In his earnest search, Solomon had examined many aspects of life and here he affirms the control of the sovereign Lord. He acknowledges that the ways of the righteous and the wise are ever before God. While Solomon might not have answers for everything, he had not given up his belief that God was still in charge. So, he said “But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God.” This phrase “in the hand of God” indicates that God is in control and that He supervises every act in our life. Man cannot fully comprehend the ways God works and will never fully understand the perspective of why God loves or hates, yet God is in sovereign control.
To say that God can hate is hard for our mind to grasp. Perhaps a good way to look at the two words “love and hate” is to see it as accepting and rejecting. Just like in Romans 9:13 where God said, Jacob, I love but Esau I hate. It does not mean that he hates Esau but that He prefers Jacob to him. Why God should prefer one over the other is unexplainable but that indicates His sovereignty. Perhaps this is what Solomon meant. We, humans, are not fully cognizant of how God works but nothing is outside of His sovereign control. Things happen to us only with His knowledge and control. Our assurance is that our lives are firmly in the grip of God’s hand.
From a human perspective, we always measure love or hate from the positive and negative experiences of life. People consider that God loves them when their life’s experiences are positive. When they have negative experiences, they assume that God does not love them as much or worse still, is against them. Verses 2-3 show us that that’s not an accurate conclusion. The natural laws God has put in place will happen to all, whether one worships Him or not. For example, the law of gravity happens to everyone, no one escapes the operation of this law in their lives. Similarly, the law of harvest also happens to everyone. If we work hard, we will reap. If we procrastinate and stay idle, we will suffer want. We should not measure the acceptance or rejection of God by the circumstances in our life. In God’s divine plan, He will use everything possible to perfect us. Yes, even negative experiences of life. Without a doubt, we all can affirm what verse 3 says, “…that the same event happens to all.” And at the same breath, he also says that ultimately every life will end in death, even goody-do shoes.
Previously when he comes up against tough situations, Solomon felt that to be dead is better than being alive. Now he seems to be saying the reverse. He tells us in verses 4-6 that living is better than dead. Although death is man’s ultimate experience, it is better to be alive than dead. A dead lion and a living dog are brought into the picture to provide clarity in his contrast to why being alive are better than being dead. A lion, for all its brilliance, if it is dead, has no glory. A pariah dog, though greatly despised, if alive is still better than a dead glorious lion, for at least it is alive. The assertion is this: the living is better than dying. Solomon then went on to show why being dead is worse off. Firstly, death end one’s earthly life and one who is dead ceases to know what is happening on earth. Secondly. death terminates all earthly rewards. No matter how much one has acquired in life, death ends it all. Thirdly, death makes one oblivious. No one remembers the dead once they are gone. Do note that Solomon is not denying that there is life after death. He only tells us that all earthly experiences, those under the sun experiences, will terminate at death. Gratefully we thank God for sending Jesus, His only begotten Son, to our rescue. 2 Corinthians 5:21 assures us that “For our sake He (God) made Him (Christ Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” And hence to live with Him forever, when our life on earth has ended. What a privilege! What a grace!
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