1 Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed,But they have no comforter–On the side of their oppressors there is power,But they have no comforter.2 Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,More than the living who are still alive.3 Yet, better than both is he who has never existed,Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 4:1-3
“Life under the sun” is a phrase that Solomon uses extensively in this book. Some say it simply implies to the earth and all things related to it.
Other scholars also believe that the phrase refers to a purely humanistic perspective of life that precludes the presence of God. In this view, Solomon is examining life purely in human terms with only limited references to God or His working. Both views have interpretive merit. Keep these in mind as we examine the characteristics of life under the sun.
Characteristic 1—Oppression “Under The Sun”
Oppression is abundant in our world. Unfairness and injustice permeate the very fiber of this sinful planet. Injustice in our day and time is overt and systemic.
Yet, there seems to be little that can done to overcome it. While we must fight for justice and help the poor and oppressed, we know that our efforts will never be powerful enough to help everyone. Thanks be to God for His ultimate judgement which will set things right once and for all.
We, as Christians are commanded to glorify God. All throughout the Scriptures, we see the command to give glory and honor to God occurring again and again.
The word glorify translates a word with several variations of meaning. One meaning is this—“to adorn with glory.” As God’s people, we are to give God glory, honor, and praise. We have the wonderful task of adorning God with glory in our character, our conversation, and our conduct.
May we be reminded to glorify God as we live out this day.
Psalm 86:12 I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.
Haggai 1:8 “Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified,” says the LORD.
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Luke 2:20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
Romans 15:6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 4:16 but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.
14I know that whatever God does,It shall be forever.Nothing can be added to it,And nothing taken from it.God does it, that men should fear before Him.15 That which is has already been,And what is to be has already been;And God requires an account of what is past.16 Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment,Wickedness was there;And in the place of righteousness,Iniquity was there.17 I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” 19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. 21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? 22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
Ecclesiastes 3:14-22
Wickedness and evil are having their day. But, that day is only temporary. Jesus will return to set things right.
One of the great themes of the Bible is the final judgement of God. There is coming a time when all will be judged. The strong and the weak, plus the righteous and the wicked will all be adjudicated. Those who reject Christ will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14-15). The Christian will stand before God for how they used the gift of life to serve the Savior (Romans 14:10). Are you ready for judgement day?
Friends, we are not mere animals despite Solomon’s assertion in verse 19. We are created in God’s image to serve Him and enjoy Him forever. Our lives have meaning and purpose through Jesus. Christ died in our place and was judged in our stead. Through Him we have life eternal, reconciliation with God, and adoption into God’s family.
Trust in Christ today. He is your only hope for salvation (John 14:6). Don’t wait.
But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
Luke 24:37-39
In this passage of Scripture, Jesus reveals Himself to His disciples as the resurrected Savior and Lord. He had promised that He would be resurrected from the dead. Now, they were experiencing the results of this miracle firsthand. Jesus, the one crucified just days earlier, stood before them in all of His resurrection glory.
But, contrary to the evidence in front of them, His disciples still doubted. They were startled and filled with fear. The need for Jesus reassurance was palpable as Christ reintroduced Himself to His followers.
We often struggle with doubt as Christians today. We know what we believe, yet, we have a difficult time appropriating what we believe in the midst of the uncertainties of life. Our difficulties often lead to doubt and, if we don’t deal with it, despair.
What is the answer for doubt? Faith! To overcome doubt we must hold to the truth of God despite all that may come our way. We must continue to believe no matter how bleak the situation looks. We must continue to trust God even when it seems all hope may be lost. We must believe in what has been revealed to us, not what we can merely see. Overcoming doubt requires a strengthening of our faith.
Faith grows as we remember that God is faithful. Faith increases as we recall God’s faithfulness in the past. It doesn’t happen overnight, but, focusing on faith in God will yield results.
Mind you, overcoming doubt is not a simple task. Perhaps we will struggle with doubt for the rest of our lives. However, we don’t have to life in doubt every single moment. We can learn to live in faith and trust. Doubt and fear can be replaced with hope and trust over time.
Dear Christian, let us commit to growing in faith and vanquishing doubt today!
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace. 9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen theGod-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
God is in control. This is a comforting thought for the Christian. It reminds us that our lives are not spinning around in an out-of-control manner. Chance and happenstance play no part in our circumstances. Rather, our circumstances are divinely controlled by God Himself. Even when it doesn’t appear to be the case, God is still in control.
Solomon confronts this fact as he observed the rhythm and flow of life. May we see the nature of God’s control as we study this lesson this week.
Chapter 3 comprises one of the most famous passages of scripture in the Old Testament. Everything has an appointed to a time. The good and the bad, the joyful and the sorrowful are appointed to this life. Perhaps the following breakdown can make the point clearer.
Appointed Times for………………………..
Birth and Death
Planting and Destruction
Killing and Healing
Tearing Down and Building Up
Crying and Laughing
Mourning and Dancing
Cast Stones and Gather Stones
Embrace and Refrain
Gaining and Losing
Keeping and Discarding
Tearing and Sowing
Silence and Speaking
Love and Hate
War and Peace
Wow! What an incredible list. And God controls it all. He sovereignly reigns through our ups and downs, our victories and defeats, and our success and failures. God is in control of it all.
We may be thinking “if God is in control, then why is my life so difficult?” Shouldn’t my life be easier if God controls all things? There is no easy answer for these questions. God never promises ease and comfort on this earth (John 14:27). We live in a sinful world that will create circumstances that hurt us and cause us pain. We can’t understand it all. Yet, when can be comforted knowing that God is provident, in charge, and that He will never leave us.
God has given us an eternal perspective. We instinctively know that God exists and we are accountable to Him. We should be thankful that God has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ. For through Christ’s perfect life and sacrifice we have eternal life.
Three thoughts for Believers today………………………………………….
God’s provision is more than enough (Romans 8:31-32)
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
God’s purposes are never thwarted (Romans 8:28-30)
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
God’s love is never diminished (Romans 8:38-39)
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
24 Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? 26 For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Ecclesiastes 2:24-26
Solomon’s counsel here is stark. Due to the meaninglessness of life, we should enjoy God’s blessings. God’s provision is reason enough to give thanks and praise for all that He does.
As we view life from God’s perspective, we find that life is not meaningless. As we trust in Christ and follow Him, our life develops an eternal nature that gives us something the world cannot give.
God is the giver of all blessings (James 1) and all good things. And He is with us every step of the way.
This world’s goods, pleasures, and power can never give us the meaning and significance we so desire. But, when we are adopted into God’s family, our life takes on an entirely new dimension. We receive a hope and purpose that is not of this world.
Don’t get me wrong. The life of the Christian is not perfect and trials and difficulties await us all. Through our Savior, we are able to endure even the most challenging of circumstances and come through them in victory. As a Christian, life is anything but meaningless.
mrtonyfrench 