Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verses 16 to 22 for our study this evening. And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment that wickedness was there and the place of righteousness that iniquity was there. And 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. I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts, even one thing befalleth them, As the one dies, so dieth the other, yea, they have all one breath, so that man hath no preeminence above a beast, for all is vanity. All go unto one place, all are of the dust, and all turn to the dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that go goeth downward to the earth. Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his portion. For who shall bring him to see what shall be after him. God blessed to us his sacred and holy word this evening. Some people reject the Christian faith because they cannot harmonize the idea of a good God with all the evil events that are taking place around them on the earth. Years ago, a leading socialist wrote an editorial in which he said that the poverty and squaloror of the slums and the constant threat of global war made him weep. And he wished that a good and omnipinent God described by the Christian, really did exist. The writer declared that if he had the power, the Bible was scribes to the Lord. He would change things quickly. Evidently, he would do a better job than the Christian God does. He would cure all crippling diseases, make right the injustices of society, and put an end to all human violence. The harsh realities of life sometimes make people question whether God really exists. If he does, isn’t he paying attention? Doesn’t he see all this? Why doesn’t he meet out justice? Unless you believe what the Bible says about sin and into the world and the fall of man, there’s no way you can really harmonize the idea of a good God with the evil you see around you. You need the fall. You need to understand the fall. Solomon has stated that God sovereignly controls all things, that all times are in his hands. There’s an occasion, a season for everything in his overall plan in verses 1 to 15. However, the problem of evil has to be addressed. What about the injustice that is in the world? What about the painful reality of unity? universal death, that everybody dies, the good as well as the wicked. Doesn’t seem like the good have any advantage if we all die. So Solomon begins to answer these types of questions in our text this evening. He is concerned to keep your eyes focused upon God, for God is the one who really has all the answers. Man’s real difficulty is this. He’s not like God. He doesn’t think like God. He doesn’t understand what God understands. And so we want to talk tonight about living in light of God’s sovereignty. I’ll begin by saying this. You may struggle with the amount of injustice there is in life. Verse 16. Moreover, I saw under the sun the place of judgment that wickedness was there, and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. The young woman’s face was twisted in agony. It just isn’t fair, she said. My father robbed me in my childhood. He destroyed my teenage years. He almost deprived me of any chance of marital happiness. How could God let it happen? And she was right. It didn’t seem fair. Her father had humiliated. and abused her from the time that she was a little girl. Incest is certainly a terrible evil. And she was the victim of the depraved cruelty of her own father. And it crippled her emotionally. Her question is hard to address. How could God let that happen? Why didn’t he step in? Why didn’t he rescue her? Why didn’t he strike down her father for being so wicked? Conscientious people. are perplexed by the fact that evil men often appear to escape justice. We see a lot of this in our own society. The murderers and the thugs walk the streets. The drug lords, you know, operate fairly openly. Sex perverts and beselers and thieves are rarely caught, and when they are, they don’t seem to get any justice. They get a slap on the wrist. Sometimes it seems to us that the wickedness, person is the one that seems to be the most successful and happy because he gets to do whatever he wants to do. And those who are honest and kind seem to experience misfortune and misery. People lie and steal and mistreat the righteous and profit by their mistreatment of the righteous. Solomon here sees the judges of his day often favoring the evil rich over the poor righteous. When he talks about the place of judgment, he means the place of justice, the courts, if you would. Now today, just as back then, I suppose we have those lawyers that are very ardent about getting their client off by hook or crook. It doesn’t matter how they do it, whether they have a very lenient judge that they managed to get in place for them, or perhaps they managed to escape on a minor technicality of some sort, their whole goal is to get the person off. Verdicts of innocent are brought by bribing judges. We’ve seen that even in our day, how that some judges have gone to jail for taking bribes. Secret gifts. sway the decision of those who are judges. So this deplorable situation hasn’t really changed much since Solomon’s Day. It’s always existed in society. It isn’t right. It’s certainly disturbing to have this happen, but also he says, he looks at the place of righteousness. Can I say the sanctuary of God? Can I say the place of worship? And there’s evil there, he says. didn’t have to go back too many years. We see Eli’s sons, Offnigh and Phineas, who disgraced the sacrifices of the Lord and the people