12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
This theme is repeated later at the end of this chapter as well as other places.
Verses 14-17
14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.[b]
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment-wickedness was there,
in the place of justice-wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
"God will bring into judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed."
These passages show temporary perversion of justice (verse 16) but the eternal aspects of God setting things right and bringing a proper fear of God (Verse 14).
The rest of the chapter reads as follows:
I also said to myself, "As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
Verse 18 describing humans like animals reminds us of Psalm 73:22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee
That Psalm was written by Asaph. The going back to the dust as seen in Genesis is a fate for men and animals; although we have this isolated reference in verse 21 of the human spirit ascending to heaven and the animal going down into the earth.
12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
This theme is repeated later at the end of this chapter as well as other places.
Verses 14-17
14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
15 Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.[b]
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment-wickedness was there,
in the place of justice-wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
"God will bring into judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed."
These passages show temporary perversion of justice (verse 16) but the eternal aspects of God setting things right and bringing a proper fear of God (Verse 14).
The rest of the chapter reads as follows:
I also said to myself, "As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. 19 Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
Verse 18 describing humans like animals reminds us of Psalm 73:22 So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee
That Psalm was written by Asaph. The going back to the dust as seen in Genesis is a fate for men and animals; although we have this isolated reference in verse 21 of the human spirit ascending to heaven and the animal going down into the earth.
Thank all of you.
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