Enjoying God in His Sovereignty

Ecclesiastes 8:15 – “So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun, except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.”

Calvin is speaking of the very concepts that we've been dealing with in Ecclesiastes. Things seem incredibly off: wicked people receive the reward of the righteous, while righteous people suffer. The wicked prosper, and the good suffer. This is vanity.

Our text says the wicked get the reward of the righteous, and what is due the wicked is given to the righteous. The preacher compares various categories of people—good, sinners, those who sacrifice, those who don't, oath-takers, and those afraid to swear—showing every classification of mankind shares the same end. This is vain, freeing us to experience the purpose of the text: to enjoy God, specifically in His sovereignty.

The whole book of Ecclesiastes shows life under the sun as vain and pointless, drawing our attention to the only permanent source of pleasure: God Himself. The preacher teaches us how to enjoy God in His sovereignty.

God's Sovereign Control

If I did not know the doctrines of grace, I could not do biblical counseling. Only reformed theology comforts in tragedy, like a father grieving his daughter's suicide, knowing it was not random but under God's sovereignty for His good and glory.

God's sovereign control means every person and their deeds are in His hands. There is not a single rogue molecule outside His control. This is haunting for the unrepentant, but joy with God sustains.

Ecclesiastes 2:24-25 – “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his work. This also I saw is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”

Ecclesiastes is a handbook on joy, found only with God. It breaks down the unbelieving worldview and rebuilds a believing one.

1. Joy Is Not Given Through Righteousness or Wickedness, but Through God

Ecclesiastes 9:2 – “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked, for the good, for the clean, and for the unclean, for the man who offers sacrifice, and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner.”

This is anti-legalist and anti-antinomian. Righteousness apart from God leverages Him but yields vanity. No one is righteous on earth who does good and never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Pursuing joy through man-made righteousness or wickedness is chasing the wind.

Wickedness lies, promising joy while delivering frustration. Joy and satisfaction come only through Jesus Christ, sustaining through toil.

Ecclesiastes 8:15 – “I commend pleasure for a man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given under the sun.”

This joy accompanies toil. It is passive—drawn from an external source: God. Christ Himself is the model, sustained by joy through suffering.

2. Joy Is Not Given Through Righteous or Wicked Deeds, but Through God

Ecclesiastes 9:4 – “Whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion.”

Hope comes to those joined to the living. A living dog is better than a dead lion. Being alive is the work of God: believe in Him whom He has sent (John 6:29). The evidence of election is believing in Jesus Christ.

This is spiritual life: eat, drink, be joyful, believe, and live by the gospel daily. There is a distinction between believers and the world.

3. Joy Is Given Through God to the One He Approves

Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 – “Go then, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life, which he has given to you under the sun. For this is your reward in life, and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.”

Unbelievers' hearts are full of evil and insanity. Believers eat bread with joy, drink wine with a merry heart—internally good. Drink like the redeemed, not the world.

Garments always white means an unstained lifestyle. Oil on the head signifies devotion and anointing for God's service. God approves—takes pleasure in—the believer's lifestyle.

Enjoy life with your wife all your vain days under the sun. This is a choice, regardless of circumstances. Joy depends on God, not your spouse. Live with understanding, responding with joy even in difficulty.

We cannot please God or find joy apart from faith in Christ. The gospel grants permanent joy. It is better to be a Christian. If struggling, renew trust in God and walk in His Word. Doing what pleases God is the path to lasting joy.