In his book, Biblical Preaching, Haddon Robinson includes a brief poem that goes as follows: “As Tommy Snooks and Bessie Brooks Were walking out on Sunday, Said Tommy Snooks to Bessie Brooks, Tomorrow will be Monday.”¹ Robinson includes this poem, however, not because he believes his reader needs to be reminded which day follows which in the week. He gives us this poem to remind the preacher that we preach to people who leave the pew and go out into the world to live their lives. Even as Monday symbolizes the beginning of the work week after a day of reprieve, Robinson wants to remind the preacher that he must equip the hearer not only to know what to believe but also to know how to live in their day-to-day lives.

As we expect application to be present in a sermon, so it should not be surprising to find the “Preacher” end his sermon (Ecclesiastes) with application. Throughout the book, Solomon (who identifies himself as the “Preacher”) has shown many truths to his readers such as the fact that joy is only found in God, that God has a sovereign plan that encompasses all of life, that it is futile to try to figure out life apart from God, that true meaning is only found in trusting and obeying God, and that we’ll never figure out completely the ways of God. However, in this final section of the book Solomon moves us to looking at Monday. He wants us to understand how we must apply his findings as he has looked at life in an attempt to understand it and find meaning. Thus, he fills this last section with application, showing us what we must do in light of the truths that he has unfolded before us.

However, discerning exactly what Solomon is telling us to do can be a bit difficult. One element which makes it difficult is his language. Solomon fills this section of the book with proverbs, metaphors, and analogies that can leave us scratching our heads wondering what in the world he is saying. The other element that makes our understanding of this section difficult is the structure he uses. In fact, it would be easy to conclude that Solomon is utilizing no structure at all in this final section, just allowing his hand to write as different thoughts jump into his mind. However, I want to suggest a structure to us this morning, that though I’ll admit may be something I am imposing on the text that is not there should at least help us to gather Solomon’s teaching from this text. The structure I believe is as follows: First, Solomon provides us with a introduction to his final application in 8:16-9:6 in which he reminds us of some of the difficulties we’ve encountered along the way (through this book, as we’ve accompanied him) in his journey to attempt to understand life. Then, Solomon moves to his application, the majority of the section. Specifically, Solomon gives us three applications. However, he does it by introducing his first application, moving to his second, moving to his third, returning to his second, and then returning to his first. The outline is something like: A – B – C – B – A. Therefore, we find his first application in 9:7-9 and 11:7-10, his second in 9:10 and 11:1-6, and his third in 9:11-10:20. Finally, Solomon matches his introduction with a conclusion and an epilogue in 12:1-14 in which he provides for us the main overarching lesson and application of the whole book.

Therefore, this morning my hope is that as we walk through this final section, working our way through the difficulty of Solomon’s writing, structure, and truths we will find the journey to have been quite profitable, seeing that we have been equipped to live our lives on Monday (and every other day) in a way that is good for us and honoring to God.

As mentioned, prior to giving us the application, Solomon prefaces his teaching with a prologue to this section in which he reminds us that as we look at this world we will find there are many mysteries and yet the great certainty of death. This one thing we can know for sure as we look at life, even without reference to God and eternity.

There are great mysteries in life and the certainty of death (8:16-9:6)

Solomon begins this final section of his book writing in 8:16-17, “When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one's eyes see sleep, then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.”

We simply cannot understand the ways of God in this world. There are great mysteries in life that are beyond our comprehension. He points out in 9:1 though our deeds are in God’s hand, we cannot even discern from the events of a man’s life whether God loves him or hates him. For the righteous have good things happen to them and encounter great tragedies, and sometimes man has much and no joy while another has great suffering but great blessing within that suffering. We simply cannot figure out God’s work in this world. We are in need of him revealing it.

And one thing that makes our understanding of this life even more challenging is the one thing we know for certain: that every man will die. Solomon shows us in 9:2-6 that “it is the same for all” (9:2). “The same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil … the same event happens to all (9:2-3). Therefore, man lives life having been corrupted by his sin, and then they die, no longer with an opportunity to enjoy life. This one thing we know.

That is Solomon’s prologue to this section, a reminder of what we have been taught before. It is why Solomon began the book proclaiming that life is vanity, that it is meaningless. We live, not able to figure out this world and our own lives, and then we die so that even the lowest one still living is better off than we. So what then do we do if we can’t figure out life on our own and yet know that death is coming? Solomon gives us our answer in this final section of the book.

Therefore, for all of us this morning (whether we are just now realizing our need to accept God’s revelation and bow before him as our Lord or whether we’ve done that in the past), this is what we must do. Solomon gives us our first word of application in 9:7-9 and 11:7-10, showing us that we must enjoy the life that God has given us.

We must enjoy the life God has given us (9:7-9; 11:7-10)

One might anticipate Solomon saying to us, “Look, you can’t figure out life and you know you’re going to die, so just pack it in and fret at your miserable existence.” But he doesn’t. In fact, he says the opposite. He writes in 9:7-9, “Go, eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.”

