The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Event” it comes from the Hebrew Word “miqreh” which means “event, chance, occurrence.”
The Preacher urges wholehearted engagement with life despite death’s universal, unavoidable certainty. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Ecclesiastes 9.
The Preacher declares that he considered all this in his heart, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God, no man knowing either love or hatred by all that is before them, all things coming alike to all, one event happening to the righteous and to the wicked, describing this as an evil among all things done under the sun, that there is one “event,” “miqreh” in Hebrew, unto all.
The Preacher urges his readers, since to him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion, urging them to go their way, eat their bread with joy, and drink their wine with a merry heart, since God now accepts their works, letting their garments be always white, and letting their head lack no ointment, living joyfully with the wife they love all the days of their vain life, since that is their portion in this life, and in their labor which they take under the sun.
The Preacher urges whatever their hand finds to do, to do it with their might, since there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, where they go, describing how the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all, illustrating this with a story of a small city delivered by a poor wise man whom no one remembered, concluding that wisdom is better than strength, though the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard, closing with the observation that wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
The Preacher’s practical instruction, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, offers energetic, wholehearted counsel for engaging fully with present life and work rather than being paralyzed by uncertainty about ultimate outcomes. His memorable observation that time and chance happen to all, regardless of skill or wisdom, offers sobering but honest acknowledgment that effort alone never fully guarantees success, though it remains worth giving fully nonetheless.
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