◄ Ecclesiastes 11:7 ►
Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.
Study Bible
Light is sweet,

God’s first recorded creative command brought light into the darkness, establishing a world ordered by His wisdom and sustained by His providence (Genesis 1:3–4). Light is a fitting picture of life, goodness, and the ability to receive God’s gifts with gratitude. Amid Ecclesiastes’ sober recognition of death and human frailty, life remains a good gift from the Creator.

Gen 1:4 And God saw that the light was good, and He separated…
Psa 97:11 Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright…
Pro 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the first gleam…

and it pleases the eyes

Sight enables people to enjoy the beauty, labor, relationships, and daily mercies God places before them. The delight of seeing light contrasts with the darkness of the grave and reminds the reader not to despise the days God grants.

Gen 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food…
Ecc 2:10 Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself.…
Pro 15:30 The light of the eyes cheers the heart…

to see the sun.

The sun marks the rhythm of days and seasons under God’s unchanging rule (Genesis 1:14–18). To behold it is to be alive in God’s world, with opportunity to fear Him, obey Him, and rejoice in His provision before the days of darkness come.

Ecc 6:5 The child, though neither seeing the sun nor knowing anything…
Psa 58:8 Like a slug that dissolves in its slime,…
Psa 49:19 he will join the generation of his fathers…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
- Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. Ecclesiastes is part of the wisdom literature in the Bible.

2. Jerusalem
- The city where Solomon reigned as king and where much of his wisdom literature, including Ecclesiastes, is believed to have been composed.

3. The Sun
- A central symbol in this verse, representing life, vitality, and the goodness of God's creation.
Teaching Points
The Sweetness of Life
The verse highlights the inherent goodness and sweetness of life, symbolized by light. Recognize and appreciate the simple joys and blessings in daily life as gifts from God.

Gratitude for Creation
Just as light is pleasing to the eyes, we should cultivate a heart of gratitude for the beauty and order of God's creation. This gratitude can lead to a deeper appreciation of God's presence in our lives.

Spiritual Enlightenment
Beyond physical light, seek the spiritual light that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. This light guides us in truth and righteousness.

Living in the Present
The verse encourages us to live in the present and find joy in the current moment. This aligns with the broader message of Ecclesiastes to enjoy life while acknowledging God's sovereignty.

Hope and Renewal
Light symbolizes hope and renewal. In times of darkness or difficulty, remember that God's light brings new beginnings and the promise of His faithfulness.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of light in Ecclesiastes 11:7 enhance your understanding of God's creation and its goodness?

2. In what ways can you cultivate a heart of gratitude for the "light" in your life, both physically and spiritually?

3. How does the concept of Jesus as the "light of the world" deepen your understanding of this verse and its application to your life?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced God's light in a moment of darkness. How did that experience shape your faith journey?

5. How can you apply the principle of living in the present and finding joy in daily life, as suggested by this verse, in your current circumstances?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:3-4
The creation of light by God, emphasizing the goodness of light as part of His creation.

Psalm 19:1-6
The sun is described as a testament to God's glory, reinforcing the idea of light as a divine blessing.

John 8:12
Jesus refers to Himself as the "light of the world," connecting the physical light to spiritual enlightenment and salvation.

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift, including light, comes from God, the Father of heavenly lights.
Sermons
The Sweet Light of LifeHomilistEcclesiastes 11:7
The Sweetness of LightJ. Jenkinson.Ecclesiastes 11:7
Enjoyment of the PresentJ. Willcock Ecclesiastes 11:7, 8
Light and DarknessD. Thomas Ecclesiastes 11:7, 8
The Shadow of the TombW. Clarkson Ecclesiastes 11:7, 8
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Behold, Pleasant, Pleases, Sweet, Truly
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ecclesiastes 11:7

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Library
A New Years Sermon to the Young
'Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.... Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.'--ECCLES. xi. 9; xii. 1. This strange, and in some places perplexing Book of Ecclesiastes, is intended to …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Sowing in the Wind, Reaping under Clouds
"He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap."--Ecclesiastes 11:4. SOW when the time comes, whatever wind blows. Reap when the times comes, whatever clouds are in the sky. There are, however, qualifying proverbs, which must influence our actions. We are not to discard prudence in the choice of the time for our work. "To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." It is well to sow when the weather is propitious. It is wise …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