Immediately after showing us all will die Solomon tells us that we are to enjoy what God has approved. And it is a command; we are to enjoy what God has approved. In fact, shows just what he means in telling us to let our garments always be white and to have oil always on our heads. White garments and oil were things that one adorned himself with on festive occasions. When it was time to celebrate you went and put on your white garments and put oil on your head, and that showed you were ready to enjoy the night. It might be equivalent to us saying, “Fix your hair and put on your best clothes because we’re going out tonight.” And Solomon says, “Don’t simply live that way on certain occasions; let that be your whole life.” “Let our garments always be white.” And “enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that [God] has given you under the sun” (9:9).

Then as he returns to this application again in 11:7-10, he writes, “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun. So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.”

Thus, expanding on the topic he reminds us that living is a good thing, and so we should rejoice all the days of your life. And he exhorts us to learn enjoyment in our youth so that we might live that way throughout our lives. He commands joy.

This is a message I believe needs to be heralded loudly to us this morning. Christians, above all people, should enjoy life. Yes, Solomon reminds us to enjoy what God has approved and reminds us that God will bring us into judgment, but this does not revoke his command. He does not encourage us to pursue happiness in sin, but he commands us to enjoy those things that God has declared good.

We need to hear this: there is nothing holy about abstaining from that which God has approved. Yes, you have the liberty to abstain from a number of things. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7 that he sees great benefit for the one who never marries, but he concludes that to marry and not to marry are both good. So, there is no command to eat certain things or drink certain things or to play certain sports, but nor is there a command against them.

I used to think when I was younger that those who were most holy were those who had the least amount of fun. I thought truly godly people didn’t waste their time playing basketball or talking about how good steak is or listening to music. Rather, they are always sober, always aching at the sin in the world, and always frustrated with the lives of those around them who weren’t as they were. That’s in fact how I tried to be. But that is not the biblical picture of how a believer should live. We should not apologize for enjoying a good game of wiffleball at the church picnic. Yes there will be many times when we will mourn, and we will not laugh, and we will contemplate seriously, and we will even choose to abstain from certain things, but there must also be found in our lives enjoyment in life as a gift from God. And just as much as we need to teach our children to obey us and to be disciplined in life we need to teach them to enjoy life as a gift from God, for God’s Word commands no less.

So Solomon’s first word of application is: enjoy. Enjoy eating, enjoy drinking, and enjoy living with your wife. Yes, remember God will judge your actions, so only do that which he approves. But enjoy what you do and don’t let the pain and mysteries of life lead you ignore enjoyment. Obey God and enjoy what he’s given you in this life. We honor the one who gives when he enjoy what he has given. Ecclesiastes beautifully reminds us that our God commands enjoyment. Could it be that we will one day give an account before him for how we’ve enjoyed his gifts?

That is Solomon’s first application, but it is not his last. He also reminds us in the midst of life’s mysteries and few certainties that we must work hard, doing what we know to do.

We must work hard, doing what we know to do (9:10; 11:1-6)

Just as the mysteries of life and the certainty of death should not stop you from enjoying life, nor should these things stop you from working hard, doing what you know needs to be done. Solomon introduces this command in 9:10, writing, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.” He commands us to work hard in all we do, for after we are laid in the grave we will have lost our chance to work.

Then, he commands work again, highlighting the fact that we do not have many certainties in life in 11:1-6. He writes, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.”

He begins by pointing out our work in investing. Yes, he admits, you do not know for certain that if you give your bread to the ship to go make a trade that it will bring something profitable in return. But don’t let that stop you from trading. Rather, simply give you bread to seven or eight ships and surely one of them will bring a return to you. Also, if you look around and think a tree could fall or it could rain, don’t let that stop you from laboring in the field. Even if the tree falls, you don’t know which direction it will go, and you don’t know for certain if it will rain, just as you don’t know how God works in this world. Therefore, sow your seed in the morning and the evening, for every seed could bring about a harvest.

In short, Solomon says don’t let the uncertainties of life stop you from working. If you wait until you know for sure what will happen, then you will never begin to work. Rather, work and work hard now, knowing that even if certain things come to nothing that others will bring about a harvest of blessings.

Even as for the believer joy is a non-negotiable, so is hard work. When we do not work hard, for whatever reason, we are disobeying the Scripture. We are to enjoy life, and we are to work hard. And yet Solomon gives us another word of application. Pointing again to his prologue, as he noted the mystery of life, Solomon commands us to exercise wisdom in life, knowing it has many limitations.

We must exercise wisdom, knowing it has its limits (9:11-10:20)

He notes in 9:11-12 that things don’t always happen like we think they might. The swift do not always win the race, the strong does not always win the battle, nor do the intelligent always gain wealth. However, this is no reason not to exercise wisdom, for it has its rewards. Then, in a story that shows wisdom strengths and limits he points to a story in 9:13-18 of a city with very men being attacked by a great army. Yet, a wise man inside came up with a way to deliver the city. This shows wisdom’s strength, as Solomon notes, “wisdom is better than might” (9:16). Then, Solomon notes, however, that the man was soon forgotten and ignored. So, Solomon’s conclusion in 9:18 is that wisdom is a blessing. It is stronger than weapons of war even though a sinner might spoil everything, we still need to live life applying wisdom.

