May 26 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 26—Ecclesiastes 9:7–12

⁷Go, 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.

⁹Enjoy 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. ¹⁰Whatever 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. ¹²For 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.

Devotional:

The USA is the so-called "land of opportunity." Some are not content with this and make it the "land of limitless opportunity." In the final analysis, though, America is no better (and no worse) than other countries, never mind the obvious blessings enjoyed in this part of the world. America is rather ordinary in that our society at heart is just as idolatrous as that of any other people on earth. And this being the case, we must not think that unlike other powerful nations in history we will manage to hold on to our dream indefinitely.

All things must pass, and the life of a nation is essentially no different from the life of an individual. Built into the scheme of things are the limitations or boundaries that ultimately God has determined for every aspect of life under the sun.

Our text centers on the idea of limitation. We are told to enjoy life with all its blessings, and to do so is wisdom in itself. Joy and wisdom are thus related, and 9:13-10:1 will turn our attention more specifically to wisdom. To enjoy life is our "portion" (9:9), a God-given blessing. But everything, joy included, has its limits. The limit to the concept of "joy" is already built into the word "portion." It implies a measure that cannot be improved.

On the one hand, life (and so its joy) is limited by time. "There is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (9:10). When we come to the end, earthly experiences—activities, plans, wisdom, joy—cease. This is the destiny that awaits us all. Only the end of time itself can change this.

But limitation, or perhaps we should say "challenges," to joy and contentment also arise from unexpected turns of events. The Teacher calls this "time and chance" happening to all (9:11). The object of a runner is to win the race; but the fastest runner may not necessarily win. The strong warrior is expected to come home victorious from the battlefield; but oftentimes one has to lift the lid of a wooden box to see his face just one last time. People of understanding, vision, and intelligence do not always gain favor or riches, but live and die as those who never managed to live up to their potential. All this spells tragedy. Regardless as to who we are or what we do, one turn of event or twist of fate can bring us down to the ground. "Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the children of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them" (9:12). So joy and contentment will have their limits in life under the sun, and there are no exceptions. Take the moment and thank God for all the good in your life.

There is only one type of joy that lasts. It towers over all other kinds of joy, and it will remain when everything else has vanished. The only thing that can spoil this joy is our own sin, but even so, it can be restored (Ps. 51:12). This is the joy of salvation. It is forever yours if you refuse to know God apart from the crucified Jesus of Nazareth.

The author of these devotionals, the Rev. Martin Emmrich, is an ordained OPC minister (Westminster OPC, Corvallis, Oregon) as well as the author of Pneumatological Concepts in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a book on the teaching of Hebrews on the Holy Spirit. We are happy to make these devotionals on Ecclesiastes and other passages of Scripture available to you.