Pastor's Sermon Notes: Ecclesiastes (series), #9 - The Difference in the Mix (Ecclesiastes 3:16-22)

Series: Ecclesiastes

Sermon #9: The Difference in the Mix

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

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. 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. 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. 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. ²⁰ All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. ²¹ Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? ²² Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Introduction:

Reminders:

1) the unique aspects of Ecclesiastes that must be observed to appreciate what the author has done

2) the inspired and inerrant nature of Ecclesiastes as the Word of God

3) the impact of Ecclesiastes on proud unregenerate philosophers and mankind in general

Where we have been, and where we have come to in our study of this book

What we have learned along the way so far

Outline:

I. Man in the Mix of Wickedness and Righteousness (3:16-17)

II. Man in the Mix of Created Beings (3:18-21)

III. Man in the Mix of Future Uncertainty (3:22)

I. Man in the Mix of Wickedness and Righteousness (3:16-17)

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. 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.

1. The Present Mix of Wickedness and Righteousness (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.

The operative phrase in understanding this paragraph (3:16-22) is “under the sun.”

This 3:16 is not quite along the lines of John 3:16, is it?

2. The Future Difference in God’s Time (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.

there — Where?

Horatius Bonar, Come Lord, and Tarry Not[1]

Come Lord, and tarry not; Bring the long-looked-for day; O why these years of waiting here, These ages of delay? Come, for Thy saints still wait; Daily ascends their sigh: The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come": Dost Thou not hear the cry? Come, for creation groans, Impatient of Thy stay, Worn out with these long years of ill, These ages of delay. Come, for Thy Israel pines, An exile from Thy fold; O call to mind Thy faithful word, And bless them as of old! Come, for thy foes are strong; With taunting lip they say, "Where is the promised Advent now, And where the dreaded Day?" Come, for the good are few; They lift the voice in vain: Faith waxes fainter on the earth, And love is on the wane. Come, for the truth is weak, And error pours abroad Its subtle poison o'er the earth, - An earth that hates her God.

Come, for love waxes cold, Its steps are faint and slow: Faith now is lost in unbelief, Hope’s lamp burns dim and low. Come, for the grave is full; Earth's tombs no more can hold: The sated sepulchres rebel, And groans the heaving mould. Come, for the corn is ripe, Put in Thy sickle now, Reap the great harvest of the earth; Sower and Reaper Thou! Come in Thy glorious might, Come with the iron rod, Scattering Thy foes before Thy face, Most mighty Son of God! Come, spoil the strong man's house, Bind him and cast him hence; Show Thyself stronger than the strong, Thyself Omnipotence. Come, and make all things new; Build up this ruined earth; Restore our faded Paradise, Creation's second birth. Come, and bring Thy reign Of everlasting peace; Come, take the kingdom to Thyself, Great King of Righteousness.

II. Man in the Mix of Created Beings (3:18-21)

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. 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. ²⁰ All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. ²¹ Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

1. In one sense, there is no difference between mankind and animals. (3:18-20)

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.

 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.

 ²⁰ All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

The leveling effect of the curse of Genesis 3!

Once again putting fallen mankind in his place, and slapping him in the face of the reality of mortality!

2. In another sense, there is a great difference between mankind and animals. (3:21)

Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

There is a significant translation issue involved in understanding the meaning of this verse that has to do with whether it should be a question or not.

Every translation that I checked translates it as a question, but Kaiser following Leupold argues otherwise convincingly. See Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979), pg. 71; and H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Ecclesiastes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), pp. 97-100. Kaiser cites pg. 99; op. cit., pg. 71, note 3.

Another issue is whether it should be understood as a conditional statement involving “if” (HCSB, NIV).

