one28 PodcastExpect the Unexpected
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
2008.01.06
one28 Sunday worship
Last week in Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 we considered Solomon’s call to God-fearers that they eat with joy and dress with joy and be married with joy and work hard with joy. Those joys are all about the process. You can smell the aroma coming from this lifestyle of the wise and righteous. This is the kind of approach to life under the sun we’re commanded to pursue.
But instead of being content and enjoying the process, we typically try to control the process and pursue results. Instead of being satisfied with what we have and finding fulfillment where we are, we’re tempted to think joy comes from accomplishments and treats, not in the process; in good food, expensive clothes, the right wife, and successful labor. We mistake our responsibility to enjoy the process by thinking we’re responsible for the results of the process. But those are two very different things.
The primary problem with believing that joy comes from results is that results aren’t reliable. We can’t control the process to guarantee the end we want. I think Solomon knew that we would slip into self-sufficiency and self-effort to secure the joy he commands in 9:7-10. So in 9:11-12 he curbs our (misplaced) enthusiasm by reminding us that life under the sun doesn’t always go as planned. If there is one thing that we can expect it is the unexpected. Success often doesn’t go to the smartest or strongest. That only threatens our joy if profit is our concern, not the process. As for the results, expect the unexpected.
Unexpected Results v.11
We–especially Americans it seems–believe it’s up to us to be can be all we can be, and we will be if we just work hard. We believe talented persons succeed. We assume better brains earn better grades. We expect the big kid will always beat up the little kid. But when we wake up and open our eyes, what we see isn’t always what we expected.
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.
1. The Playing Field 11a
Solomon surveys the same playing field he’s observed all throughout Ecclesiastes, Again I saw under the sun (cf. 4:1, 7). This is another truth the Preacher had seen and experienced for himself.
2. The Pursuits 11b
Solomon lists five pursuits and five odds-on favorites for each. In each case the outcome is not what we forecasted.
The first pursuit or arena is competition: the race is not to the swift. The adjective swift describes a light, and therefore, speedy person. They’re light on their feet so they run fast. But the quickest doesn’t always cross the finish line first.
The second pursuit or arena is war: nor the battle to the strong. The strong is the mighty, valiant “warrior”; the man with power and skill. But victory in the fight isn’t guaranteed to the burly (big guy), just ask Goliath.
The third pursuit relates to daily provisions: nor bread to the wise. Bread represents the necessities of life, primarily food, and by extension the security it provides. But being wise doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be well fed. Wisdom doesn’t always translate to food on the table.
The fourth pursuit concerns money or possessions: nor riches to the intelligent. You may be brilliant, discerning, and insightful. You may know more than your co-workers, you may know more than your boss, but that doesn’t guarantee to make you wealthy or even to keep you out of the poor house.
The final pursuit concerns acceptance and then influence: nor favor to those with knowledge. Favor is a word that speaks of esteem, reputation, and opportunity. Being learned doesn’t mean people listen to you and having info is not the same thing as having influence.
The first two situations demonstrate that physical advantages don’t guarantee success and the final three prove that mental acumen doesn’t either. Neither better brain nor brawn are sure success. My dad always told me, it’s better to be lucky (see the next point for my use of “lucky”) than good.
It is important to think through this accurately though, because Solomon does not say that the swift always lose and the strong always suffer defeat and the smart always fail. But he is saying that just because you’re swift or strong or smart, don’t expect your first place finish is a lock. But if you get joy running the race, winning is icing on the cake.
3. The Problem 11c
Solomon reveals the reason we should expect the unexpected, but time and chance happen to them all.
This is a major problem almost any way you look at it. If the statement is true, there’s no hope for anything. Perhaps the bigger problem is, doesn’t that go against the truth of God’s sovereignty?
Solomon isn’t throwing his hands in the air in the last part of verse 11, exasperated by random, impersonal forces. Remember that Solomon is making a summary observation about life under the sun. From our perspective we can’t explain why bad things happen to good people. From the human vantage point it makes no sense that David defeated Goliath. Based on what we see, it all depends on time and chance, the bounce of the ball and the luck of the draw. The key is, that’s what it seems like from our viewpoint.
