Ep 464 – Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

In Ecclesiastes 3:16-22, Solomon continues his diatribe against the injustices of life, communicating his distress over the topsy-turvy nature of the world, where righteousness and justice get replaced by wickedness and oppression. From his perspective, man was no better off than the animals, because both end their lives in death. And as far as Solomon could tell, there was no guarantee that man ended up any place different after death than any other creature created by God. In fact, he flatly states that man has no advantage over the animals. He may get to enjoy the benefits of his manhood while on this planet, but once death comes calling, a dead man is no better off than a dead dog. But one of the things we have to keep reminding ourselves about is that Solomon was a man who had lost touch with his God. He had proven unfaithful to God. And while his life was filled with all kinds of material possessions and pleasures, he was missing the one thing he needed most: A healthy and vibrant relationship with God. Without God, he was operating in a vacuum, unable to see life through God’s eyes. His whole perspective was warped by his secular world view and his obsession with seeking satisfaction and meaning in this life. And the real eye-opener in all of this is the stark contrast between the views of Solomon and those of his father. How could a father and son end up so far apart in their understanding of and love for God. They both believed in Him, but while one saw Him as loving, gracious and kind, the other had come to view Him as distant and detached. And those opposing views of God dramatically influenced their view of the world.