Ecclesiastes 3:18-22 - The Common End of Man and Beast

Ecclesiastes 3:18-22
I said to myself concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts.” For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?

Message: The Common End of Man and Beast

Time: Solomon's authorship is not stated. Solomon's reign as king of Israel lasted from around 970 B.C. to around 930 B.C. The Book of Ecclesiastes was likely written towards the end of his reign, approximately 935 B.C.
 
What the Lord is Saying:

Background
This is the final message of Ecclesiastes 3. Thus fare I have studied this chapter in 3 parts.

1. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - A time for everything - There is a time for everything because God has ordered and set up this world. Things happen because of his plan. We all experience life in different ways and yet those experiences occur in similar ways or categories. This is by design. 
2. Ecclesiastes 3:9-15 - Here today, gone tomorrow - God is in control. Yes, there is enjoyment in life, but do not get too focused on any one thing; in so doing we forget God and forget we are His instruments; we must continually be reminded of our position in His creation. I must continually remind myself I have limitations. 
3. Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 - The hope of final judgment - God will judge. Wickedness will get its due even though it appears now people are getting away with being evil. There is hope. 

There is a time for everything. God is in control. He provides us with joy but do not ever forget that I am His instrument. I have a position in creation. I am not everything. Lean on the everlasting arms. Trust Him now and in the future. Do not get wrapped up in thinking that evil wins. God will judge the wicked.

Introduction
As I turn myself to these last 5 verses, in my first reading, I am left with a familiar conclusion: God is in control. God has ordered and set up this world. There is a designer. Events of life are not random. The nature of man is not improving. The future, our after life, is in the hands of God. Do not get too focused on the after life events, but do equip people for those days.

The Bible is not simply a story to be read about God, but it is also a story giving us the picture of human beings and what they are really like.

Man is a beast
The pot does not ask the potter, why have you made me this way? Isaiah 64:8 - But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. Romans 9:21 - Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? I am not to question God's ways. To this end, I am very much similar to the beast, the animals of the land. God has given them limitations. Their lives are simple. Yet they are ordered. Man may be more complex in thought but they are but beast.

Created
Man is a created being, like the beast. Man was given the task of naming the beasts, but that was ordained by God. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.

Man and beast have different ultimate destinations
While man and beast both come from dust and return to dust, the spirit of man and beast have different destinations. The Septuagint renders this verse as: And who has seen the spirit of the sons of man, whether it goes upward? and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth? And as scripture goes to say further on, heaven and hell give us a better understanding of afterlife. 

Enjoy life
Chapter 3 concludes with an idea that has been present throughout this chapter: enjoy life. Enjoy the life that God has given us. Yes, we have responsibilities, but we also are to have enjoyment. God teaches us and he gives us failing and successes for us to praise him and to teach us that we are in His grip. Life is to be enjoyed. God wants us to enjoy life. It is unfortunate when people cannot enjoy life.  

Promise: Man is a Beast, but still has enjoyment in this life. God will take care of our outcome.