(“The Problems Of Injustice And Death”)

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 (NASU)

16“… I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness … 18I said to myself concerning the sons of men, ‘God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.’ 19For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:16, 18-19)

(A) A BRIEF REVIEW OF VERSES ONE THROUGH FIFTEEN (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:1-15)

(1) Solomon opens Ecclesiastes chapter three by telling us: “There is an appointed time for everything. And … a time for every event under heaven” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:1) – from which we learn that nothing in this world happens by accident or chance, including events that affect us directly, whether we label them “good” or “bad”. Rather, all things – from the time of our birth to the time of our death, and all the “times” in between (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:2-8) – every “event”, from the greatest to the least happens at its God-appointed time. Hence, Scripture says things like these – “at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (c.f. Romans 5:6b) – and again, that God has “appointed (the) times and … boundaries” of every nation that has ever existed (c.f. Acts 17:26b).

(2) In verse eleven the king goes one step further, saying God has made “everything appropriate in its time” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:11) – from which we learn that every event God “appoints” is also “fitted” to the specific moment – that in God’s providence everything that happens to us and/or in the world at large is exactly and/or perfectly suited for the purpose God intends to accomplish, regardless of how “things” may look to us at the time. Hence, Solomon goes on to say in verse eleven that even though God has “set eternity in (our) heart(s)”, so that we sense there’s more going on than meets the eye (so to speak), He hasn’t done it in a way that lets us “find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:11b) – at least not any great detail. To put it in New Testament terms, “(right) now we see in a mirror dimly” (c.f. I Corinthians 13:12a).

(3) Since these things are so, it’s “futile” or “vain” for any man to work at cross purposes with God. Hence, Solomon asks in verse nine: “What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:9) – the answer being, “none” – especially IF we are “toiling” (whether we realize it or not) to try and change or prevent God’s “appointed” and “appropriate” times from coming to pass. Hence, Jonah’s attempt to thwart God’s redemptive purposes for Nineveh came to nothing (c.f. Jonah 4:1-3) – as did Pharaoh’s attempt to re-enslave the Israelites after God set them free (c.f. Exodus 14:10-31).

(4) Given these truths, men and women are “better” off pursuing a whole other course. Consequently, in verse twelve Solomon says: “I know … there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:12). Instead of trying to find meaning, happiness, or satisfaction in “inappropriate” pursuits – instead of trying to find these things in activities God has not “appointed” for those purposes – we should learn to be content (“rejoice”) with the life God has given us,¹ and use what time we have to serve Him by serving others (“do good”) (c.f. Matthew 25:37-40). This is in keeping with what Solomon says in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes, that: “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13) – and also Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount, when He said: “seek … (God’s) kingdom and His righteousness (first), and all these (other) things will be added to you” (c.f. Matthew 6:33).

(5) In tonight’s Scripture lesson (specifically verse twenty-two) Solomon says, “nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:22a). However, we learned in verse thirteen that the ability to do so is a “gift of God” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:13) – in part, because, as one writer noted, it’s not within the heart of the natural man to be satisfied with what God has given him² (c.f. Proverbs 27:20b). Hence, we find that not only what we have, but even the ability to enjoy it and/or use it as God intended comes from above³ – thereby giving new meaning to Paul’s rhetorical question in First Corinthians chapter four, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (c.f. I Corinthians 4:7b) – i.e. “from God” (c.f. John 3:27) – the answer being, “nothing”!

(6) In verse fourteen we learn that there’s “nothing to add to (or) take from” what “God does” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:14) – which means there’s nothing to “add to or take from” what God “appoints”. Obviously, if “He has made everything appropriate in its time” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:11a), then it doesn’t need to be changed, does it? – not by Him, and certainly not by us! Hence, Scripture says elsewhere that “His work is perfect” (c.f. Deuteronomy 32:4a) – and in another place: “As for God, His way is perfect” (c.f. Psalm 18:30, NKJV).

(B) A BRIEF STUDY OF VERSES SIXTEEN THROUGH TWENTY-TWO (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:16-22)

(1) All this is well and good – at least in theory. But what about real life? Any thoughtful Christian has to wonder about some of the things that go on. Any believer who’s paying the slightest bit of attention to what’s happening in the world has to be perplexed (c.f. II Corinthians 4:8b) by how upside down and/or inequitable life often seems to be.⁴ Although Solomon testified God has “appointed (a) time for everything” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:1a) – that “everything” He has “appointed” is “appropriate” for its divine purpose (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:11a) – and that “everything God does” is perfect (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:14) – he couldn’t help wondering about the problem of injustice.⁵ Hence, in verse sixteen he said: “I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:16).

(a) You will note Solomon was referring to life “under the sun” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:16a) – a phrase he’s already used at least nine times in the Book of Ecclesiastes – a phrase he uses when referring to the kind of lifestyle that disregards “fearing God and keeping His commandments” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13). In such a world, and/or among such people, it should come as no great surprise that injustice, oppression and/or inequity occurs – that the rights of the poor and powerless are often trampled (c.f. Ecclesiastes 4:1; 5:8) – that those who are supposed to protect the innocent often become their persecutors, while those who are responsible for “defending orphans and widows” (c.f. James 1:27) often use their authority to make their distress even worse.

Scripture calls God a “father of the fatherless, (and) a defender of widows” (c.f. Psalm 68:5, NKJV). Moreover, those He places in positions of authority (c.f. Romans 13:1) are expected to imitate His example – hence, He tells them in one place to “dispense true justice and practice … compassion … do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts …” (c.f. Zechariah 7:9-10). At the same time He also says He’s angry with those who “abhor justice and twist everything that is straight” (c.f. Micah 3:9b).

(b) Nevertheless, in this fallen world it’s not all that uncommon to find “wickedness” “in … place(s)” where “righteousness” and “justice” ought to be (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:16). Indeed, it happens with such frequency that even Christians are often at a loss to explain this kind of confusion,⁶ especially in light of the idea God “appoints” the times that come to pass – and that He does so “appropriately” and perfectly? Hence, the psalmist asked: “… O Lord, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly; all who do wickedness vaunt themselves. They crush Your people … and afflict Your heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the orphans” (c.f. Psalm 94:3-6) – and the prophet Habakkuk lamented: “I cry out to You, ‘Violence!’ Yet You do not save. Why do You make me see iniquity, and cause me to look on wickedness? … strife exists and contention arises … the law is ignored and justice is never upheld … the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice comes out perverted” (c.f. Habakkuk 1:2-4).

(2) You will note that Solomon doesn’t try and explain how or why injustice exists in a world where God appoints the times and seasons.

(a) The obvious inference of this whole passage, which other portions of Scripture support (c.f. Genesis 50:20; Ecclesiastes 3:3a, 8b; Acts 4:27-28), is that times of justice and injustice, “darkness and light, well-being and calamity” (c.f. Isaiah 45:7), have all been “appointed” by God.

(b) But apparently this was more than even a man of Solomon’s great wisdom could comprehend – which would explain why he didn’t try and comment on it. Nor is this particularly surprising to those who are familiar with God’s basic attributes. After all, Scripture says that just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than ours (c.f. Isaiah 55:9) – meaning, among other things, that finite beings like ourselves are incapable of understanding everything the infinite God does and/or why He does it. Hence, after being reminded of how great God is, Scripture tells us Job gave up all his earlier bravado and confessed: “I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know … therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (c.f. Job 42:3, 6).

(3) Solomon is not at a complete loss to explain what’s going on, however. As a matter of fact, he draws a logical conclusion from the notion God has “an appointed time for everything” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:1). By faith he understood (c.f. Hebrews 11:3a) that if there is a God-appointed time for injustice, there must also be a God-appointed time for justice – if God has “appointed” a time for things to be topsy-turvy, then He must also have an “appointed” time to set things right – if He has “appointed” a time for wrong-doing, there must also be a time for retribution. Hence, Solomon goes on in verse seventeen to say: “I said to myself, ‘God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,’ for a time for every matter and for every deed is there” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:17).

(a) Although justice is often delayed – in part because of God’s patience toward sinful men (c.f. Romans 2:4-5) – we Christians ought not become too discouraged by any initial lack of divine retribution. Nor (by God’s enabling grace) should we allow ourselves to become envious of the wicked and/or think about following in their “futile” footsteps (c.f. Psalm 73:2-13). As Solomon says elsewhere: “Do not fret because of evildoers or be envious of the wicked; for there will be no future for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked will be put out … their calamity will rise suddenly” (c.f. Proverbs 24:19-20, 22a).

Though justice may be delayed, we can be sure the wicked are not going to avoid it forever – hence, we need to learn to wait for God to act at His providential and/or “appointed” time⁷ (c.f. Revelation 6:9-11) – for when the wicked finally do get the justice they deserve, we will be immeasurably glad to be the beneficiaries of God’s redemptive grace (c.f. Matthew 10:15)!

(b) Though divine retribution is often delayed, it’s “vain” for the wicked to think they have escaped God’s notice – nor should they be emboldened to commit even greater acts of oppression, violence, and/or injustice.⁷ As God says: “Vengeance is Mine, and retribution, in due time their foot will slip; for the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them” (c.f. Deuteronomy 32:35) – and again: “‘their way will be like slippery paths to them, they will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it; for I will bring calamity upon them, the year of their punishment,’ declares the Lord” (c.f. Jeremiah 23:12) – and once more: “… the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (c.f. II Thessalonians 1:7b-9).

