1 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good, so with the sinful; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. 3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten. 6 Their love, their hate and their jealousy have long since vanished; never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun.
This section is called “A common destiny for us all”, and that is a very appropriate title for what Solomon has in store for us. In verse 1 he begins with the concept that the wise and righteous are in God’s hands, but no one knows their true fate. From the under the sun premise, we see a turn in Solomon’s thinking. Remember, the experiment Solomon is conducting is to see what is meaningful without God in the picture. But now God is sneaking in again, this time entering his thoughts with those who are righteous. If we buy into the idea of God, do the righteous have a leg up on their future? Unfortunately, from the UTS premise, the righteous have no deeper understanding of their fate than do the wicked. From this perspective, we can perhaps buy into the concept of God creating everything, but does this creation, so evident around us, show us that God indeed loves us?
Next, in verse 2, Solomon attacks the idea that God’s love, if it indeed exists, cannot be measured by what happens to us in this life. We all enter the same destiny (death), no matter how we conduct our lives. In verse 3 Solomon calls this “evil”, and the evil he is pointing to is the fact that it isn’t fair that the good and the bad share the same fate. This could easily lead to the UTS thinker believing God doesn’t care. Verse 4 shows us the illustration of a live dog and a dead lion. The lion is the most ferocious animal in this era, the dog perhaps the most reviled. But even though the dog is useless, it still is better off than something that has died. In other words, to the UTS thinker, survival is the most important thing. Why? Because in verse 6 we learn that the dead know nothing Existence ends with this life. In the end we are forgotten. Nothing matters but our survival, and in the end even that is taken away.
Pretty bleak, eh? When we indulge in UTS thinking, we can get there pretty easily. Eternal thinking, however, is filled with a deeper purpose.
1 John: 5:13-14 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
John 3:16 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 11:25 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
Philippians 3:20-21 20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
John 14:23 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
When we approach scripture, we find a much different picture. God wants us to understand that there is an eternity for us, something deep and rich and far beyond the temporal world. Existence does not end at death but goes on.
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
In verses 7-10, Solomon, from the UTS premise, again announces that all we can do, in this tired and horrible situation we are in, is to find joy in the moment. Since life is meaningless, living in the moment is paramount. God doesn’t care about you, and all of the things you do are meaningless. So the idea is to just enjoy life.
We can see, from an eternal perspective, that the UTS view becomes one of purposelessness. If we are only to live for survival and pleasure, then life truly has no meaning. Both will one day be stripped away. God gives us a much greater purpose in this life:
1 Peter 2:9 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
First, as directed by Peter, we are dealt a very important purpose. We are to show others who God is.
Galatians 5:13-14 13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Next, Paul tells us another key element to our purpose. To serve others.
James 1:12 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
James, the brother of Christ, has another piece of the puzzle. Our duty isn’t to fold when things get tough. It’s to learn to trust and persevere through our trials.
1 Corinthians 10:31 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Finally, returning to Paul, we see the very foundation of our purpose: to remember the source. To glorify God. To remember what God has done for us. Be thankful for his mercy.
11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. 12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.
Next, in verses 11 and 12, Solomon turns to chance, and states that life cannot be understood when luck, chance, randomness is involved. The race doesn’t always go to the fastest or the bout to the strongest. In his eloquence he makes the argument that we are all prone to chance rather than order.
But you’ll also notice that Solomon begins to undermine his argument here. In 9:1, when he spoke of the righteous being in God’s hands, he was eluding to a sense of order. Now that order is gone. Is God absent from us? Is life random? Let’s look eternally.
Isaiah 41:10 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
In this verse from Isaiah, we see that God is not uninterested in our life. As a matter of fact, God helps us.
Philippians 4:6-7 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When we can see with clear vision, we see that God provides for us.
Joshua 1:9 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Proverbs 16:9 9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.
Finally, in Solomon’s own words, he acknowledges that humans like to make plans, but really it is orchestrated by God.
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.
Solomon tells a story of wisdom from an old but poor man. His wisdom saves an entire city, and Solomon sees this as a great thing. But the man is forgotten. His wisdom, although great for the moment, has no lasting value. Perhaps the last vestige of something of value in this life, from the UTS perspective, is being remembered.
19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
God remembers us. Whatever this life offers us, whatever legacy we leave or do not leave, God remembers who we are and what we’ve done.
The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Wisdom should be stronger than the bellowing of a madman. It is often forgotten. But wisdom, in a sense, is a fragile thing. It can be easily ruined by an outside source, or more often than not, ourselves