September 26
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ECCLESIASTES 9
But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 It is the same for all, since the same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil, to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who swears is as he who shuns an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has 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 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. – Ecclesiastes 9:1-6
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ECCLESIASTES 9 DEATH WILL INEVITABLY COME
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
The righteous continue with their good deeds according to God’s plan
Just as the wicked will not stop from doing their schemes and evil plots
To ponder on the intentions of man’s heart is futile, only God knows
But whether someone is good or bad, death will inevitably come.
Those who do not know God will continue to live for this world
But all those who the love him will follow his truth revealed in his word
Some may think that it doesn’t matter whether you do good or not
They are ignorant and don’t know God’s promise of an everlasting life.
Those who love the world will cling on to life on earth, they don’t know better
But all the children of the Lord have hope that there will a life after
All our physical bodies will deteriorate and disintegrate eventually
But for all those whom God chose will be the fulfillment of eternal life.
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REFLECTION
• What do you think Solomon meant in verse 5 when he said that the living know that they will die but the dead know nothing and have no more reward?