Part 3 of 3
In our last two articles on Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3, we looked at two problems, which the preacher observed in this world, namely, the problem of injustice and the problem of oppression. A third problem emerged when viewing these things from an unbelieving viewpoint, even the problem of uncertainty about the future and the immaterial world.
The Solution to these Problems
This problem of uncertainty must be addressed first before we can talk about other problems. The question of knowing or “How do you know?” may seem like a very simple one on the surface and yet if you think about it carefully, you’ll see that it is actually very profound and deep.
The Christian philosopher Dr Gordon Clark wrote, “The question, How do you know? May seem simple enough; but the answer virtually controls the whole system of philosophy.” Regardless of our age, background or situation, we all need to think seriously about this question, “How do you know?”
How do you know that when you die, your spirit will either go to heaven or to hell? How do you even know that you have a spirit or that there is such a place as heaven and hell? How do you know that God will judge the righteous and the wicked someday? How do you even know that God exists and if He does, what kind of character does He have? In fact, how do you know anything at all? And how can you be sure that what you know is really true?
Now let’s ask, “what approach to this question did the preacher take, particularly in verses 19-22 of chapter 3?” Well, it seems clear that he based his knowledge on sense experience or that which may be observed through the physical senses. He looked at the animals and saw that they are all of dust and they all return to the dust. He looked at human beings and saw that they are all of dust and they all return to the dust. They all die. And his conclusion is that man is no better than the animals. Not only that, but he goes on to say that we can’t be sure what happens after death. Man’s spirit could go up or it could go down. Who’s to say which is right?
You see that’s what happens when you restrict knowledge to just what can be observed and experienced by the physical senses. No one has ever observed what happens to a person’s spirit after death. No one has ever been to heaven or hell and come back to tell you what he saw.
So often you hear people say, “seeing is believing” or “unless I can see it for myself, I will not believe” or “I cannot know anything for certain unless I have experienced it myself.” This kind of approach to knowledge is known as empiricism or the view that all knowledge is based on sensation or observation – what we can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste.
One of the problems with empiricism is that our sensations are very limited. It is impossible to experience everything in this universe and in time and thus it is impossible to arrive at certain and absolute knowledge in this way. Also, our sensations are useful only in the physical realm and they have no access or contact with the non-material or spiritual world.
So of course you can know nothing about the future, the afterlife or about heaven or hell or anything in the spiritual realm if you are an empiricist. And you can have no certainty at all about these and many other things. In fact, empiricism often leads to skepticism, which is also what we see in this passage.
What then is the answer to the question or problem of knowledge? The simple answer is revelation. If man is to have certain knowledge about anything at all, it must come from the creator of all things and the One who is all-knowing even the living and true God. He is the source of all truth and knowledge. Truth has no existence apart from Him, and apart from God’s revelation, man is in darkness and ignorance. And where can we obtain this revelation? Again, the answer is simple – the Bible, which is the Word of God.
So how do we know that all of us have a soul or spirit? The Bible tells us so. How do we know that at death, a person’s spirit will either go to heaven or to hell? Again, the Bible tells us so. And how do we know that God is infinitely holy, just and righteous and that He has appointed a final day of judgment in which to judge both the wicked and the righteous? The Bible tells us so.
So having addressed the problem of uncertainty or uncertain knowledge, we can now address the problem injustice and oppression by simply looking at what the Bible teaches concerning these things.
The Psalmist says in Psalm 37:1-2, 12-13, “Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb…The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.”
This whole Psalm together with Psalm 73 gives us the proper perspective on the present prosperity and success of the wicked, their future destruction and the deliverance of those who trust in God.
So yes, there is comfort and help for the oppressed but it is not to be found under the sun. Instead, it is found in the Lord Jesus Christ for did He not say, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
I find it interesting that in the New Testament, it is not the oppressed person who should wish that he were dead or that he had never been born. Instead, it is the wicked person who harms God’s children or who turns away from Christ despite having received great gospel privileges who should wish that they were dead or had never been born.
For example, in Matthew 18:6, Jesus said, “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” This is a very graphic way of saying that it were better for such a wicked person to be dead than for him to be alive and harm a child of God.
And again in Mark 14:21, the Lord Jesus said of Judas Iscariot, “The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Good were it for that man if he had never been born.”
In the eyes of God, the people who will lament and weep and cry without consolation and comfort are those who are wicked, and who refuse to repent and turn from their sins. It is not a question of whether the unjust and wicked oppressor will get his just punishment. It is only a question of when he will get it.
Conclusion
I began this series of three articles by talking about the title “dust to glory” in contrast to the title “dust to dust.” I’ll like to end by asking you, “which will it be for you?”
If you are an unbeliever and you continue as one for the rest of your life, then at death it will be dust to dust for your body, but it will be dust to damnation for your soul. This is not a matter of uncertainty or speculation. This is absolute truth because this is what the Word of God says. Do not wait till it is too late. Seek the Lord today while there is still time. Go to Jesus, who alone is able to set you free from the oppression of sin and Satan. Repent of your sins and believe in Him and you shall be saved.
But if you are a believer in Christ, then be encouraged that it will be dust to glory, not only for your soul but for your body too at the day of the resurrection. And in the meantime, when you witness or even experience injustices and oppression in this fallen world, remember that they will not go unchecked forever and that someday God will put an end to all evil, whatever form it might take.
But remember also that Christ Himself entered into this world of injustice and oppression. He experienced the worst form of injustice ever. He was without sin and yet He was condemned to die as a criminal in order to rescue His people from their sins. Christ understands fully what it feels like to suffer oppression and injustice, and He is able to give the necessary grace and wisdom to face and endure all trials. Amen…