Of Confession and Self-Examination
Of Confession and Self-examination Self-examination should always precede Confession, and in the nature and manner of it should be conformable to the state of the soul: the business of those that are advanced to the degree of which we now treat, is to lay their whole souls open before God, who will not fail to enlighten them, and enable them to see the peculiar nature of their faults. This examination, however, should be peaceful and tranquil, and we should depend on God for the discovery and knowledge …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

Curiosity a Temptation to Sin.
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."--Proverbs iv. 14, 15. The chief cause of the wickedness which is every where seen in the world, and in which, alas! each of us has more or less his share, is our curiosity to have some fellowship with darkness, some experience of sin, to know what the pleasures of sin are like. I believe it is even thought unmanly by many persons (though they may not like to say …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

1872-1874. Letter from Rev. A. M. W. Christopher --Letter from Gulf of St. Lawrence-Mrs. Birt's Sheltering Home, Liverpool --Letter to Mrs. Merry --Letter from Canada --Miss
Letter from Rev. A. M. W. Christopher--Letter from Gulf of St. Lawrence-Mrs. Birt's Sheltering Home, Liverpool--Letter to Mrs. Merry--Letter from Canada--Miss Macpherson's return to England-- Letter of cheer for Dr. Barnardo--Removal to Hackney Home. Though human praise is not sought, we cannot but feel peculiar pleasure in giving the following testimony from a servant of the Lord so much revered as the Rev, A. M. W. Christopher of Oxford:-- "Of all the works of Christian benevolence which the great …
Clara M. S. Lowe—God's Answers

How the Slothful and the Hasty are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 16.) Differently to be admonished are the slothful and the hasty. For the former are to be persuaded not to lose, by putting it off, the good they have to do; but the latter are to be admonished lest, while they forestall the time of good deeds by inconsiderate haste, they change their meritorious character. To the slothful therefore it is to be intimated, that often, when we will not do at the right time what we can, before long, when we will, we cannot. For the very indolence of …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Jesus Attends the First Passover of his Ministry.
(Jerusalem, April 9, a.d. 27.) Subdivision A. Jesus Cleanses the Temple. ^D John II. 13-25. ^d 13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand [We get our information as to the length of our Lord's ministry from John's Gospel. He groups his narrative around six Jewish festivals: 1, He here mentions the first passover; 2, another feast, which we take to have been also a passover (v. 1); 3, another passover (vi. 4); 4, the feast of tabernacles (vii. 2); 5, dedication (x. 22); 6, passover (xi. 55). This …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

How those are to be Admonished who Decline the Office of Preaching Out of Too Great Humility, and those who Seize on it with Precipitate Haste.
(Admonition 26.) Differently to be admonished are those who, though able to preach worthily, are afraid by reason of excessive humility, and those whom imperfection or age forbids to preach, and yet precipitancy impells. For those who, though able to preach with profit, still shrink back through excessive humility are to be admonished to gather from consideration of a lesser matter how faulty they are in a greater one. For, if they were to hide from their indigent neighbours money which they possessed …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Jeremiah, a Lesson for the Disappointed.
"Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord."--Jeremiah i. 8. The Prophets were ever ungratefully treated by the Israelites, they were resisted, their warnings neglected, their good services forgotten. But there was this difference between the earlier and the later Prophets; the earlier lived and died in honour among their people,--in outward honour; though hated and thwarted by the wicked, they were exalted to high places, and ruled in the congregation. …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Wrath of God
What does every sin deserve? God's wrath and curse, both in this life, and in that which is to come. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.' Matt 25: 41. Man having sinned, is like a favourite turned out of the king's favour, and deserves the wrath and curse of God. He deserves God's curse. Gal 3: 10. As when Christ cursed the fig-tree, it withered; so, when God curses any, he withers in his soul. Matt 21: 19. God's curse blasts wherever it comes. He deserves also God's wrath, which is …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Ecclesiastes
It is not surprising that the book of Ecclesiastes had a struggle to maintain its place in the canon, and it was probably only its reputed Solomonic authorship and the last two verses of the book that permanently secured its position at the synod of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The Jewish scholars of the first century A.D. were struck by the manner in which it contradicted itself: e.g., "I praised the dead more than the living," iv. 2, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," ix. 4; but they were still more …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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