Ecclesiastes 9:1

"For. have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him."For. have taken all this" -Both to what has been said and to what is coming.

"to my heart and explain it" -"I gave my heart that. might clear up all this" (Sprl); "All this. kept in mind and recognized" (NAB); to explore, search out. "The fact that man does not know what the (earthly) future holds is of grave importance to Solomon, and he gives himself completely to explain it" (Kidwell p. 225).

"their deeds are in the hand of God" -their works, achievements and activities. The "hand of God" means the power and providential working of God (Job 2:10; Acts 17:28). Solomon's point seems to be that while man has freewill, as previous noted, righteous and wise men in this life are not always rewarded according to their deeds. Even the righteous or wise men doesn't know if good or harm awaits him in this life. This verse also infers, "No one by even righteous deeds can gain control over God and coerce blessing from him….One must acknowledge that all is in God's hands" (Garrett p. 330).

"whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him" -The only certainty concerning our earthly future, is that anything could await us. The love and hatred in this verse could be human/earthly love and hated or Divine love and hatred. This is even true of the righteous man. We must not, like the friends of Job, assume that. man is. great sinner because calamity falls upon him (Job 4:7-8). Nor, should we ever assume that. person is right with God, because they are being blessed by outward prosperity (Luke 12:15-21; Ecclesiastes 16:19-20).

Points To Note:

1 Some have viewed the love and hatred in this verse as being Divine love or hatred. According to Psalms 19:1-2 and Romans 1:20, man can see from simply beholding the creation that. powerful Creator exists. But without the Scriptures, even the moral or wise man cannot tell if God is angry or pleased with their life. "From the manner in which things happen in this life. man cannot tell whether God's attitude toward him is one of love or hatred" (Leupold p. 207). Kidner notes, "We have only to use our eyes without prejudice, according to Psalm 19 and Romans 1:19ff., to see that there is. powerful and glorious Creator. But it takes more than observation to discover how He is disposed towards us. Whether we take the words love or hate here to be. biblical way of saying 'acceptance or rejection', or to have their simple, primary sense, we shall have, either way, only an uncertain answer about the Creator's character from the world we live in, with its mixture of delight and terror, beauty and replusiveness" (p. 80). 2. We need to realize, that without the Scriptures, we don't even know if God wants us saved! Listen to the following: "Who can tell us whether this awful and mysterious silence, in which the Infinite One has wrapped himself, portends mercy or wrath? Who can say to the troubled conscience, whether He, whose laws in nature are inflexible and remorseless, will pardon sin? Who can answer the anxious inquiry whether the dying live on or whether they cease to be? Is there. future state? And if so, what is the nature of that untried condition of being? If there be immortal happiness how can. attain it? If there be an everlasting woe, how can it be escaped? Let the reader close his Bible and ask himself seriously what he knows about these momentous questions apart from its teachings….He knows nothing, he can know nothing about it, except by direct revelation from heaven"