"The
Race is Not to the Swift"
A
Sermon on Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
March
9, 2003
by Rev. Stephen C.
Magee
Ecclesiastes 9:11-12
11 I returned and saw under the sun that --
The race is not to the swift,
Nor the battle to the strong,
Nor bread to the wise,
Nor riches to men of understanding,
Nor favor to men of skill;
But time and chance happen to them all.
12 For man also does not know his time:
Like fish taken in a cruel net,
Like birds caught in a snare,
So the sons of men are snared in an evil time,
When it falls suddenly upon them.
Introduction: My Friend Mary
Last night I received a message on the
church answering machine. My friend Mary
had fallen down and broken her hip for the second time in a matter of
months. Mary is a marvelous Christian women with a wonderful attitude, despite the challenges that
she faces. I did not expect her to face
such a significant difficulty once again, but she has. She knows where her hope
is, and has been able to maintain her composure in Christ. She is an inspiration to me. It may be that her remaining time on this
earth will be brief indeed.
Our
Expectations
There is so much that is a mystery
to us. One element of that mystery is
the length of our life. If we are to be
honest about our condition, we have to admit that most of what lies ahead of us
between this morning and the day when we stop breathing is also a mystery to
us. Yet we act some times as if we have
everything figured out. We think we know
that the race is to the swift, the battle is to the strong, and riches come to
men with some measure of practical intelligence and skill. But Solomon assures us that this is not
actually the case. Our expectations are
often quite wrong.
In a sense, we already know
this. Why else would we bother to watch sports. We could just
take the stats available to us and declare a winner without any need for unnecessary
sweat on the part of the runners.
Instead we run the race set before us, and watch others run the race,
because we know that the race is not always won by the one with the swiftest
record. This is what makes it all
interesting to us. Of course, Solomon is
not really speaking of spectator sports here.
He is talking about the entirety of our life under the sun. The twists and turns of our mortal lives are
not merely interesting, they are often heart-breaking.
"Time"
and "Chance"
Solomon accounts for the surprises
in our lives by using two Hebrew words that are translated here as
"time" and "chance."
We could easily get the wrong idea by these two words if we understood
them to imply that a random force in the universe rules over us. This is not at all the case.
The word translated "time"
here can have the sense of an appointed time or season, a particular experience
or occurrence. It is used many times
within this book, most prominently in the third chapter, where the author
writes, "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under
heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). It is
very obvious from that particular use that Solomon sees the "times"
of men as being under the sovereign control of God.
The second word, translated here
"chance," is used only twice in the Bible. The other use also has something to do with
Solomon.
1 Kings 5:1-5
1 Now Hiram king of
As
we see from this translation, this word has the meaning of
"occurrence," particularly one that happens to us without our plan or
work. It is a good word to describe the
coming of an event that was not expected.
That event might be the attack of an enemy or the ultimate
"occurrence" of the unanticipated arrival of the day of our death.
This second word is closely related
to another word that is used more frequently in the Old Testament, which means
"to encounter, or meet" among other things. In the context of our passage this morning,
Solomon here informs us that the race is not always to the swift, since a
runner in this race of life may meet a happening or occurrence that causes a
surprising result. It is this that must
be understood by the words "time and chance."
Snared
in an Evil Time
The twelfth verse causes the reader
to think specifically about a special happening, an unexpected meeting or
occurrence, that is the coming of the end of our mortal lives. The Lord Jesus also speaks about this in
Luke's gospel.
Luke 13:1-5
1 There were
present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate
had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to
them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all
other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you,
no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those
eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that
they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in
All of us deserve the wrath and
curse of God against us for our sin. We
all deserve to be under that tower, or to be put to death in the midst of our
best works of sacrifice and praise. Yet
the coming of the day of death is not known, and God calls all men everywhere
to turn away from sin and to turn toward Him.
We do not know the day or the hour of His coming for us at the end of
our lives under the sun.
God
and "Random" Events
While I have made the case here that
the use of "time and chance" does not necessarily imply that the world
is under the control of some random force that generates events without
meaning, you may find yourself wondering still concerning the details of
life. Could it be that God is really in
charge of the insignificant happenings, that can so swiftly become quite
significant - the chance occurrence that may lead to a serious injury, for
example? How are we to think about the
knowledge and power of God as we live in this world of "time and
chance?"
Let us consider the simplest
occurrence of the tossing of a coin. One
child throws a coin in the air and says "heads or tails." A second child says one or the other of the
two words. Could God really care about
such a thing which seems so random? Here
is what the Bible has to say about that, speaking in the book of Proverbs about
the casting of a lot, the ancient version of tossing a coin to decide an
outcome.
Proverbs 16:33
The lot is cast into the lap,
But its every decision is from the LORD.
This
passage tells us the truth that God is in charge of even the smallest details
of our lives that may seem entirely random from our perspective.
The Apostle Paul speaks about this
in Ephesians:
Ephesians 1:11-12
In Him also we
have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him
who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we
who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
Paul
says that God works "all things" out according to His will.
What is to man, "time" and "chance"
is to God...
part of His determined purpose and sovereign will.
