Heritage Reformed Baptist Mission
ECCLESIASTES
Chapter 9
Ecclesiastes 9:1-18
v. 1 - Though unable to know and understand the ways of God (as he wrote at the end of Chapter 8), the Preacher, by his diligent application of wisdom, did discover "that the righteous and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God," i.e., under His special protection
- "no man knoweth . . . before them" = who is loved and who is hated by God cannot be discerned by the outward events that happen, because . . .
v. 2 - "All . . . alike to all" = righteous men and evil men are rich and poor; healthy and sick; killed in battle; in and out of authority; educated and uneducated; rain falls "on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45); and, finally, all die
v. 3 - The fact of "one event to all" is taken by evil men to mean it makes no difference to God whether they love and obey Him or not, and so harden their hearts against Him and continue in more and more folly stopped only by death; except for the grace of God in Jesus Christ, no one would be saved
v. 4 - "there is hope" = of which the wicked dead have none
- "living dog . . . dead lion" = the poorest living beggar is in a better condition than the wealthiest of the wicked dead
v. 5 - "living know . . ." = which may give them pause to consider eternity and their relationship to God
- "dead know not . . ." = so far as their physical being and affairs of this world are concerned; as well as having no more opportunity for repentance toward God
- "neither . . . reward" = enjoyment of earthly labors and possessions cease, all having been left behind to be used or devoured by others
- "memory forgotten" = the wicked dead, in spite of their gains in this world, are soon forgotten - cf. Proverbs 10:7 - "the name of the wicked shall rot"
v. 6 - "love . . . hatred . . . envy . . . perished" = with regard to people and things in this world, these things are no longer observed and can no longer be exercised on earth
- "neither . . . portion . . . under the sun" = another way of stating all they had in life is forever gone from them
v. 7 - "merry" = Heb = 'good'
- Here the Preacher advises 'good' people (those who fear God; the righteous) to enjoy that which God gives, using it rather than abusing it as do the wicked - cf. 1 Corinthians 7:31; 1 Timothy 6:17
v. 8 - "white" = symbolic of joy; be joyful (cf. Philippians 4:4); be neat and clean in appearance
v. 9 - "days of the life of thy vanity" = Life at best is short, a vapor, full of trouble and difficulties; therefore, love and live joyfully with one wife all the days God gives, rather than, as Solomon, multiplying wives and so multiplying troubles
v. 10 - Life is the time to do good works (no other kind is commended in Scripture - cf. Ephesians 2:10; and to do them vigorously, diligently in obedience to the Lord - cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10
v. 11 - "time and chance" = opportunity and incident, each according to the providence of God, to which man must be alert (to opportunities) and submissive (to the purpose of God) if he is not to be disappointed - cf. Proverbs 16:33; Proverbs 20:24
v. 12 - Though the events of our lives are foreknown by God, none of us knows what or when they will be; they will suddenly come upon us as unsuspecting fish and birds are caught in baited traps; therefore, it behooves us to live one day at a time in absolute trust in the Lord with only His will and glory as the goal of our lives; then, Psalm 112:7
v. 13 - "This wisdom" = that which is described in vv. 14-16 following
vv. 14-15 - This apparently refers to an actual instance, such as is described in 2 Samuel 20:15-22 (though obviously not that event), and shows the superiority of wisdom over armed strength (cf. v. 11 - "nor the battle to the strong") and the ingratitude of those who benefit from the wisdom of others when they have none themselves
v. 16 - "poor man's wisdom is despised" = for no other reason than he is poor
- "words not heard" = after the danger is past or when no danger is perceived (as with men whose minds are blinded by Satan to their sins and the Gospel [cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4])
v. 17 - "words . . . in quiet" = spoken calmly and humbly as opposed to the proud ranting and raving of fools who think they know everything but in reality know little or nothing
v. 18 - "one sinner" = cf. Achan (Joshua 7) see also James 2:10 and Ecclesiastes 10:1