YLT — Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth? [2]

NASB — Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? [3]

ESV (and RSV) — Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? [4]

NIVC84 note — Or Who knows the spirit of man, which rises upward, or the spirit of the animal, which [5]

NKJV note — LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Who knows whether the spirit … goes upward, and whether … goes downward to the earth? [6]

III. Man in the Mix of Future Uncertainty (3:22)

²² Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

[Sermon preached 6 DEC 2015 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]

Complete Outline:

I. Man in the Mix of Wickedness and Righteousness (3:16-17)

1. The Present Mix of Wickedness and Righteousness (3:16)

2. The Future Difference in God’s Time (3:17)

II. Man in the Mix of Created Beings (3:18-21)

1. In one sense, there is no difference between mankind and animals. (3:18-20)

2. In another sense, there is a great difference between mankind and animals. (3:21)

III. Man in the Mix of Future Uncertainty (3:22)

Select Sources on Ecclesiastes:

J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore The Book: A Basic and Broadly Interpretive Course of Bible Study from Genesis to Revelation, 6 vols. in 1 ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, n.d., 1960 printing).

William D. Barrick, Ecclesiastes: The Philippians of the Old Testament, Focus on the Bible series (Fearn, Ross-Shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2012).

C. Hassell Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Poetic Books: The Wisdom and Songs of Israel (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979)/

Michael A. Eaton, Ecclesiastes: An Introduction and Commentary, Vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1983).

F. Delitzsch, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, trans. M. G. Easton, Vol. VI in C. F. Kiel and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, trans. James Martin (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, n.d., 1975 reprint).

Duane A. Garrett, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Vol. 14, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman, 1993).

Donald R. Glenn, “Ecclesiastes,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. J. F. Walvoord, and R. B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1985).

William Henry Green, “Scope and Plan of the Book of Ecclesiastes,” Biblical Reparatory and Princeton Review 29 (1857), pp. 419-40; on Gordon Faculty Online at http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/21-Ecclesiastes/Text/Articles/Green-ScopeofEccl-1857.pdf [accessed 7 NOV 2015].

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Ecclesiastes: Total Life, in Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1979).

Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Coping With Change: Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Roth-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus, 2013).

H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Ecclesiastes (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952).

Tremper Longman III, The Book of Ecclesiastes, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).

John MacArthur, MacArthur Study Bible, rev. ed. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997).

Roland Edmund Murphy, Ecclesiastes, Vol. 23A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, 1992).

Philip Graham Ryken, Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters, in Preaching the Word, gen. ed. R. Kent Hughes (Wheaton: Crossway, 2010).

Philip G. Ryken, Why Everything Matters: The Gospel in Ecclesiastes (Fearn, Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, Ltd., 2015).

J. Stafford Wright, “Ecclesiastes,” in Psalms-Song of Songs, Vol. 5, Expositor's Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1991).

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[1] Horatius Bonar, Kelso Tracts (May 1846), and Hymns of Faith and Hope, First Series (1857).  Included in Christ in Song: Hymns of Immanuel Selected from all Ages, compiled by Philip Schaff, Classic Reprint Series ed. (Vestavia Hills, AL: Solid Ground Christian Books, n.d.; 2004 reprint of 1870 ed. by Sampson Low, Son & Marston), pp. 308-309.  On Cyber Hymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/l/cltarryn.htm [accessed 17 DEC 2012].  According to Hymnary.org at http://www.hymnary.org/text/come_lord_and_tarry_not [accessed 17 DEC 2012] it has been published in 131 hymnals.  “Come, Lord, and tarry not. H.Bonar. [Second Advent desired.] Printed in May, 1846, at the end of one of the Kelso Tracts, and again in his Hymns of Faith and Hope, 1857. It is in 14 stanzas of 4 lines, with the heading “Come, Lord,” and the motto from St. Augustine, “Senuit mundus.” Centos, varying in length and construction, but all beginning with stanza i., are in extensive use in America. In Great Britain it is less popular. A cento, beginning with stanza ii., “Come, Lord; Thy saints for Thee,” is also given in Kennedy, 1863, No. 22.  --John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907).” Source:  Hymnary.org, ibid. See also: Mike Pohlman, “All Things New” (20 AUG 2011); on Permanent Things at https://michaelpohlman.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/all-things-new/ [accessed 4 DEC 2015]; and Trevin Wax, “Come, Lord, And Tarry Not” (12 DEC 2010); on The Gospel Coalition at http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/trevinwax/2010/12/12/come-lord-and-tarry-not/ [accessed 4 DEC 2015].

[2] Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (Ec 3:21). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[3] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Ec 3:21). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Ec 3:21). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

[5] The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1984. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

[6] The New King James Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.