Eat, Drink, and Be Merry Book

If you asked an older, godly man about the best way to enjoy this one life you’ve been given, what do you think they would say? In Eat, Drink & Be Merry: A Gospel Call to Bold Enjoyment, Ray Ortlund, Jr. aims to give that sort of guidance. His goal is to persuade you that the Bible calls us to the life of enjoyment as the life of wisdom. This book is essentially an exposition of Ecclesiastes 11:9–10 loaded with fatherly application. It is a simple read with a powerful punch.

The Life of Enjoyment as the Life of Wisdom

Ortlund discusses his reasons for writing on this passage and outlines where it takes its place among the Bible’s wisdom literature. “Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes to help us do two things on our journey through this life: admit the shortness of it and enjoy the goodness of it.”

Ortlund examines Ecclesiastes 11:9–10 in four parts.

Rejoice in Your Youth

Here Ortlund attacks cynicism, skepticism, and gloom by examining the phrase “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth.” Rather than rely on asceticism, stoicism, or other self-help methods, Ortlund grounds the means of enjoying life by the grace of God in the gospel of Christ. He analyzes what it means to rejoice, and specifically what it means to rejoice “in your youth.” He fights for the necessity of rejoicing as Christian virtue. Lest someone say that rejoicing is the last thing that is needed in a life that can be filled with such anguish, Ortlund highlights that this rejoicing is a command from God and that God’s commandments are both necessary and trustworthy. “Ecclesiastes declares our freedom to live real life, in this real world, vigorously and confidently under the smile of God.”

Let Your Heart Cheer You

Ortlund paints a realistic picture of life and then shows how trusting the message of Ecclesiastes leads to vivid enjoyment even in life’s doldrums. If you let your heart cheer you, “your heart, confident in Christ, can grow into a happy force.” Many Christians face deep discouragement from real fears and hypothetical circumstances that threaten to upend their spiritual or emotional stability. Ortlund introduces a different paradigm: “What if the measure of your okay-ness, moment-by-moment, is where your life is coming from – namely, God’s grace? The book of Ecclesiastes helps you stop waiting for what you might achieve and start enjoying what God is giving.”

Walk in the Ways of Your Heart…But Know This…

Ortlund encourages his readers to consider how God has made them – abilities, interests, etc. – and to steward their lives into following the God-given desires of their regenerated hearts. He is emphatic that God has made each of his people with unique skills and inclinations so that they would carry out the good works that he has prepared for them. In a world full of people who are happy to play it cool or avoid risk, Ortlund reminds us that it’s not embarrassing to be a try-hard for Christ. He also appropriately outlines the striking language of judgment in Ecclesiastes 11:10 and shows how the gravity of considering God’s judgment should sober but not paralyze us.

Remove Vexation from Your Heart

As Ortlund concludes his exposition of Ecclesiastes 11:9–10, he defines vexation as “bitter discontent” and pain as “gnawing misery.” He does not want Christians wallowing in self-pity or sour godliness. He wants his readers to consider what it means to be made in the image of God and re-made in the image of Christ. These truths launch us into a life of confidence, not in ourselves, but in the God who has lovingly made us and carefully crafted each part of our story. Confidence in the work of God also equips us for battle against the flesh and the devil. If Satan comes to accuse us, that confidence in God’s redeeming work allows us to laugh in the devil’s face and get on with living out the bold enjoyment that has been prepared for us.

Conclusion: This Good Life…And the Next Better One

After walking through Ecclesiastes 11, Ortlund concludes by reflecting on God’s wisdom for us in this life and God’s promise to us for the next life. He considers 1 Timothy 4:4–5 and its pertinent connections to Ecclesiastes 11:9–10. Everything created by God is good, so this good creation demands that we enjoy it and celebrate the good Creator. He touches on New Creation passages in Isaiah and Revelation. Ortlund bullet-points what Scripture reveals about the life to come and turns his readers to the hope of eternal life secured for them through the person and work of Jesus Christ. A look to the future shows that this life is worth living well because, in the end, “our Creator will not delete all this culture-creating we’ve been busy with throughout history. He will redeem it.”

Teaching Our Children to Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Ortlund’s words feel like those of a loving, hopeful parent. He weaves in theological instruction and logical implications. He creatively incorporates a variety of theological topics, all of which he uses to support his thesis. His style is easy and pleasant to read. He strikes a balance of clear, but not overly technical exposition. This book is brief and clear: God made you, he made you well, he made you to follow Christ, and he made you to glorify him by enjoying the life he gave you.

Eat, Drink, & Be Merry stands as a short, spurring resource for all who follow Christ through this life under the sun. It is especially targeted at young adults, so it is an especially worthwhile read for fathers – whether they are still young men themselves or whether they are raising young men and women. Our lives and the lives of our children are certainly brief, but they are also hugely meaningful.

This book is worth your consideration as you bring up your kids in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. It will help you encourage your children toward pursuing their interests and passions as a way to savor the grace of God in their lives. It will guide you as you shepherd their hearts away from anxiety and discouragement, and toward bold, happy confidence in Christ. It will be a tool for you to use in opening their young eyes to the glories of the perfect life to come, when we will feast and fellowship forever with the Lord.

As we consider the blessings that come to us through the work of Christ, we are led into grace-based courage, passion, and pleasure. While the world attempts to capture our minds with fear, perfectionism, and baseless promises, Ortlund’s meditations on Ecclesiastes 11 help us live life fully to the glory of God.