didn’t even want to bring their sacrifices because these people would take the fat that was supposed to be burned and given to the Lord on the altar and for themselves. Lay with the women at the gate of the tabernacle and so forth. I mean, these people were wicked. The Bible says they knew not the Lord. In our Lord’s day, you remember how the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious leaders, decided that they would hire false witnesses against the Lord Jesus Christ that they may seek a manner in which to put him to death. My friend, that’s evil in the place of justice, in the place of righteousness. Injustice is seen in the best governments today. You see it in the dirty deals and the kickbacks and the backroom politics and the favoritism and the blackmail that’s used to sway votes. Why doesn’t God stop all this? People are being hurt by it. We have religious leaders, so-called religious leaders, that are really fleecing people out of their money, running scams, molesting children, having adulterous fares, stealing funds, mistreating funds, mistreating the righteous and so forth. What a mess. What a mess. And so you may struggle with the amount of injustice, you see, even in the place where you think you could get justice, or you think you would have the righteous, righteousness prevail, even there, he says, it doesn’t happen. The second thing he says here is you have to keep in mind that God will judge all. Verse 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. We sometimes get impatient with God. I think God is tardy. You know, he’s not prompt enough with his decisions and his judgments. And so we think we should exercise his justice more quickly when moral anarchy and rampant evil prevail many people are bewildered. Where is God? Where is the judge of all the earth? What man fails to perceive is that part of God’s righteousness involves letting a fallen world suffer the consequences of its own sinful depravity. We have religious leaders that we have, that we have, that we seek out, and we want a religious leader that will tell us what we want to hear. Well, then you read the consequences of that by not hearing the word of God. We have corrupt politicians and judges that are reflection of society itself. Why are there wicked men in these offices? Because there’s wicked men in society from which they are drawn. But Solomon says here, there is coming a day of final justice. There is a day of judgment. The great world. right throne judgment or the final judgment is what he is referring to here in which God will judge the world in righteousness by that man which he hath appointed his own son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The hidden things will come to light. The secret things will be revealed. This is an awesome thought. Awesome thought. And it gives great satisfaction of the person who loves God and longs for justice to be done. Now, think about this. The atheist, the agnostic, the evolutionist, doesn’t have such a hope. There’s no ultimate justice in this world. People get away with it. But in God’s world, the true God’s world, there is justice, eventually. One day, God is going to the Supreme Court of Heaven, so to speak, eternal punishment is going to be meted out according to the depth of evil that a person has committed. And the righteous will be rewarded at the same judgment. Nothing’s going to be overlooked. Nothing will remain hidden. All will be revealed. Absolute justice will prevail. So Solomon says, I see all this wickedness, and I know it doesn’t look good, but he says, ultimately, God is going to bring them to justice. So you have to keep in mind, God will judge all. The third thing he says here, you must realize that while men die like beast, their spirits live on. Now notice verses 18 to 20. We read here that all men die like beasts. And I said in my heart concerning the estates of the sons of men, that God might manifest them and that they might see that they themselves are beast. For that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts, even one thing befalleth them, as the one dies, so dieth the other. Yea, they have all one breath, so that the man hath no preeminence above a beast, for all is vanity. All God, go under one place. All are of the dust and all to the dust. All turn to the dust again. It’s fashionable to portray man as nothing more than a highly evolved animal. I think it was Desmond Morris’s description of man as a naked ape. Now, that’s true. We’ve got lions and lambs among people in this world. People sometimes seem to live like brute beast in the way they treat others and pray on others and take advantage of others and so forth. But I had Russell read Genesis 1 because you’ll notice in Genesis 1 God created all the beasts of the field and the animals and so forth on the sixth day there that are mentioned, the land animals. But when it came to making man, there was something special. Did you know? notice it? God says he made him after his own image. Let us make man after our own image and our own likeness. Man is different than the beasts of this earth. And that’s important for us to realize. Now, Solomon would tell you, if we ask from a strictly physical, visual standpoint, it seems like men and beast all die like. Their body gets old. They have trouble breathing. They breathe their last. They die. They get buried. And all the organisms, the bugs and the worms and the insects eat up their flesh and so forth. And that’s it. I mean, it seems like, well, it seems awful the same to us. When you just look at the external physical aspect of it, it’s painful