A sermon preached at Covenant Presbyterian Church of Fort Smith, Arkansas on September 3, 2023.
When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it. out. 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. 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. 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. 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 8:16-9:10).[1]
In the remake of the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” starring Ben Stiller, the first scene begins with Walter sitting in his tidy and meticulously clean kitchenette, balancing his checkbook. The scene is colored in muted blues, conveying the mono-colored, monotones, mundane life that Walter leads. But within minutes we learn that this is not the case with Walter’s imaginary life. Escaping reality in his daydreams, Walter is the death-defying hero who saves his lovely co-worker, Cheryl, and her dog from a burning building. The problem is, of course, daydreams don’t last; he must come back to reality—problems at work, struggles with family, the ordinariness of life. But for Walter, real life moments are merely interludes in between dreams.
The parody is perfect, picturing how many people live their lives: trudging through day-to-day life in between their preferred forms of escapism. It’s no way to live, but one day turns into two turns into 365, as we numb ourselves to life, amusing ourselves to death. I wonder how many of us have lost our wonder of life itself, the radiance of a sunrise, the majesty of a mountain’s silhouette, a summer shower, a child’s laughter, a friend’s hug, a favorite hymn, a quiet prayer. Sometimes we need reminding: Life is beautiful.
This is where Ecclesiastes, in my opinion, is at its best. Solomon will not let us slide into daydreams of how good life could be, nor “zone out” as we walk through each day. Reality is better than fantasy when we see the God-glorifying beauty of the ordinary. A crispy baguette, smoked gouda, and a glass of merlot beat the finest five-star meal of your imagination. Getting up, getting dressed, and getting out beats sleeping, slouching, sloughing your day away, every day. Learning to love someone selflessly for life far surpasses all the selfish impulses and fantasies of your flesh. And a need met by a gift used, enjoys the satisfaction of a job well done. Life really is beautiful, but you must live it and love it to know it.
The Deep Things of God
Part of recognizing the beauty of life is accepting its mysteries. If you will never be satisfied unless you understand it all, you will never be satisfied. There is wisdom in knowing our limits, starting with the limits of wisdom. With all his God-given wisdom, Solomon sought to know and see what God is doing in our lives, resulting in a three-fold confession: “man cannot find out,” “he will not find it out,” “he cannot find it out” (8:16-17). Solomon’s repetition is intentional: Embrace the mystery.
In William Cowper’s “God Moves in a Mysterious Way,” we sing:
Deep in unfathomable mines
of never-failing skill;
He treasures up His bright designs,
and works His sov’reign will.
Rightly does Cowper put the emphasis on God’s skill, designs, and will, but we must remember that what he does is “Deep in unfathomable mines.” Indeed, we “cannot find it out.”
Embracing the mystery of God’s work in our lives does not mean that everything is a mystery, that he reveals nothing. As Moses taught the Israelites, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29). God has revealed his “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature” (Rom. 1:20) in creation, and his special revelation in his Word. We are not only without excuse in what God has revealed, but he has revealed himself to us perfectly in the person of Jesus Christ, “who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
Through faith in Christ, we are born again, justified as righteous, adopted as God’s child, sanctified unto Christlikeness, and bound for glory. In Christ, we know that God is working all things together for good, not a good defined by the world, the flesh, and the devil but the godly good of conforming us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28-29), including all the mysterious twists and turns of this life, beautifully used for our good and God’s glory.
We must be careful then to read life through the lens of worldly judgment. For example, does faith in and obedience to Christ guarantee good times? Do trials and tribulations, or tragedy, reveal disobedience? Can you look at the circumstances of a person’s life and discern God’s favor or disfavor? Job’s friends thought you could. Solomon says you can’t; God only knows. Our “deeds” for, or “service” to,[2] God are “in the hand of God” (9:1). It is God’s judgment of our deeds that matters, and his purpose that prevails.
We must guard against practicing “karma Christianity,” believing in a perfect correlation in which godliness rewards good things and wickedness renders punishment. In this life, “It is the same for all” (9:2), Solomon says. Righteous and wicked people get cancer. Hurricanes hit the homes of the good and the evil. Job’s children died because of his righteousness; Zedekiah’s died for his wickedness. God is pleased when we keep a vow, but his sun rises and his rain falls even on those who take his name in vain (Matt. 5:45).
The Sad Reality of Death
Such are the mysteries of this life, which render not God’s actions arbitrary but reveal the clouded clarity of our judgment. Every recipient of God’s common grace presumes upon its repetition, despite our undeserving nature, when what we deserve is death:
‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.’ … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. … [and] the wages of sin is death
(Rom. 3:10-12, 23; 6:23a).
And so all, who deserve to die, die, an unnatural finality for every son and daughter of Adam. A decomposing corpse has no knowledge, no reward, no remembrance, no passion (whether love, or hate, or envy), no share of an inheritance in this life under the sun.
