanism, and even fatalism. The reason Ecclesiastes is so relevant today is because these approaches are still being tried, often with disastrous results.

In 1923, a small group of the world's wealthiest men met at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. At the time, these men controlled more money than the total amount contained in the United States Treasury. Of the seven men at the meeting, two died broke, two died soon after being released from prison, and three committed suicide. Clearly, their approach to success was not the right one.

Three Realities

Please look with me at Ecclesiastes 9. Having explored life and its meaninglessness, and finding a number of unsatisfactory approaches, Solomon is drawing some important conclusions. He presents us with three major realities that give our lives definition and meaning. These three things are reliable. They're fail-safe.

If you and I are going to have the right approach to life, these are three realities we will have to confront.

The sovereign hand of God

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. (Ecclesiastes 9:1)

Verse 1 says, "I reflected on all this." Serious Bible students like us immediately ask the question, "All what?" To really understand what he's referring to, you have to look back to what he was discussing in chapter eight. The theme in chapter eight is human ignorance of God's providence. We can't understand much of what happens in life.

Verse one concludes his observations with this thought: the future is in God's hand, and no one knows whether that future will be good or bad. Only God knows our future, whether it will bring blessing ("love") or sorrow ("hatred").

"The hand of God" is upon all of us. Everything is under God's control – nothing happens outside the sovereign power of God's hand. But that's no guarantee that things will always go well. The verse says, "No one knows whether love or hate awaits him." Being in the hand of God is no guarantee of economic prosperity, physical health, freedom from pain, or popularity.

We don't know the troubles that we will face tomorrow. But we can know one thing beyond a doubt: a caring God is in control, and nothing takes place apart from his sovereign control.

As James says:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

We tend to make plans as if we were sovereign. The fact is, we don't even know what will happen in ten minutes. Before the day is over, the trajectory of our lives could change completely. But God is in control. God is in control of every circumstance in your life. This is a reality that gives our lives definition and meaning.

We must face the reality of God's sovereignty. Here's the second reality we must face.

The absolute certainty of death

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. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:2-3)

Solomon expands on his earlier point: everyone, both good and bad, faces an uncertain future. No one knows what the future will hold. But he further develops this thought by stating man's ultimate destiny: death. Verse 3 says, "Afterward they join the dead." Death is unavoidable.

Hebrews says:

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.(Hebrews 9:27-28)

Death is an appointment that all of us have and none of us can cancel. An Indiana cemetery has a tombstone over a hundred years old that bears this epitaph:

Pause, Stranger, when you pass me by,
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am know, so you will be,
So prepare for death and follow me.

An unknown passerby had read these words and scratched this reply below:

To follow you I’m not content,
Until I know which way you went.

There's a beautiful scene in the classic novel The Pilgrim's Progress. Death is pictured as the Jordan River, and the Celestial City is on the other side. To reach heaven, you have to cross the river. In the book, Hopeful enters the Jordan River and calls back, "Be of good cheer, my brother, for I feel the bottom, and it is sound."

The believer doesn't fear death.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

"Death is swallowed up in victory."

"O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"
(1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

The late Joseph Bayly wrote a book called The Last Thing We Talk About. Listen to what he writes: "Death is the great adventure beside which moon landings and space trips pale into insignificance."

You get that kind of confidence when you're a Christ-follower, when you've trusted Christ as Savior. Woody Allen said, "I don't fear death – I just don't want to be there."

You know, I want to be there. I want to be on hand as I leave this world for a better one. I have the assurance that when I place my foot in the Jordan River, I will feel the bottom and it will be sound.

I want to live knowing I'm heading to a better place. Every moment and decision should reflect this understanding. Only a believer can live like this.

The reality is that we're on this earth only a short time. There's this little song:

Did you ever think when the hearse rolls by
That you could be the next to die?

Jesus said we ought to be storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where we're going to spend much more time than we'll ever spend here in this life. This is a reality you need to confront. Only a believer has nothing to fear from death.

There's one more reality we'll face from this passage. But before we continue, maybe it's time to allow you to respond to the reality of death. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Because of this, no one is going to heaven.

The Bible tells us that "the wages of sin is death." But listen to the next part of this verse – "but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

To receive the gift of eternal life, Scripture states: "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).

We must face the reality of God's sovereignty, and the certainty of death. Here's the third reality we must face.

Hope for the living

But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 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. 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. (Ecclesiastes 9:4-6)

Although everyone experiences both hardships and blessings and we all face death, Solomon advises us not to despair about life. Life has its advantages over death!

"Even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!" Back then, the dog had about as much respect as a rat does today. So Solomon is saying, "It's better to be alive and dishonored rather than honored and dead."

Only the alive can experience knowledge, love, even hate, and jealousy. These are advantages we have over the dead.

We're going to conclude this morning with Solomon's advice in light of these realities. And we're going to have some fun doing it. In light of these realities, Solomon's advice is, "Enjoy life as God enables." Solomon advises us to fully enjoy life, as it is a gift from God, especially in light of life's uncertainties and death.

If someone repeats something five times, I know it’s important. This is the fifth time Solomon tells us to enjoy life, except this time he spells it out in more detail in verses 7 to 10.

Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.

Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10)

Friends, listen – life is not a sentence leveled against us. We are not designed to live every day with some heavy cloud hanging over us. God is not a cosmic killjoy who wants to take away our enjoyment.

I grew up seeing God as a stern, judgmental figure who preferred seriousness over joy. But God created this world with textures and colors and tastes and sensations and emotions for us to enjoy.

Solomon advised us to enjoy life, specifically our work and the simple pleasures it brings. Food and wine, fine clothes, and pleasant lotions. In the past, extravagant diets were uncommon. But Solomon advises, even when the menu is a simple one – just a little bread and wine enjoy it!

I love the advice to wear fine clothes and pleasant lotions. Back then, these luxuries would be enjoyed only on special occasions. Solomon advises always wearing these things! In other words, make every day a special occasion!

Bring out the good china – some people are always saving it for special occasions that never seem to happen. Delight in every day, even in the routine.

Verse 9 encourages enjoying your marriage. Proverbs 18:22 and 19:14 speak of a wife as a gift from God. The Bible sees marriage as a loving commitment that lasts a lifetime.

Warren Wiersbe says, "No matter how difficult life may be, there is great joy in the home of the man and woman who love each other and are faithful to their marriage vows." Solomon adds the phrase, "all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun"—meaning that life is short. Enjoy these things while you can.

Verse 10 encourages you to take pleasure in your work. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going" (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

The Jewish people looked upon work not as a curse but as a stewardship under God. Solomon tells us that we ought to be doing our very best at work and finding fulfillment there. The things that make up our enjoyment now won't be present in the grave, so make the most of your opportunities now!

I have a feeling that Solomon would agree with the phrase, "Seize the day!" Make the most of every day; live life to the fullest. You know, if we fear God and walk by faith, we don't have to escape or merely endure life. We will receive immeasurable enjoyment from life and receive it as a gift from the Lord.

One preacher says:

If you are waiting to live it up when you're six feet under, pal, you're in for a major disappointment! The time to live is now. And the way to do it is to pull out all the stops and play full volume… There's a contagious enthusiasm in the way we're supposed to live. When we do, life becomes exciting, infectiously happy. It's made up of eating good food and drinking good drink and enjoying a wife or husband.

As one poet wrote:

Don’t be bashful.
Bite in.
Pick it up with your fingers and
let the juice that may
run down your chin.

Life is ready and ripe
NOW
whenever you are.
You don’t need a knife or fork
or spoon or napkin or tablecloth

For there is no core
or stem
or rind
or pit
or seed
or skin
to throw away