Ecclesiastes 9: Death and the Afterlife
Solomon finally dwells on a topic that he has touched on from time to time. He comments that The same destiny overtakes all (3). All will die, both he good and the evil.
Does it seem, then, that Solomon's understanding of heaven is rather limited in comparison to my own.
For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even the memory of them is forgotten.
Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun. (5-6)
Now, it is possible to see that Solomon does not mention heaven here, and he suggests that the dead know nothing. Thus, Solomon, and perhaps the majority of Israelites, do not have the same concept of heaven that we do. We suggest that when people die they go directly to heaven. At the very least, Solomon seems to think that the dead lie in the grave while their memory is forgotten. Either Solomon thinks that they wait for God to wake them, or he does not know of a heaven where people come back to life. And Solomon has yet to address the issue of what the dead might be waiting for.
Indeed, his focus throughout the book is on the here and now. He looks for justice in the present, he argues for obedience and pleasing God in the present. Solomon also argues that humanity needs to work hard now for there will be no work in the grave. (10) With his focus on the here and now, I think his point is this: You have the gift of life--do not waste it on foolishness and worry. Work hard today and please God today--that is all you have.
Since Solomon's emphasis is not on the future, he does not explain his idea of heaven here. This is not to say that he does not have a concept of heaven or future life--although his comments on there being no reward in the grave may lead some to think that he has no hope of eternal life beyond the grave.
However, the rest of the Bible teaches us of eternal life and heaven (see Colossians 1:5 for an example). Thus, it seems to me that Solomon's emphasis stops at the finality of death. He does not discuss the rewards of heaven, only the emptiness of the grave.
Let eveyone who hears, then, make the right choices in this life--for there will be no time or opportunity to correct them in the grave. I think this is Solomon's emphasis: enjoy God's gifts now and please him. The future is out of our hands.
Does it seem, then, that Solomon's understanding of heaven is rather limited in comparison to my own.
For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even the memory of them is forgotten.
Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun. (5-6)
Now, it is possible to see that Solomon does not mention heaven here, and he suggests that the dead know nothing. Thus, Solomon, and perhaps the majority of Israelites, do not have the same concept of heaven that we do. We suggest that when people die they go directly to heaven. At the very least, Solomon seems to think that the dead lie in the grave while their memory is forgotten. Either Solomon thinks that they wait for God to wake them, or he does not know of a heaven where people come back to life. And Solomon has yet to address the issue of what the dead might be waiting for.
Indeed, his focus throughout the book is on the here and now. He looks for justice in the present, he argues for obedience and pleasing God in the present. Solomon also argues that humanity needs to work hard now for there will be no work in the grave. (10) With his focus on the here and now, I think his point is this: You have the gift of life--do not waste it on foolishness and worry. Work hard today and please God today--that is all you have.
Since Solomon's emphasis is not on the future, he does not explain his idea of heaven here. This is not to say that he does not have a concept of heaven or future life--although his comments on there being no reward in the grave may lead some to think that he has no hope of eternal life beyond the grave.
However, the rest of the Bible teaches us of eternal life and heaven (see Colossians 1:5 for an example). Thus, it seems to me that Solomon's emphasis stops at the finality of death. He does not discuss the rewards of heaven, only the emptiness of the grave.
Let eveyone who hears, then, make the right choices in this life--for there will be no time or opportunity to correct them in the grave. I think this is Solomon's emphasis: enjoy God's gifts now and please him. The future is out of our hands.
Labels: Ecclesiastes, eternal life, Jesus' death
posted by Randy Rogers at
9:48 AM
1 Comments:
Randy,
do you think the idea that Solomon is focusing on life in the world is the operand here. He seems to be speaking mostly and directly to petty people who are jealous of him and trying to get them to understand the necessity of Godliness in their every day life. I had trouble with this passage thematic until I thought of it in this way--that it is an admonition to behave with a good attitude about it. A lot of Soloomon's writngs are very obtuse in their reference to God and the Spiritual Eternity...
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