Ecclesiastes 4-6 | Solomon’s Dissatisfaction

Published on Sep 24, 2012

I have written on the Book of Ecclesiastes and the subject of the meaning of our lives on several occasions on this blog. In this series on Ecclesiastes I hope to show how secular humanist man can not hope to find a lasting meaning to his life in a closed system without bringing God back into the picture. This is the same exact case with Solomon in the Book of Ecclesiastes. Three thousand years ago, Solomon took a look at life “under the sun” in his book of Ecclesiastes. Christian scholar Ravi Zacharias has noted, “The key to understanding the Book of Ecclesiastes is the term ‘under the sun.’ What that literally means is you lock God out of a closed system, and you are left with only this world of time plus chance plus matter.”

Let me show you some inescapable conclusions if you choose to live without God in the picture. Solomon came to these same conclusions when he looked at life “under the sun.”

1. Death is the great equalizer (Eccl 3:20, “All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.”)
2. Chance and time have determined the past, and they will determine the future.  (Ecclesiastes 9:11-13)
3. Power reigns in this life, and the scales are not balanced(Eccl 4:1)
4. Nothing in life gives true satisfaction without God including knowledge (1:16-18), ladies and liquor (2:1-3, 8, 10, 11), and great building projects (2:4-6, 18-20).

You can only find a lasting meaning to your life by looking above the sun and bring God back into the picture.

I seem to remember that in Ecclesiastes, there is a suggestion that no afterlife exists?

If you read the whole book of Ecclesiastes, you’ll find a number of unusual “gems.” For instance, “Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.” (10:1); “Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything.” (10:10); “Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes.” (11:9)

There are two different viewpoints presented in the book of Ecclesiastes: The first 11 chapters primarily present the secular, humanistic, materialistic view of Solomon at a time in his life when he was not serving the Lord. The theme of the first 11 chapters could be stated as, “Man’s Wisdom Under the Sun.” This is verified in 1:13, 14 and 17. The first 11 chapters of Ecclesiastes are definitely in the Bible for a reason (although most Christians realize they are NOT for us to try and extract essential doctrine from). Rather, they are presented as a stark contrast to the final chapter, which does present a theistic (or God’s) viewpoint. “For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street.” (12:5); “then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” (12:7); “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” (12:14)

Solomon’s viewpoint (from his vantage point of “wisdom under the sun”) does contradict God’s view at times. For instance, “Are you not worth more than the birds of the air?” (Mat. 6:26). It also contradicts Mat. 25:34, 41, 46, because all men don’t even share the same fate. However, I also agree with Ann that these verses are often misinterpreted (particularly by cults). Many evangelical scholars interpret this passage to mean that the dead are not conscious of events taking place in the PHYSICAL realm, as the passage says, “they will no longer have a share in all that is done UNDER THE SUN.” While evangelical scholars interpret Ecclesiastes 9:5 in different ways, ALL OF THEM agree that the verse is NOT teaching that man does not have a conscious existence following death.

Ecclesiastes presents two contrasting ways of looking at man’s plight in the world. One is the secular, humanistic, materialistic viewpoint that interprets all things from a limited, earthly perspective–not recognizing God or His involvement in man’s affairs. The other perspective is a godly, spiritual one that interprets life and its problems from a God-honoring viewpoint. This viewpoint takes divine revelation into account when interpreting life and its problems. This perspective triumphs in the last chapter of Ecclesiastes.

Jesus clearly taught that the dead ARE in fact, conscious in Luke 16:19-31. Jesus related that this man in Hades was conscious, and he remembered his life and his family. In fact, he begged for someone to be sent back from the dead to warn his five brothers “so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” (v. 27-8)

According to first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, “the doctrine of the Saducees is this: that souls die with the bodies.” But in Luke 20:38, Jesus contradicts this view of the Saducees.

“For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.”

In effect, Jesus is saying, “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, though they died many years ago, are actually living today. For God, who calls Himself the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is NOT the God of the dead but of the living.” Jesus’ words clearly indicate that these Old Testament patriarchs are living at that present moment (by the tense of the word for live, which is NOT future tense), even though they physically died years before.

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