God Is In Control
“Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.”
I have learnt since young that life is not fair. That is the grouse of many people. However, that is the way life is, and no one can do anything to change this reality.
My father was a marine engineer. He sailed for a large part of his adult life. However, it did not begin that way. He started as a deckhand doing odd jobs. Initially, life was very hard for him and my mother. She was just recounting to me recently that there were periods of months when my father was out of job, and she had to sew dresses at two dollars per dress to put food on the table. My father was a very hardworking man. He studied while sailing, and after more than ten years qualified as a marine engineer. He rose through the ranks, and he attained the chief engineer status at the age of forty. It took him another two years to pluck up the courage to step into the chief engineer role.
Life was good for my family during those years. I saw my daily pocket money increased. But suddenly, at a relatively young age of forty-five, he suffered his first heart attack and died while his ship was anchored in North Korea.
By all counts, my dad was a decent man. He was well-respected. I know that for a fact because whenever he came home from sailing, our neighbours – the men - would gather at my house to talk to him until late into the night. It appeared to me that he was wiser and more knowledgeable than many of his peers. Relatives and friends spoke well of him.
Solomon has observed correctly. He hits the nail on its head when he says that life is unpredictable. Like fish caught in an evil net and birds in a snare, tragedy may strike when we least expect. It is unavoidable. Time and chance happen to us all. Anyone who has lived long enough would agree with Solomon regarding the unpredictability of life.
Conventional Wisdom
We would expect the fastest person to win the race, powerful warriors to win the battle, wiser men to have the upper hand, and the intelligent and knowledgeable to do well in life. That is the conventional wisdom.
To a good extent, it is true. That is the reason we encourage, and when necessary, coerce our children to study hard. Education creates opportunities, and it has lifted many people from poverty. The motivation to work hard, improve, master relevant skills, gain knowledge and wisdom are to get ahead of the crowd and secure a better future.
That is also the frustration of life. After investing your best efforts, you discover that things do not work out as you had planned and envisaged. My father was a decent man. He worked hard. Finally, when it seemed that he had gotten everything in his life together, and he was beginning to enjoy the fruit of his labour, death struck. No one saw it coming because he had always enjoyed good health.
The Case Against Convention Wisdom
Solomon argues against the conventional wisdom. He observes the unpredictable nature of life. Possessing winning qualities and supreme virtues does not always put you on the front foot. It is not always enough. Nothing is fool-proof, and nobody is immune from failure. The fastest runner could pull a muscle during the race. The strong could fall by a stray arrow. The wise and prudent investor could be hit by forces outside his control like in the 2008 financial crisis. The point is that nothing is certain. There are many variables and surprises in life. Add to that, unforeseen circumstances and freak events may occur, upsetting the whole enterprise.
Solomon asserts that we are all victims of time and chance. We can be doing something right at the wrong time. That would be counterproductive. Chance often has a big effect on our well-being as our attitude and action. As a bible commentator puts it, “Merit is not always rewarded, and the world can be unfair. Wisdom, skill, and hard work can promote but not guarantee success.”
Is Life Random?
In view of all that has been said, is life random?
In reading Ecclesiastes, it is important to take note of the phrase, “under the sun.” It means to live life without God or to look at life strictly from the human perspective where God is not part of the equation.
Notice that Solomon’s observation and comments in Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 are preceded by the phrase, “under the sun.” From this humanistic point of view, he points out that all our lives are random in nature. We are all subjected to time and chance. People often refer to it as luck. You are lucky when things turn out well, and unlucky otherwise.
You do not know what is going to happen tomorrow, or for the matter two minutes later. It is a bleak and gloomy way to live. No wonder the refrains, “vanity and a striving after wind” and “meaningless’ echo throughout Ecclesiastes.
However, that is not how Christians should view their lives. Our hope is in God. The reason is simple. He is in control. He is in control of our lives, the world and the entire universe. While it is true that we cannot put our confidence in our own strength and abilities because they do not guarantee success, we can put our trust in God who alone determines our success and failure, and our victory and defeat. This proverb makes this point clearly and emphatically: The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord (Proverbs 21:31).
Take comfort from these words of Jesus, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:28-29).
We do not have to live in uncertainty, anxiety and fear. Life may seem random and the events around us happening arbitrarily. However, our sovereign God is in control. Our life and destiny are held securely in His hands. So, put your trust in God alone, and not in your strength, talents and resources.
Pastors Leslie & Adeline Chua