Death Is Meaningless without Jesus

Ecclesiastes 9:1-10

Main Idea: Death can render all of life’s actions meaningless, but Jesus gives an abundant and eternal life.

1. Death Can Render All of Life’s Actions Meaningless (9:1-6).
2. Death Can Render All of Life’s Actions Meaningful (9:7-10).
3. Jesus Delivers from Death and Gives Abundant, Eternal Life.

The first time I ever really encountered death was when one of my mom’s best friends, Kathy Stanley, died from cancer. I was about nine or ten years old when she died. It was such a shock because our families were so close. Every Sunday night after the evening church service, we would all go back to our house, order Little Caesar’s pizza, and hang out. The Stanleys had two boys about our age, and we loved spending time together. When Kathy was initially diagnosed with cancer, the treatments worked and she recovered, but eventually the cancer came back. And it came back with a vengeance. One night my dad called a family meeting, and we all gathered in the living room for him to tell us that Kathy had died, leaving behind her husband and two young boys. Not only was that the first time in my life I really had to deal with death, but when my dad did the eulogy during the funeral, it was the first time I ever saw my dad cry. It was unsettling.

One thing is abundantly clear: death is a predator that tracks us down. We can’t outrun death no matter how much kale we eat, how many medicines we take, how many diets we try, how many botox injections we receive, or how many workout programs we do. Death really seems to render life senseless because it cancels out everything we do, and all our human effort is not the ultimate factor in whether we die or live. Effort, in the end, has nothing to do with it. There are really fit people whose hearts give out and they die young, and there are chain smokers who live into their nineties.

That is Solomon’s point here in Ecclesiastes. It does not matter how wise you are, how much money you make, how much comfort you have, how successful you are, how religious you are, or how cleanly you live your life. Death is the great equalizer. This human assassin comes looking for us all, and he will find you. Death robs your life of value. So what do we do about this? Ecclesiastes 9:1-10 gives an intriguing analysis and outlook on life and death.

Death Can Render All of Life’s Actions Meaningless

Ecclesiastes 9:1-6

This passage is basically the crescendo for Solomon’s point about the meaninglessness of life. If this cursed world is all there is, and there is no God or life beyond the grave, then everything is meaningless. Death cancels all of our actions. Solomon drives us to the reality of death in this passage so he can tell us how to handle death.

Solomon was a sage who methodically examined the reality of death in this cursed world. He analyzed how the righteous and the wise and their actions are in God’s hands and how man does not know if that indicates God’s love or hate (9:1). Here is the basic idea: God sovereignly rules over our lives, which according to Ecclesiastes 3 are subject to His timing, and our surroundings give us no clue as to what God really thinks of us (Enns, Ecclesiastes, 82). We cannot use our circumstances to determine if God loves us or hates us, accepts us or rejects us.

This concept runs against the grain of a lot of Christian silliness that says, “If you are faithful, then you will be prosperous.” Many preachers and churches claim that if you really love God, then you will be happy, healthy, and wealthy. Books tell you that if you pray certain prayers then your territory will be expanded. But as Matt Chandler points out, John the Baptist was godly and did not get his territory expanded; he got his head cut off (“Daily Contact”). Being in God’s hand is not synonymous with prosperity, health, or a pain-free life (Hunt, Ecclesiastes, 51). God’s people do suffer, but we trust that Jesus is enough, that He is in control, and that His timing and plan are best in the midst of the suffering!

Therefore, since godliness is not a guarantee of prosperity or comfort, we cannot look at our circumstances to determine if God is for or against us. The main place we see this kind of chaos is death because it comes to all regardless of how they live (9:2). To demonstrate the truth that everyone is affected by death, Solomon gives six meristic pairs to show the totality of death’s reign. It does not matter if you are righteous or wicked, good or evil, clean or unclean, one who sacrifices or one who does not, a good person or a sinner, or one who makes oaths or one who does not. Death comes to all. This statement is significant coming from an Israelite because Solomon is basically saying that being an obedient Israelite really amounts to nothing at the end of the day (Enns, Ecclesiastes, 94–95).

