16 Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”

18 I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.” 19 For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. 20 All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.

21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth? 22 I have seen 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 come after him?

Chapter Four

1 Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter. 2 So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Gus Cameron

As I read this passage, it made me think about what life would be like without God and without knowing the Lord Jesus.

First, it describes us as no better than the animals. We live and we die. We come from the dust and we’ll be buried in the ground. I remember as a child saying to my mum that we are just animals – smart animals, but just animals all the same. Except that’s not true! We are made in the image of God, we belong to him, we are precious to him – so precious that he sent his Son to die for us so that we might live with him forever. How sad is it for those who don’t know Christ Jesus, who live believing that we are nothing.

Second, it describes the injustice of this life. We know that evil and wickedness go unpunished all too often. Imagine believing that there is no justice, that evil people will get away with their evil. But we know that Christ Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. We know that there will be comfort for the oppressed when every tear will be wiped away.

This passage shows us the despair of life without Christ. It makes me so much more thankful for Christ Jesus. Give thanks for Jesus, and pray for someone who doesn’t know him, that he would rescue them from that despair.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gus is our Senior Assisant Minister.