Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment.
The verse stands in a plain contrast between the living and the dead, speaking to the living person of understanding that life holds intelligence, knowledge and feeling while death holds none of these but utter unconsciousness. Its white garments are character clothed in the righteousness of God in Christ, put on the faithful when He cleanses from sin, takes away iniquity and clothes anew. Death is the exact opposite of life, a blank state where the dead are aware of nothing, plan nothing and know nothing, with no work, device, knowledge or wisdom in the grave until the resurrection. God Himself washes every stain from sin and brings forth that inward righteousness to shine outward, and the same power that kept Jesus from sin can keep the willing blameless and undefiled to the end. That clothing is to be kept white at all times and the head never to lack anointing, by daily laying sins before God in humility, laying them on Christ and turning from them, in readiness to attend the King's Son's wedding supper.
Setting and Symbols
The verse stands within a plain, authoritative contrast between the living and the dead in Ecclesiastes 9:4-10. It is addressed to the living intelligent person, for in life there is intelligence, knowledge, and the exercise of all the emotions of the mind. In death there is none of this, but utter unconsciousness, with no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave. The dead know not anything in the same literal sense of being aware of and acquainted with that the living know they shall die, not in a restricted sense of making known or concerning oneself with.
The garments are character to be kept always white, and that whiteness is God's righteousness, Christ's righteousness worked from within and shining outward. White garments represent the righteousness God places on the faithful, and the penitent who pray to be cleansed are answered when He makes them clean from sin, removes their iniquity, and clothes them anew. That cleansing is from every stain of sin, and then Christ allowed to work keeps the life pure and clean. The whiteness outside is the shining forth of righteousness within, as seen when the raiment of Jesus became exceeding white as snow on the Mount of Transfiguration.
White means purity and cleanliness that is pleasing and becoming but also exposes every stain and soiling in sharp contrast. Human character is not naturally white, but is like soil full of seeds of noxious plants waiting to spring to life. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and all have sinned, and evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, pride, idolatry, hatred, wrath, strife, envyings, drunkenness and such like come from within and defile the person and keep sinners from the kingdom of God. Standing before God's law and Christ's unselfishness exposes the stains and brings confession of uncleanness and the anguished question who will wash sin's stains from the robe of character and make it clean.
Death Without Consciousness
Life and death are exact opposites, so that death is blank unconsciousness where continued conscious existence ceases. In life there is intelligence and knowledge and the exercise of all the emotions of the mind, spoken to the living intelligent person, while in death there is nothing of this kind but utter unconsciousness. The dead know not anything in the same literal sense of being aware of and acquainted with in which the living know they shall die, not in a restricted sense of making known or concerning oneself with. For in the grave or Sheol there is no work, nor planning or device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.
Between death and the resurrection man is in this unconscious condition and knows nothing. The dead have no reward, their memory is forgotten, their love and their hatred and their envy have perished and their thoughts have perished, and they have no more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun, with no knowledge in the grave until the resurrection when the righteous live again.
This disproves natural inherent immortality, since without a resurrection even those fallen asleep in Christ are perished. Thus the dead cannot love or hate or do anything whatever, nor communicate with the living, and messages are not to be sought from them.
Kept Pure and Ready
God cleanses people from every stain of sin and clothes them in the white garments of the righteousness which is in Christ Jesus. The whiteness on the outside is the shining forth of righteousness from within, as was seen when the raiment of Jesus became exceeding white as snow on the Mount of Transfiguration. The same mighty power of God that kept Jesus from sin and moulded His divine-human character does this work in willing people through Christ. He who has cleansed can keep His own blameless and undefiled even to the end.
The garments are kept white day by day as sins and imperfections are laid before God with humility of heart. They are acknowledged and laid on Christ, the cleansing word is grasped by simple faith, and the heart that rejects and abjures and hates sin is brought more and more into harmony with God. When God removes the transgression and pronounces the person clean, this cleansing maintains living faith and the inward assurance of pardon and acceptance. It gives confidence to face God without shame.
The clothing must stay white all the time and the head lack no ointment, continually and never witnessing for Christ one day and against Him the next. This clean garment from within is needed by everyone today, preacher, politician, legislator, judge, lawyer, merchant, farmer, employer and employee. Garments that are not white tell the unsaved multitude that believers are the same as they are, witnesses only to self and its utter weakness and inability to do right.
The verse calls for a life kept spiritually pure and ready, breaking with the world to prepare to attend the King's Son's wedding supper. Joining worldly festivities can defile those garments and bring sorrow. Life is the time for gladness and care, when the living should express love and comfort while life remains, because death ends the opportunity to speak or act for one another.
