“I know that all that God does will be forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken. God has worked so that they will fear before Him” (Ecc 3:14).

     In the opening chapters, Solomon focused on man’s fallen condition and the curse common to man. The wisdom and work given to Adam no longer build the eschatological glorified Kingdom of God. Adam’s sin has had cosmic consequences. The creation groans under the fallen ruler waiting for the final judgment. His wisdom and work are frustrated, and he dies.

     In this second section of the book (3:9-6:7), Solomon moves to the book’s theme: living in reverent fear before God. Solomon exhorts the wise to work in reverence before God. For God’s work endures. Then in the third section (6:8-11:6), Solomon exhorts the wise to a humble wisdom before God. For God’s work is unfathomable.

     Solomon opens the second section (3:9-6:7) placing the worker (3:9-14) in the presence of God (3:15-21). The two are held together with the same literary structures.

Worker (3:9-14)

A What profit (3:9)

  B I Saw (3:10-11) 

    C I Know (3:12-13) 

    C’ I Know (3:14)

Before the Judge (3:15-21)

A What (3:15)

  B And yet (3:16)

    C I said (3:17)

    C’ I said (3:18-21)

     Solomon returns to the question he raised at the beginning of the book (Ecc 1:3), 

     “What profit does the worker have in which he labors? 10 I have seen the task God gave the sons of Adam with which to be occupied. 11 He has made all beautiful in its time. He also gave eternity in their heart, yet the Adamite* cannot find the work that God does from the head and even until the end" (Ecc 3:9-11).

     For Solomon the problem is not a metaphysical or ontological distance between man and God, but rather man’s sin. God made man in His image to fill and subdue the earth as the Kingdom of God. That completed commission was to result in the glorified Sabbath enthronement of man with God in the everlasting royal temple of God where heaven and earth are one place. But because of Adam’s sin, the earth is a junkyard at best, and actually a cemetery. What has man’s work achieved? So, the sons of Adam are occupied with a fallen world groaning under the common curse. In contrast to man’s failed work, Solomon sets forth the work of God. It is “all beautiful in its time.” God’s work is perfect. It endures. It is glorious! This is the eschatological purpose God put in the heart of man when He created Adam. It was God’s eschatological design that guided Adam’s labors. But now, in sin, man cannot find the work that God is doing from the head (place of origination) to the end, the conclusion. The fallen worker works in vanity in the presence of God whose glorious perfect work endures! 

     Then Solomon instructs the first of the two “I know” regarding the worker. He is to enjoy the fruit of his labor and find satisfaction in his toil. He writes, 

     “12 I know that nothing is good in them than to rejoice and do good in their lives. 13 And also every Adamite who will eat and drink and see the good in all his work -- it is the gift of God” (Ecc 3:12-13).

During this day before the judgment, in the midst of the common curse and common grace blessings all experience, God is redeeming man. In their sinful condition, there is nothing “good in them” that would enable them to have this satisfaction. It is God’s gift. God gives the redeemed hearts to be satisfied and to enjoy life. The life of frustration under the sun doesn’t keep him from already enjoying the blessings of God today in hope of the life beyond the sun! The believer is not left with nihilism or cynicism, but with joy today. 

     He moves to the second “I know,”

     “I know that all that God does will be forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken. God has worked so that they will fear before Him” (Ecc 3:14).

While he cannot see the totality of what God is doing, he sees it is going to be totally beautiful, perfect. It will last forever. God’s enduring work should cause the worker to work in reverence before the Master Worker. A crude example would be a novice violin maker crafting a violin under the watchful eye of Stradivari! How did he do? Solomon moves to the Judge (3:15-21).

     Using a parallel literary structure, Solomon starts with “What” as he did in 3:9. He writes,

     “What which is it already was, and which is to be it was already, and God will require what has passed” (Ecc 3:15).

Man’s work has not produced the eschatological “new” for which it was created. Adam broke the covenant. He did not rule and work in righteousness as the image vassal of the King of Heaven. God not only gave Adam the commissioning stipulations, but threatened sanctions for the breach. After Adam’s fall, God delayed the final adjudication of the covenant unfaithfulness. For now, man will work (common blessing), and he will return to dust (common curse), but there is a day coming when God will call all to account. And man hasn’t produced anything new under the sun. God will require an accounting.

     In verse 16, Solomon specifically points to man’s breach of God’s covenant. He writes, 

     “And yet, I saw under the sun: the place of judgment there wickedness, and the place of righteousness there wickedness” (Ecc 3:16).

The righteous judge Adam sinned. So today the courts are not ruled by the righteous, but the wicked. Man has not ruled righteously. He then gives the first of two consequences “I said,”

     “I said in my heart, ‘God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for a time to every delight and every work there’” (Ecc 3:17).

