# 512 Ecclesiastes – In search of meaning in life. 9:7-10 Don’t waste your life!

There is no doubt about it, Qoheleth is very conscious of the fact that one day we will all die, the greatest to the least of us, the richest to the poorest of us. All have this common destiny, i.e., death. No one alive can deny this truth!

But, here in this chapter, he seems to say to himself, “OK, it’s true, but at least let’s make the most of the one life we have” and so he writes:

⁷ Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. ⁸ Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. ⁹ Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. ¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

So, for Qoheleth, this is positive! In fact, he has said it before as follows:

²⁴ A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  (2:24)

But if this is seen to be all that life is about, it will never satisfy and will be disastrous.

The interesting thing is that the Bible mentions this philosophy of life in a number of places. 

The first time is in Isaiah 22.13 where the prophet speaks to the people of Israel. He says:
¹² The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
    to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
¹³ But see, there is joy and revelry,
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!                                                                                                     “Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”

The context was that Israel had forsaken the laws of God and gone after false gods for too long and judgement, most probably in the form of the conquering Babylonian army, was coming soon to devastate the land. So, the Lord had repeatedly warned them that if they continued in their rebellious ways, this would happen. But instead of them repenting and turning back to God, they ignored his warnings and continued in their care-free revelry, saying “Let us eat and drink … for tomorrow we die!”  All this with a disastrous outcome for the nation of Israel when they were conquered, their cities destroyed and the remnant were sent into exile.  

An example closer to home is the example of a man who appeared to have lived with this “eat, drink and be merry” philosophy to its extreme. His name was Ernest Hemingway, the American author who was born in 1899. Hemingway was known for his adventurous lifestyle, which included heavy drinking, multiple marriages, and a reputation for living recklessly. He often described himself as “the happiest man in the world” while engaging in these indulgences.

But by the later years of his life, Hemingway’s health had deteriorated significantly due to chronic alcoholism, depression, and other ailments. His memoir reflects on his younger self with a mix of nostalgia and regret, acknowledging that his earlier years were marked by excess and that he had not fully appreciated the value of rest, self-care, or simpler pleasures. In his final years, he struggled with the consequences of his past habits, and his suicide in 1961 was partly attributed to the toll of his lifestyle and mental health decline 

I think the difference between what Qoheleth is suggesting and the life, for example Hemingway, lived, is the presence of a key person in Qoheleth’s words and that person is God. The One who not only gives the gift of life, and orders our days, but knows the beginning from the end. Really enjoying all the good gifts from God (including one’s spouse) is truly only possible when done in the context of a relationship with our Creator and an understanding of His ways, as well as the knowledge that there is more to come.  

Even Qoheleth, in his limited understanding of life after death was able to say 

¹¹ He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart.” (3:11)

The NIV Study Bible comments on this verse and says:

“God’s beautiful but tantalizing world is too big for us, yet its satisfactions are too small. Since we were made for eternity, the things of time cannot fully and permanently satisfy.”  

Paul writes:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Certainly, God wants us to enjoy the good things of His creation, but to do this  with eternity in mind, and then we will begin to invest our lives differently. Our priorities will change. We will focus less on accumulating temporary rewards and more on building a legacy that lasts beyond this life on earth. We realize that the decisions we make and actions we take today can make an eternal difference. So, enjoy all the good gifts from God around you, particularly, the privilege of a right relationship with your heavenly Father through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But do this in the light of eternity and be both rich towards God and generous to those around you, knowing that one day we will all be required to give an account before our Creator. And hopefully, we will then hear those words: Well done, good and faithful servant.  (Matthew 25:21)