Dust to Dust

Solomon is quoting a promise from God. Yes, he's frustrated that his body and some animal are going to experience the same reversal, but Solomon is taking us back to the promise, and it's not the full story because you remember, in that promise of death is the promise of a coming Redeemer, right? So think of it this way, every death on earth is an exclamation point that God is keeping his promise. Dust to dust has been the epitaph we just happen to know because of revelation that dust is not the end.

Do you ever wonder why life seems so unfair sometimes? Why death, a fate we all must face, seems so indiscriminate and indifferent? In this episode, we explore King Solomon's reflections on death, a reality for both humans and animals alike, as he struggles to find meaning under the sun. Solomon's words might start off bleak, but they also reveal profound insights about how to truly live, how to find joy even when life seems meaningless, and what to anticipate after our journey here. Stick around as Stephen unpacks Solomon's brutally honest, but ultimately hopeful message. Well, today we return to the diary of King Solomon. There's little doubt in my mind that he wants his son, Rehoboam, to read it and learn from it.

I would be surprised if he ever had any idea that the believer would be studying it for the next 3,000 years up to today. We have learned already that Solomon writes in this sort of down to earth, hard hitting, in your face, take it or leave it kind of style. His quill is often dipped into the acid ink of despair and frustration and discouragement. His journal includes verses that you would probably never memorize, especially for the sake of encouragement. You'd never want any of them to show up on your coffee mug as you start a new Monday morning. In fact, I think you could categorically entitle his diary something like, life is hard and then you die.

That's just not going to be your screen saver, I'm pretty sure. But we've also discovered in the midst of it that in this frustration and this longing and discouragement, he offers, by means of the Holy Spirit's guidance, deep counsel and encouragement for those of us living here unto the sun. As we pick our study back up, Solomon is going to do essentially the same thing again as he adds a new journal entry. He starts out with discouragement and despair and frustration, but he ends with inspired counsel. In fact, I'll tell you ahead of time, he doesn't just write something like, life is hard and then you die.

Although he's going to deal with the subject of death, he actually provides insight not just about death, but about life. So let's pick up together where we left off. We're at chapter three in the book of Ecclesiastes, if you're new to our study. Ecclesiastes chapter three, and we'll pick it up where we left off at verse 18. Solomon writes, then I said in my heart with regard to the children of man, you could render that the children of Adam, that God is testing or exposing them, that they may see or discern that they themselves are but beasts or animals. Now Solomon clarifies what he's referring to in this regard. For what happens to the children of Adam and what happens to the beasts is the same. As one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath and man has no advantage over the beast, for all is vanity. What Solomon is doing here is making two rather straightforward observations. Again, it's kind of in your face, take it or leave it.

And there's truth in it, but he starts with this sort of acid-inked attitude. The first observation is that, simply put, death is impartial. Death is impartial. Death comes to all living creatures. Animals die, so do people.

It doesn't matter if you're the biggest CEO in the corporate world or the biggest dog in the neighborhood. Both die. When it comes to death and decomposition, Solomon says humans don't seem to get a free pass over the animals. They both revert back to dust. And by the way, Solomon is again simply referring to life under the sun that we can see. And from what we can see, by our own power of observation, humans don't end up any better off than animals.

Their bodies both revert back to dust. Now, he's making an observation. Don't quit on me yet. He's going to bring in divine revelation. Hang on to your hat.

I'll show you it later. But I do want to stop here because I think there's a point that needs to be made. If all you have is observation, if all that you think exists is what you see, though we're certainly not to stop observing or stop exploring or stop researching because it unfolds with every spade that turns over on some excavation site or every scientific discovery at all, to me, just reflects the glory of God and the immensity of His brilliance. But if all we have is what we do excavate or we do invent or we do explore or we do discover, we can end up with the wrong conclusions. We can end up with the wrong views about where we came from or life after death or what's going to happen to the universe for that matter. If all we have is the observation without the revelation of when it started, and by the way, how it's going to end up, and I'll give you a clue if you're a new believer, but it's a new universe and a new earth this time to last forever.

If we don't have that, we could fill in the blanks and end up in fear which now saturates our world. Let me read you the writings of one cynical perspective who came to that conclusion who writes, I realize I'm going to die and forever cease to exist. Now, by the way, if all you have is your human observation without divine revelation, that is what seems to happen. He goes on, my life is just a momentary transition out of oblivion into oblivion, and the universe too faces death. I'm told now by science that the universe is expanding, everything is growing further apart, eventually then all the stars will burn out, and all matter will collapse into dead stars and black holes. Mankind is a doomed race in a dying universe, and because the human race will eventually cease to exist, it makes no ultimate difference whether it ever did exist or not. Now get this. Mankind is thus no more significant than a swarm of mosquitoes or a barnyard of pigs, for their end is all the same.

Man, that's encouraging. If you're wondering how you can fit that on your screensaver, here's a shorter one from Voltaire who denied God's word and wrote 300 years ago, we are insects living for a few seconds on atoms of mud. The end. And don't misunderstand Solomon's opening comment here, he's not going that far. In fact, he isn't denying the uniqueness of mankind in creation. He isn't denying the immortality of the human spirit. He isn't denying the resurrection of the human race to an immortal, eternal destiny. He isn't denying the future of a new universe which God will recreate at the end of human history. He's just dealing with his one thing here. He's simply making the observation that the human race and the animal kingdom all end up reverting to dust after death.

