Ecclesiastes 3: 16 – 4: 16
Old School
16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there. 17 I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.” 18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” 22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter. 2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun. 4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 5 Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. 6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. 7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business! 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
As I mentioned in our last study, verses 16 through 22 of chapter 3 goes along with chapter 4. In his study of life Solomon now comes to a point where he reflects on six issues that seem out of place in God’s control over everything.
The number 6, as you are aware of has been designated for mankind, which always falls short of God’s perfection [ # 7].
Remember Solomon is viewing life from under the ‘sun’ or from a worldly perspective so interestingly enough he comes up with six problems. However, what I find neat is that when you look closely and make sure to add El Shaddai to the formula you come up with seven points. These highlighted issues are;
1. [verses 16 – 17] There is wickedness where there should be justice
2. [ verses 18 – 21] Human beings created in God’s Image are just like the animals
3. [verse 22] The correct perspective
Chapter 4
4. [verses 1 – 3] No one comforts the oppressed
5. [verses 4 – 6] Many people are motivated by envy
6. [verses 7 – 12] People are lonely
7. [verses 13 – 16] Recognition for accomplishments are temporary at best
16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
Solomon noticed that even though he was the king and in charge of Israel, that justice and judgment was not going on in his nation. I know that most of you know that King David was Solomon’s dad. He penned most of the Psalms. Perhaps their truth finally got through to him now and finally sees the light. Let’s take a look at a few of them to show you what I mean;
Psalm 37, “1 Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret—it only causes harm. 9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. 10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. 11 But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. 12 The wicked plots against the just, and gnashes at him with his teeth. 13 The Lord laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming. 14 The wicked have drawn the sword and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who are of upright conduct. 15 Their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 A little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous. 18 The LORD knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever.19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied 20 But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the LORD, like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. 21 The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous shows mercy and gives. 22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off. 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lends; And his descendants are blessed. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; And dwell forevermore. 28 For the LORD loves justice, and does not forsake His saints; They are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever. 30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of justice. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. 32 The wicked watches the righteous, and seeks to slay him. 33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged. 34 Wait on the LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. 35 I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a native green tree. 36 Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; Indeed I sought him, but he could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the upright; For the future of that man is peace. 38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off.. 39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in the time of trouble. 40 And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.
Solomon put two and two together. He noticed that where justice and righteousness should have been going on, wickedness and corruption has entered. The courts were a joke in giving justice. The politicians were dishonest. Kind of sounds like our country, doesn’t it? This evil caused Solomon to realize that his nation was now primed for God’s intervention of correct and Righteous Judgment.
This truth startled him. Something was seriously wrong here. Wickedness was prevalent where right should prevail. He realized our Holy Righteous God would step in and do something about this problem. As he said that there was a time and purpose for everything, surely there was quickly approaching a time for our Holy Righteous Ruler to step in and correct this wrong done to people.
When He will intervene everyone will be affected, that is both the good and the bad. Turn with me and see what the Holy Judge has to say in the book of Ezekiel chapter 18, “1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, 2 “What do you mean when you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3 “As I live,” says the Lord GOD, “you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel. 4 “ Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. 5 But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right; 6 If he has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor’s wife, nor approached a woman during her impurity; 7 If he has not oppressed anyone, but has restored to the debtor his pledge; Has robbed no one by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with clothing; 8 If he has not exacted usury nor taken any increase, but has withdrawn his hand from iniquity and executed true judgment between man and man; 9 If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgments faithfully— He is just; He shall surely live!” Says the Lord GOD. 10 “ If he begets a son who is a robber or a shedder of blood, who does any of these things 11 And does none of those duties, but has eaten on the mountains or defiled his neighbor’s wife; 12 If he has oppressed the poor and needy, robbed by violence, not restored the pledge, lifted his eyes to the idols, or committed abomination; 13 If he has exacted usury or taken increase— shall he then live? He shall not live! If he has done any of these abominations, he shall surely die; His blood shall be upon him. 14 “ If, however, he begets a son who sees all the sins which his father has done, and considers but does not do likewise; 15 Who has not eaten on the mountains, nor lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, nor defiled his neighbor’s wife; 16 Has not oppressed anyone, nor withheld a pledge, nor robbed by violence, but has given his bread to the hungry and covered the naked with clothing; 17 Who has withdrawn his hand from the poor and not received usury or increase, but has executed My judgments and walked in My statutes— he shall not die for the iniquity of his father; He shall surely live! 18 “ As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother by violence, and did what is not good among his people, behold, he shall die for his iniquity. 19 “Yet you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the guilt of the father?’ Because the son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all My statutes and observed them, he shall surely live. 20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. 21 “But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 22 None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. 23 Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?” says the Lord GOD, “and not that he should turn from his ways and live? 24 “But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. 25 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel, is it not My way which is fair, and your ways which are not fair? 26 When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity, and dies in it, it is because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies. 27 Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness which he committed, and does what is lawful and right, he preserves himself alive. 28 Because he considers and turns away from all the transgressions which he committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. 29 Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ O house of Israel, is it not My ways which are fair, and your ways which are not fair? 30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord GOD. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”
Besides understanding that we are all accountable before God, he recognized the advantage of mankind over all of God’s creation.
