Eclesiastes 4

Eclesiastes 4

Morgan - Better than them both did I esteem him which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. Ec 4.3 In this chapter the Debater describes sociological conditions, as he observed them; and this is his terrible finding. The dead are better than the living; but better than either, is not to have been born at all! It is a terrible conclusion; yet it is a perfectly natural and justifiable one to any who looks only upon conditions of life, and has no interpretation gained in fellowship with God. Glance over life with the Debater. The oppressed are seen, and no one to comfort them. Dexterity in toil is seen, producing envy in the hearts of others. Men are seen gathering wealth and passing into loneliness. Age is seen with its folly and weakness, in spite of position, even that of kingship. The out-look is indeed dark and terrible. Life is not worth while. Death is preferable. Yet better than that, is not to have been. Granted that the things described are not all of life as it may be seen; they are yet so prevalent and so poignant as to make the observer unconscious of brighter facts. The existence of such things at all cancels all other considerations. And the conclusion is warranted. Blot out the things above the sun; deny, or be ignorant of the God Who reigns on high—and life as it is seen is a nightmare and a horror. Every joy becomes a mockery: every pleasure a delusion; every hope a mirage. It is only when we know God, and live in His fear, that we come to understand that all these discords will at last be resolved into perfect harmony. It is only as life is conditioned by spiritual facts and forces that it is delivered from despair. Ecclesiastes 4:4 I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind. every: Ge 4:4-8 37:2-11 1Sa 18:8,9,14-16,29,30 Pr 27:4 Mt 27:18 Ac 7:9 Jas 4:5 1Jn 3:12 This is: Ec 4:16 1:14 2:21,26 6:9,11 Ge 37:4,11 MEN'S MOTIVATION FOR THEIR LABOR - RIVALRY Glenn on Ec 4:4-16 - This section employs the characteristic refrain “meaningless, a chasing after the wind” as a bracketing introductory and concluding formula (vv. 4, 16). This device, called an inclusio, is a common rhetorical feature in biblical literature (cf., e.g., Ps. 8:1, 9). Ecclesiastes 4:4–16 is also characterized by the repeated use of the word “meaningless” (vv. 4, 7–8, 16) and the word “better” (vv. 6, 9, 13) by which Solomon characterized certain motivating incentives of labor as futile and inappropriate. I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor - TLB = "Then I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy" How true today is this that hard work is motivated by a desire to be better than the Jones next door!