Ecclesiastes 9:11

The Injustice Of Time And Chance

¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) where you are going. ¹¹ I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the strong, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to those of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of ability; but time and chance overtake them all. ¹² For man also does not know his time [of death]; like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds caught in the snare, so the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time when a dark cloud suddenly falls on them.

Be Strong

On Earth

Under the Sun

Race Is Not To The Swift

No

Jeremiah 9:23

Thus says the Lord, “Let not the one who is wise and skillful boast in his insight; let not the one who is mighty and powerful boast in his strength; let not the one who is rich boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] abundance;

2 Samuel 17:23

Now when Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out and went to his home, to his city. Then he put his household in order, and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

2 Chronicles 20:15

He said, “Listen carefully, all [you people of] Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: ‘Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

Job 5:11-14

So that He sets on high those who are lowly,
And He lifts to safety those who mourn.

Job 34:29

“When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn?
When He hides His face [withdrawing His favor and help], who then can behold Him [and make supplication to Him],
Whether it be a nation or a man by himself?—

Psalm 33:16-17

The king is not saved by the great size of his army;
A warrior is not rescued by his great strength.

Psalm 73:6-7

Therefore pride is their necklace;
Violence covers them like a garment [like a long, luxurious robe].

Psalm 147:10-11

He does not delight in the strength (military power) of the horse,
Nor does He take pleasure in the legs (strength) of a man.

Proverbs 21:30-31

There is no [human] wisdom or understanding
Or counsel [that can prevail] against the Lord.

Ecclesiastes 2:12

So I turned to consider [secular] wisdom, madness, and folly; for what will the man do who succeeds the king? Nothing except what has already been done.

Ecclesiastes 2:14-15

The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; and yet I know that [in the end] one fate happens to them both.

Ecclesiastes 3:14

I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor can anything be taken from it, for God does it so that men will fear and worship Him [with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is God].

Ecclesiastes 3:17

I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked,” for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and for every deed.

Ecclesiastes 4:1

Then I looked again and considered all the acts of oppression that were being practiced under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.

Ecclesiastes 4:4

I have seen that every [effort in] labor and every skill in work comes from man’s rivalry with his neighbor. This too is vanity (futility, false pride) and chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 7:13

Consider the work of God:
Who can make straight what He has bent?

Jeremiah 46:6

Do not let the swift man run,
Nor the mighty man escape;
In the north by the river Euphrates
They have stumbled and fallen.

Lamentations 3:37-38

Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass,
Unless the Lord has authorized and commanded it?

Daniel 4:35

“All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing.
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of the earth;
And no one can hold back His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’

Amos 2:14-16

“Flight will be lost to the swift [so they will be unable to escape],
And the strong shall not strengthen nor maintain his power,
Nor shall the mighty man save his own life.

Malachi 3:18

Then you will again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him.

Ephesians 1:11

In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,

Deuteronomy 8:18

But you shall remember [with profound respect] the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, as it is this day.

1 Samuel 2:3-10

“Do not go on boasting so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
And by Him actions are weighed (examined).

1 Samuel 17:50

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck down the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.

2 Samuel 2:18-23

Three sons of Zeruiah [the half sister of David] were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as light and swift-footed as one of the [wild] gazelles in the field.

2 Samuel 17:14

Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to thwart the good advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord could bring disaster upon Absalom.