This situation proves that life’s circumstances give no clue as to what God really thinks of us. After all, the things that are supposed to matter most to Him—sacrifices, oaths, and living by the law—seem to make no real difference (Kidner, Ecclesiastes, 82). Regardless of how moral or religious we are, we all die. Again, death is the great equalizer. Ecclesiastes has written meaninglessness or futility over everything, and death is the climax of life’s absurdity. The cynical bumper sticker says it well: “Life is a dog [actually a more colorful word] and then you die.” Why bother to live a godly life when we all end up the same way in the end (Hunt, Ecclesiastes, 52)? Death’s tyranny shows there is a curse on the world and something has gone terribly wrong.

Kidner argues that Ecclesiastes 9:3 calls the universality of death the greatest evil in the world (Kidner, Ecclesiastes, 82). We were made to live (Gen 1–2), but we all end up dying (Gen 3). Solomon adds the reason we all die: Adam’s sons are full of evil and go to the dead. Solomon makes an explicit connection with the fall. We have inherited corruption, sin, and death from our first father, Adam (cf. Rom 5:12-19). If any of us doubt this reality, we can just look at our children and see that we all inherit a sin nature. The other day my 18-months-old son, Judson, wanted to go up the stairs by himself, which is a bad idea because unattended he might break something—most likely himself. So I told him, no and started to carry him back down the stairs. When I picked him up, he screamed and pulled my hair. Where did he learn that? He’s never seen his parents do that. Never one time have I pulled my wife’s hair because I wasn’t getting my way. He did not have to be taught to do that because he is a born sinner. Not only are we all sinners, but also, as was said in the beginning, the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23; cf. Gen 2:17; Rom 5:12). Ecclesiastes 9 makes clear that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, and the wages for that sin is death for all. Because I sin, death will come for me. Because you sin, death will come for you.

In Ecclesiastes 9:4-6 the author states the relative advantage of life over death. Life is slightly more advantageous than death despite the meaninglessness of life in this cursed world. The reason for the minor advantage is that those who are still alive have hope because a live dog is better than a dead lion. First of all, I love this verse because it is biblical proof for something we all know to be true—dogs are better than cats, even big cats! Second, modern persons like ourselves do not really understand what is going on in this verse because we think of dogs as “man’s best friend.” Dogs are cute, domesticated animals that often live in our homes and lie on our furniture, but in the ancient world dogs were scavengers—like vultures or rats in our society. Dogs would feast on dead flesh, as when the dogs licked up Ahab’s blood or ate Queen Jezebel’s corpse (1 Kgs 22; 2 Kgs 9). Lions, by contrast, are powerful and stately. The author’s point is that even a disgusting scoundrel of a person is better off than a noble person who is dead (Keller, “Search for Justice”). Why? It is better to be morally dirty and alive than noble and dead because the dead have no consciousness, they have no reward, they are forgotten. All of their emotions, both positive and negative, are gone, and they no longer have any portion of anything allocated to them under the sun (Eccl 9:5-6). Again, if life under the sun is all there is, then death wipes away everything—all our memories, all our possessions, all our feelings, and all our relationships. Plus, if life under the sun is all there is, there is nothing beyond the grave. On the other hand, the living at least have hope because they can be conscious of the fact that they will die. That is the advantage. The living have a chance to reckon with the reality of death and do something about it (Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 331). They can enjoy life as a gift, repent of evil, and live differently in the face of death.

The problem is that most people, instead of reckoning with death, waste the little time they have on planet Earth with distractions (Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 331). Many do not think about death but instead live as if they have an endless supply of days ahead of them. Solomon calls this foolishness. Not contemplating death causes you to be an unwise person. On the other hand, some look at death and say silly things like, “Live every day as if it were your last!” So many movies are made with this premise, and so many “poppy” sermons have the same kind of application. So much of Christian “teaching” has become one-liner pop-culture fortune cookies. No! Do not live every day as if it were your last. If tomorrow were truly your last day, then there would be no reason to go to work, pay your bills, do your chores, study for an exam, or a thousand other things we must do. Do not live every day as if it were your last, but do live as if you have a set number of days. Live as if you do not get an endless supply. Living your life with this in mind is wise because it will help you not be careless with your spouse, miss out on time with your children, be indifferent at your job, or other such distractions.

