3/21/25

Ecclesiastes 4:2-3 NASB95 So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

Much of the book of Ecclesiastes is written with a worldview. That is a person who has no thought or knowledge of eternity, God, or Satan. Solomon speaks of this as under the sun. As he used his wisdom to seek knowledge. He began to forget wisdom.

Solomon looks at all the moral evils going on "under the sun," and with no thought of eternity, he speaks our verses. It is interesting to note that even as he has been led astray as a result of being unequally yoked and following evils, he still has a sense, although weakened, of what is righteous and what is evil.

His words in our text say, " I congratulated the dead who are already dead." We see that God has not let him go completely. As Paul tells us in Romans 8:38-39 NASB95 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Solomon had strayed but not left. What I mean by that is even in his worldly study the wisdom of God had not left him. It still reminded him that there are two forms of dead. There are those who have physically died already, and those who haven't. He says I congratulated the dead (spiritually) who are already dead (physically)." There were those who were dead because they had not placed their faith in the coming Messiah but still walked the earth having yet to physically die. Then there are those who are dead lacking faith that had already physically died.

Even though Solomon was denying this in mind, he still knew it in Spirit, as evidenced by his words. Then he says he feels better for them than he does the living that are living.

Here we see the separation again. There are those who are in the Son while living under the sun versus those who are in the Son but are already passed into eternity, no longer being under the sun. We can see Solomons struggle with his God-given wisdom and the knowledge he gained under the sun. His thoughts are confused between a focus on eternity and the now. He writes of the now (under the sun) while still spiritually realizing the difference between being in The Son versus not. (That is eternal living and eternal death.)

Then he says, "But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun." Solomon is a person who is struggling. He is living under the sun in an evil, fallen, and broken world. He has been influenced by that world and the evil that is in it. He also, not looking at the blessing of eternity in the presence of God, thinks it is better to have never lived.

We know through God's word spoken by His incarnate Son that the ONLY PERSON who is better to have not been born is the one who dies, having denied Christ.

Solomon would later come to the realization that all the things under the sun are vanity, meaning empty and unsatisfactory. So in the end he says in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NASB95 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

What is under the sun is temporary but what is in the Son is everlasting. Get into the Son while you are under the sun because otherwise, it is too late. Then you would be better off having not been born.

Fear God and keep His commandments.

Love Bro. Scott