The Point of it All; 9:1-11:6
Central Verse:
“Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. Let your garments always be white; do not let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are 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 with your might; for there is not work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.” Eccl. 9:7-10
Central Truth:
Repeatedly in the book of Ecclesiastes Qoheleth reminds us to eat, drink, and enjoy life. Qoheleth is fairly clear that the enjoyment of life as such is a gift of God, for example in 6:2b, “Yet God does not enable them to enjoy these things, but a stranger enjoys them.”
A new and final component to this book is, “For God has long ago approved what you do.” This is not a divine stamp of approval on every aspect of human life. In fact, Qoheleth is very clear that there are some definite evils and wrongs in the world, such as a wise person who is ignored because they are poor, so God could not approve of this. What Qoheleth seems to be implying is that each one of us will receive these items for enjoyment, so we should receive them for the gifts that they are.
This idea of enjoying simple pleasures has suffered much abuse in our society. Most of us have heard the saying, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” In fact, the Apostle Paul rails against this idea. We must balance a view of enjoying the simple pleasures in life with the demands of the Christian life. We are not called to squander, but there is something to be said about finding pleasure in the work we do. Or we can take Jesus’ example, who made his presence known not only through suffering on the cross, but also at the wedding feast at Canan.
Food for Thought: (questions about the text)
What is the point of finding enjoyment in life?
What does it means for wisdom and folly to be in competition?
Eccl. 11:1-2 has been very difficult for interpreters. What do you think Qoheleth is saying here?
What might the relationship of Eccl. 11:1-2 be with the theme verse for this lesson?
Connections: (time with our society)
Our world today is populated by some very famous and popular atheists: John Lennon, Stephen Hawkings, and Richard Dawkins to name a few. Their belief is that this life is all there is, and that there is nothing after death. Qoheleth would agree with them. There is no concept of the afterlife presented by Qoheleth. For the Teacher, the only thing we have is to enjoy the simple pleasures and the work which we engage in. The hope that atheists have is that someone will remember them; however that doesn’t work with Qoheleth. He knows that people forget faster than they remember.
As Christians, we must do something with this concept that Qoheleth seems to agree with atheists. I’m of the opinion that a Christian is called to balance the enjoyment of life with the acknowledgment that God is ultimately the one who provides that enjoyment, and that at some point in history, creation will be remade by God.
We need to accept the frank view of Qoheleth, acknowledging that as Christians, our belief in the resurrection is faith, not scientific fact. And as a matter of faith, we can join with Qoheleth in living out the joys that God gives us. This is not a call to partying to forget the trials of life, as our society does. People today live for the partying weekend to escape the daily grind and the crushing reality that while they hope to be someone important, they are actually just another life that in 100 years no-one will remember. Qoheleth essentially says, who cares, enjoy what you have! Jesus even demonstrates this idea to us by enjoying the wedding at Canaan. It is not a sober picture, it is a joyous one, it is a laughing Jesus.
Application:
Questions:
Discussion:
Group Activity: Break into pairs and discuss the theme verse:
What does it mean in context?
What does it mean in your life?
What does it mean in relation to your faith in Christ?
Close in Prayer
“Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. Let your garments always be white; do not let oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are 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 with your might; for there is not work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.” Eccl. 9:7-10
Central Truth:
Repeatedly in the book of Ecclesiastes Qoheleth reminds us to eat, drink, and enjoy life. Qoheleth is fairly clear that the enjoyment of life as such is a gift of God, for example in 6:2b, “Yet God does not enable them to enjoy these things, but a stranger enjoys them.”
A new and final component to this book is, “For God has long ago approved what you do.” This is not a divine stamp of approval on every aspect of human life. In fact, Qoheleth is very clear that there are some definite evils and wrongs in the world, such as a wise person who is ignored because they are poor, so God could not approve of this. What Qoheleth seems to be implying is that each one of us will receive these items for enjoyment, so we should receive them for the gifts that they are.
This idea of enjoying simple pleasures has suffered much abuse in our society. Most of us have heard the saying, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” In fact, the Apostle Paul rails against this idea. We must balance a view of enjoying the simple pleasures in life with the demands of the Christian life. We are not called to squander, but there is something to be said about finding pleasure in the work we do. Or we can take Jesus’ example, who made his presence known not only through suffering on the cross, but also at the wedding feast at Canan.
Food for Thought: (questions about the text)
What is the point of finding enjoyment in life?
What does it means for wisdom and folly to be in competition?
Eccl. 11:1-2 has been very difficult for interpreters. What do you think Qoheleth is saying here?
What might the relationship of Eccl. 11:1-2 be with the theme verse for this lesson?
Connections: (time with our society)
Our world today is populated by some very famous and popular atheists: John Lennon, Stephen Hawkings, and Richard Dawkins to name a few. Their belief is that this life is all there is, and that there is nothing after death. Qoheleth would agree with them. There is no concept of the afterlife presented by Qoheleth. For the Teacher, the only thing we have is to enjoy the simple pleasures and the work which we engage in. The hope that atheists have is that someone will remember them; however that doesn’t work with Qoheleth. He knows that people forget faster than they remember.
As Christians, we must do something with this concept that Qoheleth seems to agree with atheists. I’m of the opinion that a Christian is called to balance the enjoyment of life with the acknowledgment that God is ultimately the one who provides that enjoyment, and that at some point in history, creation will be remade by God.
We need to accept the frank view of Qoheleth, acknowledging that as Christians, our belief in the resurrection is faith, not scientific fact. And as a matter of faith, we can join with Qoheleth in living out the joys that God gives us. This is not a call to partying to forget the trials of life, as our society does. People today live for the partying weekend to escape the daily grind and the crushing reality that while they hope to be someone important, they are actually just another life that in 100 years no-one will remember. Qoheleth essentially says, who cares, enjoy what you have! Jesus even demonstrates this idea to us by enjoying the wedding at Canaan. It is not a sober picture, it is a joyous one, it is a laughing Jesus.
Application:
Questions:
Discussion:
Group Activity: Break into pairs and discuss the theme verse:
What does it mean in context?
What does it mean in your life?
What does it mean in relation to your faith in Christ?
Close in Prayer
Comments