Solomon turns now to instruct us on how to live life in the face of death’s certainty. While death can render all of life’s actions meaningless . . .

Death Can Render All of Life’s Actions Meaningful

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10

Wow! These ideas may sound contradictory, but the reality of death can render life meaningless or incredibly meaningful. That is Solomon’s argument here, an argument he has made throughout the book. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, since that is the end of all mankind, and the living should take it to heart.” Contemplate death and take it to heart so you can enjoy life. That is his point. Go to a funeral rather than a party so that you can contemplate your frailty and finitude as a means to live wisely and enjoy life.

Facing death has a way of making you enjoy life more. One Sunday morning, a few years back, I received a call at 4:45 a.m. from my associate pastor who told me that a woman in our church named Katy, who was about 20 weeks pregnant at the time, had suffered a massive brain aneurism and was on life support at the hospital. I was devastated to receive that call. Katy and her husband TJ had two children and a third on the way. I had led Katy to the Lord and baptized her. It was shocking and heartbreaking to hear what had happened. As soon as the morning services were over, I rushed down to the hospital. I remember walking into the ICU waiting room, and the first person I saw was Katy’s mother-in-law. When she saw me, she screamed at me, “No! There is no God if this is happening!” I just hugged her and tried to console her. The situation was grim. Katy’s brain function had ceased. They were keeping her plugged into a machine in order to try to get the baby to a viable delivery date. Unfortunately, due to the trauma, the baby could not stay in. She was delivered and within an hour died. I was in the room looking at this father holding his dead baby girl in his arms, his wife in the room next door about to die, and I just sobbed. He let me hold his baby girl, and it broke my heart. A little later on I prayed over the family before they unplugged Katy, and she died within seconds. A few days later I would perform a funeral for a young mom with her dead baby girl lying on her chest in an open casket. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do in ministry. However, when I got home from the hospital that first night, I squeezed my wife, I squeezed my girls, I fell to the ground with them while tears streamed down my cheeks, and I would not let go! The gut-wrenching reality of death caused me to love, enjoy, and appreciate my family in a way I had not just 24 hours earlier.

Solomon tells us that in the face of death’s harsh reality, we should enjoy life. He commands us to seize the day—carpe diem. As Murphy points out, the content of these verses is the same as previous sections, but the tone is different because it is in imperative language (Murphy, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 209). Solomon gives a representative list of six things we should enjoy in life.

First, he says to eat your bread with pleasure (v. 7). Enjoy your meals, eat good food, and see meals as a chance for fellowship. Food is a wonderful gift from God meant to bring us nourishment but also pleasure, taste, variety, and an opportunity for relationships. God gives us the gift of food for us to enjoy it as a means to worship Him with grateful hearts for His provision and creativity.

Second, he says to drink your wine with a glad heart for God has already approved of what you do (v. 7). The consumption of beverage alcohol is a controversial issue in our day for many reasons. One reason I have seen up close and personal is the damaging effects of alcohol on families. My mom spent a decade of her life in the Georgia Baptist Children’s Home because of alcoholic parents who could not care for her. Because of many people’s experiences, the issue of beverage alcohol is touchy and painful. Yet we do need to adopt a biblical approach to this subject as we let the lens of God’s authority determine how we view our own experiences. We need to be honest and open about what the Bible says.

On the one hand, the Bible strongly condemns drunkenness in any form. On the other hand it is open to moderate, self-controlled drinking. I think when it comes to the diverse approaches to alcohol among Christians that Paul’s instruction to the church at Rome in Romans 14 is helpful for us. Paul instructs believers in the Roman church not to judge one another by what one eats or drinks (Rom 14:1-19), and he also says not to do something that would cause a weaker brother to stumble (Rom 14:21). Thus, one could choose a teetotaler position for wisdom’s and witness’s sake, or one could choose a moderation position. Both positions could be perfectly biblical. The larger issue for Paul is that it should not become a reason for division in the church. Cut each other some slack! Be mindful of your brothers’ weak points. But above all, be loving toward one another recognizing there will be different ways the conscience is affected by this issue.