Chapter 10, then, is filled with proverbs about how wisdom is limited and yet is helpful. He begins by noting that just as one fly can ruin a whole jar of ointment, so a little foolishness can ruin much wisdom (10:1), and folly will sometimes be held up among people like a king walking while he slave rides a horse (10:5-6). However, this is no reason to avoid wisdom, for the wise man will more often than not be led in what is right and will bring offenses to rest (10:2-4).

Again, even as wisdom cannot assure all will work out even as you might end up falling in the very pit you dug, or getting bitten by a snake as your breaking through a wall, or getting hurt while chopping a log. Wisdom can help us do these things safely and more effectively, for wisdom will tell you to sharpen a dull axe instead of just swinging harder and to charm the snake before it bites you (10:7-11).

In addition, wisdom will tell you to be quiet sometimes and to be diligent instead of letting your house fall in around you. It will help a king govern the people and bring happiness to a land. It will show you that food, drink, and money are good as long as you recognize their shortcomings, and it will tell you to be careful in speaking against another (10:12-20).

Therefore, Solomon does not ignore the limits of wisdom, but he does note that it is better than folly. So, as Christians do we say, I tried to think it through and it didn’t work out, so I’m done with thinking? God forbid. Attempting to exercise wisdom may not always guarantee things work out well, but choosing to ignore wisdom and acting as a fool will indeed guarantee failure more often than not.

So, Solomon would say to us that to know a believer should be to know one who enjoys life as a gift from God, who works hard in all that he does, and who attempts to live wisely, thinking through his actions and taking into account what he knows to be true. But this is not all Solomon says, for we might hear these things from one who does not even know the Lord. We might hear these things simply from one who has himself gathered some wisdom. Solomon’s last application is that we must orient our lives around God, fearing him and obeying him.

We must orient our lives around God, fearing him and obeying him (12:1-14)

In the first verse of chapter 12 Solomon declares, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’” Then, in verses 2-7 he describes life when one is getting older and his body is wilting away. He uses metaphors to communicate the older person getting shaky, bending over, having his eyes not work as well, losing his teeth, becoming afraid of falling, getting gray hair, losing sexual desire, having his heart and mind give out, and ultimately dying. But Solomon’s point is, “Orient your life around God before you get to that point.” Otherwise, life is meaningless (12:8). This is a clear command not to waste your life, for life only has meaning in connection with God, and this relationship should be cultivated when you are young, otherwise years are wasted.

Solomon then gives us his epilogue in which he simply adds to this. In 12:9-10, he points out that he is one who writes wisdom literature and has provided that with this book, also noting that he attempted to write well and with delight. And then he reminds us in verses 11-12 that these words are like goads, moving you to action, and like nails, fixing you where you need to be. Then, he notes that such wisdom is all given by one Shepherd, no doubt referencing our God, who has revealed himself in Jesus.

Therefore, you can set out on this same journey yourself or read a number of other books to try to help you find the meaning of life apart from God, but you need no more than this one, and such a labor will just prove wearying (12:12).

It all comes down to fearing God and keeping his commandments, realizing that we will be judged by him. So, for the Christian we are to enjoy life, work hard, exercise wisdom, and orient everything you do around God, fearing him and obeying him. You don’t have to understand the mysteries of life to do this. Just obey, and there you will find meaning, purpose, value, and joy.

And to non-Christian, one day you will stand at judgment. And if you have heeded all of Solomon’s words about enjoying life, working hard, and attempting to exercise wisdom, but you have ignored this final one about fearing God and obeying him, then you will be sorely disappointed. For, God will show that joy is only found in him, that work is only done well if done unto him, and wisdom is only known in the person of Jesus Christ. And worse, if you failed to fear God and keep his commandments, the first of which is to love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, then you will hear, “Depart from me” as you are thrown into hell. Therefore, if you are not a believer this morning and you have heard these words in Ecclesiastes, realize the meaninglessness of life apart from Jesus Christ and place your faith in his work in dying for our sins and being raised from the dead. Only then can you know the purpose of this life that Solomon has spoken about, and only then can you look forward to that day of judgment before God.

So, was Solomon a preacher who forgets to teach people how to live on Monday while he is preaching on Sunday? Absolutely not. In fact, this entire section is his way of answering the question of how we are to live our lives in light of the truths we have seen throughout this book. So may our response be that we, by God’s grace, will enjoy God’s gift of life, work hard in all we do, exercise wisdom in all things, and fear and obey everything that God has commanded, no matter the results or our lack of understanding. May he grant us grace to obey. Amen.

¹Haddon Robinson, Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980), 170.

JOY, WORK, WISDOM, AND OBEDIENCE

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