Keeping in mind that Solomon’s quest for the meaning of life (Ecclesiastes 1:3) does not critique the Lord’s original plan for mankind (Genesis 1:26-28), which has been restored in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10; 2Corinthians 3:18), it becomes evident that the Teacher had embarked on a journey to investigate mankind’s life and labors that are in rebellion against the Lord (cp. Genesis 3:14-19; Ecclesiastes 1:13-14). However, the original intent of the Lord continues to operate throughout his creation even after the rebellion of Genesis 3, but not according to mankind’s chosen path away from God. In other words, success is rewarded only to those who live and work according to the Lord’s original plan. The problem is, however, the rebellion (Genesis 3) introduced wickedness into the plan of God. Nevertheless, mankind can neither improve nor destroy the Lord’s work (Ecclesiastes 3:14). Therefore, wickedness can exist but it won’t ever produce the desired result.
Solomon tells us that he saw wickedness in the high positions of authority, the places where righteous judgment should lift the burden of oppression from the backs of the common folk, but there was no real justice there (Ecclesiastes 3:16). Therefore, he claimed the Lord, himself, would judge the righteous and the wicked, and he drew this conclusion from his own investigation of the times and seasons of mankind’s life and labors. Knowing, then, that the Lord’s purposes cannot be destroyed (Ecclesiastes 3:14), justice would eventually be administered, because it is found there in the seasons of life that the Lord put in place (Ecclesiastes 3:17).
Next, the Teacher examines the estate of the sons of man (Ecclesiasts 3:18),[1] that is, not the sons of men (plural) but man (singular). In other words, the Teacher is speaking of the rebellion and the sons of Adam. We are told that the Lord tests us, i.e., he proves us, in order to show that we are animals. The word like is inserted in many translations, but it isn’t found in the Hebrew manuscripts or the Septuagint. If we are different from animals, we certainly couldn’t prove it through the word of God. That is, God’s word doesn’t specifically tell us we are any different than animals. Granted, mankind was placed in authority over all of God’s creation, including animals. Furthermore, we were created in order to image God (Genesis 1:26-27), but nothing specific actually states that man is anything more than an animal, himself. In fact, when speaking in prophecy of the gentile empires, both nations and their leaders are described as beasts. Men breathe in the same air as the beast, and the live off the land and die and decompose, just as the beasts do. There is nothing anyone can point to that would show man is not as Ecclesiastes 3:18 says we are—beasts!
The only possible matter that would show we are different from an ordinary animal is that Jesus died to redeem us, and **in him** we are new creatures (2Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10; cp. Ezekiel 11:19; 18:31; 36:26). Nevertheless, under the old order of things, between the rebellion and the redemption, mankind is nothing more than an animal (Ecclesiastes 3:18). Moreover, without Christ, mankind continues in a path away from God and continues to be nothing more than a beast. Yet, there is hope for all, because Jesus died for all (1Timothy 4:10), and no matter what man does, he is powerless to destroy or even weaken the Lord’s original resolve (Ecclesiastes 3:14; cp. Genesis 1:26-28).
To conclude, the Teacher leaves us with two questions. The first is: who knows if the spirit of man arises to God and the spirit of the beast falls to the earth (Ecclesiastes 3:21). Who can tell? The word for spirit is ruach (H7307), which is the same as the breath of both man and beast (Genesis 6:17; 7:15). If the spirit (ruach; H7307) of man was intrinsically different from that of animals, why did the Lord say he had to give mankind both a new heart and a new spirit (ruach; H7307; see Ezekiel 11:19; 18:31; 36:26)?
Solomon’s second question arises out of the fact that man is no better than the beast. He concludes by saying that there is nothing better for man than to rejoice in his labor that he does, and that moment-by-moment pleasure in this life is his portion from God (Ecclesiastes 3:22), because who is able to bring him back from the grave to show its continuance or its destruction? Just as the beast cannot return to enjoy life here again, neither could any man. Therefore, man after the rebellion of Genesis 3 is no different from the beast.
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[1] So the Septuagint, Young’s Literal Translation; ESV; and the TLV.
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