For Solomon’s part here in Ecclesiastes, wine was simply the drink of choice in ancient Israel, and so he says that part of enjoying life is enjoying a tasty beverage. That could apply to all kinds of drink options we have today. Diet Coke is certainly on my dad’s tasty beverage list!

Third, he tells them to wear white all the time (v. 8), which means to wear festive clothing. The instruction to wear white is culturally conditioned. White was the garment of choice because of the hot temperatures in the Middle East (Murphy, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 209). The idea is to wear celebratory clothes that fit your cultural context.

Fourth, he says to put oil on your head (v. 8). Again, the Middle East is arid, and skin can get dry. Oil was a means of protecting the skin in the Middle Eastern heat (Longman, Ecclesiastes, 230). Protect your skin from the heat so you can enjoy life. These last two commands would be good ideas for guys trying to get dates. Dress nice; put something smooth and nice smelling on your skin.

Fifth, he says to enjoy your wife (v.9). Love your wife, be her best friend, and enjoy her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This is not only practical advice for a good marriage and a happy life, but it is also a command from God. Read what Paul writes to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 7:3-5, and then remind yourself of James’s admonition that we not merely be hearers of the Word but doers also (Jas 1:22). Paul writes,

A husband should fulfill his marital responsibility to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband. A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does. Do not deprive one another sexually—except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

As husbands read those verses, they are thinking to themselves, We are going to start doing family devotionals tonight, and we are going to read 1 Corinthians 7, and I’m gonna say “Honey, Paul said we need to have a lot of sex, and we want to be a biblical family, so let’s not just be hearers of the Word.” Solomon says enjoy your wife, and he means it! (But guys, never lose sight of Eph 5:25-33!)

Sixth, enjoy your work and activities (v. 10). Find a job, find a hobby, and find activities to do with your family. Do life with all you have because death is near. Solomon paints the picture of fully enjoying life. Eat good meals, have a pure life, enjoy a loving marriage, and find a good job (Hunt, Ecclesiastes, 56). As Mark Driscoll points out, get dressed up nice, put on something that makes you smell good, and take your wife to a nice meal (Driscoll, “Cleaning Your Plate”).

We skipped over a key phrase in Ecclesiastes 9:7 without comment. Solomon tells the reader to enjoy life—eat and drink well—because “God has already accepted your works.” Wow! God favors our enjoying the gifts He has given to us. So let’s be clear: it is not a sin to enjoy life (Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 331). Many in America were raised on a brand of Christianity that communicated life is a drag and holiness is boring. Many were taught that holiness in Christianity means having no fun—holiness is found only in abstaining from fun (Driscoll, “Cleaning Your Plate”). Some were taught that if it feels good, makes you happy, or you enjoy it, then it is a sin, so get rid of it, and stop doing it. Solomon tells us the exact opposite. God wants you to enjoy life, He wants it to feel good, and He wants you to be happy in Him. God is the author of fun, and He gave these gifts to be enjoyed as He intended. After all, He created paradise where there was a garden with tons of acreage, with all the food you could ever eat, and then He put a husband and wife in that paradise with no clothes on (Gen 1–2)! That sounds like a pretty good deal to me; that sounds like a wonderful retirement plan! Solomon encourages us to enjoy life while we can because death is an enemy that will steal everything from us at any moment.

Ecclesiastes exposes us to the meaningless and fleeting nature of life in this cursed world for the purpose of causing us to long for something beyond the grave, and we find that here in this last point.

Jesus Delivers from Death and Gives Abundant, Eternal Life

Ecclesiastes depicts in great detail the curse of sin and death. Death’s tyranny makes life meaningless because if this life is all there is, then death cancels everything out. You cannot take your money with you. Your legacy will ultimately be forgotten. Nothing you did really seems to matter. Some scholars look at this and say Ecclesiastes believes there is nothing beyond the grave, but that is wrong. Ecclesiastes does not teach annihilation; it teaches uncertainty. Solomon purposefully takes on this particular human perspective, and he says we cannot know for sure if anything lies beyond death because none of us has ever gone there and come back.

