Labor Under The Sun

September 2

Ecclesiastes 9-10

Psalm 101:1-4

Proverbs 21:25-26

Ephesians 2:1-10

Labor Under The Sun

“Go then, eat your bread in gladness and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already accepted your works.  Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head.  See life with the woman whom you love all the days of your vain life, which He has given to you under the sun—all the days of your vanity;  for this is your portion in life and in your labor in which you have labored under the sun.  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no working or explaining or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.”  Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 LSB

There are two paths in life: blessings and curses, life and death, heaven or hell.  There are only two paths.  During the time we have on this earth we have to make a decision.  Will we follow God or not?  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  Matthew 7:13-14 LSB   “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through me.’”  John 14:6  LSB  Satan does not have to convince us to follow him, he only has to convince us to follow anything or anyone but Jesus.  In His love and mercy God graciously provided a way for us to be made right with Him and that is by belief in His Son.  He didn’t have to do anything.  We deserve death and hell and yet He willingly sacrificed His one and only Son for us.  He provided one way and that way is Jesus.  If we accept Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf we are on the path to blessings, life and heaven.  If we choose to reject him and take any other path then we are headed to curses, death and hell.  The choice is clear. 

In his wisdom, Solomon saw the choice clearly.  He knew that there was one path to a life of purpose and meaning following God.  All other pursuits and ambitions were vanity and would eventually lead to death and hell.  In the passage above, Solomon was speaking to those who had chosen to follow their own path and reject God.  He encouraged them to get everything they could out of this life, because this is the best it is going to get for them.  Earlier in Ecclesiastes we have read that Solomon knew that wealth, power, pleasure and knowledge apart from God were meaningless and held no hope of any more than temporal satisfaction.  But he concluded that if that is all they have, they better get all they can out of it because in Sheol, hell, there is no working, explaining, knowledge or wisdom.  There is no hope for them waiting in hell.  I have heard people say that they think hell will be a big party with drinking, dancing and other forms of evil with their friends and they would rather be there than in heaven sitting around on a cloud bored.  Obviously, this is foolish.  Hell is eternal, never-ending torment filled with regret and pain wishing it would just end, but it never will.  You do not want to go there and you do not want your worst enemy to end up there.  Choose the path of life and do everything you can to convince others to take that path as well.