God & man
“What does the worker gain from his toil?
I have seen the burden God has laid on men.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.
That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.
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 men will revere him.
Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”
Ecclesiastes 3:9-17.
The writer of Ecclesiastes says a lot in the above statement.
1/ He asks the question, “What does the worker gain from his toil?”
What does a man gain from his work? If you think about it little of value in the grand scheme of things. Even the richest man in the world will eventually enter eternity penniless. His or her wealth dispersed among others.
The only thing that will last are his deeds good or bad.
2/ The writer states,
“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;
The writer does not debate whether God exists or not. He accepts that fact. Then points out that God “sets eternity in the hearts of men...”
In other words deep inside man’s heart he knows there is a God, whether man admits it or not.
3/ He notes
“...yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Man cannot fathom God. It is difficult for finite man to comprehend the infinite that is God. Man must accept by faith God is who he is. The writer of Hebrews states,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6.
4/ The writer points out,
“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.
That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.”
I think that’s what we all want to be happy and find satisfaction in what we do. Happiness and satisfaction is a gift from God.
5/ Another obvious fact he points out,
“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 men will revere him.”
We can see God in his creation. The perfection of the heavens, the earth and all that is around us. The psalmist saying,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1
6/ Another interesting statement,
“Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account”
A friend of mine put this statement in prospective when he said. There is nothing new under the sun. The only difference between twenty first century man and first century man is modern man does everything ancient man did but with high tech devices. Both good and bad.
7/ Finally the write notes,
“And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”
Please think about it.
“What does the worker gain from his toil?
I have seen the burden God has laid on men.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.
That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.
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 men will revere him.
Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”
Ecclesiastes 3:9-17.
The writer of Ecclesiastes says a lot in the above statement.
1/ He asks the question, “What does the worker gain from his toil?”
What does a man gain from his work? If you think about it little of value in the grand scheme of things. Even the richest man in the world will eventually enter eternity penniless. His or her wealth dispersed among others.
The only thing that will last are his deeds good or bad.
2/ The writer states,
“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;
The writer does not debate whether God exists or not. He accepts that fact. Then points out that God “sets eternity in the hearts of men...”
In other words deep inside man’s heart he knows there is a God, whether man admits it or not.
3/ He notes
“...yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Man cannot fathom God. It is difficult for finite man to comprehend the infinite that is God. Man must accept by faith God is who he is. The writer of Hebrews states,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6.
4/ The writer points out,
“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.
That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.”
I think that’s what we all want to be happy and find satisfaction in what we do. Happiness and satisfaction is a gift from God.
5/ Another obvious fact he points out,
“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 men will revere him.”
We can see God in his creation. The perfection of the heavens, the earth and all that is around us. The psalmist saying,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1
6/ Another interesting statement,
“Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account”
A friend of mine put this statement in prospective when he said. There is nothing new under the sun. The only difference between twenty first century man and first century man is modern man does everything ancient man did but with high tech devices. Both good and bad.
7/ Finally the write notes,
“And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”
Please think about it.
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