17 I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.” 18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
Solomon sees dying like the beasts as being a kind of test to men. Animals do not think about death and when will it happen to them. We try to do the same, that is, not think about our deaths, but ultimately God puts situations into our lives that make us think. He has put eternity into our hearts. We understand this fact from His Word
John 5, “24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Romans 14, “7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11 For it is written: “ As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”12 So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”
2 Corinthians 5, “ 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. 12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Our Holy God has already Judged sin at the cross. There will be an accountability one way or the other. Either our Precious Holy King has paid for you sin or you will have to pay. Right now let us all stop and reflect on this fact. Have you been pardoned? Do you know for sure that you have been forgiven by our Holy Master? Let us turn to the book of Romans chapter 10 to see what He says on the way to be right with Him. “8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”(that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
Whether you are reading or listening to this message, let us all be sure we are in right standing with our Holy Master and God. With all sincerity and truth as you think about this, would you pray this prayer with me to make sure you are His.
Dear Father in Heaven, please receive my prayer. I know that Your Son – Jesus Christ, died for my sins and that He rose again from the dead. I ask you to forgive me of all my sins. Dear Jesus, please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with You Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your Forgiveness. Thank You for Eternal Life. Please help me to live the rest of my life for You. In Your Name Dear Lord Jesus I ask these things. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, you need to do three things. No you will not get any envelopes in the mail.
1. Read you Bible every day
2. Talk to God daily = prayer
3. Go hang out with other believers. You do this by finding a bible believing church
Okay, now back to the book of Ecclesiastes. If you haven’t noticed this major point yet, I will clue you in. Our Precious Holy Lord gave us this book to show us how fatal it is for even the wisest of men to substitute man’s so called wisdom for God’s and then try to live by it.
Please note that Solomon’s reign began with a close relationship with God, Gold, and Glory. He started out a s a winner and ended as a loser. He ended his life with Bafflement, Brass, and Bewilderment at how mankind has no preeminence over a beast. Pretty sad indeed!
He finally accepts the right perspective. He should be rejoicing over his conclusion which was;
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
Solomon concludes that the best thing for man to do is to rejoice in what he does; to enjoy his life and his work; and not to be concerned about the future. Truly God is in control of everything from birth through eternity. So, relax and take everything one day at a time.
Please note that with all his wisdom, Solomon fails to accept the logical conclusion of his study. He cannot accept the possibility of a resurrection. He is concerned with the here and now and has gotten his eyes off the prize. Our Lord Jesus teaches us in these passages;
Matthew 13, 44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Depression is a bad thing. Today probably near 70% of our counseling deals with depression. We all go through this emotion. In some cases it can get pretty bad where a person cannot even function. The sad part is that we are all victims of this awful emotion. In one way or another we have been abused, misused, and oppressed. Look, at verses 1 through3 of chapter 4
1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter. 2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is the one who has never been born, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
I find it interesting that he notices people being oppressed. Hey, hasn’t he forgotten that he is in charge – he is the king. He could change all this if he really wanted to. Do you notice at work how people with the same characteristics tend to migrate to the boss? If your boss is evil, guess what type of people he/she surrounds themselves with? Look at this situation;
1 Kings 5, 13 Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men. 14 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month in shifts: they were one month in Lebanon and two months at home; Adoniram was in charge of the labor force. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand who carried burdens, and eighty thousand who quarried stone in the mountains, 16 besides three thousand three hundred from the chiefs of Solomon’s deputies, who supervised the people who labored in the work. 17 And the king commanded them to quarry large stones, costly stones, and hewn stones, to lay the foundation of the temple. 18 So Solomon’s builders, Hiram’s builders, and the Gebalites quarried them; and they prepared timber and stones to build the temple.
