Ecclesiastes 9:4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
Hope for Those Who Choose to Live
Who would win if you were to debate with Abraham Lincoln? You would. Who would win in a race between you and Jesse Owens? You would. Who would get the higher score if you were to quiz against Albert Einstein? Believe it or not, you would. Who would win in a fight between a dead lion and a living dog? Wouldn’t a living dog win? I would put my little dog Bromley up against the biggest, deadest lion any day of the week.
Here is how Ecclesiastes 9:4 says it: “For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.” There is always hope for those who choose to live. There are so many people who are dead even while they live. They wish for death because they have abdicated their responsibility in life and are not trusting God to live life well.
I think that even an agnostic and I would agree that once your life on this earth is done there is no more you can do on this earth. Now, I know there is an eternity, and an agnostic may not be sure about it. But when it comes to this earth, though I will live somewhere forever, I will not be doing anything else here once I die. Any decisions that you will make about life or eternity you will make here and now on this earth and in this life.
I remember once riding with a police officer on a night patrol in a city where I was holding revival meetings. We responded to the call of a father whose teenage son was about to walk out on him. The son was discouraged and disgusted, and he hated life and his father. I remember that when we arrived, he cussed out the officer, cussed out his dad, and walked out into the late night of that city. I remember the dad just shook his head and said, “He has just given up.” Why wouldn’t the son give up, after all, he has been taught all his life that he is a cosmic accident and that this life is all there is!
Oddly enough, there is more to live for now when you know that there is more to live for than just now. But in any event, all you have as to this earth is the day God has given you right now. So, live while you are living. You can’t change yesterday, but you can choose today. While you cannot change yesterday, you can make choices today, and that will change the outcomes of tomorrow. So, whom will you choose to join today? Will you take responsibility for the choices you have, and trust God to give you guidance?
Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest.” By God’s grace you can make the right decisions, do the right work, have the right wisdom, and do it in a way that will affect eternity in a positive way. There is always hope for those who choose to live.