The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 9:10: “Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do”

Even worse, it seems more and more of the work that does get done is completed half-heartedly. And in a fast-paced society that prizes speed over quality, who can blame people for losing love for their work?

In Ecclesiastes 9:10, King Solomon was inspired to write these words:

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”

Clearly, God’s people are to approach work differently than the rest of the world does today. In fact, God directs us to put our might into each task.

But what does “with your might” really mean? Does it really matter how hard we work? What work are we even supposed to be doing?

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might”

God doesn’t give His followers busywork—things to do just to keep them occupied until something bigger comes along. 

While God has often commanded grand and important things from His followers, He also makes it a point to encourage hard work no matter what the task may be. 

In Ephesians 6:5-8, the apostle Paul encourages us to have a strong Christian work ethic, revealing that our service is done “to the Lord, and not to men.”

Later, in Colossians 3:22-25, Paul echoes this statement, commanding Christians to work “heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” He goes on to reveal that God will reward each person for the measure of his or her works.

Whatever responsibility we are tasked with should be fulfilled with care and attention, as if it was given to us by God Himself. 

While a good work ethic sounds like a small thing, it is in increasingly small supply in the world today. 

In Philippians 2:13-15, we are told that Christians are to “do all things without complaining and disputing,” which will make us “shine as lights in the world.” A hard worker who does not complain or fight and is attentive in his or her job will always stand out in a crowd because these qualities are rare and highly sought-after.

We are given a terrific example—a shining light of a good work ethic—in the story of Joseph. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph worked hard, and God blessed his efforts. Potiphar, his Egyptian master, saw how Joseph stood out from other slaves and rewarded him for his above-and-beyond efforts (Genesis 39:1-6).

Even after he was wrongfully imprisoned, Joseph didn’t let up. Joseph’s attentive, tireless and honest service quickly brought him to the attention of the prison master. God gave him favor, and it wasn’t long before Joseph was rewarded with more responsibilities and a position over his fellow inmates (verses 21-23).

Just like Joseph, Christians are to stand apart from the rest of the world by diligently working at whatever task we are assigned. In our jobs, in our lives and in our extraneous responsibilities, we should be striving to demonstrate the utmost care, effort and dedication in everything we do.

Of course, we all face decisions about what our hands will find to do, and the message of the Bible is to choose the right things to do. We are to make God’s priorities our priorities and put fulfilling our commitments and responsibilities before recreation and entertainment. See more about making wise, healthy, balanced choices in our articles “Christian Priorities: Putting God First” and “Christian Time Management.”

What’s the point?

The importance of working hard is only half of Solomon’s point in Ecclesiastes 9:10. He follows this sentiment with a seemingly pessimistic conclusion: “For there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”

Why does Solomon suddenly bring death into the conversation? On the surface, he seems to be making a completely unrelated point. However, this verse comes at the end of a long meditation on death.

In this chapter, Solomon reveals the emptiness of death, revealing that there is no consciousness in the grave (verse 5). The dead are in darkness, having no thought or memory beyond the grave.

People should want to work hard and care deeply about what they do. This gives us direction and purpose in our lives—things that everyone desperately needs. (For more information on the truth about what happens after death, read our article “Do We Go to Heaven When We Die?”)

Previously, Solomon had wondered what the point of hard work really was (Ecclesiastes 1:3). Whether people work hard or slack off, whether they become rich or stay poor, their end is always death. So, then, what is the point of working hard?

Solomon proceeds to answer his own question in the chapters that follow. He reveals that hard work is a gift of God and man’s heritage (Ecclesiastes 2:24; 3:13, 22; 5:18). Hard work that is satisfying is one of the few things that he doesn’t conclude to be “vanity.”

Solomon concludes that a good work ethic is ultimately pleasing to the human spirit. People should want to work hard and care deeply about what they do. This gives us direction and purpose in our lives—things that everyone desperately needs.

Moreover, Solomon comes to a more spiritual answer to his question: God will judge people by their works.

At the end of his musings, Solomon writes that “God will bring every work into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). This is a sentiment backed up in Paul’s writings, which confirm that God will “render to each one according to his deeds” (Romans 2:6).

While the work we do in this life may seem fleeting, it brings with it a far more eternal reward that extends beyond the reaches of death. Hard work won’t stop us from dying, but it will affect how God sees fit to reward us once we are resurrected.

Good Christian work ethic

A good work ethic is applicable to every aspect of our lives—including our relationship with God.

As previously pointed out, we are to perform every work—no matter how small or seemingly insignificant—as though it is in service to God. Our Father in heaven takes notice of how we handle even our smallest everyday tasks (Luke 16:10).

We are to perform every work—no matter how small or seemingly insignificant—as though it is in service to God. As important as it is to be faithful with our physical work, it is even more important to put our maximum effort into following God and His laws. If we cannot say that we are giving Christianity our all, then our priorities are woefully misaligned.

According to Jesus Christ, the first great commandment is to “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength” (Luke 10:27, emphasis added). We cannot afford to be half-hearted with something this important.

If we aren’t putting everything that we have into our relationship with God, then we are missing out on a vital aspect of our Christian lives. This is a matter of priority and effort, and while we can easily deceive ourselves, God will not be deceived into accepting a half-hearted way of living.

We don’t have to be perfect, but we do have to be showing effort to improve, working hard every day to get closer and closer to God. Someone who is following God with all his or her might—striving to reach “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13)—will get better at it day by day.

Keep up the good work

God doesn’t want His people to slack off or be lazy; He wants them to be determined to do a good job at everything they need to do and choose to do. They may not be perfect, but they must be striving to be the very best that they can be each and every day.

Christians are called to be examples to the world, showing the effect that God has in their lives through their works. Lazy, half-hearted works are signs of weak Christian values. Diligent, hearty works, on the other hand, boast of God’s work ethic living in you.

Practice hard work in your life and then apply those lessons in your Christian walk. Give everything you can to every task at hand, shining as a light in both this world and the next.

Date Posted: October 25, 2023