The verse stands in a plain contrast between the living and the dead, speaking to the living person of understanding that life holds intelligence, knowledge and feeling while death holds none of these but utter unconsciousness. Its white garments are character clothed in the righteousness of God in Christ, put on the faithful when He cleanses from sin, takes away iniquity and clothes anew. Death is the exact opposite of life, a blank state where the dead are aware of nothing, plan nothing and know nothing, with no work, device, knowledge or wisdom in the grave until the resurrection. God Himself washes every stain from sin and brings forth that inward righteousness to shine outward, and the same power that kept Jesus from sin can keep the willing blameless and undefiled to the end. That clothing is to be kept white at all times and the head never to lack anointing, by daily laying sins before God in humility, laying them on Christ and turning from them, in readiness to attend the King's Son's wedding supper.
Setting and Symbols
The verse stands within a plain, authoritative contrast between the living and the dead in Ecclesiastes 9:4-10. It is addressed to the living intelligent person, for in life there is intelligence, knowledge, and the exercise of all the emotions of the mind. In death there is none of this, but utter unconsciousness, with no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave. The dead know not anything in the same literal sense of being aware of and acquainted with that the living know they shall die, not in a restricted sense of making known or concerning oneself with.
The garments are character to be kept always white, and that whiteness is God's righteousness, Christ's righteousness worked from within and shining outward. White garments represent the righteousness God places on the faithful, and the penitent who pray to be cleansed are answered when He makes them clean from sin, removes their iniquity, and clothes them anew. That cleansing is from every stain of sin, and then Christ allowed to work keeps the life pure and clean. The whiteness outside is the shining forth of righteousness within, as seen when the raiment of Jesus became exceeding white as snow on the Mount of Transfiguration.
White means purity and cleanliness that is pleasing and becoming but also exposes every stain and soiling in sharp contrast. Human character is not naturally white, but is like soil full of seeds of noxious plants waiting to spring to life. The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked and all have sinned, and evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, pride, idolatry, hatred, wrath, strife, envyings, drunkenness and such like come from within and defile the person and keep sinners from the kingdom of God. Standing before God's law and Christ's unselfishness exposes the stains and brings confession of uncleanness and the anguished question who will wash sin's stains from the robe of character and make it clean.
Death Without Consciousness
Life and death are exact opposites, so that death is blank unconsciousness where continued conscious existence ceases. In life there is intelligence and knowledge and the exercise of all the emotions of the mind, spoken to the living intelligent person, while in death there is nothing of this kind but utter unconsciousness. The dead know not anything in the same literal sense of being aware of and acquainted with in which the living know they shall die, not in a restricted sense of making known or concerning oneself with. For in the grave or Sheol there is no work, nor planning or device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.
Between death and the resurrection man is in this unconscious condition and knows nothing. The dead have no reward, their memory is forgotten, their love and their hatred and their envy have perished and their thoughts have perished, and they have no more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun, with no knowledge in the grave until the resurrection when the righteous live again.
This disproves natural inherent immortality, since without a resurrection even those fallen asleep in Christ are perished. Thus the dead cannot love or hate or do anything whatever, nor communicate with the living, and messages are not to be sought from them.
Kept Pure and Ready
God cleanses people from every stain of sin and clothes them in the white garments of the righteousness which is in Christ Jesus. The whiteness on the outside is the shining forth of righteousness from within, as was seen when the raiment of Jesus became exceeding white as snow on the Mount of Transfiguration. The same mighty power of God that kept Jesus from sin and moulded His divine-human character does this work in willing people through Christ. He who has cleansed can keep His own blameless and undefiled even to the end.
The garments are kept white day by day as sins and imperfections are laid before God with humility of heart. They are acknowledged and laid on Christ, the cleansing word is grasped by simple faith, and the heart that rejects and abjures and hates sin is brought more and more into harmony with God. When God removes the transgression and pronounces the person clean, this cleansing maintains living faith and the inward assurance of pardon and acceptance. It gives confidence to face God without shame.
The clothing must stay white all the time and the head lack no ointment, continually and never witnessing for Christ one day and against Him the next. This clean garment from within is needed by everyone today, preacher, politician, legislator, judge, lawyer, merchant, farmer, employer and employee. Garments that are not white tell the unsaved multitude that believers are the same as they are, witnesses only to self and its utter weakness and inability to do right.
The verse calls for a life kept spiritually pure and ready, breaking with the world to prepare to attend the King's Son's wedding supper. Joining worldly festivities can defile those garments and bring sorrow. Life is the time for gladness and care, when the living should express love and comfort while life remains, because death ends the opportunity to speak or act for one another.