THE BETTER LIFE, LIVED UNDER THE SON

“The Secret to Profiting from our Labors”
Ecclesiastes 3:12-4:3
Bob Bonner
January 3, 1999

The other night, our family watched the animated movie “Anastasia.” For those of you who have not seen it, it is about a Russian princess who, with her family, was forced to flee to France because of the Russian revolution around 1920. At the time, she was 8 years old. In the hurry to escape with her family she was tragically lost and due to a fall and concussion she lost the memory of who she was. The rest of the story is about how she is reunited with her family and falls in love with her childhood playmate.

It’s a good story. We all like good stories, especially if they have tidy endings. It matters little if there is some tragedy or a major injustice in the middle of the plot, as long as in the end, good overcomes evil, and injustices are righted. That’s why we can celebrate Christmas, in spite of the fact that (historically) we know that not long after the Savior’s birth, Herod murdered thousands of infant babies because of Christ. We can celebrate Christmas even knowing that Jesus would be wrongfully crucified, because we know that He rises from the dead and one day He will return to earth and right all wrongs. In the end, goodness and righteousness win out.

However, have you ever noticed what happens to individuals who are faced with either several personal injustices or have to walk through injustices suffered as a team, a country, or a close friend or family member and have not forgiven those who have wronged them? Have you noticed what happens when people lack a divine perspective when tragedy or injustice strike? Usually, those persons becomes disillusioned with life. They end up being critical and cynical toward everything and everybody. They find it difficult to rejoice with those who rejoice. Weeping with those who weep may be easy, but to rejoice with those who rejoice...that’s a different story.

That makes what we are about to study this morning, although it is 2500 years old, as up to date as tomorrow’s newspaper. The book of Ecclesiastes, for the most part was written as a journal of one man’s walk in life after having put God aside. During these years of Solomon’s life, he refused to look up to God. He was too stubborn to bend his knee in prayer. During these years, he was confronted by good times and bad times--by tragedies and injustices that made no sense. Because he wasn’t looking to God in the first place, he became more disillusioned with God and moved further away. Yet by the end of his life Solomon realized that without God absolutely nothing makes sense. So he returned to the Lord and in certain places, edited his journal, Ecclesiastes with some comments reflecting a more divine perspective.

Today, we are going to look at 3:12-4:3. Those who want to do a quick study of this section of Scripture will not find it easy to get a good grasp of it. It requires that one ignore chapter and paragraph breaks, which are not inspired, to gain the flow of thought in these verses. Actually, one must go back to 3:1, to gain perspective of the direction in which Solomon is leading.

In 3:1-8, Solomon tells us that there are several confusing or various seasons that come upon us in life. Most of those confusing seasons give us no warning of their coming. They just suddenly arrive. As I demonstrated last week, many of us have been celebrating the Savior’s birth and “Happy Holiday” feelings. But that is not true for everybody around us. We don’t like to think about the pain and suffering that continues on in the lives of others around us, even during this season. It confuses us. Yet that is exactly Solomon’s point in this passage, the only hope and perspective in life comes when we seek the Savior and look to Him for guidance during difficult times. And as we head into the verses of our study for today some of those difficult times involve good people suffering injustices at the hands of the wicked.

In verse 9, Solomon asks the disillusioned person’s typical question when things don’t seem to add up. He asks, “What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?” The expected answer, coming from the disillusioned cynical Solomon would be, “Nothing. It is all vanity, or useless.” However, it is just at this point in his journal that we began looking at one of Solomon’s editorial comments that he later adds to his journal. At this point, he wants us to look at real life in difficult times through divine lenses. So, in verse 10 down through the first three verses of our section, verse 12, Solomon writes a godly response, one that is born out of the divine perspective. It’s the typical response of one who is living, not “under the sUn” but “above the sUn” or “under the SON.” 

Jesus teaches three things here through Solomon’s words. He reminds us that there is much profit from even the tragedies and injustices that take place during seasons we expect to be filled with joy and happiness. First, He reminded us that God the Father uses difficult inexplicable times to place a sense of eternity in our hearts. And by that, we mean that God reminds us that the world does not revolve around us, the world is bigger than us. 

Second, He proved to us that the world is beyond our control and that we just don’t have all of the answers to why things happen when they do. 

Third, He showed us that God uses such occasions to get our attention, to show us that He is in control and that He makes no mistakes. And only when we draw near to Him, and submit our lives to Him, does life take on any form of meaning and joy, in the midst of difficult seasons.