But even the word chance doesn’t have the same philosophical, God-denying meaning attached to it today. The Hebrew word pega refers to an event that was not pre-arranged; an accidental occurrence. The question is, pre-arranged by who? “The event is not planned by us. As far as we’re concerned, anything can happen” (Wilson, p. 104). A lot of things happen that we don’t arrange and a lot more things happen opposite of what we tried to arrange. That doesn’t mean anything is an accident to God.
Solomon already explained in Ecclesiastes that everything happens in its time and the times are determined by God.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. (3:14) Then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. (8:17)
And taking an even bigger step back from this paragraph, multiple times in the book of Proverbs Solomon attributes exhaustive sovereignty to God, even a roll of the dice.
The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
Proverbs 16:1The heart of a man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:9The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
Proverbs 16:33
“Everything that happens is caused by something; the Bible teaches that it is caused by Someone. To say that something happens by chance is simply to confess our ignorance of the cause” (Wilson, p.104). The point is that providence trumps human ability and ingenuity. To those who aren’t thinking about God the only way they can explain the faster person losing the race is luck and chance. But we who know God’s work behind the scenes call it providence. And while providence regularly corresponds to the swift, the strong, and the smart, sometimes God does what we least expect. God overturns the board to remind us that He’s God and we’re just players.
Just to make sure we’re clear, Solomon’s use of “time and chance” is not suggesting that God isn’t in control. R.C. Sproul has the best brief summary of this I’ve come across.
There is a crucial difference between the providence of God and fortune, fate, or luck. The key to this difference is found in the personal character of God. Fortune is blind while God is all-seeing. Fate is impersonal while God is a Father. Luck is dumb while God can speak. There are no blind, impersonal, forces at work in human history. All is brought to pass by the invisible hand of Providence.
In a universe governed by God there are no chance events. Indeed, there is no such thing as chance. Chance does not exist. It is merely a word we use to describe mathematical possibilities. But chance by itself has no power because it is no being. Chance is not an entity that can influence reality. Chance is not a thing. It is a nothing. (R.C. Sproul, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, p.62)
From God’s perspective no event is arbitrary (based on random not reason), capricious (sudden or unaccountable), or whimsical (frivolous and insignificant). Everything happens for a reason, even if we don’t know the reason. From our perspective under the sun, especially for those who don’t think about life under God, it seems like luck determines the final score. Don’t bet on it.
Unexpected Death v.12
Things don’t always go to plan, everything can change in a moment, especially if you die. If it seems like life is random, death is even less predictable.
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.
1. The Problem 12a
It is a problem under the sun that time and chance happen to all (v.11). It is an additional problem that For man does not know his time. It’s possible that his time refers to any bad time, event, or occasion, but throughout verse 12 “time” is singular, so the I believe the best interpretation is that “his time” is another way to say “his death” or the time his life ends. That’s no surprise since we saw in 9:1-6 that death is certain; the same event happens to all; everyone will die. The uncertainty is when.
2. The Pictures 12b
Two pictures/illustrations demonstrate the sudden, unexpected timing of death. First, Like fish that are (caught) in an evil net. There you are, trying to find Nemo, everything is going along swimmingly, and all of a sudden you’re hauled out of the water, heaved onto the deck of the boat, sure to be dinner on someone’s plate by sundown.
The second picture is similar, like birds that are (trapped) in a snare. Some type of bait caught the birds’ eye and then caught them. They weren’t thinking about being trapped. They certainly weren’t preparing for it. Then it was too late.
3. The Point 12c
The point/application of the pictures concludes verse 12, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. This is the universal condition; righteous and wicked are sure to die and neither know when. The whole verse emphasizes the abrupt and unanticipated end of life; eternity is never more than a heartbeat away. We have no influence on our entrance into the world or when we cross the finish line.
