Death is common to All.
(Listen to wisdom)

Ecclesiastes 9

1. For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. 
2 All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; To the good, the clean, and the unclean; To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 
4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun.
7 Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works.
8 Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labour which you perform under the sun.
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
11 I returned and saw under the sun that The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favour to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.
12 For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.

13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 
14 There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. 
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.
16 Then I said: “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard.
17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.”

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Solomon is examining all that he has seen and all that he has experienced in life and it is this that he is declaring to all those that will read his words.

1. For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: 

Solomon reiterates the truths previously mentioned. Everything is by the hand of God.

1. that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God.

People know nothing apart from God.

People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. 

2 All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; To the good, the clean, and the unclean; To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 

The same things happen to all men. It matters not who you are. The Preacher makes it clear that who you are, what is your station, whether you are a good man or a bad man, a religious man or a heathen, whether you make promises or break them. The same things happen to all men.
This is reflected in other scriptural verses, which show the things of this earth, is common to everyone, no matter what.

Matt 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

All are sons of man and man is basically evil. Whilst present on this earth, man is subject to the same things.
After our experience of this life, we all go to the dead. “It is appointed unto man once to die” Hebrews 9:27.

This will go on on the earth, until Jesus Christ returns and then there will be a change. For the righteous, one day, will be removed from the earth by the Rapture and judgement will fall on the unbeliever only.

This shows that as long as men are alive on the earth, there is hope.

4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope,

As long as a man is breathing fresh air, there is an opportunity for him to see the truth of the Gospel and be saved from the wrath to come.
This is why, no matter who you are, even if you are of lowly status, you are better being alive than dead.

V4 for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

The lion was highly regarded but the dog was despised; nevertheless, a living dog is better that a dead lion because with life comes knowledge, reward and continued activity on earth.

5 For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun.

Once dead, there is no more opportunity for redemption.

Again we see the Preacher exhorting men to enjoy life and the fruit of their labour. This is not wrong but what life is for. You labour, you are entitled to enjoy the fruits.

7 Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works.

However, these gifts from God are not there to be abused. Live well but live clean, do no evil.

8 Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

All that you have, comes from God, they are gifts to be enjoyed. After all, this is your life “under the sun”.

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

Life on this earth is temporary, so live it well. Find knowledge and wisdom, here and now. Once you are dead, there is no more.

Your span of life is not dependent on you, it doesn’t matter who or what you are, your time here on the earth cannot be lengthened by anything that you can do.

11 I returned and saw under the sun that The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favour to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all.

None of us knows our time, just like a fish caught in a net or a bird in a snare, death can come unawares.

12 For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.

Who knows, the cause and effect?

Verses 13 – 16 talks about the effect of a small act of wisdom.

The smallest act in life can have great effect.
It is said that the great fire of London was caused by a small spark. The fire started at 1am on Sunday morning in Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane. It may have been caused by a spark from his oven falling onto a pile of fuel nearby.

In the same way a small act of wisdom could deliver a city from a besieging enemy and yet it is never noticed by anyone.
There is a story in a book by Hans Brinker;
A Story of Life in Holland, featured several stories. The story about the Little Dutch Boy told how he saved Haarlem from flooding by putting his finger in the dike.
Whether this is a true story or not, it serves as an example of this proverb.
 

13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: 
14 There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. 
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.
16 Then I said: “Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard.

A wise quiet word can save the day, if it is heeded. But through the shouts of a fool, the day can be lost.

17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

This is a great lesson for the world. It is not always the one who shouts loudest who is heard but the one who speaks the truth in quietness.
The fool has nothing wise to say.
Many a man has been saved through a quite word for the Gospel. The truth whether whispered or shouted is still the truth.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good.”

During Solomon’s 40 year reign, there were no wars. He was known as a man of peace. He used the wisdom God had given him to stay out of war. God would destroy countries that turned away from Him in sin.

May our ear always be open to the quiet words of the wise.

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