What happens when it comes? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
Part of my idea of Ecclesiastes is that the writer is showing what can be known from reason alone and without the idea of revelation. If so, what happens when we get to the end of chapter 3? First, the Teacher says:
16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. 19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?
In my writing on this, I looked throughout the book at the phrase “under the sun”, which shows up here. As I said there:
In this reference, the Teacher speaks about seeing wickedness in the place of judgment which Ryken says refers to a courthouse. The problem consists not just in that injustice exists where justice should take place, but also that no remedy exists for the problem.[1] Even if corrupt judges get replaced by good judges, those can also get replaced by more corrupt judges or become corrupt themselves. As said by Lord Acton, “Power corrupts.” Psalm 82 gives an example of these kinds of people who consider themselves gods of judgment, but they will die like mere men.
[1] Philip Graham Ryken, Ecclesiastes (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2010), 100-101.
Death comes to the wicked and the powerful, but it comes to everyone else. It also comes to the beast. The Teacher asls who knows which way the spirit goes when a person dies. The same applies to animals. It is for reasons like this that I think the Teacher is taking a viewpoint that what if all you have is the wisdom of the world. What will that get you? If anything, it could be a reductio ad absurdum for the meaningfulness of God in a Christian’s life.
The Teacher is a realist. Death changes everything. An atheist today could say “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!” The Teacher could agree, but would not be able to let go of that last part. “Tomorrow, we die.” If we die tomorrow, what was the meaning of today?
The Teacher is raising hard questions, questions everyone needs to think about and questions we will think about as our study continues.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
(And I affirm the virgin birth)
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