Ecclesiastes 9:4-6

The book of Ecclesiastes chapter 9 reading verses 4 through 6 for our text and study this evening. For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope. For a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing or know not anything. Neither have they any more a reward. for the memory of them is for God. Also their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished. Neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun. May God bless to us His sacred and holy word. This evening, a medical magazine once reported about a 78-year-old. old man who came to the doctor’s office for a physical examination. The physician recommended he come back in six months for a checkup. At this point the aged patient shook his head and said, doctor, I don’t think I’ll be around then. To which the doctor replied, nonsense, with a reassuring smile, you’ll be around for years to come. The elderly man gave him an odd look and then explained, I mean, I’ll be in Florida. I go there every January. Now, that story may cause us to smile, but the question is raised in the area, I think, is very sobering. Will you be around tomorrow next month or next year? What is your life? It’s even as a vapor that it appears for a time, and then vanishes away as we still are in the book of James. It surely is sensible than to make plans for the future, but you must always do so with an awareness of life’s uncertainty. And James talks about saying, if the Lord will, we will do this or that. You don’t know how long you’re going to be here. You don’t even know if you’re going to be able to do this or that or the other. Here, Saul, considers the advantage that’s granted to the living to think about and prepare for death. Sadly, we’ve mentioned this before, but most people don’t give enough thought to death, and it comes suddenly upon them. A losing candidate in a recent election election, he said, it reminded me of an old tombstone I once read. He said, I expected this, but not so soon. We never know when we’re going to die. Death is certain for all, and it’s only in this life that you can prepare for the next. You have to come sooner. Death may come sooner and you expect it to, and you must indeed come to know the Lord before. death comes. Now, in verse four, we see here that while you’re living, there’s still hope. He says here in this passage of scripture, for to him that is joined to all the living, there is hope. For a living dog is better than a dead lion. Some years ago, there was a young athlete that went to a hospital in London who was suffering from heart palpitations. And when they checked him, he had the highest heart rate they’ve ever recorded in that hospital. And, in fact, they said it was impossible to even feel the pulse in the normal way. So what did they do? Well, they got the paddles out and gave him an electric shock to his heart to reset the rhythm of the rhythm of the heart. and then it got back into its basic proper rhythm and he was able to return to normal life. Solomon has talked about the madness that possesses people, the sons of men, how their heart is full of evil while they live in verse 3. We just have heard about this. Now, you’re saying, sinful condition is a heart problem, as real as, and certainly in some ways more dangerous than having the physical heart problem. Because the heart that we’re talking about is connected directly to your eternal destiny. And being right with God. Solomon, the preacher, says that as long as you’re living, there’s a possibility of of escaping the doom of the everlasting punishment. There’s always that possibility. As long as you’ve not gone to the dead, there’s hope. He tells us here it’s better to be a living dog. Now these dogs that he’s talking about are not the nice little puppies you have in your home to play with. These are the dogs that are one. wild and we’re always roaming around the rubby sheep, seeing what they can get. But it’s better to be a living dog than a dead lion who was one of the most noble of animals because he’s alive. It’s better to be a homeless bum than to be a pillar of society if you’re dead, unless you know, the Lord. While you have breath, it’s possible that the grace of God may regenerate you and change the direction of your life. It’s always possible. Once you die, as we read about the rich man in Lazarus, between hell and paradise, there is a great golf that’s fixed and you can’t pass from one place to the other. It’s fixed. It’s fixed. and you’re not going to escape that eternal state that you’ve reached. Death then is the point of no return between time and eternity. You can’t waste this life and then think, well, I’ll have another chance. There are no second chances. There is no purgatory that you can get prayed out of. Somehow after so many years of suffering, you might be. make it into paradise. I’m afraid that’s impossible according to Scripture. There is no such thing as purgatory. What we need, though, as we go through this life is the shock treatment of God’s work to shake us, to awaken us to what is necessary. Otherwise, we’re all going to go the way of all the earth. There was a young man who was driving his old worn-out car on a desolate road during a downpour, and the engine died. And he coasted to the side of the road. Another car stopped behind him, and the driver got out and asked him, what seems to be the problem. The stranger asked him if he could look under the hood for him after he was told what the problem was. And he tinkered with something. signaled the driver to turn over the key. Here the car starts her back up again. And the driver was amazed. Well, thanks. I was afraid the engine had failed for the last time. Because the stranger said, well, as long as you can get a spark, there’s always a chance for one last start of the engine. The same principle, I think, applies to people. As long as there’s a spark of life in you, it’s not too late. Death takes you over the line. While it may be rare for a sinful person to be saved late in life, even when facing eminent death, it’s possible. According to the scripture, we do have the thief on the cross. It’s possible. It may be rare, but it’s possible. So while you’re living, There’s hope, but life is fleeting, and you have to keep that in mind. Secondly, while you are living, you are benefited by the knowledge