Day #22: Time and Chance

Again, I observed this on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest, wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge— for time and chance may overcome them all. (Ec 9:11)

Solomon has discussed the certainty of death. Now he turns to the uncertainty of life.  The swiftest cannot always count on winning the race.  The strongest cannot always win the battle.  Prosperity is not always to the wisest or wealth to the discerning, or success to those with knowledge.  In other words, we live in a world of great uncertainty.  There is little we can count on for sure.

 

At first glance it seems odd that Solomon would be explaining the events that befall us as "chance".  Many would say, "There is no such thing as luck." And they would be right.  Certainly, God is sovereign over the affairs of men and nations. (Eph 1:11)

 

Of course, it depends on your perspective.  Solomon has limited his discussion to what occurs under the sun.  If you are not privy to the specifics of God's plan, random events would appear to be mere chance.  Good fortune or bad fortune, who can predict what the future holds?  Solomon has already indicated this in Ecclesiastes 5:13:

 

Here is a misfortune on earth that I have seen: Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery. Then that wealth was lost through bad luck.

 

Ecclesiastes 9:11 reminds us, "for time and chance may overcome them all."   And what happens over time?  Things change.  What seems like a certainty now may not be a week or month or year from now.  How many of us have come to a decision after much consideration only to have it overturned by a black swan event.

 

Remember, Solomon is maintaining an empirical perspective.  He is showing us how wrong it would be to presume to know more than what God reveals.  We often think we understand the Lord more than we do.  True wisdom reminds us how limited we are in our understanding, especially of God and His ways.

 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9)

 

God has revealed much throughout the Bible, even in Ecclesiastes.  But we should never think we know more than we do.  And we are often presumptuous about success and failure.  It is fine to plan your steps, but always remember the outcome is in God's hands. A person plans his course, but the LORD directs his steps. (Prov 16:9)

 

James the brother of Jesus said, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? For you are a puff of smoke that appears for a short time and then vanishes. You ought to say instead, “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (Jas 4:13-16)

 

So, if we are humble and contrite, we will not make assumptions about things we know little about- like the future.    We will embrace the ambiguity of life.  We will not be self-reliant. We will maintain a dependent attitude, an attitude of trust in God.  We will walk by faith, not by sight. We will make our plans, but we also will say, “If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that.”

 

Surely, no one knows his appointed time! Like fish that are caught in a deadly net, and like birds that are caught in a snare— just like them, all people are ensnared at an unfortunate time that falls upon them suddenly. (Ec 9:12)

 

Even the very days of our life are ordained by God, and yet no one knows when his time will be up.  Life and death are full of uncertainty, and yet we can rest in the knowledge that God is in control.  He has our days numbered.

 

Your eyes saw me when I was inside the womb. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence. (Ps 139:16)

 

Questions to consider:

1.       Have you made assumptions about the future that turned out to be incorrect?  What were they?

2.       Do you think Solomon is suggesting we do not make plans?

3.       If you do make plans, what attitude should you take?


Read on to Day #23

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