(c) It’s a matter of comfort for those suffering injustice and/or being oppressed by the wicked to know the Lord will “judge both the righteous … and the wicked”⁷ (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:17a) – that those who are innocent will be vindicated, while those who are guilty will be punished – that there is an “appointed time” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:1) when what was made crooked will be set straight (c.f. Luke 1:5b), and/or those who perverted justice will receive divine justice, if not in this life then certainly in the next! Hence, the Scripture says: “He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness (through Jesus Christ)” (c.f. Acts 17:31) – and again: “will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?” (c.f. Luke 18:7) – and once more: “He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity” (c.f. Psalm 9:8).

(4) We come now to verses eighteen through twenty-one (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:18-21), where Solomon seems to be struggling with the problem of death – in this regard, (a) that when viewed from the perspective of “life under the sun”, there doesn’t appear to be any discernable or provable difference between “the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity … all came from the dust and all return to the dust. (And) Who knows that the breath of man (actually) ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?” (vs. 19-21).

(b) I find it ironic that men who leave God out of the equation of life tend to be the ones who have a lower view of themselves as a species than those who strive to “fear God and keep His commandments” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:13). For example, instead of seeing mankind as “a little lower than God” (c.f. Psalm 8:5a), they see him as just “a little higher than the animals”. Instead of having dominion over the creation (c.f. Genesis 1:26), they see mankind as dominating the world to the detriment of all other forms of life. Instead of holding a place of preeminence on earth, they see mankind as just another creature. Indeed, in many ways men don’t even measure up to the beasts – some of whom have greater strength, more agility, sharper senses, and/or longer life spans.⁸

(c) According to Scripture, the dignity and worth of mankind comes from Genesis chapter one, and the fact men and women have been made in the image and likeness of God (c.f. Genesis 1:26-27). Indeed, the thing that separates man from the beasts more than any other is that he resembles His Creator in a number of important ways. One is that he’s a rational being who can think and reason – another is that he’s a volitional being who has the capacity to makes intelligent choices and/or moral decisions – and a third is that he’s an emotional being, who experiences many of the same feelings God does.

(d) Men and animals are alike in that both depend on God to give them life –both depend on God to feed them and/or provide for all their physical needs – and both die at their God-appointed time (c.f. Psalm 104:14-15, 27-30). And yet, they are also different in several important ways – one being that men have souls and animals do not – and another being that men are capable of having intimate personal fellowship with God, while animals are not.

(e) From “ground level” (so to speak) none of these things are obvious. From the point of view of “life under the sun”, there doesn’t appear to be any special “advantage for man over beast” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:19) – especially when it comes to death. From this side of the grave, no one can say for sure whether the soul of a man ascends upward or downward when he dies – nor can one say for certain what happens to the breath of a beast when it dies (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:21). As far as the empirical evidence is concerned, “all go to the same place … (both) came from the dust and (both) return to the dust” when they die (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:20). Hence, Solomon’s familiar refrain at the end of verse nineteen that “all is vanity”!

(f) And yet, Solomon is not personally in doubt as to what happens to men when they die – for later, in chapter twelve, he will say: “the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 12:7)

(g) Someone has wisely pointed out that everything we know about what happens to men and beasts when they die – everything we “know”, that causes us to believe “the fate of men and animals is NOT the same” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:19), and/or that men and beasts do NOT “go to the same place” when they die (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:20) – the whole reason we believe “the breath of men ascends upward” at the moment of death, while “the breath of beasts descends downward” (c.f. Ecclesiastes 3:21) – is based solely on what God has told us in His inspired, written word!⁹

It’s God’s word – not any measurable scientific data – that tells us, “to be absent from the body (is) to be at home with the Lord” (c.f. II Corinthians 5:8b). It’s God’s word – not any observations we’ve made from watching people and animals die¹⁰ – that tells us, “today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (c.f. Luke 23:43) is true. It’s God’s word – not the testimony of people who have supposedly died, and then come back to tell us what’s on the other side (so to speak) – that gives us confidence when we hear Jesus say: “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies” (c.f. John 11:25).

(h) Not only is there a difference between what happens to men and beasts when they die, there is also a difference between what happens to men. Solomon doesn’t address this matter in Ecclesiastes chapter three – but the rest of Scripture does, albeit not in great detail.

Nevertheless, the difference may be summarized as follows – when those who have professed faith in Christ die, their bodies are buried, and return to dust to await the resurrection (c.f. I Corinthians 15:50-53) – but their souls go home to be with the Lord (c.f. II Corinthians 5:6-8). On the other hand, when those who have NOT professed faith in Christ die, their bodies are buried, and return to dust to await the resurrection (c.f. John 5:28-29) – while their souls are apparently cast into hell to await the day of final judgment¹¹ (c.f. Luke 16:22-24).

(i) How important it is, then, to heed Jesus’ words in John chapter five, where He said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (c.f. John 5:24).

May it please God not to allow any who hear these words tonight to hear them in vain!

3:12; p. 991.

Testament; The Book of Ecclesiastes; p. 121.