Work for the Night is Coming
Eccl. 9:4-6
4. Anyone who is among the living has hope-- even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! 5. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. 6. Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
I remember the old hymn growing up. “Work for the Night is Coming”. The three verses speak of the importance of working “through the morning hours. through the sunny noon….under the sunset skies. The challenge is clear - “Work, when the day grows brighter, Work, in the glowing sun, Work, for the night is coming, when man's work is done.”
It was inspired by John 9:4 when Jesus said, “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work."
Solomon was not looking so much at the importance of work in this passage as he was the futility of life when all our work is done. He gives us a better perspective later in his writing, but if all we work for are the things of this earth it can be very futile. With faith and the hope of eternal life we need not fear death. The teachings of Jesus remind us of the value of being faithful to Christ unto death.
Whatever you're going to do, do it now, for when you die it will be too late. Hope exists as long as there is life. This life is the time we make our peace with God or live unto our own desires. As long as there is life, there is hope.
One night a young man came to my door. He was full of tears. He told the story of his grandfather who had a stroke and was unconscious and not expected to live. He had a strong sense from God that he should share his faith with his grandfather, but kept putting it off. Now it was too late. I said to my friend, “Let’s pray that as long as there is life there is hope. Let's pray that somehow God might arouse your grandfather enough that he might hear your testimony.”
This man returned a couple of days later and said, "God answered our prayer. I don't know if he understood or not, but he opened his eyes and watched me as I gave him my salvation story. He answered our prayer.”
We don't know when it will be too late to tell a friend or loved one neighbor or an enemy of God's saving grace. The older one gets the more difficult it is. The more you say no to God and keep putting off a decision for Christ, the less will be the desire to say yes. Resisting the Spirit of God is serious. People become hardened to spiritual things and God stops convicting them of their need.
The Scriptures are clear about two things: First, when the door to the ark was shut it was too late. When the door to the wedding banquet was closed, those foolish virgins could not enter. Second, there are rewards for the works God calls us to do as Christians. If we are faithful to what He gives us to do, rewards will come when He says, "Well done thou good and faithful servant.”