All of that leads us up to where we are in our text, which is 3:12. Verses 12-15 are really a continuation of looking at life from the divine perspective or life as it is to be lived, “under the SON.” Two times in these three verses Solomon says, “I know this.” Really, what he is saying here is this: “Now that I have lived life and have begun to see things from God’s perspective, I know this to be absolutely true and from God.” And then he proceeds to tell us several things that should give us some clearer perspective on life during confusing, tragic and unjust times. His mission is not to answer the “Why?” behind the tragic seasons that many face, but the “Who?” and “What?” that will get you through those hard times.

In verses 12-13, we read, “I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good [or literally “to enjoy themselves”] while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--this is the gift of God.” The term “toil” is the same as the term “labor” used elsewhere in the Scriptures. In context, it not only refers to the various jobs and responsibilities we are assigned, but it also refers to working through the difficult challenges of life that we are all handed from time to time, most often, unexpectedly. It refers to those “seasons” we studied about last week, in verses 2-8. Sometimes seasons of joy and justice, other times seasons of weeping and injustice.

In the midst of life, the gift of God is really two-fold. When you stand back and look at all of the seasons that you have endured in your lifetime, the times of laughter and the times of tears, you may find God’s gift of Himself and His joy in the midst of your labor. That although you face hard times, you know that you are not alone during the difficult times, because God has made you His beloved child in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, that you would experience His supernatural riches, like His joy, during sorrowful times. To experience joy or that sense of deep satisfaction amidst the labors of life is a gift of God.

And then Solomon moves us, in verses 14-15, to take a closer look at who God is as His character is revealed amidst His workings. In these verses Solomon points to three aspects of God’s character. He writes, “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.”

First, God tells us that because His workings endure forever, then it is obvious that God, Himself, is eternal.

In contrast to our labors, the product of our labors, whether that be children, establishing a home, building a business or a practice, making widgets...whatever it is that we invest our time in, one day will not endure. For a temporary period of time they may have some worth, but in the bigger picture they won’t last, and hence the product of our lives is not what is most significant. There must be something more.

On the other hand, in contrast to our workings, God’s workings last. They, like Him, are eternal.

In addition, we learn that God’s work needs not be added to or have anything replaced. His labors produce a product that, in and of itself, is perfect, for He Himself is perfect.

Again, in contrast to God’s products, ours are not perfect. Our products are in continual need of repair, updating and ongoing maintenance. Whether we are referring to broken water pipes, updating computer programs or spending some additional time with the family so as to do repair work, or routine maintenance on our relationships, all of our labors require ongoing work. Not so with God’s. His end products are built to last and were perfect from the outset.

And closely related to God’s products being perfect when they are made, His products are also immutable. God’s ultimate will and product derived there from, is unchangeable because it is perfect and without any mistakes. There is never a need to repair computer-designed errors like the Millennium Bugs. When you study the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, God has had one perfect, immutable plan in mind by which He would create and save people who would love, honor and obey Him forever. That plan will never need changing. He is in control and makes no mistakes.

When people realize who God is in the midst of the labors of life, regardless of the justices or injustices, the tragedies or triumphs, then there are certain results that follow. Verse 14 tells us that these people learn to revere God for His superiority to themselves.

Because they recognize God for who He is, they willingly submit the outcomes of their lives to Him, even when they have no answers to the difficult questions of life. They simply trust Him.

In addition, according to verse 15, there is further education going on for those who continue to seek God and His gift of joy in their labors. At the end of verse 15, we read, “...and God will call the past to account.” Probably a more easily understood translation might be, “God brings back what has already passed away.”

This “calling the past to account” refers to the repetition of life’s lessons learned. Most of us don’t learn our lessons from life the first time around. That’s why God has to bring back again a new but similar situation that has happened in the past to teach us again what we have either forgotten or never learned the last time. Continue to learn from God through repeated lessons that what He desires takes priority over our wishes if we wish to find joy in our labors.

I’m quickly reminded of the often repeated expression in the book of Judges. Following a cyclical season where the children of Israel had rejoiced in God’s deliverance from their enemies, they would seek after God for a short time, but not for long. When things started going well for them, they quit going to worship services. They quit giving to the Lord. They quit seeking God and reading the Torah. They instead, started spending time following after their own desires. They’d stay home and work in their yards or do home improvements.  Whether it was business pursuits, hobbies, pleasures, I don’t know for sure. But at the bottom of the cycle, we find this repeated statement in the book of Judges, “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” They quit making God their priority, their joy was gone, and soon God allowed them to fall into another calamity. Once again they would call on God and He would deliver them.

