God Directs Our Paths - Ecclesiastes 9-10

 Ecclesiastes 9:1 (ESV)

But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him.

A theme throughout Ecclesiastes is that life has little prediction about it.   Life is complex and unpredictable.   Solomon, the author, is recording his observations of life and what meaning can be derived from those musings.  As always, we have to start with the end of the book to understand the contents of the book:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Solomon’s conclusion helps us understand the observations recorded in the first verse of chapter nine.   We are to fear God because in the end it is He who will bring all things into judgement.   In chapter nine Solomon is about to make the point that life is unpredictable and futile because in the end, all men and creatures die.   So, whether we have love or hate in our lives we will all die.   His point is that we everything is in the hand of God and the only thing true for all is the end of life.   That is the only thing we can predict.   In the conclusion of the book he tells us that this ending is for judgement.   He tells us that our “deeds” are in that had of God as he starts chapter nine.  All our ways are before God.  Note another passage by Solomon that echos this thought:

Proverbs 5:21 (ESV)

For a man's ways are before the eyes of the LORD, and he ponders all his paths.

In this Ecclesiastes passage we see this Proverbs expanded.  Not only are the ways of man before the eyes of the Lord, they are also in the hand of the Lord.   He not only sees them, God holds our ways and directs our ways.   We can fear this thought, as in be scared of God.  Or, we can fear this though, as in be in awe of God.   When we walk close to God we will be in awe of His directing us in the most minute ways.