Ecclesiastes 9 and 10

Living with wisdom and death

Ecclesiastes 9:1-3So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.

As it is with the good,so with the sinful;as it is with those who take oaths,so with those who are afraid to take them

Na ‘ou mānatunatu lava i lo‘u loto i na meauma, na ‘ou matuā su‘esu‘e fo‘i na meauma; ‘ua i le ‘a‘ao o le Atua le ‘ua amiotonuma ē ‘ua popoto, ‘atoa ma a latou galuega; e lē iloa fo‘i e tagata le alofa po o le ita imea uma i o latou luma. E tutusa ‘ona o‘o o mea uma i tagata uma e tasi lava le mea e o‘o i lē ‘ua amiotonu ma lē ‘ua amio leaga, ilē ‘ua lelei ma lē ‘ua mamā ma lē ‘ua lēmamā, o lē na te faia taulaga ma lē na te lēfaia taulaga; e pei ‘ona o‘o i le tagata amiolelei, e fa‘apea fo‘i ‘ona o‘o i le tagataagasala; e pei ‘ona o‘o i lē na te tautō, e fa‘apea fo‘i ‘ona o‘o i lē ‘ua mata‘u i le tautō.

Ecclesiastes 9:1-3This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead.

‘Ua i ai lenei mea leaga i mea uma ‘uafaia i lalo o le lā, e o‘o le mea e tasi itagata uma; ‘ua tumu fo‘i loto o tagata ile leaga, ‘ua i ai fo‘i le valea i o latou lotoi o latou olaga nei, mulimuli ane ‘ualatou ō atu i ē ‘ua oti.

Pleasure: Joyful or Mourning ????

Wealth: Rich or Poor ????

Power: Kings or Servants ????

Work: Busy or Idle ????

Learning: Wise or Foolish ????

Pleasure: Joyful or Mourning MEANINGLESS!

Wealth: Rich or Poor MEANINGLESS!

Power: Kings or Servants MEANINGLESS!

Work: Busy or Idle MEANINGLESS!

Learning: Wise or Foolish MEANINGLESS!

I tried so hard

And got so far

But in the end

It doesn’t even matter

Pleasure: Joyful or Mourning ????

Wealth: Rich or Poor ????

Power: Kings or Servants ????

Work: Busy or Idle ????

Learning: Wise or Foolish ????

I tried so hard

And got so far

But in the end

It doesn’t even matter

Chester Bennington

1976 - 2017

Why not die now?1. Death is evil

Ecclesiastes 9:3This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun

‘Ua i ai lenei mea leaga i mea uma ‘uafaia i lalo o le lā

Ecclesiastes 9:3This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun

‘Ua i ai lenei mea leaga i mea uma ‘uafaia i lalo o le lā

1 Corinthians 15:26The last enemy to be destroyed is death O le toe fili e fa‘aumatia, o le oti lea

Ecclesiastes 9:3This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun

‘Ua i ai lenei mea leaga i mea uma ‘uafaia i lalo o le lā

1 Corinthians 15:26The last enemy to be destroyed is death O le toe fili e fa‘aumatia, o le oti lea

Romans 5:12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned

O lenei, fa‘apei ‘ona o‘o mai o le agasala i le lalolagi i le tagata e to‘atasi, o le oti fo‘i ‘ona o le agasala, ‘ona o‘o mai ai lea o le oti i tagata uma lava, auā ‘ua agasala uma lava

Ecclesiastes 9:4-6Anyone who is among the living has hope — even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

For the living know that they will die,but the dead know nothing;they have no further reward,and even their name is forgotten.Their love, their hateand their jealousy have long since vanished;never again will they have a partin anything that happens under the sun.

Auā o lē ‘ua fa‘atasi i ē ‘ua ola uma, ‘ua ‘iāte ia le fa‘amoemoe; auā e sili ‘ona lelei o le ulī ‘ua ola i le leona ‘ua mate.

