Ecclesiastes 9:7
"Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works."
If this particular verse were to fall into the hands of most people today who are in the world and yet without Christ, they might think it’s a license to go out and live however they want—living for the flesh and themselves. However, every scripture is set in context, and any verse taken out of context is a pretext. This verse is not addressed to just anyone. Most people in the world already have their fill of eating bread and drinking wine. They serve their flesh far too much, and outside of Christ, their works are certainly not accepted. It cannot be said of them, “God now accepts thy works.” No, these words are addressed to the child of God in Christ.
Now, who is a true child of God? He has been made so by God Himself—one whom God has chosen in His grace and mercy to save. The Lord Jesus Christ, when He came to earth, lived and died as their Substitute, in their place. They have been redeemed and justified by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only are they redeemed and justified, but they are also called to Christ, made alive by the Holy Spirit, and brought to the Lord Jesus Christ in faith. As it is written: "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" (1 Peter 1:2). To be elected means that someone did the choosing. It’s not the sinner who chooses God; it’s God who has chosen those sinners He purposed to save in His eternal decree—elect before the foundation of the world, elect according to the foreknowledge of God. As Acts 13:48 states, "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."
In the Apostle Paul’s day, religion was already setting up standards that led people to believe that by abstaining from certain things—even things God had ordained for the good of His elect—they could make themselves closer to God, or have a greater spiritual experience or some sort of spiritual benefit by what they did or didn’t do. Colossians 2:21-23 says, "(Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men. Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh." It’s like some today encouraging fasting, or advocating a life in a monastery, or saying that it's more spiritual not to marry. All of these things are taught by religion, but here it says that God has given them to His people to enjoy (1 Timothy 4:1-5).
There are two things in this text that the believer in Christ may do.
i. First, to “go his way.” It says, “Go thy way,” which implies peace, forgiveness, and right standing. How can that be? How can God say to the sinner, "Go thy way"?
ii. Second, it says, "Eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works." To eat and drink, not just for refreshment, but for enjoyment—enjoying this life. Only the believer can truly enjoy this life because of what Christ has done for him. Not just out of necessity but out of pleasure. This does not mean gluttony or drunkenness, but it does mean taking what God has created and enjoying it with thanksgiving.
It says, "thy bread and thy wine.” The Bread and the Wine of the redeemed child of God is the LORD Jesus Christ, of whom they partake joyfully and freely every day (John 6:55,56, Matthew 26:26).
Now, on what basis can a sinner hope to hear these words of grace from the Lord? What is the basis on which I can hope to hear my LORD saying to me, "Go your way, for God now accepteth thy works"?
The first reason is that the power of salvation, the authority of salvation, is in Christ’s hands. "As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him" (John 17:2).
The second reason is that the LORD Jesus Christ, by His life and death, obtained perfect redemption for those sinners He came to save. Did He accomplish their redemption, or didn’t He? To hear preachers today, it sounds like He made a down payment, but now it’s up to the sinner to finish it. No! He accomplished redemption for His people, and therefore, He can rightly speak peace to them, having paid their complete sin debt. The Lord Jesus Christ paid it all for His people. "And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Colossians 1:20).
The third reason is that, having accepted Christ’s work as the Substitute for His people, the Father now accepts the works of His people. Believers enjoy the fruit of Christ’s work in every aspect of their lives. They are not trying to appease God with their works, gifts, prayers, or personal devotion. No, if anyone is trying to do this, they’ll never make it because God is a holy God. He’s a just God. He cannot accept anything that is not 100% righteous, as righteous as He is. Every time someone does something, every time they give something, every time they open their mouth to address God, their very words are tainted by the sinful nature within them and, therefore, cannot please God. God can’t accept these things from their hands, but He can accept them from the Hand of Christ. He’s able to save to the uttermost all who come to Him through Christ (Hebrews 7:25), and those who, by His Spirit, have been brought to Christ are in the LORD Jesus Christ, having their hope in Him alone.
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