for a person outside of Christ. It deeply reflect upon the subject of death. This is why people don’t even like to talk about it because they think this is it. That’s the end and there’s nothing more beyond a grave. If a man is just like an animal, death that should be very disturbing to you. You’re never going to see that loved one again. You’re never going to see that friend that’s dear to you. You just cease to exist. You’re gone forever. You’re no better off than a cow or a dog or a toad. If that’s the way it is. Napoleon once said this. He said, I die before my time, and my body will be given back to the earth to become the food of worms. Such is the fate which will so soon, which so soon awaits the great Napoleon. I’m headed for the grave, it’s going to be eaten up. Friends, that’s all we can see with the eye of the flesh. That’s all we can see and know physically. Many have a tendency to think injustice does prevail because they don’t see it in their own lifetime. I don’t see nothing happening. I don’t see God doing anything. If it knows, verse 21, who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Interesting. There is a difference between a man and a beast, isn’t there? Many modern-day Bible students are influenced by liberal scholars who maintain the idea that life after death was unknown in this time in Solomon’s Day, therefore they take this verse as expressing uncertainty. Who knows? However, there are many Hebrew scholars that tell us that there’s no uncertainty here at all in this verse of Scripture. Leopold suggests this in his commentary. There are not many who take to heart as they ought the fact that that the spirit of man goeth upward and the spirit of the beast goeth downward to the earth. Or we can put it in the form of a question. Who takes the heart this fact? Who understands this? Man’s looking at the physical aspect and he’s not seeing what’s taking place invisible in the invisible world around it. All sound commentators agree there’s no uncertainty here at all. In fact, if you read later on in the book, it’s very very clear that he certainly believes there’s life after death for human beings. He’s just spoken of a coming judgment that takes place at the end of the world. If we cease to exist, why would we have a final judgment? Who’s going to be there? Just the people that were living when Christ returns? Is that it? He’s going to say a lot more in chapter 12 on this subject. But an animal’s life goes down to the earth. I suggest to you it perishes with the body. The idea that, you know, all dogs go to heaven? I got news for you. It doesn’t seem like any animals actually go to heaven. I don’t see that in scripture. I think that’s a complete farce. But the soul of man goes upward. That tells me something. Now, let’s, again, not junk to cause. conclusions here. That doesn’t mean everybody goes to heaven. What does it mean exactly? Well, look with me, Ecclesiastes 12 in verse 7. We’ll get a sneak peek at that chapter that I mentioned earlier. In the first part of this, he talks about you remembering the creator in a day of youth before the bad days come and, you know, the grinders of your teeth start cease working well, and your legs get wobbly and don’t hold you up anymore, and you’re frightened by the least sound and when old age comes and everything begins to break down your body, he says, you know, remember the Lord when you can serve him while you’re young. But then he says this, then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, that’s the body, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Now we see what he’s talking about. You have to appear before God. And God’s going to make in an immediate assessment for you, it either put you, before the return of Christ, into heaven or hell. Put you in a position of the intermediate state until the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment and so forth. So he’s telling us here that we may look like we die like animals, but the animal spirit goes away. Your spirit lives on and it’s accountable to God. That’s what he’s telling us here. Again, nobody escapes. There’s going to be justice. Now, as a believer, this is a great comfort to us. Your soul doesn’t die. It’s simply separated from the body at death. That’s all. Death is the separation of the body and the spirit. That’s all. and exists beyond the grave. You remember Stephen? He was the first martyr of the New Testament church and how he was given a glimpse. I guess I shouldn’t see he was the first martyr. He may have been, I guess. James was early on too, but he was given a glimpse of heaven just before he died. Though condemned by a corrupt earthly court, he saw a vision of Christ. standing at the right hand of God. Now, usually we have Christ sitting there, but he’s standing here because he’s going to welcome his servant home into heaven. And Jesus is the vindicator and advocate of his faithful service. It’s no wonder that this young deacon, Philip, was able to pray for the forgiveness of his enemies here, who put him to death, even as he’s getting pelter with him. with stones. What does he say? Lord Jesus received my spirit. Where did he go? He went to be with Jesus. He went to be with the Lord. His body is being put to death, but his spirit goes to be with the Lord. Death for the believer is victorious, for it is the time of going to be with Christ. We don’t die like a dog or a horse. Far from it. Death is gain for the Christian. So you can die rejoicing in the sense that to depart is to be with Christ. Which is far better, Paul tells us in the book of Philippians 123. So