PART 15 OF THE SERIES OF MEDITATIONS ON 'WISDOM TO LIVE
BY: REFLECTIONS ON AN ANCIENT TEXT'
THE MYSTERY OF LIFE
Ecclesiastes 9:1-18
IN A broadcast talk on Oct 1,
1939, Lord Randolph Churchill described Russia memorably as "a
riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma".
The writer of Ecclesiastes could have very well used these words
to describe life itself.
The opening words of chapter 9 can be paraphrased in this way:
"This, too, I carefully explored: Even though the actions
of godly and wise people are in God's hands, no one knows whether
or not God will show them favour in this life" (New Living
Translation).
These words express the Preacher's struggle, not with the existence
of God, but with the inscrutability of His will. He believes that
God exists, and that He rules the whole universe; but he is unable
to fathom the ways of God.
The fact that God's will is inscrutable should deter us from making
quick and confident conclusions regarding the events of life and
their outcomes. The Preacher has already cautioned against such
presumption several times in earlier passages. Prosperity is not
always the sign that God is pleased with us because even the wicked
sometimes prosper. Similarly, adversity should not always be regarded
as divine punishment or as a sign of God's displeasure.
Such superficial theological reasoning, based on misguided presuppositions,
is the fundamental error of Job's three "friends", who
were convinced that God was punishing Job for the sins that he
has committed. To be sure, sometimes suffering and personal problems
are the result of God's displeasure and disapproval. But as this
and so many other passages in the Bible tell us, this is not always
the case.
This passage then leads to the most profound insights about God
and our knowledge of Him: it tells us that although God has indeed
revealed Himself through His Word, He still remains a mystery.
This is brought out very clearly in Isaiah: "'My thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways', declares
the Lord" (Isa 55:8). It is foolish to think that because
God has revealed something about Himself to us, we are able to
figure out what He is going to do.
This is perhaps one of the most difficult lessons to learn in
life, especially for the believer. But it is a lesson that needs
to be learned again and again if we are to live life to the fullest.
It is when we learn to accept that life is a mystery that we learn
truly to entrust ourselves into the hands of God.
Verses 1-6 are quite depressing as the Preacher confronts the
mysteries of life with his usual honesty and transparency. The
author's preoccupation with the reality of death again makes itself
obvious in these verses. Basically, the Preacher here points out
that death is the great equaliser: the "same destiny overtakes
all", the rich and the poor, the righteous and the wicked.
Death does not show favours, and is no respecter of persons.
Modern readers may not be too comfortable with confronting death
in the way that the Preacher is urging his readers to do. We moderns
sometimes like to disguise death by camouflaging its ugliness
so as to create the illusion that life is going to last forever.
But the Preacher forces us to confront the reality of death, and
so also to recognise the evil in all of us that brought it about.
For death is not part of the original plan of the Creator - it
is an antithesis to the divine plan brought about by human sinfulness.
How are we to live our lives in the face of life's mysteries and
in the face of death? In the second half of our passage (vv 7-10),
the Preacher shares his secret, a simple philosophy of life that
still works. Firstly, he says that the believer must learn to
cultivate an attitude of gratitude and contentment that would
enable him or her to enjoy all of God's provisions. "Go,
eat your food with gladness and drink your wine with a joyful
heart, for it is now that God favours what you do" (v 7).
We must not think that the Preacher is advocating a nihilistic
hedonism that is articulated in the Greek proverb: "Let us
eat and drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die". There is
an atheistic fatalism in the Greek proverb that is totally absent
in the Preacher's attitude to life.
The Preacher is urging his readers
to recognise the gracious provisions of God, the simple gifts
that come from His hand, and to enjoy them. The Preacher is therefore
urging believers to relish each and every moment because they
come from God. Although believers must look to the future, they
are also to learn to enjoy the present. And they can do so because
they know that the God who holds the future is now present in
their lives.
In verse 8, we read, "Always be clothed in white, and always
anoint your head with oil." The two metaphors - white garments
and oil - have been variously interpreted by different commentators.
Although most modern commentators appear to agree that they are
symbols of joy and celebration, some older commentators maintain
that "white garments" symbolises holiness, while "oil"
symbolises the Holy Spirit.
The context, however, seems to suggest that the Preacher had celebration
and merry-making in mind. His exhortation is simply: "Don't
let yourselves be mired down by life's vexatious problems. Put
your life and future in the hands of God, and enjoy the simple
gifts that He has given."
One commentator has ably summarised the Preacher's central message
in these verses thus: "A thankful spirit for the graces of
life is a must for he who would discover profit on his sojourn
through life".
Dr Roland Chia, Dean of Postgraduate Studies at Trinity Theological College, worships at Fairfield Preaching Point in Woodlands.
QUOTE:
GOD'S GRACIOUS PROVISIONS
'The Preacher is urging his readers to recognise the gracious
provisions of God, the simple gifts that come from His hand, and
to enjoy them. The Preacher is therefore urging believers to relish
each and every moment because they come from God.'