Tweets - November 26th - Ecclesiastes 9

Ecclesiastes 9

For I have taken all this to my heart, even to examine it all, that righteous people, wise people, and their deeds are in the hand of God. People do not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits them.

It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and the unclean; for the person who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good person is, so is the sinner; the one who swears an oath is just as the one who is afraid to swear an oath.

This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterward they go to the dead. For whoever is joined to all the living, there is hope; for better a live dog, than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.

Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. See that your clothes are white all the time, and that there is no lack of oil on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your futile life which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your futility; for this is your reward in life and in your work which you have labored under the sun.

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

I find this a very honest take. Do all you can with all your might because time is short; fuck your wife today because tomorrow you may not see her - and though there may be a God, the only support you'll ever receive is your own personal limousine ride straight to the grave.

This type of honesty is lacking in this world.

It's interesting to me because so many cultures surrounded ancient Israel. At one point in time, Egypt heavily influenced Jewish culture - this is evident by the anhk displayed on the seal from King Hezekiah's signet ring.

But as often as Jewish folk hated and violently rejected their prophets, the Jewish prophets left quite an impression on them - this is in part evident by their lack of belief in an afterlife.

To the Jewish prophets, God is God of the living, and not the dead. To them, salvation is physical and not esoteric or mystical.

"For the Lord loves justice and does not abandon His godly ones; they are protected forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be eliminated. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever." ~ Psalm 37.

Psalm 37 is in stark contrast and contradiction with Ecclesiastes 9 - which was written by someone in godless despair - the only form of existence you know.