Good Morning “Rejoicing not Depressed.” Today we are in Ecclesiastes 9.
At a glance, today’s passage may seem depressing. Solomon tells us that all people can expect the same end: death. Whether you live righteously or wickedly, everyone will die. Job professed it poetically and with blunt acceptance:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.””
Job 1:21 NIV
But both Job and Solomon stopped short. They left out obvious follow-up question: And then what? Sure, we all die, but what happens after we die? The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews gives the answer.
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV
So, after life there is more life… FOREVER. Death is not the end; it's just the end of our lives on Earth. And, while we are made righteous through Jesus, we must still pass from this life to the next. For the believer many believe we do not actually experience the “death angel” part of dying (John 8:51, 2 Corinthians 5:8). Instead Jesus returns to retrieve us (John 14:2-3). Our relationship with Him ensures the believer can stand before the Him, justified, on the Day He passes judgment. In simple terms, Heaven awaits those who truly believe. And what happens to those whom the judgment of God finds guilty? The essence of “judgment” is that those who do not meet a legal standard must suffer the penalty of falling short of the law. Rejection of Jesus is in fact rejection of the payment made that satisfies the penalty required by sin.
The point Solomon is making in today’s passage is that all the stuff we may acquire in this world is meaningless, given that nobody can take it with them to the grave. You may have been successful in business or education in this world, but how will that help you escape the judgment of God? For the unbeliever, this world is as close to Heaven as they will ever come, so I understand why they would try and get all they can now. But for the believer, this world is as close to Hell as they ever have to get. And that reality allows us to live joyfully, which may contradict our circumstances.
“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”
James 2:5 NIV
Love you all! Dig in!
At a glance, today’s passage may seem depressing. Solomon tells us that all people can expect the same end: death. Whether you live righteously or wickedly, everyone will die. Job professed it poetically and with blunt acceptance:
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.””
Job 1:21 NIV
But both Job and Solomon stopped short. They left out obvious follow-up question: And then what? Sure, we all die, but what happens after we die? The writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews gives the answer.
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV
So, after life there is more life… FOREVER. Death is not the end; it's just the end of our lives on Earth. And, while we are made righteous through Jesus, we must still pass from this life to the next. For the believer many believe we do not actually experience the “death angel” part of dying (John 8:51, 2 Corinthians 5:8). Instead Jesus returns to retrieve us (John 14:2-3). Our relationship with Him ensures the believer can stand before the Him, justified, on the Day He passes judgment. In simple terms, Heaven awaits those who truly believe. And what happens to those whom the judgment of God finds guilty? The essence of “judgment” is that those who do not meet a legal standard must suffer the penalty of falling short of the law. Rejection of Jesus is in fact rejection of the payment made that satisfies the penalty required by sin.
The point Solomon is making in today’s passage is that all the stuff we may acquire in this world is meaningless, given that nobody can take it with them to the grave. You may have been successful in business or education in this world, but how will that help you escape the judgment of God? For the unbeliever, this world is as close to Heaven as they will ever come, so I understand why they would try and get all they can now. But for the believer, this world is as close to Hell as they ever have to get. And that reality allows us to live joyfully, which may contradict our circumstances.
“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”
James 2:5 NIV
Love you all! Dig in!
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