When the Israelites cried out that they wanted a king like the other nations, our Lord warned them about the bad things that come along with having a sinful human rule them instead of the Ever Loving God. The oppression came with the territory or in this case the corrupted government officials whether they be judges or local magistrates.
Our Holy God had given Solomon eyes to see and ears to hear. The tears of the oppressed so moved Solomon that he repeats his statement twice. First as a sad reality and then in contrast with those who were causing the oppression. The oppressor has power and authority and the oppressed have no one to comfort them.
I have know a counselor who was looked upon by others as being one of the best in his field. To me he had a stone for a heart, for he did not have any emotions for those he counseled. Our Lord wants us to bear one another’s burdens yet this guy keep his distance from other people’s burdens. There then came a point in this counselor’s life where his dad died. From that time onward he was greatly overwhelmed with emotions with everyone he dealt with. He could not do his job anymore. It was too much for his to bear. In like manner Solomon felt immense emotional feelings regarding this oppression of his people. It so upset him that he congratulated those who were not living as been given a break from the potential oppression.
You can sense how this study in life is really bothering him. He now turns his attention from a lack of comfort to a lack of contentment in all of mankind toil. His next complain regards the cruel competition and envy that was going on in the world.
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 5 Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves. 6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
Have you ever been jealous of someone else in regards to their accomplishments? Solomon took note of these issues.
We have a problem being one or the other. Some people are lazy while others are workaholics. They lazy person does nothing but sponge off his friends and relatives [eats his own flesh] The workaholic is often driven by greed, envy, and the constant desire to be better off than others. Both extremes are foolish. We all need to work because it is ordained by God. Yet, we need to realize again that everything is under God’s control. We need to enjoy life one day at a time and thank our Merciful and Gracious God for all His Blessings.
Proverbs 6: 10, “10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep— 11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.
The problem of loneliness and depression is another issue that bothers Solomon. He stops and takes notice of the person who has no family. Why is he working so hard? What is his purpose for doing so? It makes no sense. Grave misfortune can also be seen as worthless overexertion.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun: 8 There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless— a miserable business! 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
I use these verses during my wedding services. Call me old fashion but I have noticed that the successful marriages are when a couple are friends. It is easier to hurt a lover then a friend.
In verse 9 Solomon is talking about a business transaction. Please not the words – ‘a good reward’. Marriage is like a savings account. The more you put into it the more you will benefit. If you also notice that will all marriages there is word – labor. A successful marriage does not automatically happen. You have to work at it. It is a labor of love.
One’s home needs to be a safe haven or sanctuary where two friends and lovers can flee to in get away from the brutal world. Unfortunately, this is not happening in our country. The divorce rate is near 70%. The home is a hot bed of strife. Now wonder people will do everything to avoid coming home, that is, working late, stop at the bar, education, hobbies, etc.
Lastly, we also need to know of how cold and cruel the world is. This is what Solomon had witnessed. A couple needs to be the warmth and comfort for the other. You do not need to send your love one out to some other person to counsel. That is your job!
What is needed in our championship is the three folded cord. Not a rope but the solid foundation is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has to be intertwined in our lives.
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Solomon should have heeded his own advice. We see here his point regarding a young man who was poor and a former prisoner. He would make a better king because he was willing to learn. On the other hand you see an old king who is unwilling to take advice. Those of you in leadership should take note of this warring. Have you surrounded yourselves with ‘yes’ men. When is the last time someone disagreed with you? If no one has, you should take note. You are probably the person Solomon is describing
Look at some of the preachers on television. Many do not know that they have disqualified themselves from their ministries. It is very sad watching them try to still do their ministries after they have disqualified. Our Holy Spirit has left their work.
