Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Ecclesiastes 8:10-17

10 Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity. 11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

14 There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

15 So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.

God’s work is seemingly beyond our grasp of understanding according to the preacher.  His advice comes down to just enjoying what the Lord gives us because death comes to us all.  This advice misses the fact that in Christ we do know much of God’s will revealed from His word by the working of His Holy Spirit who now lives in the regenerated believers who are His adopted children.  We are in His Spirit in Christ and have His mind now to understand and discern many, but not all, things as He chooses to unveil them to us (1 Corinthians 2:10, 12, 16).  Of course there are still hidden ‘secret’ things which will be revealed only in eternity (Deuteronomy 29:29, Matthew 13:34-35) but we are still to know and act upon what we can and do know as He permits.  Solomon did not grasp these things fully in his time and in the great wisdom given him to rule God’s people, but the one greater than Solomon (Matthew 12:42) who is our Messiah has revealed the greatest wisdom and understanding to us because He is God’s Son and not just a man.  He saw the utter futility in life where both wicked and righteous people suffer, where accountability from man’s laws are not applied and the result is further boldness to commit yet more crime.  In the end, however, he also saw that though the sinner may live a long life, it will be well for the righteous who fear God and not so for the wicked no matter how long he lives.  The wicked so not fear God, and so will face judgment without the parole of atonement.  The observation that both the evil and the upright do not seem to face what they deserve seems to be another futile fact of life if eternity and God’s sovereign purposes are not taken into account.  These are things revealed to us by Christ and the apostles which were veiled in the Old Testament but shown to us now that we might have hope.  Because the preacher did not have that insight given to him, he could only see that the righteous should enjoy what God gives and hold on to the opportunities to eat and drink and be merry in God’s provision, not having a clear picture of what the providence and predestined purpose of our Lord is for His people.  He applied his heart to understand wisdom as best he could and discovered that man cannot uncover all God’s will and works.  To Solomon, our efforts to uncover His wisdom, purpose, and plans seemed like a vain attempt to chase down the wind and hold it firm to examine and grasp.  He saw these efforts as futile and unobtainable, but we know now that we can know much of God’s plans and purposes because we have been reborn with spiritual understanding and wisdom which we acquire by hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, and meditating on God’s word, the scriptures, to be given knowledge and understanding to bring that wisdom into our hearts and minds.  We can eat, drink, and be merry from His word (Jeremiah 15:16) and of all His provision (1 Timothy 6:17) with understanding and godly wisdom with all humility because it is His work in us to make these things so!  We are not to misuse this saying as the world does to justify sin because we all die, but to apply it in holiness and righteousness because we all face God when we die (1 Corinthians 15:32-34).  Though those who do evil in God's eyes may seem to be doing well, the shadow of their lives will soon fade away. Those who fear and follow God, however, will shine as lights in heaven for pleasing God in their hearts, minds, and lives.  Even so, there is mystery around His working, for we see the edges of His ways in all this.  But we can trust and obey, giving no excuse for sin.  No matter how injustice seems to favor evil at times, we see only the edges of God's ways in what He allows and what He judges in this life.  Our task is to fear God and live according to all He says - this makes it well with our souls, no matter what the circumstances around us.  Remember that in the end at the final judgement all will be righteously and justly settled.  May we share this good news with all we encounter of the hope in Christ and purpose of God throughout all of scripture from Genesis to Revelation.  Amen!