The Hope of the Living Ecclesiastes 9 P

Ecclesiastes 9

Hope

Like the fishes caught in an evil net

Or the birds caught in a snare

I know not my time

that falleth suddenly upon me.

As the hand of God that

comes alike unto all

in that one event, I have

considered in my heart:

The hand that falls both upon the

wicked and righteous,

the clean and unlcean,

swearer and the faithful

will fall upon me.

But to the living

There is Hope

Who wears a white dress

And recognizes death,

Not as a foe but rather as a reward

For remembrance.

Hope walks amongst the living

Who join together banding their love

Knowing God who accepts their works

And anoints their head with his oil

Hope liveth joyfully with her spouse

Whom she loveth all the days of her life.

Hope accepts her portion in this life.

Hope accepts her portion in her labor.

Hope findeth living work

and doest it with all her might,

knowing that in death there is no work,

nor knowledge, nor wisdom.

The grave taketh it all.

Hope knoweth the race of life

goes not to the swift

nor to the strong

but finds balance

in life's time and chance.

Hope teaches that quiet words

fights her battle with wisdom,

and forges works of righteousness

Hope eats bread with joy

drinks wine with a merry heart

and goeth his way in peace.

Knowing that when he is snared

even as a bird is caught by an evil net

God's providence will carry

him forward into the living light.

Copyright Linda Conkey Shaw July 10, 2010.

Our daughter had occasion to spend the day with us today. Dressed in white we attended the temple of our faith. I read this chapter while in the temple and could not help but think of our daughter and the joy that she has brought into our lives. I will name her Hope, for the purpose of this entry. As I thought about our time with her, her ability to love, to recharge our batteries, I could only think of how being around her (Hope) was like being around the living.

Those who choose to have God in their life have chosen to walk among the living. When we walk among the living, we wear white and practice wisdom. When we walk among the living, we learn to love with a joyful heart and accept our portion of work. When we walk among the living we teach one another of hopeful things that bring love, faith, and good works. We let go of things that death will take with him to the grave: envy, hate and a dead love.

Hope is alive. It breathes life back into us when we have allowed ourselves to become despondent to life's attempts to keep us on track. Hope seeks wisdom; wisdom seeks hope.

The two work together.

When life has become hard and difficult, cultivate hope. Hope for things to change for the better, hope for life to become quieter, peaceful and more productive. Hope to have God's influence in our lives so that we can have the desires of our hearts.

Words and Phrases

vs1 - in the hand of God - We all must consider that no matter what happens to us in our lives we are all in the hand of God. We are all dependent upon his love, wisdom, spirit of guidance to direct us.

vs 2 all things come alike to all - Life happens to us all. I think one of the greatest things that I disdain is to see a righteous person treat a non righteous person with contempt. His pride reaches him and he believes that what has happened to another cannot befall him. Sometimes it does not matter how much power or control we have over our lives, sometimes life happens. I could name several calamities, but there are also many other things that involve our personal lives. Perhaps these are much more common.

vs 3 one event unto all - again.. we are in this together. We can choose to live as the dead among the living and prepare for the day that we will die by carrying with us the things that will leave us at death, or we can choose to live among the living and carry with us the things that will carry our lives on in the memories of those we love.

vs 4 there is hope - one of the greatest virtures.. something to be cultivated with wisdom

vs 5 the living know they shall die - the living are alive in Christ. Alive in wisdom, alive in righteousness. They may not know when, but they know they will die. It does not distress them, because they are aware of the peace and good their lives of hope have created. Hope carries on. Hope is eternal. When we live our lives with hope, we live lives that will continue on after our death.

vs 8 let they garments be always white - clean, pure, righteous, good, able to walk with hope

vs 9 live joyfully - hope brings joy because it helps us see the optimist side of life.

Hope brings us joy in the many ways that we love others.

vs 10 thy hand findeth to do - hope knows self reliance. Hope seeks to work with the living so that the living may live.

vs 11 time and chance - it happens to us all. We have God to help us if we choose to love God, but even as we love God, time and chance happens. I believe that God works to change time and chance for our benefit. I believe that God and his angels help those that live with the living.

vs15 poor wise man - saved the city, but because he did not cry with the foolish, but rather used his wisdom as his strength to save the city, he was easily forgotten. The