However, we do know something is out there, and we long for it because eternity is in our hearts (3:11). What Ecclesiastes aches for, the New Testament presents to us. Paul wrote to the church at Rome to tell them that death did enter the world through one man, but life also came into the world through one man (Rom 5:12-21). We sin and die because of what we inherited from Adam, and so we need to be redeemed. Yes, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 6:23). The question that needs to be raised is, How does Jesus redeem us from the curse of death? He did so by taking the curse of sin and death on Himself at Golgotha (Gal 3:13). As Mark Driscoll said, “The only way to get rid of death is to get rid of sin” (“Cleaning Your Plate”). Jesus took care of both sin and death at the cross and through His resurrection. There is one man who did not decay into the dust (Ps 16:10). There is one man who did not suffer the seemingly irreversible fate of death. He is the promised Deliverer of Genesis 3:15 who rolls back the curse of sin and death. The promise of the New Testament is that those who are in Him will be raised from the dead.

However, the promise is not just for eternal life; the promise is also for abundant life (John 10:10)—living life to the fullest as it was meant to be lived. From the beginning God meant for us to live life to the fullest: eating, drinking, loving, and working (Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 225–26). However, the fall stole all of that and so much more. Now, instead of using God’s gifts rightly as a means to express gratitude and worship to Him, we use the gifts in rebellious and harmful ways. Food becomes gluttony, wine becomes drunkenness, sex becomes adultery, and work becomes an excuse for laziness or being a workaholic. We have rebelled against God’s good design, and as a result we are broken.

The good news is that Jesus came to redeem us so that we can begin to live according to God’s good design. He did not just die and rise again to forgive our sins; He also died and rose to conform His followers to His image (Rom 8:29), which means a new empowerment by the Spirit to live according to God’s design. This design of enjoying life as God’s image bearers is seen so clearly in the life of Jesus. He came feeding the five thousand and turning water into wine. He came eating and drinking—after all, He was accused of being a glutton and a drunk, even though He was not one (Matt 11:19). He came pursuing a bride (Eph 5:22-33), and He did the work His Father gave Him to do (John 9:4). He overthrew the curse so we can live redeemed lives in conformity to His image. Now, in Christ, we can live life to the full—eating, drinking, loving, and working in redeemed ways. We see glimpses of this edenic paradise that we came from and are heading to in churches that eat bread with glad hearts (Acts 2:46), in marriages that reflect the gospel, and in workers who provide for their children.

Conclusion

In the Old Testament Wisdom literature especially, there is a longing for eternal life. But it is not to “fly away” into some body-less existence. What they hoped for was a continued existence within creation (i.e., under the sun). They wanted a return to Eden—to live forever in a good creation. The New Testament says that is exactly what will happen. Those who are in Christ will live forever in a new creation (Rev 21–22), bodily raised from the dead. The world is heading to a paradise where we will eat, drink, love, and work to the glory of God and our own joy. We get to practice for the kingdom right now by enjoying life to the full in light of Christ’s resurrection and triumph over death. As Russ Moore tweets, “Let us eat, drink and be merry for yesterday we were dead, but today we are alive!” (Twitter).

Reflect and Discuss

1. When did you have to face the reality of death for the first time? How did that experience make you feel?
2. What are some ways people try to flee from and escape death?
3. Have you ever used your circumstances to gauge how God feels about you at a given time? Why do you think we are so prone to do that?
4. Does Solomon teach here in Ecclesiastes 9 what so many song lyrics say, “Only the good die young”? How does Solomon’s teaching in Ecclesiastes 9 teach us about the timing of people’s death?
5. According to Ecclesiastes 9, as well as the rest of the Bible, why do we all die?
6. According to Solomon in Ecclesiastes 9, why is being alive, even as a scoundrel, better than being dead?
7. How can contemplating death cause you to enjoy life more?
8. Were you raised in a faith tradition that taught or implied that walking with God means not doing anything that feels good? Why do you think the church has often defaulted to that position?
9. How does Jesus rescue us from the curse of death?
10. How can you fully enjoy life in a godly way? What does the “abundant life” look like according to Ecclesiastes 9?