of death. He says here in verse 5, for the living know that they shall die. My friends, hopefully as you go through life, you’ve been to enough funerals and enough graveyards to realize that everybody dies. You see it in your grandparents first. then you see it in your parents and you know you’re next. It’s that simple. Birthdays often cause us to look backwards, but we find at funerals, I think, causes us to look forward to where we are going to go when we die. In other words, you can take this, the prospect of death and concentrate on it as to where you are now and where your soul’s going to go when you die. And you realize your need for repentance. You realize your need then for change. As you grow older, you can actually feel yourself declining. You may not feel… You may not feel as so old, but you feel it in the body. The body can’t do what it used to do. What would you think of a person who was busy, a picture in his living room when his house was on fire. And there’s smoke pouring out of the roof. And you’re, you know, you… The fireman goes into the house, and he’s there busy straightening out a picture of a lighthouse on the living room wall. And he’s thinking, get out of here. Get out before you’re going to perish. But he’s caught up in trivial matters. That’s the way most people are. in this light. They’re caught up in trivial matters, not realizing the house is on fire. And they’re going to die soon. Death is certain. Instead of preparing to face it, the unwise continue on with their trivial pursuits in this life. There was a woman I talked to one time, and she said, I take my happy pills every day. I don’t know what the doctor gave her. I guess to deal with depression or something. I don’t know. She says, I take my happy pills. every day. The madness is in man’s heart. People would like to hide. The grief and sorrow that your own sinfulness brings they’d like to hide it so they take pills and they take some means. They try to find some means to mitigate it so they can go on with their lives. But ultimately, you’re just masking the problem. You needed to be prepared for death. So while you’re living, you’re benefited by the knowledge of death. I’m going to die. Am I prepared to die? The third thing we see here is, when you cease living, all the things of this world are ended. First five B, your knowledge of this life ceases. But the dead know not anything. Now, this has to be interpreted properly that we don’t want to interpret this in such a way that we’re teaching that false doctrine of soul sleeping as if you know you go off to sleep or something of that nature. The truth is when the righteous person dies, he knows a great deal. When a saved person dies, I would say a person dies, I would say think that his knowledge would increase because he goes to be with the Lord. But how much he knows about what’s happening on this earth, is the question. And I think he would probably have a limited amount of knowledge depending on what the Lord reveals. We’ll talk about that in a moment. You’re going to know much more about Christ’s person and his offices and his glory. And you’ll actually see him in heaven. And heaven, I think, is a place of great enlightenment for us. If you can converse with angels and saints. You’ll know abundantly more than you do here in this life. The wicked dead know that there’s an eternal state. They know that there is a holy God who punishes sin. The rich man lifted up his eyes in torment being in hell. He knew that. He had brothers. He remembered I had brothers on this earth. He remembered Lazarus, the beggar, that he now saw resting on Abraham’s bosom enjoying paradise, who used to eat the discarded food, the crumbs that fell off his table. But what the text is saying is the dead now have nothing to do with this life. What’s happening on the earth? Some have suggested the righteous dead, at least, are able to view the events that are taking place on this earth. The truth of the matter is we have very skimpy information about this. I don’t know that they know everything that’s going on on this earth. Now, as we read the book of Revelation, we notice that the people in heaven know some things, but it’s because God reveals it to them. God tells them what he’s doing. We know that Moses and Elijah, when they visited visited with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration talked about Christ’s death, it’s decease. But they could have known that from Isaiah 53. They could have known that the Savior was coming and he was going to die, and that was the redemption that they were going to have. So the Bible doesn’t indicate that somehow or other we’re as omniscient as God when we get to heaven. We can see everything all over the earth. We don’t have that information for us. The scripture seems to indicate in Isaiah 66 that the righteous can look on the wicked in hell, but it doesn’t actually tell us about this earth and what’s taking place upon it. If you look with me at the book of Isaiah, I’m going to look at two passages. First is Isaiah chapter 63. Verse 16. Isaiah 63. 16. Doubtless thou art our father. Though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not. Thou, O Lord, art our father, and our Redeemer, thy name is from everlasting. Does Abraham and Jacob know about these people? better be talked about. It doesn’t seem to be revealed to them about them. Then look at Job chapter 14, if you would. Beginning with verse 14. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time, will I wait till thy change come. Thou shall call, and I will answer thee. Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thy hands. He’s talking about the resurrection here. For now thou number’st my steps. Dost thou not watch over my sin? My transgression is sealed up in a bag. Thou sowest up my iniquity. And surely the mountain falleth, cometh to naught, and the rock is removed out of his place. The waters wear the stones. Thou washedest away. The things which grow out of the dust of the earth, thou destroyest the hope of man. Thou prevailest forever against him. And he passeth. Thou changes his countenance and sendeth him away. His sons come to honor and he knoweth it not. And they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not. What does he know about his sons? He doesn’t know anything. according to this passage of scripture. Now this indicates to us a couple of things. One, we should realize it’s absolutely foolish to go to some spiritualist to have them call up the dead who are going to tell you about the future of your life. What can they know? They know nothing. One of the Puritan writers mentioned, it’s also would meet. that it is useless to pray to dead saints, such as Mary or Joseph or St. Christopher, St. Jude or whatever. It’s a waste of time. Do they take notice of this life? Do they know everything that’s taking place? No. So what’s the purpose in it? So your knowledge of this life seems to cease. or at least it’s very limited. Secondly, your enjoyment of the things of this light ceases. Again, I direct your attention here to verse 5. The third phrase here. Neither have they any more a reward. Now, obviously, there’s an internal reward for the righteous. But Solomon, I think, is focusing on the things that you would and joy, the rewards the things of this earth here. The earthly rewards, the material goods and things like this that we might accumulate. You came naked in this world and you’re guaranteed to go out naked. You can’t pack a suitcase. You don’t get to take all your treasures with you. Some of the Egyptian pharaohs, remember, they used to have their treasure buried with them in the tomb, thinking, I guess they could use. it in the hereafter. Well, you don’t get to take it with you. The Bible says you have to lay up treasures in heaven, and they’re not material. They’re not the things of this earth that he’s talking about there. So the Red Friari, the giant mansion, the huge swimming pool, the art collection, the art collection, the perhaps the impressive stock portfolio. the 100-acre estate that you have, all that may be a reward for what you did in this life, but it’s gone. Death bankrupts you. It’s, all this is all gone. You don’t get any of it. Can’t take it with you. So the enjoyment of the things of this world ceases. There’s just no way you can take it with you. And then he says, your memory ceases as, as time passes. latter part of verse 5 says this, neither have they any more a reward for, the memory of them is from God. Now, it would be nice if every one of us could carve our place out of history and be remembered. That’s unlikely to happen. The truth of the matter is we’re going to die. We may die unknown, even if we have a little bit of fame. in this life within several decades it’ll be it’ll be gone too and no one will remember us I remember what it says in the book of Exodus there arose a new king that did not know Joseph Joseph Joseph was the second in command in Egypt saved the nation when the dire famine had come upon it but sooner or later what happened was Well, a new favor comes along, doesn’t know anything about Joseph, and he enslaves the Israelites, right? Couldn’t they remember him? He was high enough official. I forgot about him. I don’t know who he is. What other famous Frenchman do you know who lived during the time of Napoleon? Can you name any? What about, this is an easier one. How about George Washington? Probably get a few there. But if I’d like a few. I asked you by Christopher Columbus, Leonardo da Vinci, Teddy Roosevelt. What do you think? You think you could come up with several names? Out of sight? Out of mind. And eventually it fades unless you’re really, really famous. Once you pass out of this life, your name is usually forgotten. And the next generation doesn’t remember anything about you. Your memory ceases. Your influence ceases also. Verse 6. Also, their love and their hatred and their envy is now perished. Neither have they any more apportioned forever in anything that is done under the sun. Now, this is not teaching us we don’t love or hate things in our future life. I think the believer certainly, for the believer, he’s going to love Christ. Continue to love Christ. he’s going to continue to hate sin. The wicked dead will certainly envy the righteous who are in heaven while they suffer in the agony of hell. But I think Solomon again is focused on the earthly existence, what’s taking place here. Death parts those that love one another. Death also parts those who hate one another. The good things this life you loved, the evil things of this life that you hate, prosperity of others which envied are now come to an end. Death separates you from loved ones. It puts an end to maybe the closest friendships like David and Jonathan. He missed Jonathan when he fell in battle. The cruel tyrant no longer troubles his victims. You know, when King Saul died, it sort of freed David from that threat of constantly being under attack and be put to death. This person now has disappeared off the face of the earth. There’s no longer any portion in the events of this life. There’s many that act as if this life is the only life there is. There’s nothing long beyond it. There’s no God to whom to give them an account. There’s no eternity, no heaven or hell or anything like that. What a blessing you to this. know as a believer that you have an inheritance, it’s incorruptible, undefiled, fate if not away, reserved for you in heaven. This life is going to pass and therefore you got to lay up treasure for the next while you’re here. That 78-year-old man who went for his checkup, confused the doctor, and he said, well, I don’t know if I’m going to be here. six months from now. The truth is, no one knows when he or she’s going to die. While you are living, there’s hope of amending your ways. There’s hope of you coming to know the Savior, seeking mercy and forgiveness. The benefit of being alive is you can think about death. You can ponder. You can prepare for it. This should make you eager to prepare for that time. you’re going to pass out of this life because this life is short and it goes fast remember when you die this world’s all over for you so seek those things which are above those things that are going to be of eternal value for all that you get in this life and all that we have is going to be gone our memory is going to fade you know as far as the other people and The bottom line is, you know, we are not going to be able to know everything that’s going to take place here in this earth. Because we’ve passed from this scene to a completely different world. May the Lord bless us as we ponder this passage tonight. Let’s close with a word of prayer.