The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Ecclesiastes 9:5,
"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."
Solomon makes this comment as a summary to his observation that from the perspective of "life under the sun" those who are alive have hope, "even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!" The same can't be said for the dead. Solomon's perspective is clear and dreadfully accurate. From the perspective of this life, all there is - is in this life.
But God, in his wonderful love for us, has provided us a much broader perspective. Life under the sun is only a part of the totality of life. As we read the Scriptures, as an example, we find in the first book, Genesis, Jacob has a startling vision. The veil of what can be seen in life under the sun is pierced and Jacob sees angels ascending and descending between heaven and earth. In the New Testament, as the account of the birth of Jesus Christ is given, we are told of shepherds who witness an amazing sight. An angel of the Lord appears to them, someone from beyond life under the sun! He tells these shepherds of the news of great joy, a Savior has been born! We read on and find that, "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'" In the last book of he Bible we read of the heavenly throne, Revelation 4. In the next chapter we read of millions of angels, living creatures and elders singing praises to God as they gather around the throne. All this is beyond life under the sun.
From the myopic perspective of this life under the sun, there is what we get and then the grave. From the broader perspective of all of reality, there is much, much more! We read of the experiences of those who have passed through the gate of death to move on to their eternal reward. Jesus gave us the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. There he speaks of the concerns of the suffering rich man for his five brothers. We read the prophetic words of Abraham from paradise of the responses people will make to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, an astonishing and fascinating account.
Together with those of faith the writer of Hebrews speaks of, we yearn for what lies beyond life under the sun, "they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them." Hebrews 11:16.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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