Eccl. 9 – Lucky Dog

I was intrigued by these verses today:

“The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. Anyone who is among the living has hope - even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!” – Ecclesiastes 9:3-4

These words remind me of a thought I had this past week while preparing my sermon. I was thinking about how we apply our understanding of God when he is correcting or disciplining us. If we think that God is just a mean puppet master who messes with us for His own sport, we probably won’t respond appropriately. But if we think of God as the righteous, worthy, God of love that He is, we’ll see that His correction is not for sport, but for restoration.

However... regardless of what we believe or think, it does not change truth.

Scripture tells us that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. This is because one day God will reveal himself in a way that no one will be able to deny it. Whether we thought of Him as Lord or not, it won’t change the reality that He is.

As Solomon wrote, “The same destiny overtakes all”… whether we want to believe it or not… “Anyone who is among the living has hope” and as He said, “even a live dog is better off than a dead lion.”