Ecclesiastes 3:16 – And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

 

Thought:  One thing Solomon saw as he experimented with life was a perverted justice system.  “The place of judgment” was supposed to be a place of fairness and equity, a place where righteousness was dispensed.  What he found was wickedness and iniquity.  Justice was perverted.  The wicked were set free.  The innocent were punished.  In some judicial systems today, not much has changed.

 

I Samuel 8:1-3

 

Commentary:

 

A.     Solomon’s experiment would often bring him in “the place of judgment” and into “the place of righteousness.”

1.       In those places, one would expect to find truth and justice.

2.       In those places, one would expect to find equity and fairness.

 

B.      Sadly, Solomon reveals that he found “wickedness” in the place of judgment and “iniquity” in the place of righteousness.

1.       Definitions:

a.   Wickedness

                        1)  Strong (7562):  wrong (especially moral)

                        2)  BDB:  wrong, wickedness, (as violence and crime against civil law)

                   b.   Iniquity:  it is the same Hebrew word

            2.    Sinful and evil men often occupy positions of judgment.

                   a.   They look out for their own best interests.

                   b.   They seek to get rich in their position.

                   c.   They want to keep their power as long as possible.

                   d.  They enjoy the perks that come with their job.

            3.    To have all of the things they want, they often have to pervert justice and undermine

                   righteousness.

                   a.   They cater to the rich and powerful.

                   b.   They take bribes and allow the guilty to go free.

                   c.   They will punish the innocent to receive a promotion.

                   d.   Isaiah 59:4, 8-9, 14

 

None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth:  they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity…The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings:  they have made them crooked paths:  whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.  Therefore judgment is far from us, neither doth justice overtake us:  we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness…And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off:  for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 3:17 – I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked:  for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

 

Thought:  Judicially, there is one truth that all should remember.  God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.  One day, there will be a final judgment.  The one who will sit upon the judgment seat will not be a man full of evil and iniquity.  It will be God who is holy and righteous.  He will sift through all the evidence and render his verdict and sentence.  Both will be perfect, and both will be final.

 

Revelation 20:11-12

 

Commentary:

 

A.     In the previous verse, Solomon said he had seen the places of judgment perverted. 

1.       Wickedness was there.

2.       Iniquity was there.

 

B.      This may happen now, but there will come a time of rectification.  “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked.”

1.       God will judge the righteous whose judgment was taken from them.

2.       God will judge the wicked who perverted judgment and took justice from the righteous.

3.       God will judge the righteous judges who applied the law fairly.

4.       God will judge the wicked who were judged fairly and suffered punishment for their offenses.

 

C.     Think of all the people who have done evil in the world and who have escaped the wrath of the law.

 

D.     “For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

1.       There is a time:  “there,” that is, before the judgment seat of God.

2.       Verses:

a.   Psalm 9:7-8

 

But the Lord shall endure for ever:  he hath prepared his throne for judgment.  And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

 

b.   Acts 17:31

 

Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

 

E.      This should strike terror into the hearts of the wicked.  It should cause the righteous to burst in song.  The Judge of the Earth will do right (Gen. 18:25).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 3:18 – I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

 

Thought:  Man is supposed to be the highest order of God’s creation.  He has been created in the image of God.  He has a mind and a conscience.  Yet, instead of acting like one created in the image of God, he often acts like the beast of the field.  This is often seen in the realm of justice and equity.  Men treat other men like animals.  They feed upon one another.  Instead of acting like God, their actions are often godless.  Solomon wished for God to open the eyes of men to their ungodly condition.

 

II Peter 2:12

 

Commentary:

 

A.     Solomon had been considering the unjust state of affairs among them.

 

B.      As he thought on this matter, Solomon had a desire to overcome him.  He longed for God to “manifest’ them.

1.       Definition:

a.   Strong (1305):  to clarify (that is brighten), to examine, select

b.   BDB:  to purify, select, polish, choose, purge, cleanse or make bright, test or prove

      2.    The word here means to clarify, make them see clearly.  Notice how the verse continues: 

      “…that they might see.”

3.    He wanted them to see “that they themselves are beasts.”

       a.  Man is supposed to be higher than the animal kingdom.

       b.  He is made in the image and likeness of God.

       c.  However, there are times when he acts like the beasts of the field.

1)  Animals are not concerned about justice.

2)  For the beast, it is a matter of the survival of the fittest.

3)  Men sometime resort to the same tactics.  Men manifest brutality toward one

            another.  Only the strong survives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ecclesiastes 3:19 – For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them:  as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath, so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast:  for all is vanity.

 

Thought:  Solomon’s thoughts sink lower in this verse.  Previously, he noted that all men are alike because all die.  Now he compares men with animals.  Animals eventually die just like men do.  “…as the one dieth, so dieth the other…”  If man is just an animal, then he is not really any different from other animals.  What does it matter if a man has preeminence over the beast if nothing really distinguishes them from one another, if the end is simply death to all?  Again, all would be vanity.

 

Psalm 49:12

 

Commentary: 

 

A.     Solomon now notes another way in which men are truly like the animals.

 

B.      “…as one dieth, so dieth the other…”

1.       The animals die.

2.       Men die.

 

C.     The same life principle, the ability to breath operates in both humans and animals.  “They all have one breath.”

 

D.     In this regard, a man has no preeminence above a beast. 

 

E.      If we are just like the beasts, then “all is vanity.”

1.       I remember when I was growing up that Phil Donahue produced a book entitled, The Human Animal.”

2.       There are many in our world today who believe that we are just intelligent animals. 

3.       If we are just animals and die, what is our use, our purpose, and our benefit?

a.   Wouldn’t it be better just to be an animal in the wild?

b.   Wouldn’t it be better to be a show dog or a champion race horse?

c.   Wouldn’t it be better to be an animal in the zoo or at Animal Kingdom?