you must realize that men, while men die like beast, their spirits live on. So, conclusion. Fourth point. You should live your life joyously by faith. Verse 22, wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his portion. For who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? Solomon now gives a practical exhortation. Knowing all this to be true, he tells you to accept God’s assurances by faith, there’ll be justice, and enjoy the life that he’s give you. in you on this earth. God’s in control. Don’t fret about the injustices. do not brood about the unpleasant aspects about death. Death isn’t the end of your existence. There’s something brighter and better for you. And you don’t have to be anxious about the future. The good thing about having a sovereign God is he’s in control. Thank God for the good things he gives you. For who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? This phrase means it be, I don’t think he’s talking about eternity here. I think he’s saying, who knows what’s going to happen next on earth? Who, what man can tell the future? What man’s going to know what’s going to happen tomorrow? We don’t know. So with God in sovereign control, rely on him, don’t worry or fret about it. This admonishment certainly is appropriate in our own day and age. We think about our circumstances. People show great interest in the future. Millions of people read their horoscopes, or maybe they even go see an astrologer to get their palms red or something. Ecologists and conservationists scare you about scenarios, I’d say, nightmare scenarios of the future. global warming and all the disaster scenarios they talk about. Oh, we’re going to run out of food. We’re going to run out of space to live. The sun’s going to burn out. And we’re going to all die. The ocean’s going to rise and overflow the land and we’re all going to die. Pollution is going to get so bad you won’t be able to breathe. Planets are going to fall out of orbit and hit the earth. I remember years ago, Ted Turner. one time said this he said he said within a few years we’re all going to be cannibals because we won’t be able to grow food crops or something so we’ll be eating one another can you believe this that’s about 20-some years ago hasn’t happened yet now people are becoming more and more frightened of what’s going to happen now we’re told you know you’ve about 10 more years and you know global warming is going to destroy the art I got news for you if Christ doesn’t go back 20 years from now, 100 years from now, we’re going to still go on. Nothing is going to happen until Christ returns. Nothing. What about terrorist attack with nuclear weapons? Look, it’s all on God’s hands. You know, the world is not going to come to an end until Christ brings it to an end. How wonderful it is to be a child of God and to know the truth. You know, all these people around us, sometimes you look at them and they’re just frightened to death. You know, the people are all, scared because people got giving them all these crazy horror stories about what’s going to happen. Even children, they pray on little children and push this foolishness upon them too. Friends, our confidence is God. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I know God’s still going to be in control tomorrow. The scriptures declare that the secret things belong under the Lord. Things that are revealed belong to us. He doesn’t tell us everything’s going to happen, but he has revealed enough to us to give us the comfort and the encouragement that we need as we go through this life. So let’s trust what he says. Let’s live one day at a time. Let’s face the perplexities we have, which each day, because the scripture tells us, Jesus said, sufficient under the day is the evil they’re off. Take care of today’s problems. Let’s not get into this plunging in despair. over what’s going to happen, or this or that. We don’t know what’s going to happen. Only God knows, and he’s in control. So let him handle the matter. When we see injustice, God’s in control, he’ll take care of it. It’s not my place. I can’t meet out justice, but he can’t. So I always turn to him. I just say, well, God, you know, Christ is the judge of all the earth. He’s the one that rules. overall, let him meet out justice in this situation. What else can we do? Trust in the Lord. Let him carry out the justice. Yeah, there are some harsh realities to the world in which we live. They confront you. Injustice and evil seem to abound. People are tempted to say, where is God? He’s where he’s always been. He’s on his throne. And he has the right to do whatever he pleases. And because of man’s depravity, he may let man wallow in his wickedness for a period of time. He judges people in this life, but the final assessment is in the life to come. So we can’t judge anything before that time to know whether justice will be done. It will be done. Don’t think that people escape. Evolutionists may be pessimistic, because their theories lead you to dying. like a wild beast, you know, better than a sewer rat, or a black cricket. Is that it? Is that all there is to their theories? The Bible teaches you otherwise. Your body’s going to die, but your spirit’s going to live on in one of two places. And if we know the Lord, it’s going to be with the Lord. We’re in that place where just men, spirits are made perfect. So, as a Christian, live joyously. by faith in this life, trust in God, and thank God for the good things which he has provided for you, and be happy. Be content. That’s the message I think the Lord would have us came from this passage this evening.