3/12/21. Study 10. Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

 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?

 

1. What does v.16 teach us about wickedness and injustice?

Justice is regularly perverted in the very places where it should be established and maintained. 

Injustice is institutionalized.

There is no human authority that is free of corruption and impurity.

In context, apart from death, human injustice frustrates our satisfaction in life.

God will also reward the good/righteous as well as punish the wicked. We may then look forward to His judgment.

 2. How does v.17 help us to deal with the reality of wickedness? "There is a time for every matter and for every work" recalls 3:1-11. How does this phrase relate to the point Qoheleth is making?

Judgement is coming when wickedness will be punished.

There is a 'time' for judgement. 

"Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God." (1 Cor 4:5), cf. the sanctified martyrs of Rev 6:9-11.

 

Referring back to 3:11, even wickedness can be beautiful in His time, because God is sovereign over the wickedness of man. (cf Gen 50:20, Ac 2:23, Ac 4:28)

 

 

3. Qoheleth says twice, "I said in my heart" (v.17a, v.18a). How do these two reflections relate to each other, and to the idea of wickedness and injustice?

The first reflection has to do with God's judgement of wickedness. Wickedness will be punished.

The second reflection refers to the fact of that wickedness and injustice is a test that God brings into our lives. 

 

After death comes judgment of wickedness.

 Death will end all human experience, including our present experience of wickedness and injustice  - it is temporary. 

A bleaker interpretation is that wickedness does not matter in the end because everyone dies anyway.

 

4. According to 3:19-22, how are humans like the beasts? What does it mean that God tests people to see this?

Death is universal. Animals and humans have the same life, the spirit of God that will leave them at the point of death (cf. 12:7). 

Human beings have no "advantage" = "gain"  (1:3; 3:9) over animals.

Here Qoheleth does not specify ("who knows...?) the fate of humans vs. animals (although later he will say in 12:7 "the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.".

His point is all effort is cancelled by death for both (c.f. 2:6 "For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!"

PS 49:12, 20 "Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish".

Death will end all human experience, including our present experience of wickedness and injustice  - it is temporary. 

After death comes judgment of wickedness.The "test" sounds cold and harsh, but we can think of the testing as caring, rather than cruel. God's purpose in the test is to show us spiritual truth. 

In one and the same event God tests us to build our faith, and Satan tempts us to destroy our faith.

'Judgement in the future, test in the present.'

 

5. What does the passage teach us about death?

Death makes everything 'vanity' .

Everything is going to the same place.

Everything came into being from the dust

Everything is returning to the dust.

Who knows whether the spirit of human beings is going upwards and whether the spirit of animals is going down below the earth? 

 

It is a challenge to the idea that human beings automatically go upwards upon their deaths, irrespective of their behaviour while alive under the sun.