There is a final adjudication of the covenant made with Adam in which the keeper of the stipulation is judged “righteous” and the breaker of the covenant judged “wicked.” There is a coming day when God will set right what is now twisted; there is a day of justice. He moves to the results of that coming judgment,

     “18 I said in my heart concerning the sons of Adam, ‘Indeed, God tested them that they might see they themselves are like animals.’ 19 For what happens to the sons of Adam and what happens to the animals. And one happens. Indeed, they die, this so dies this, and to all one breath. And the Adamite has no advantage over the animals. For all is vanity. 20 All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all return to the dust. 21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of Adam goes up and the spirit of the animal goes down to the earth” (Ecc 3:18-21)?

There is a coming final judgment, and man shows himself to be a fallen sinner who dies like the animals. God has delayed that judgment and man dies so that man will see his guilty condition before the judgment, and might not come into condemnation. From life under the sun, it is evident that Adam is not ruling over the animals as he was commissioned (Gen 1:28). Sometimes they poison him. Sometimes they eat him! But both die! Anyone who knows what God made and what is would see that this is not the way God created things. But just looking at man and animal and their deaths, who can see that there is ultimately a different destiny. But man returning to dust is a partial indication of the judgment to come. The wise  fear God.

     This introduction of the worker working in reverence before God whose work endures before the judgment day sets the context for the remainder of the section on work (3:9-6:7). How does the wise live in a world filled with dissatisfaction? There are three parts that are arranged in chiasm: 

A Dissatisfied (3:22-4:16)

  B Unfulfilled Plans (5:1-7)

A’ Dissatisfied (5:8-6:7)

Here we examine the first of the three (3:22-4:16). Solomon calls the wise to satisfaction in his labor; it is his portion (3:22). The oppression is real, and they do not have a comforter (4:1). Death row with no comforter is less preferred than those who have not been born (4:2-3). 

     But there is a joy and satisfaction that is not native to this broken world. He contrasts the dissatisfaction with the gift of God: 

A Dissatisfaction (4:4)

  B Proverb – What is Better (4:5-6)

A Dissatisfaction (4:7-8

  B Proverb – What is Better(4:9-12)

A Dissatisfaction (4:13-16)

Solomon observes, 

     “And I saw all the toil and all the successful work for it is envied a man by his neighbor. Also, this is vanity and chasing the wind (Ecc 4:4).

Keeping up with the Joneses is not new! But for all its power to motivate, envy does not produce anything beyond the vanity of this broken world. He gives the better way in a proverb,

     “5 The fool folding his hands devours his flesh! 6 Good a hand full of rest than two hands toil and chasing the wind” (Ecc 4:5-6). 

Solomon is not minimizing work. The fool folds his hands and consumes himself. What a picture of those who refuse to work. But that doesn’t mean you do all you possibly could do chasing the wind. Work and contentment are the path of the wise. 

     He then moves to the middle piece of dissatisfaction (Ecc 4:7-8). Again, he saw the vanity under the sun and the accompanying dissatisfaction. He pictures the one who does not have a son or a brother and yet there is no end to all his work. His eye is not satisfied with his wealth. Yet he never asks the obvious question, “Who am I doing all this work for, and depriving myself of good?” The picture is clear. Solomon writes, “This also is vanity and an evil occupation” (Ecc 4:8)! 

     Again, Solomon gives a proverb to show a better way. Contentment with a companion is wisdom (Ecc 4:9). They are more productive than either would be alone and share in a good return. They are there for each other (Ecc 4:10). A companion even provides for the other’s wellbeing (Ecc 4:11). The companion also provides protection against being overpowered (4:12). A lone worker grabbing all he can chasing the wind is folly in comparison to the wise living in content community.

     But this contentment in work in community runs very counter to the culture of this cursed world. Solomon concludes with the reality of a fallen world. It is not the world Adam was set to rule in righteousness. It is filled with bad rulers and dissatisfied citizens who hope that the next ruler will bring the sabbath rest, or utopia! He describes the old foolish king who no longer listens to the people (vs. 13). Certainly, everyone thinks it will be better when the poor wise youth is king! Really it doesn’t matter that he was poor and has come from prison (vs. 14). Rags to power; all will be different now! He gains a following of people filled with hope. But he becomes king, and people are not satisfied with him either. It is still vanity, chasing after the wind (vss. 15-16). 

     Adam failed to rule in righteousness and did not bring the sabbath rest, and all those who rule following him have failed to do so as well! There is a judgment day coming. The wise understand the day in which they live and are subject to the rulers God has put in place (Rom 13:1ff). 

*Meredith M. Kline’s word

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