How foolish it is for us to forget our past before we came to Christ. How foolish we are to ignore God’s faithfulness since we have come to Him. Instead of saying “Thank You” we seek after our own agendas, slowly turning our backs on God, doing what is right in our own eyes. The pattern of history teaches us that God will allow our worlds to fall apart if that is what it is going to take for us to truly submit to and worship God, to keep Him the priority of our lives. A word to the wise: Don’t forget the God of your youth and deliverance. For He disciplines the ones He loves.

I’m reminded of what God says to us through Jeremiah the prophet, in Jeremiah 9:23-24: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom [educational degrees or diplomas] or the strong man boast of his strength [that is the place of authority and the strength he is able to wield from it] or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these [these worshipful people] I delight, declares the Lord.”

Although you and I may find ourselves suffering right now from injustices, tragedies or some loss, God says that those who truly know Him, those who have studied “His-story” as it is spelled out in the Word of God, know that God will always right the wrongs and reward the faithful. If not in this lifetime, then in the future. Hence, we can find joy or contentment in all of our labors.

At this point, the editorial comments of Solomon cease and we return to the original words of the journal, written by one who has turned his back on God. The words that follow, from 3:16-4:3 stand in stark contrast to the divine perspective just uttered by Solomon. Once again we return to the world philosophy, the wisdom that comes from the life of one who has lived “under the sUn.”

We pick up the change in perspective in the first clause of verse 16, “And I saw something else under the sun.” What is it that this man of the world has seen and concluded? What has the disillusioned cynic resolved as a truism? We read, “In the place of judgment--wickedness was there, in the place of justice-- wickedness was there.” The “place” to which Solomon refers is the place where you would expect to find justice being acted out...that is to say, in the courts of law. But instead of finding justice, you find injustice.

This comes as a surprise to Solomon. It is such a surprise, it causes such consternation that we see twice repeated for emphasis: “wickedness was there.”

If you skip down to 4:1, you will read a more specific account as to what Solomon has observed about the law of justice. He states, “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 he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.”

There is something deep within the human soul that cries out for justice. That cry is felt when Solomon first repeats for emphasis, “and they have no comforter.” Then he tells us that you are better never to have been born than to be born and experience or see the injustice that exists in the world.

Later in this same book, we read, in Ecclesiastes 5:8, “If you see oppression of the poor and denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be shocked at the sight, for one official watches over another official, and there are higher officials over them.” The rich and powerful seem to rule, not justice. If anyone but President Clinton had been found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice, they would be in jail today. But money and power and good lawyers can make a mockery of justice and morality.

As a result, the cynic, without God’s perspective or without the belief in a sovereign God who rules and promises justice in the end, cries out, INJUSTICE RULES! 

We read in verse 17, “I thought in my heart, [literally “I said to myself” which indicates that he is not looking to God, but to what he has known from his past] God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”  Even though Solomon is not walking with God at this point, somewhere down deep he knows that God promises justice, sometime. But his problem is that justice is not coming quickly enough. In other words, these are not the words of a believer, but of a rebellious individual who refuses to allow God to be God and to bring justice to the forefront when He is good and ready. We demand our justice in our lifetime. If we don’t get it, we wag our fingers at God. 

However, have we ever thought that if God gave us the justice we all deserve in our lifetime, rather than the mercy we have received, we wouldn’t be here?!! We would all be dead and damned to an eternal existence apart from our God.

But the disillusioned cynic does not think this way, because he refuses to look up to God, or to submit to the only sovereign being of the universe. That’s why this cynic comes up with the common evolutionist’s conclusion that “Man is no different than the animals.” Look at what he says in verses 18-21. He is going to show us what he believes are three similarities that we share with the animals. First, He says, “I also thought, As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other.” In other words, this cynic believes that all of the occasions for one to experience an injustice is really a test from God to show us that apart from Him, we are no different that the animals. If God doesn’t exist, our lives have no more purpose than a robin killed by a kid with a BB gun. 

And the first bit of evidence from which we can draw this conclusion is that just like the animals, which are created by God, die, so will human beings all die.

Second, he says, “All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal.”  In other words, whether fish, bird, two or four legged animals, we all require air to live. God created us similar in that way.

