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02/04/2026 - Ecclesiastes 11:7, 8 says, 7 The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. 8... Read More
02/03/2026 - Ecclesiastes 11:5 says, 5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in... Read More
02/02/2026 - Sorry, the report about Trump that I posted earlier is probably just an AI-generated attack. I pos... Read More
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Ecclesiastes 11:7, 8 says,
7 The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. 8 Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.
In Ecclesiastes 11:1-6, the focus is external—what you must do in a world you cannot control. He says to act faithfully in spite of not knowing the future. In 11:7–8, Koheleth turns inward—how to enjoy life fully in spite of its “futility” (shortness or transience).
Labor under uncertainty can slide into joyless endurance, so he now corrects that tendency. Persistent work must be matched with joy, awareness of mortality must not cancel delight, and light must be enjoyed precisely because darkness is real. The same uncertainty that demands faithful action also authorizes grateful enjoyment.
Both sections rest on the same assumptions: (1) human life, being mortal, is limited; (2) the future is hidden; and (3) God remains active and sovereign. However, they draw different responses. Ecclesiastes 11:1–6 says, “therefore, do not be idle.” Verses 7, 8 says, “therefore, let him rejoice in them all.”
Since you cannot control outcomes, act faithfully. Since you cannot extend your days, enjoy them gratefully.
“Light” and “sun” are concrete symbols for life itself—conscious existence, vitality, presence in the world. Light is called “pleasant.”Seeing the sun is called “good.” Koheleth insists that life under the sun is genuinely enjoyable, not merely tolerable. Many men over the centuries have missed this command and have practiced asceticism or detachment (monasticism).
Neither is wisdom, says Koheleth. He treats rejoicing as a moral response to life’s gift, not as denial of life’s fragility and transience. Every year—ordinary or difficult—is included. Joy is not reserved for exceptional moments or seasons.
“Darkness” refers to decline, suffering, and ultimately death itself. Koheleth does not say “if” these days come, but “they will be many.” Forgetfulness here would be self-deception. Hence, joy is immediately balanced by realism. But notice the order. First: “rejoice” in life. Then: “remember” darkness. Joy is deepest when it is honest about darkness and grateful for light.
The Apostle Paul echoes this view, commanding in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always.” Again, he says in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” James 1:2 agrees, saying, “Count it all joy.” Finding joy in the midst of tribulation is like finding a light in the darkness. So Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:11, 12,
11 Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Ecclesiastes 11:9 says,
9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment [hold you accountable] for all these things.
First, Koheleth invites; then he warns. The warning is the theological framework for joy. He allows freedom, but not moral independence. Desire is real, enjoyment is legitimate, but yet accountability is unavoidable. Judgment is not a joy-killer, nor is it mere punishment. It should be viewed as a boundary that ensures real joy, which can be found only in adopting His ways. It refers to divine evaluation. Does seeking pleasure through lawless behavior really give joy?
Youth tends to assume consequences are distant or negotiable. Wisdom insists they are certain, even if delayed. Judgment gives joy weight and seriousness. It rescues us from meaningless and temporary pleasure whose consequences ultimately bring regret. Pleasure without accountability dissolves into vanity. So enjoy life fully, but remember that not all pleasure brings joy.
Koheleth now draws a practical conclusion from verse 9. After affirming joy with accountability, he turns to what must be actively removed if joy is to remain sound.
Ecclesiastes 11:10 concludes,
10 So remove grief [ka’as, “vexation, irritation, grief, resentment, frustration”] and anger [ra’ah, “that which is bad, harmful”] from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
If one’s heart is full of ka’as, it results in ra’ah, a bad or painful result. This is a call to early moral hygiene—clear the heart early before the destructive patterns harden and affect you for the rest of your life. By doing this, you will avoid much pain. That is wisdom.
Wisdom is not only inward but physical. Habits formed in youth affect the body long after youth has passed. Koheleth recognizes the unity of heart and body. Reckless living is not abstract; it leaves real scars. Life is too short to live as an angry, resentful person. So Koheleth gives the reason for cleansing the heart: “Because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.”
Koheleth is now setting a stage. Eccl. 11:9–10 advises to use youth wisely. Eccl. 12:1 says to remember your Creator before decline. Eccl. 12:2–7 shows the inevitability of aging and death. The warning is this: what is not dealt with in youth will be carried into old age and perhaps never overcome.
Koheleth does not tell the young to deny joy, but to protect it by removing what corrodes the heart and damages the body—before time removes the opportunity. This is wisdom spoken with urgency, not severity.
Dr. Stephen Jones has been writing blog posts since 2005 on a variety of topics from Bible Studies to World News, and he has been writing books since 1992. Dr. Jones' most important writings came after God brought him back into the full-time ministry in 1991. It is here that all his earlier years of searching the Scriptures began to come into clear focus. He combines a knowledge of the Old and New Testaments with a personal revelation of God that began and developed during the "wilderness" period of his life, which he often refers to as God's True Bible College... Read More
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