Part 6 of 8 of the theme "Lessons from Ecclesiastes.' by Gijs van den Brink

Something else the preacher noted is that there is much oppression and injustice in the world. "I drew my attention to all the oppression there is under the sun and saw the tears of the oppressed. There is no one to stand by them. The oppressors oppress them harshly, and there is no one to stand by them. The dead, I mused, are happier to praise than the living. Those who have already died are better off than those who are still alive" (4:1-2).

In our world today, it is not much different. Even today there is much pursuit of knowledge and wealth. And even today this is accompanied by oppression and injustice. Ecclesiastes says "But better off ... is he who has not yet been born and does not yet know of the injustice that is committed under the sun" (4:3).

These are words of someone who is nevertheless somewhat tired of life. Even in our Western world, the pursuit of wealth and knowledge is often accompanied by spiritual poverty, and many become weary of life as they try to achieve something that fails. If only we were better able to listen to the experiences of our fellow believers of the past, such as King Solomon.

Next time: Part 7 of the series of lessons from Ecclesiastes is entitled 'Worship, reverence and obedience'

See also: Part 5 of 8 of the theme 'Lessons from Ecclesiastes' 'There is a time for everything'

Author: Gijs van den Brink
From: Study Bible Magazine

This is part 6 of 8 concise blog on the theme "Lessons from Ecclesiastes" from Study Bible Magazine, Some of which we will be posting online in the near future. We hope this will help you understand the Bible better!

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