1

. . . I said to myself concerning the sons of men,

God has surely tested them in order for them to see
that they are but beasts. For the fate of the sons of men
and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies
the other; . . . So I congratulated the dead who are
already dead more than the living who are still living.
But better off than both of them is the one who has
never existed, who has never seen the evil activity
that is done under the sun (3:164:3).
Solomon figured out by trial and error that
the real meaning of life was not life under the
sun but in the purposes of God. He knew that
mans best choice is to enjoy life as best he can,
trusting in Gods goodness and ultimate plan.
He said,
I know that there is nothing better for them
than to rejoice and to do good in ones lifetime;
moreover, that every man who eats and drinks
sees good in all his labor . . . (3:12, 13).
But it seems that Solomon had trouble hold-
ing that thought. He was capable of lapsing into
a deep cynicism about life. In 3:164:3 we find
him immersed in such a mood. Since life is often
so difficult and unfair, he concludes that the
dead are better off than the livingand that the
most fortunate of all are those who have never
been born!
This was not Solomons consistent belief or
his last word on the subject of whether or not life
is worth living, for he says, For whoever is
joined with the living, there is hope; surely a live
dog is better than a dead lion (9:4). This is quite
the opposite sentiment which he had expressed
earlier! Solomon, like us, was probably subject to
a variety of moods. At times he had a negative
outlook on life; at other times he could see it in a
very positive light.
1
In 3:164:3, his mood is
obviously pretty foulso much so that he prob-
ably would have said a hearty Amen! to the
words of Shakespeares Macbeth:
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Lifes but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
(Macbeth 5.5.19-28)
The sentiments expressed by Solomon and Mac-
beth are not uncommon.
But what caused Solomon to feel the way he
did? In the text he identifies two causes for his
despair about life:
THE UNIVERSALITY OF INJUSTICE
Solomon says that one cause for his despair is
1
Robert Davidson, The Daily Study Bible: Ecclesiastes
and the Song of Solomon (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986),
27, argues that much of this cynical section of Ecclesiastes
is the result of Solomons mood, and that regardless of
our circumstances, much of our outlook on life is af-
fected by our moods. Solomon was apparently no differ-
ent. The contrast between this section and the statement
in 9:4 serves as a reminder of the hazard of lifting
isolated quotations in Ecclesiastes (and the rest of the
Bible!) out of their context, and claiming that the lifted
statement is what the Bible says on a given subject.
Ecclesiastes 3:164:3