Conclusion
God is in control. Men who don’t fear Him can only be frustrated by unexpected results and unforeseen death. But we’ve already learned that. What’s the point in repeating it here? It seems like for those who do fear God, for those trying to ETP like Solomon commanded, we need reminding that joy isn’t necessarily in winning or wealth, in results and riches. Maybe you’ll have those things, or some of those things to enjoy, maybe you won’t. Maybe you think you should and you don’t. Maybe you shouldn’t and you do. The point is to fear God and enjoy the process.
In case you wonder, the pessimistic preacher of Ecclesiastes isn’t the only one who makes this point.
Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor His pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
in those who hope in His steadfast love.
Psalm 147:10-11
Your attitude is way more important than your accomplishments if you want to have joy. God wants you to depend on Him through the process, whatever happens, whether you expect it or not. To those who read 9:11-12 with faith, we know that even though we might not have a chance for joy under the sun, we do have a prayer.
On the first Sunday of the new calendar year I can’t help but think about how verses 11-12 (alongside of verses 7-10) relate to making resolutions. Though not everyone agrees, I think the new year provides a perfect opportunity to examine if there are any major obstacles you need to remove, or any lifestyle changes and attitude adjustments you need to make in order for you to better ETP (and make progress in Christlikeness). In particular, if you’re eating your bread with dissatisfaction and dressing down and wasting your wife and loafing around, you may need to reshape your whole modus operandi (or at least tweak where necessary).
Yet in light of verses 11-12 and the reality that the race doesn’t always go to the swift, maybe we wonder why try to get faster? If bread doesn’t always go to the wise, why stay up late to finish an assignment? And if we might die in 15 minutes anyway, is all the wearisome effort really worth it?
The answer is Yes! It is worth it if you do it for the right reasons and pursue it in the right way. It is proper to work hard at whatever your hand finds to do. You should look for, and take advantage of every opportunity you can. So resolve to do something new or something better. God ordained food for joy, so resolve to get your feast on. You are obligated under God to have fun with your wife. So get one, or if you have one, resolve to stop being a sourpuss.
But–but–resolve to improve your joyfulness in the process not just at the end of the process when you’ve succeeded. You might not succeed, but at least you can die happy trying. Fact is, if you don’t enjoy running, you won’t last longer than a few weeks on the treadmill no matter how much weight you want to lose. Achieving your goal is good, but what about the thrill of the chase? Too many miss the joys along the journey because they can only think about the destination. As we’ve seen, the problem is you might never get there.
As we make resolutions with both 9:7-10 and 9;11-12 in mind, consider the following three credos (a statement of the beliefs or aims that guide someone’s actions):
1. Seek out opportunities but submit to God.
Verse 10 is a divine command to do so. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might. Redeem the time because the days are evil. Whatever you do, work heartily as for the Lord. Commit your work to the Lord. But, don’t forget that no matter how detailed your plans are the Lord directs your steps. If you get upset about that, you’ve crossed the line from serving God to directing God. But get the semi truck moving and trust that He’ll steer you in the right direction.
2. Work as hard and as smart as you can, but rely on God.
It is a sin to be slothful. Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys. Don’t run aimlessly or half-heartedly. Be diligent. The plans of the diligent typically lead to abundance. So work harder than anyone else. Likewise, wisdom does have (relative) value over folly, so get counsel and get wisdom and work intelligently. But, don’t forget that if you work harder than anyone else, it wasn’t you, it was the grace of God in you. Use all the (righteous) means available, but depend on God.
3. Play to win every time but enjoy the process.
Solomon is not anti-competition. He certainly isn’t telling the mighty warriors just to hand over their swords. Winning the race is still the goal, triumphing in battle really is better, obtaining food is important, making a profit can be good, and earning influence has great benefit. He isn’t saying those things are bad, he’s saying don’t depend on those things as your ultimate joy. Pick up the pace to obtain the prize. But the breeze on your face as you scamper around the track is intended for your gladness as much, if not more so, than finishing first.
In light of the fact that we don’t have the power to control the present or the wisdom to predict the future, fear God, work hard, and ETP. If you do that, you’ll not only have joy on the earthly road but eternal joy will be your destination. Fearing God is the only sure way to have your best life now and forever.
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