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Rejoicing in the Light of Life

God wants our lives to be sweet and pleasant - in Him. Ecclesiastes 11.7, 8

Pray Psalm 139.11, 12.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Read Ecclesiastes 11.7, 8.

Prepare.

1. Solomon says it’s good to be alive. Explain.

2. But yet he warns that we won’t always be alive. How should that teach us to live here and now?

Meditate.

The “days of darkness” probably refers to death. The “light” that is “sweet” is that of the present moment, while we’re still alive. Again, Solomon counsels making good use of the present to leave a good reputation and a legacy for the future.

Carpe diem! That seems to be the message here – “seize the day!” But not in revelry and self-indulgence, as Rehoboam appears to be thinking. Rather, live life to the fullest, being faithful in all your work, laying up for the future, thinking about others and their needs, and doing everything with a grateful heart and a desire to honor God, Who gives us all good things.

“Life’s a bitch, and then you die”: More wisdom from a contemporary bumper sticker. Many believers seem to embrace this view of life. They complain and grumble, criticize and condemn, fuss and fume about this, that, and the other. But of all people, Christians should know joy, contentment, peace, and hope every day of their lives, for they know each day is a gift, each day is fraught with opportunities for bringing glory to God; and at the end of their days, full and abundant life awaits them, not the vanity and darkness that so many of their gloomy and anxious unbelieving friends fear (Heb. 2.15).

We won’t live this way unless we position ourselves “under heaven” at the beginning of each day, and look to the Lord consistently throughout it. We can know each day as sweet and pleasant, and we can weather each day’s storms, but only because of the hope we have of life beyond death, and light everlasting beyond the darkness of the grave.

Reflect.
1. Why should we “remember the days of darkness”? How do we do so? Does the Christian remember these days differently from those who have no faith? Explain.

2. God wants our lives to be sweet and pleasant. But what is necessary for that to be consistently so?

3. How can we live in rejoicing when we know that we’re not going to be alive forever?

Life is sweet to bad men, because they have their portion in this life; it is sweet to good men, because it is the time of preparation for a better; it is sweet to all. Here is a caution to think of death, even when life is most sweet.
Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Ecclesiastes 11.6

Thank You, Lord, that in Your resurrection I have the hope of eternal life, so that I can live this day in…

Pray Psalm 139.1-10.
The Lord knows us and our needs. Thank and praise Him for that, and put before Him your needs for this day, in the sure knowledge that He will never fail you nor forsake you.

Sing Psalm 139.1-10.
Psalm 139.1-10 (Ripley: Hallelujah, Praise Jehovah, O My Soul)
You have searched me, Lord, and known me,
when I sit and when I rise;
From afar, my thoughts discerning,
all my path before You lies.
Every word, before it’s spoken,
You behold and know it well.
Both behind me and before me,
Your sweet presence I can tell!

Just to know this is more wondrous
than my seeking soul can know.
From Your ever-present Spirit
there is nowhere I can go.
Whether high above the heaven
or below the earth in hell,
Even there Your hand shall lead me
and Your Right Hand hold me well!

T. M. Moore

Where does the book of Ecclesiastes fit in the overall flow of Scripture? Our series of studies, God’s Covenant, can show you, and help you discover the great beauty of the unity and diversity of Scripture, and how it all points to Christ. To order your copy of this important workbook, click here.

You can download all the studies in this series on Ecclesiastes by clicking here. If you value Scriptorium as a free resource for your walk with the Lord, please consider supporting our work with your gifts and offerings. You can contribute to The Fellowship by clicking the Contribute button  at the website or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 360 Zephyr Road, Williston, VT 05495.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from
The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006). All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (available by clicking here).

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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