Now, this may strike you as profoundly unchristian and contrary to the gospel promise of eternal life. But we must be careful to understand Solomon’s wisdom in context.He is not contradicting immortality; he’s not talking about it at all. Instead, he’s emphasizing, perhaps morbidly, the sad reality of death, and through it an appreciation for life.A dirty dog is better than a dead lion for one reason only: the dog is alive.
I have a friend whose wife has cancer. Despite all the medical treatments up to this point, the cancer continues to show up.They’ve decided to resort to chemotherapy, but before starting, the doctor advised that they take a long vacation. What do you think that was like? Do you think they treasured their time together? Do you think their walks were a little slower, their conversation a little sweeter, their embraces a little longer?I don’t know, but it’s caused me to stop and reflect on all the God-given pleasures of this life, how undeserving I am, and how beautiful life is.
The Happy Pleasures of God
Yet, how often do we take such happy pleasures of God for granted? The sage says, “One who is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet” (Prov. 27:7). The hungrier we are the better food tastes, and the more we appreciate the simple pleasures God gives the more beautiful life is. Solomon says, “God has already approved” our enjoyment of what he gives; he is pleased in our pleasure.
So, Solomon, for the sixth time thus far in Ecclesiastes, exhorts us to enjoy. In fact, he commands it: go, eat, drink, enjoy, do. “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart” (9:7). Food and drink aren’t merely fuel for the furnace; they’re pleasures to be enjoyed. Did God not say in the beginning, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden [except for one]” (Gen. 2:17)? Is it no wonder that as many came to faith in Christ in the early church, they ate together in one another’s homes and “received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God” (Acts 2:46-47)? Who more than those saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ should enjoy their bread and wine with one another, with thanksgiving and praise?
Solomon moves from food and drink to attire and grooming: “Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head” (9:8). White clothes meant clean clothes. Solomon’s not talking about color but cleanliness, in other words, don’t be a dirty, sloppy, slouch. Likewise, oil was used in grooming and conveyed health, vigor, and joy. There’s nothing godly about looking ugly. Take care of yourself because you’re a child of the King.
And it doesn’t hurt to be clean and looking good also for the one you love. Because marriage is a gift from God, for those who are called to it, a covenant union that includes enjoying all these simple pleasures of life together. Yet, how often do we take our spouses for granted? How does everyone else get your best, only to bring home the leftovers? Here is a command that every married couple needs to hear, especially those with young children in the home: Enjoy life with your spouse all the days of your short life on planet earth!
And believe it or not, such an attitude carries over to your work too. As God has called us to work and keep creation (Gen. 1:28), work is our calling. So, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in [the grave]” (9:10). As “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever,”[3] we glorify God in fulfilling our creation calling, working to the glory of God. Paul says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord” (Col. 3:23). Let’s bring back the “Protestant work ethic” and teach ourselves and the next generation to find satisfaction in a job well done!
All these happy pleasures are given by God to be enjoyed. This doesn’t mean that we will enjoy all of them or any of them all the time. Nor do any of these pleasures negate the reality that we live in a fallen world full of sin and misery. But what it does mean is that God gives us simple things in this life, before we die, so simple that we forget about them or take them for granted, happy pleasures to be enjoyed, giving thanks and praise to God for them. And it is through these happy pleasures that we get a glimpse of what’s to come.
In Marilynne Robinson’s brilliant novel Gilead, the narrator, Congregational minister John Ames, who is nearing the end of his life, is writing a letter to his very young son, a child of his old age. It is a lengthy letter that he intends for his son to read when he is much older, well after his father’s death. There are several themes in the novel, one of which is the beauty of friendship. Reverend Ames’s lifelong best friend is Reverend Robert Boughton, the town’s Presbyterian minister.
One day, Ames goes to visit Boughton, who is also nearing death, and finds him sitting on his front porch enjoying the cool breeze and the smell of fresh cut grass. He’s also thinking about heaven. Ames recalls,
Boughton says he has more ideas about heaven every day. He said, ‘Mainly I just think about the splendors of the world and multiply by two. I’d multiply by ten or twelve if I had the energy. But two is much more than sufficient for my purposes.’ So he is just sitting there multiplying the feel of the wind by two, multiplying the smell of the grass by two.”[4]
In a sense, Boughton is taking Solomon’s counsel and translating it to thoughts of heaven, multiplying the happy pleasures of God by two.
Search as we may, work as we might, we will never find heaven on this earth. But through the enjoyment of God’s simple gifts, the “splendors of this world,” we’ll get a sense of what’s to come for all who are in Christ Jesus. And in this sense, life is truly beautiful.
[1] Unless referenced otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001).
[2] Benjamin Shaw, Ecclesiastes: Life in a Fallen World (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2019), 125.
[3] “The Shorter Catechism” Q. 1, The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms (Lawrenceville: PCA Christian Education and Publications, 2007), 355.
[4] Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (New York: Picador, 2004), 147.
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