Threshold of Abundant Life

January 22nd, 2022

Threshold of Abundant Life

Ecclesiastes 9:1-12

1 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.

7 Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

8 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.

9 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. 10 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.

11 Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.

Copp's Hill

For several years now, our church has partnered with a church plant in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Dartmouth is about sixty miles south of Boston, and we always take a day to explore the city when we go visit our friends at the church plant. Up the hill from the Old North Church, where the patriots hung the lanterns to signal Paul Revere’s ride, is a very old cemetery, overlooking Boston Harbor. It’s called Copp’s Hill Burying Ground and houses the remains of some of Boston’s oldest residents, including the famous Puritan ministers Cotton and Increase Mather. The slate tombstones stretch all the way back to the seventeenth century, when Tennessee was still a wild frontier. I know it’s weird, but walking up to that old, quiet burying yard and looking out at the harbor is one of my favorite stops when I visit Boston.

In Ecclesiastes 9, I picture ancient Solomon leading a group of us up the steep cobblestone street to Copp’s Hill Burying Ground. He's like one of those tour guides you see all over Boston, only instead of dressing like Paul Revere, he's wearing his kingly robes and has a huge, flowing beard . After he lets us wander around the cemetery for a few minutes, he gathers us all together and clears his throat. “My assignment from God today,” Solomon says, “is to teach you how to live in this vain world. So here is what you can expect from life:"

The Cemetery Speech

“First, life is brief (9:2, 4–6). Do you see all of these people?” he asks, sweeping his arm over the headstones. “They were all once as alive as you are now. Some were good and some were bad. Some were rich and some were poor. Some were famous and some were obscure. Some died young, and others lived long. But whatever their story in life, they all wound up right here in the end. Sooner than you think, you will too. Before long, no one will remember anything about you, just like them."

"Second, life is hard (9:3). Life is hard because the world is full of sinners: 'Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.' Sinners make life difficult for themselves and everyone else, because they refuse to submit to God's way. Some people are just plain evil, with madness in their hearts. But even the best of us sin against each other. This brief life is hard because you're always dealing with sinners."

"Third, life is confusing (9:11–12). Life will often feel unfair and random. The swift don’t always win the race, the wise won't always get the job, the faithful aren’t always rewarded. Bad stuff happens out of the blue. Even your death can be sudden.”

“Have you got all that?” Solomon asks. Thoroughly depressed, we all nod numbly.

Then Solomon breaks into a big grin. “Good; then you’re ready to live!"

Ready to Live

Because while life is often brief, hard, and confusing, it is also precious, and can be a lot of fun. Wise people take a sober look at this fallen world, and then fling themselves in faith upon Jesus Christ. He died for our sins, rose for our justification, and will return to make all things new. In the meantime, Jesus not only wants to give you life after death, he wants to give you life before death! He shows us how to thrive in a vain, broken world. He will fill that tiny dash between your birth and death date to the brim with abundant life if you’ll let him (John 10:10). I brought you here because life is a precious gift, and the Lord doesn’t want you to waste a second on bitterness, regret, fear, envy, or anger. He wants you to make your life count, and as long as you’re on this side of the grass, you’ve got hope.”

We stand at the threshold of abundant life.

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Enjoy Every Day