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Solomons Cynicism
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the universality of injustice:
Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in
the place of justice there is wickedness, and in
the place of righteousness there is wickedness
(3:16).
Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression
which were being done under the sun. And
behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that
they had no one to comfort them; and on the
side of their oppressors was power, but they
had no one to comfort them (4:1).
Solomon recognized that life can be grossly
unfair, and in the very situations and places
where justice ought to be served, exactly the
opposite frequently happens. The circumstances
are too common to need illustration. We live in a
world of injustice and corruption of power, where
those who most need help get it the least, and
where man lords it over man to his hurt.
And injustice is depressing. We can with-
stand a great deal of suffering and hardship, as
long as everything works out okay in the end.
We always want Cinderella in the fairy tale,
when all is said and done, to wear the glass
slipper and live happily ever after with the prince.
But in real life, as often as not the ugly stepsister
is rewarded instead, regardless of how mean
and nasty she may be.
With so much sadness and unfairness about
life, there is plenty of room for the kind of cyni-
cism Solomon displays in this passage. Think of
the thousands of babies who have been born
afflicted with AIDS (acquired immune deficiency
syndrome), whose little bodies are racked with
pain and with a craving they cannot understand
through no fault of their own, but through the
wickedness of sexually immoral and/or drug-
abusing parents. Solomon obviously saw plenty
of this very kind of injustice:
If you see oppression of the poor and denial of
justice and righteousness in the province, do
not be shocked at the sight, . . . (5:8).
All this I have seen and applied my mind to
every deed that has been done under the sun
wherein a man has exercised authority over
another man to his hurt (8:9).
Because the sentence against an evil deed is not
executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the
sons of men among them are given fully to do
evil (8:11).
There is futility which is done on the earth, that
is, there are righteous men to whom it happen
according to the deeds of the wicked. On the
other hand, there are evil men to whom it
happens according to the deeds of the right-
eous. I say that this too is futility (8:14).
I again saw under the sun that the race is not to
the swift, and the battle is not to the warriors,
and neither is bread to the wise, nor wealth to
the discerning, nor favor to men of ability; for
time and chance overtake them all (9:11).
We can all identify at some point with
Solomons observation: Life is frequently unfair,
and injustice often makes us angry and de-
pressed.
THE INEVITABILITY OF DEATH
In 3:18-21, Solomon laments the fact that
death is inevitable for everyone. It seems he had the
idea that when people die, the same thing hap-
pens to us as happens to the animals: Just like
Rover, were dead all over.
Keep in mind, though, that this is an under
the sun observation. From a strictly earthly per-
spective, this is how things appear. From all
outward appearances, people and animals end
up the same way: dead. But notice that Solomon
is not denying an afterlife. Rather, he is frankly
confessing that he does not know whether in the
final analysis there is any difference in death for
people as opposed to animals: Who knows that
the breath of man ascends upward and the breath
of the beast descends downward to the earth?
(v. 21).
2
Still, death is certain for both mankind
and beasts.
When we contemplate how fragile our lives
really are, it can be somewhat depressing. All
go to the same place. All came from the dust and
all return to the dust (3:20). Michael Eaton com-
ments, That we are made from the material that
constitutes the world in general contributes to
our frailty. Dust and breath are not a stable
combination!
3
Other inspired writers make us
feel no more secure about our mortality than
does Solomon:
2
Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and
Commentary (Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity
Press, 1983), 86, 88, 89, claims that the RSV and NIV in
verse 21 follow an emended text which obscures what
Solomon intended to say, and that the verse should read,
Who knows the spirit of man which goes upward the
spirit of the beast which goes down to the earth?, as in
AV, RV margin, and NASB. Regardless of which reading
is accepted, there is no warrant for understanding
Solomon as denying the possibility of an afterlife.
3
Ibid., 86, 87.
3
Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow,
we shall go to such and such a city, and spend
a year there and engage in business and make
a profit. Yet you do not know what your life
will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that
appears for a little while and then vanishes
away (James 4:13, 14).
My days are swifter than a weavers shuttle,
and come to an end without hope. Remember
that my life is but breath, my eye will not again
see good (Job 7:6, 7).
For my days have been consumed in smoke,
and my bones have been scorched like a hearth
(Psalms 102:3).
We may try to deny it, but it is true for every
one of us: We cannot be too important, too rich,
too famous, too busy, too well-educated, or too
successful to die!
Cynicism is a
dead-end street
which we all need
to avoid.
No wonder Solomon became despondent as
he contemplated the inevitability of death!
Though he was king and possessed enormous
power and wealth, when it came to dust to
dust he was just like any poor peasant or any
animal in the field. And so are we all!
It is not hard to figure out why Solomon
became cynical. And it is not surprising that so
many today are just like him. But cynicism is a
dead-end street which we all need to avoid.
Hubert van Zeller has observed, By letting them-
selves be cynical, unhappy people aggravate
their melancholy. They are like a dog which tears
at its wounded paw so as to hurt the pain. There
has to be a better way to respond to the sadness
and injustice of life than to become a cynic.
Even in the midst of his cynical mood, Solo-
mon gives two clues as to how we can avoid
becoming cynical about life.
First, we should not dwell on the negatives. Even
in the midst of his cynicism, Solomon admitted
that life is not all bad for most of us: And I have
seen that nothing is better than that man should
be happy in his activities, for that is his lot.
(3:22). It is possible to find pleasure and joy, even
in the midst of injustice and with the prospect of
certain death facing all of us. Cynics become
cynics because they have chosen to major in the bad
stuff of life. To avoid cynicism, we need not deny
the bad but rather keep it in perspective by also
recognizing the good when we see it.
Second, we should remember that all wrongs will
someday be righted. An above the sun truth is
stated in 3:17: God will judge both the righteous
man and the wicked man, for a time for every
matter and for every deed is there. There is an old
saying that what goes around, comes around,
even the worst injustices of life! Eventually, all
things are set right by a just and merciful God.
Gods judgment is not only the punishment of the
wicked, it also involves the rewarding of the righ-
teous and the vindication of the oppressed. For this
reason, the Scriptures teach Christians not to fear
the judgment but to look forward to it! Judgment
Day will be that great occasion when all that has
ever gone wrong in this life will be reversed.
CONCLUSION
Both of these truths are embodied in the gospel
of Christ: Jesus came into a sin-filled world, experi-
enced the worst of injustices, and preached good
news to the poor and promised life abundant to
those who believe and obey. He thus lifted our
sights to a higher planedefinitely an above the
sun plane. But he also said that the judgment of
this world began with Himself and that mankind
from now on is divided by the way in which we
respond to Him. You can be a cynic and deny what
Jesus offers, or you can be a believer and receive life
that is eternal.
Definition of the Cynic
A man who knows the price of everything,
and the value of nothing.
Oscar Wilde
A man who, when he smells flowers, looks
around for a coffin.
H. L. Mencken
One who never sees a good quality in a man,
and never fails to see a bad one. He is the human
owl, vigilant in darkness and blind to light, mous-
ing for vermin, and never seeing noble game.
Henry Ward Beecher
A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things
as they are, and not as they ought to be.
Ambrose Bierce
Copyright, 1992, 1998 by Truth for Today
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED