READING: Ecclesiastes 7-12
TEXTS AND APPLICATION: In Ecclesiastes 9:2-3, the writer recognizes that all people face one fate: death. The righteous or the wicked, the good or the bad, the clean or the unclean, the one who sacrifices or the one who doesn’t — all will die. In the light of that truth, here is how he encourages us to live:
Ecc. 9:7-10 Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head. 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. 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.
The overall conclusion of Ecclesiastes is that we are to fear God and keep His commands (Ecc. 12:13-14), so these words are not an encouragement toward unhealthy hedonism. They are simply wise words: even in a world where we face “struggle under the sun,” we are to relish life, celebrate our blessings, enjoy our family, and do everything we do with gusto. The latter words of v. 10 remind me of 1 Corinthians 10:31 — “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for God’s glory."
PRAYER: Say a prayer that we will enjoy God and His blessings today. Life is too short to miss the joy.
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9