Third, he says, “Everything is meaningless.” Be careful here. This is not meant to be the repeating of the expression, “All is vanity.” The word, “Everything” or “All” can also be translated “Both.” And the word for “vanity” or “meaningless” is also the word for “transition.” Here, in light of the next sentence, the better translation is, “Both are in transition.” The next sentence reads,  “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.” All the animals and people created by God come from the dust and will eventually go through the same transition and return to the dust. We are both just passing through. We are in transition. Our lives here on earth were meant to be temporary. Apart from God there is no difference between us and animals.

From there, it is not a long step to conclude that life is nothing but a waste of time. From there, the next step to questioning whether or not there really is an afterlife is not far away.  That is exactly where the cynic ends up in verse 21. Look at the question that the cynic raises in verse 21. He asks, “Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?” In other words, all of the scientific, empirical research available to us today cannot prove what we have believed to be true for centuries, that the spirit of a human being has an afterlife, and therefore is different than the spirit of an animal, which ends in the grave. 

As verse 11 teaches, in the heart of every human being is the sense of their eternal being as well as God’s. But when we walk away from God, that sense of being an eternal being is lost. Cynicism mentally confuses us. We become spiritually numb. When we begin to ignore God, we lose our sense of identity which is the basis of our worth. We lose our bearings and have no idea of where we are going or why we are here in the first place.

All of which leaves the non-believer, who lives his life ignoring God, with this final piece of advice, in verse 22. He says, “So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?”  The best tip that the one who ignores God can offer about life is seek to enjoy life now, for to them, there is no guarantee of a future. Don’t live for the future, because you don’t know if there will be one. The past is gone, so forget it. So, go for the gusto right now. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die. Enjoy the process of living, because nothing about the product of life is worth living for.

What’s really interesting, as one steps back and looks at this whole section of Scripture, is that in one sense, both the believer and the non-believer start at a point in which they both agree. But from there, they both disagree greatly. Look with me at the summary of conclusions that can be drawn from this section of Scripture that begins way back at 3:1. First, look at what they both agree upon: Both believers and non-believers agree about the uncertainty of seasons in life. Hence, the recommendation is: Learn to enjoy the process of your labor, for in the end that is all you have.

Products wear out, break down, or become outdated. Therefore, don’t live to produce the best widget or build an eternal company. Do the best with your skills to produce a good product, but don’t put all your eggs in that basket. Instead, while you are doing your best at your work, regardless of the outcome of your efforts, make sure you enjoy the process.

This even goes for the product of building relationships. Earthly relationships are fragile and short-lived. Therefore, don’t live for the end product of having children, or building a great marriage. Why? Because you may never be able to have children, or they may die prematurely. You may have dreams of a long life together with the one you love, but death caused by freak accidents or unforseen terminal illnesses happen. Therefore, simply enjoy the day to day process of building good relationships. Enjoy them today, but keep your eyes on the Lord. Don’t put all of your eggs into the basket of your relationships.

Now, let’s look at where Solomon would say that those who live “under the sUn” meaning, apart from Jesus Christ controlling their lives, differ from those who have committed to live their lives for Jesus Christ or are living “under the SON.” Below is a list of what the non-believers end up concluding about life.

 1. Non-believers hold that:

a. You are on your own. There is no God.

b. Live for now, for there is no future.

c. Life has no ultimate purpose.

d. Seek after your own desires, even if it means that you commit in justices.

2. Believers hold that:

a. You are not alone. God desires a relationship with you.

b. God has a purpose for your life. He is in control.

c. Seek after God and to do His will. For He is a God of justice.

d. There are greater rewards to come.

Back in verse 13, Solomon, the Solomon who had returned to the Lord, said that God is a giver of gifts. That’s why He wants to not only gift us with enjoyment in whatever our labors may be, but He wants to gift you with the privilege to carry on an intimate relationship with Him, through Jesus Christ. Jesus made it clear, when He said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.” Then later Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.”, meaning, while you walk in submission to Him.

But that’s not all. The Apostle Peter, in his first epistle, reminds us, that as believers, we are aliens here on earth. This is not our final resting place. This is not our ultimate destination or home. Our home is with God. For now, while we are on this earth, he once again reminds us, that in the midst of injustices and struggles and tragedies, we have a great hope. Listen as I read to you portions of what God had him write. Peter says, in 1 Peter 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, [in other words, there is something after this life, a gift waiting for you from God. This is fact, and not pie-in-the-sky, in the good ol’ bye and bye.] In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.... Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”  In other words, don’t get caught up by all that is on the earth. Yes, there will be trials and struggles, but there will also be life in Christ.

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