Auā o ē ‘ua ola, ‘ua latou iloa e oti i latou; a o ē ‘ua oti, latou te lē iloa se mea; ‘ua leaifo‘i se toe totogi ‘iā te i latou; auā ‘uafa‘agalogaloina i latou. O lo latou alofa fo‘ima lo latou ita ma lo latou matau‘a, ‘uamavae lava ia; ‘ua lē toe ‘aiā i latou e fa‘avavau i mea uma ‘ua faia i lalo o le lā.

Ecclesiastes 9:4-64 Anyone who is among the living has hope — even a live dog possum is better off than a dead lion!

Why not die now?1. Death is evil

2. Life is good

Ecclesiastes 7:1A good name is better than fine perfume,and the day of death better than the day of birth.

E sili ‘ona lelei o le ta‘uleleia i le suāu‘u lelei,ma le aso e oti ai e sili i le aso e fānau mai ai.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-2A good name is better than fine perfume,and the day of death better than the day of birth.

It is better to go to a house of mourningthan to go to a house of feasting,for death is the destiny of everyone;the living should take this to heart.

E sili ‘ona lelei o le ta‘uleleia i le suāu‘u lelei,ma le aso e oti ai e sili i le aso e fānau mai ai.

E sili ‘ona lelei o le alu i le fale o i ai le fa‘anoanoa, i le alu i le fale ‘ua fai ai le tausamiga;

auā o le i‘uga lea o tagata uma; e manatua fo‘i e le tagata ola i lona loto.

Why not die now?1. Death is evil

2. Life is good

How should we live?

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labour under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

‘Inā alu ia, ‘ina ‘ai i lau mea e ‘ai ma le ‘oli‘oli, ‘inā inu fo‘i ia i lau uaina ma le lotofiafia; auā o lo‘o fiafia nei le Atua i au galuega ‘Ia sinasina ou ‘ofu e lē aunoa; ‘auafo‘i le aunoa le suāu‘u i lou ulu. ‘Ia e fiafia ilou ola fa‘atasi ma le avā ‘ua e alofa i ai, iaso uma o lou ola fa‘atauva‘a, ‘ua foa‘iina e le Atua ‘iā te oe i lalo o le lā, o ou asofa‘atauva‘a uma; auā o lou tofi lea i leneiolaga ma lau galuega ‘ua e galue ai i lalo o le lā. O mea uma ‘ua e iloa e faia e ou lima, ‘inā faia ia ma lou malosi; auā e leai se galuega, po o se mafaufau, po o se iloa, poo se poto i le tu‘ugamau, o lo‘o e alu atu iai.

How should we live?

How should we live?

How should we live?

How should we live?

Recap – We all dieShould we pursue death?

No.

How should we live?With joy and thankfulness.

Should we pursue pleasure?No. (Chapter 2)

How should we live?With joy and thankfulness being mindful of our mortality.

How should we live?

With joy With thankfulness Mindful of our mortality

… and with wisdom Chapter 9:11 – 10:20 (homework!)

How should we live?

With joy With thankfulness Mindful of our mortality

Is this life all there is?

Matthew 13:44-46The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

E tusa fo‘i le mālō o le lagi i le ‘oa ‘ua natia i le fanua; ‘ua iloa e le tasi, ‘ona nanā ai lea e ia; ‘ua alu fo‘i ma le fiafia ma fa‘atau atu ana mea uma, i le fa‘atau mai ai lea fanua.

E tusa fo‘i le mālō o le lagi ma le tagata fa‘atau ‘oa, ‘ua sā‘ili‘ili penina lelei; ‘ua iloa e ia le tasi penina tau tele, ‘ona alu ai lea o ia, ‘ua fa‘atau atu ana mea uma, i le fa‘atau mai ai lea penina.

Were the whole realm of nature mineThat were an offering far too smallLove so amazing, so divineDemands my soul, my life, my all