And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.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.”I also said to myself, “As for human beings, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 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. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
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.And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.But better than both
is the one who has not yet been,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.—Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:2 (TNIV)
One of the things I really appreciate about Scripture is that it sees life with open eyes; it calls a spade a spade. Today’s passage is an example of this. The old Preacher is again commenting on the futility of attempting to live our lives on our own and putting our ultimate hope and trust in things of this world. As we saw a couple of days ago, this is futile because this world is finite and passing away. Today the preacher reminds us that death is the great leveler. It makes no difference if we are animal or human; our fate is the same. We all die.
But see this hopeful alternative that is a solution to the sad state of the human condition:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
What, then, shall we say in response to these things [about the sad state of living in a fallen world]? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8: 31-35; 37-39).
When you really believe that your sin and brokenness have been washed clean by the blood of Christ so that you are no longer separated and alienated from God, when you really believe that you have an Advocate to the Father in Jesus, who ascended into heaven, bearing our humanity with him, and who is constantly pleading with the Father on your behalf, suddenly you have a proper perspective on life. Suddenly you realize that real life constitutes having a relationship with the Living God, the same God who loves us and claims us in Christ. When you begin to order your life around this Truth and reality, life no longer is meaningless because you are simply awaiting your final destiny and in doing so, you can put the things of this world in their place and have a proper perspective about life here on earth. When you make having a real relationship with God in Christ, you have gotten it right. Anything else is bound to disappoint.