⁹ Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

– Eccl. 11:9

As we resume our study of Ecclesiastes, we find ourselves once again considering the words of Solomon which exhort us as to how we are to live our lives. The focus of his discourse in 11:1-10 is centered not, however, on the specific manner in which we live, but instead upon the necessity of taking action and making choices.

Prefacing his exhortations once again with a poem, Solomon encourages us to both invest in the future and generous with others (11:1-2). These words are of great value to us because of the natural human tendency towards inaction, either because of our laziness or inability to make decisions (11:4). The solution to the problem of inaction (particularly for those who tend over analyze or over think) is to recognize that we can never fully understand the mind of the Lord or discern His specific will in all things (11:5). Therefore, we need to step out in faith and do the basic things that He has called us to do in life, trusting the results to Him (11:6).

Having encouraged a life of courageous action, he pauses to put things into perspective for us. Using the common biblical imagery of light and darkness, he reminds us that life will include both good days (light) that are to be enjoyed, but also days of difficulty (11:7-8). We should rejoice in every day we are given, but we must not expect that they will all be devoid of difficulty because life is ultimately hebel (frustrating, temporary).

These words are offered to us not to discourage, but rather to encourage, something clearly demonstrated by the final verses of the chapter. Solomon once again commends to us the enjoyment of life, particularly during the days of our youth (11:9a), exhorting us to “walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes.” At this point we could be forgiven for a bit of confusion. Hasn’t he discouraged us from following our heart and denying ourselves the things that our eyes desire through his own personal testimony? The answer to this is found in the words of 11:10b that serve to qualify his prior statement. We should feel the freedom to enjoy life and pursue the desires of our heart and eyes, but we should do so with the knowledge that we will stand before God in judgment. When we embrace the reality that our lives are lived before the face of God and will ultimately end in His presence, we can enjoy the days of our lives to His glory, not despairing that life is hebel, but knowing that fullness of joy ultimately awaits us!

Join us this Sunday as we come together to worship the Lord Jesus and to share together in His table which serves to remind us of the table that He will one day prepare for us in His presence forever!

Soli Deo Gloria.

-Thomas