It is important for us to see here
this morning that this all-encompassing will of God is not arbitrary. God has a purpose behind His plan and His
actions. The ultimate purpose of all
that God does is the praise and glory of God Himself. Until you can begin to see this as right and
good, you will always be in the sad and hopeless posture of defending your own
wrong claim to the very center of the universe.
This is God's place. All glory to
Him!
This ultimate purpose is worked out
through subordinate purposes, as Paul goes on to state in words that we will
use as a confession of faith later in this worship service.
Ephesians 1:3-10
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5
having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by
which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 having
made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which
He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the
times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
heaven and which are on earth -- in Him.
God
has determined that He will glorify Himself through the choosing and saving of
a people for Himself, as well as through the display of his righteous justice
upon those whom He has not chosen for salvation (see Romans 9-11). He has therefore chosen to send His Son to
accomplish that salvation for us, to pour out His Spirit upon us, to bring us
to faith in the life and death of Jesus Christ for us, and to bring about EVERY
detail that will work for our good and His glory. Even the toss of a coin,
or the casting of a lot in the lap is ordained to bring about the decision of
the Lord for His perfect purposes to be accomplished.
Is
God subject to time and chance?
We are subject to God in all
things. We are under what Solomon calls
here "time and chance." Events
and occurrences happen to us in most unexpected ways, and sometimes leave as
reeling as we adjust to a diagnosis, react to a rejection, or deal with a loss
of some kind. The question that we must
settle is not whether or not we are
subject to time and chance. There is no
question about that. We are. The question we must settle is this. Is God also subject to time and chance?
The answer is a resounding
"No." God is not subject to
anyone or anything. He has nothing above
Him that rules Him. There is no
happening or occurrence that rules God.
God is the sovereign Lord of all.
This gives us peace in a world where we experience much that is
unexpected.
I do invite you to consider for a
moment this great mystery. The God of
all power and love entered into this world in the coming of His divine Son
Jesus Christ. Think of the mystery of
Christ entering this world of events - voluntarily lowering himself for the
purpose of the glory of the Father in the salvation of the elect. How did Jesus Christ deal with this world of
time and chance?
He trusted the Father perfectly in
this world under the sun. He knew that
what may have seemed random to men was purposeful to God, His Father. This is the way that He has led for all who
would follow. We are to trust in the
Lord with all our hearts, lean not on our own understanding, in all our ways
acknowledge Him, and know that He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). We have also been given the added assurance
of the love of God for us, and His power to save, through the events of the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Furthermore the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon us, and we believe
in Christ, and live in the hope of the resurrection of the dead.
The
reason events seem random to us is...
Yet there are times when the events
all around seem to be random. Why is
this? It is because we cannot figure
them out. My brothers and sisters, there
is so much I don't know. There is also
so much you don't know. Don't be fooled
by your speed, strength, intelligence, or skill. There is yet so much that you do not
know.
I have heard on occasion new people
comment that they feel uncomfortable in a church like this because there is so
much that they do not know about God, and it can appear to them that everyone
else knows it all. If you are in that
situation I urge you to not be fooled.
There is so much that we don't know.
We are all seeking the wisdom of God as we try together to apply what
the Bible teaches to our lives in this world of events and occurrences. We don't know. God knows.
I made a call on Friday to our
adoption workers in
I made a call to the kids in Baia Mare yesterday morning, and John was very excited and
tried to tell me about a meeting that is supposed to take place in
Later that night I got a call on my
answering machine that my friend Mary was in the hospital, and was in very bad
shape. I went over to see her, but she
was in a very deep sleep and I was unable to wake her up. I spoke with one of the nurses, but she
seemed unable to help me understand her condition. As I speak to you, I do not even know if Mary
is alive, or what exactly happened to her.
I don't know. God knows.
This morning I went to pick up Steve
Bartell at his house so that we could walk together
to our respective churches, as is our custom.
He was not there. I don't
remember if he told me earlier that he would be out of town this Sunday, or if
there is some other problem. I don't
know. God knows.
Conclusion: Living Humbly in God's
World... by the grace of the Holy Spirit
Can you live in such a world as
this? Are you able to take your spot as
a worshipping creature and bow before the Almighty Creator who gave His Son for
you, and assures you of eternal life through faith in Him? The only way to live in this world of time
and chance - of happenings and occurrences - is to do so with humility. For this we need the grace of the Holy
Spirit.
When I take Mary to our weekly
worship services or Bible study meetings at
Her answer has struck me. It is always exactly the same, regardless of
who is asking her the question.
"Best as I can, same as you." Mary knows she is weak and needy, but she
seems to have a humble recognition that we all live in need - that we are all
weak before Almighty God. It is just
more obvious for her, than it is for us in our swift speed, our strength, our
wisdom, and our knowledge.
The fact is that the race is not to
the strong.
But how Mary's face lights up with
the joy of Christ when she hears the Word of God preached and when God's people
pray. She stretches forward to Christ in
pursuit of the heavenly call of God. Run that race with Mary and all the faithful, by the grace that God
supplies.
Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore we also, since we are
surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and
the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us, 2 looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God.