When you cannot understand why God allows certain things to happen, can you still trust that your life is in His hands?
Key Verse:
“For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God.” — Ecclesiastes 9:1 (NASB)
Background Context:
Solomon has repeatedly wrestled with the apparent unfairness and unpredictability of life. He has seen righteous people suffer while wicked people prosper, and he has acknowledged that even great wisdom cannot explain everything God is doing.
As chapter 9 begins, Solomon anchors us in an important truth: the righteous and the wise are in the hand of God. Yet he also confronts the sobering reality that physical death eventually comes to everyone. That truth should not lead us toward despair, but toward faithfully using the life and opportunities God has given us today.
(Continued and expanded after scripture.)
Men Are in the Hand of God
1For I 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.
2It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. 3This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. 4For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. 6Indeed 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.
Reflection on Ecclesiastes 9:1–6:
Solomon begins with reassurance in the middle of life’s uncertainty: “righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God.” We may not understand everything happening around us, but God’s people are not abandoned. Our inability to understand His purposes does not mean He has lost control.
Yet life “under the sun” does not always unfold as we expect. The righteous suffer and the wicked suffer. Good people experience tragedy, while those who reject God sometimes prosper. We cannot reliably determine someone’s standing with God simply by looking at their circumstances. Prosperity is not automatic evidence of righteousness, nor is suffering automatic evidence of sin.
Solomon then says that “there is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked.” In context, he is speaking about physical death. Everyone eventually dies regardless of wealth, wisdom, righteousness, or social position. He is not teaching that the righteous and wicked have the same eternal destination. Scripture elsewhere clearly speaks of resurrection and judgment (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28–29). Solomon is describing what we observe during this earthly life.
That reality gives urgency to the present. Solomon uses the memorable comparison that “a live dog is better than a dead lion.” However unimpressive our circumstances may seem, while God gives us life there remains opportunity to repent, obey, serve, reconcile, encourage others, and pursue Him. We should not continually postpone what God has given us opportunity to do today.
When Solomon says that the dead “know nothing” and no longer have a share in what happens “under the sun,” he continues speaking from this earthly perspective. Their participation in this present world has ended. The opportunities available during earthly life are no longer available to them.
For followers of Yeshua, we can face that reality with hope. Yeshua declared, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (John 11:25). Physical death is real, but it does not have the final word.
Ecclesiastes therefore gives us two truths to hold together: our earthly lives are temporary, and our lives remain in God’s hands. We cannot control how many days we will receive or everything that happens during them, but we can choose to use the days God gives us faithfully.
Application:
- Trust that your life remains in God’s hands even when you do not understand your circumstances.
- Do not judge someone’s relationship with God merely by whether that person is prospering or suffering.
- Treat today as an opportunity God has given you rather than continually postponing what matters.
- Consider whether there is an act of obedience, reconciliation, service, or encouragement you should stop putting off.
- Face the reality of death with the hope of resurrection through Yeshua.
Closing Prayer:
Father, thank You that my life remains in Your hands even when I do not understand what You are doing. Help me not to measure Your faithfulness by my circumstances. Teach me to recognize that my days are limited and precious and to use the opportunities You give me faithfully. Show me where I have been postponing something You would have me do. Thank You that through Yeshua, death does not have the final word. Help me live today with purpose, faithfulness, and hope. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you.
John Golda
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