And he's frankly frustrated about that observation. He's been the great king of Israel and he's sitting around thinking, man, my body will no doubt occupy some splendid casket and there will be some magnificent funeral, but there's going to be some bird out there in the woods who dies in a hole in a tree and our bodies are the same in that we both revert back to dust. He's lamenting the fact that death is impartial. It's true, it's not the whole story.

Observation number two gets a little better. Death is a promise. It might be an odd way to think about it, but this is where Solomon brings in some divine revelation. He actually quotes the words of God delivered after Adam and Eve fell. In fact, he uses the same word for dust that God uses when he promises Adam something related to his future. Look here at Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 20.

All go to one place. All are from the dust and to dust all return. What happens to your body after death is not an accident. Think of it this way, it's actually a divine promise. This is the promise God made to Adam when he and his wife were expelled from the Garden of Eden. God promised them that their sin would effectively bring about what was a reversal of creation. God created Adam from what? The dust. Because of sin, there will be this reversal and he will go back to dust.

It's the idea. And this reversal will affect not only the human race but the animal kingdom as well. In fact, as Adam and Eve are being expelled from the Garden of Eden, here's what God said to Adam in Genesis 3 19. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground for out of it you were taken. And here's where Solomon quotes the verse he learned.

For you are dust and to dust you shall return. Solomon is quoting a promise from God. Yes, he's frustrated that his body and some animal are going to experience the same reversal back to dust but Solomon is taking us back to the fall. He's taking us back to the promise and it's not the full story because you remember in that promise of death is the promise of a coming redeemer, right?

He's recognizing this is the result of sin so think of it this way. Every death on planet earth is an exclamation point that God is keeping his promise. This, because of sin, has entered the world, death by sin, so that every casket that eventually fills with dust is an amen, is a so be it to the Word of God. Dust to dust has been the epitaph throughout human history. We just happen to know because of Revelation that dust is not the end. At death your spirit goes to be with the Lord for Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

The body experiences the effect of the curse, the reversal of creation, but God will take that dust, that DNA, reconstitute it, give you a glorified body should you die before the rapture, reunited with the Spirit and you'll be made to live in that immortal body forever. So, God is in that promise that Solomon doesn't bring up that we know from further revelation is God is going to reverse the reversal. Creation has been reversed, God's going to say uh-uh, that's not the end. Satan does not win, sin does not win, death does not win, I'm going to reverse the reversal.

Bringing it back to life. Now, what Solomon does next is provide some clues for the believer by asking two rhetorical questions. One's in verse 21 and one's in verse 22. He writes in verse 22 of chapter 3 this rhetorical question. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? In other words, who knows the details about life after death? If all you have is your observation, you'll be convinced that nothing happens after death because all you can see is what you can see. Would you notice that Solomon doesn't answer the question?

And that's because he doesn't assume he needs to. He figures that everybody will chime in and say well God knows that. In a sense, this isn't even a question. This is a capital W meaning who knows? Well, who knows? God knows. Who knows the details of eternal life? The eternal creator of life. Who knows what happens after death? The one who experienced it on our behalf so that death would not win in the end. Now, did Solomon know any of this? Is he asking a question thinking I wonder if death means the cessation of existence? No, in fact, later in his journal in chapter 12 and verse 7 he writes this, and the dust returns to the earth as it was and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Solomon knew.

Again, the critical answer isn't then a matter of observation. Solomon is delivering revelation. Who knows the details of life after death? God does. The second rhetorical question is delivered back in verse 22. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? That Hebrew phrase could be paraphrased to provide a little more explanation. What he's essentially saying is who has the ability to give someone life after death so that they can see beyond their death?

What comes after? Who can give him or her the ability to see and experience eternal life? And again, Solomon doesn't answer that question because he assumes everybody in Israel is gonna chime in and say, well God does that. God has that power.

God can do that. Solomon would certainly be aware of other passages in the Old Testament that answer the question for him. His own dad, King David, wrote of life after death and the confidence of the believer in spending eternity with God.

Psalm chapter 49 is a hymn that Solomon no doubt sang while he was growing up. For those of us today with completed revelation and so much more detail, I mean we have so much more detail than Solomon. All we have to do is listen to God the Son promise His disciples I'm gonna leave you but I'm coming back and in the meantime I have a place prepared for you in the Father's house.

I'm gonna take you there. John describes it with unimaginable glory. God's work further promises in the book of Hebrews in chapter 11 of verse 35 that we will rise one day to a better life. Paul wrote to Timothy the same promise that Christ has brought life and immortality to light in the gospel of Christ. Second Timothy chapter 1 verse 10. Again, this is a matter not of observation down here under the sun, this is a matter of revelation from the creator of the sun. Revelation that I hold in my hand than you have in your lap and by the way what an incredible gift from God.

What a gift from God by your side. God's revelation. Maybe you think what about all the people that don't have a copy?

Well that's the mission of the believer throughout the ages and the mission of the church today to make disciples of all nations and God has a lot to say about how that mission is gonna wrap up in the end. But the real question right now from me to you is not about all those other people but what have you done with it? You'll never stand before God and answer for all of them.

What have you done with this gift? Left alone your observation and mine might be that animals and humans are no different at all. Therefore our moral standards should be no different. That God doesn't exist. We've never seen him.

You can't test him in a test tube. We have a meaningless mystery. At least the unbeliever would say to life itself where we, some might conclude, are more based on what we observe, nothing more than insects living for a few seconds on atoms of mud. This is the tragedy beloved of living here under the sun, of trying to find meaning down here under the sun all the while denying the revelation of the creator of the sun who designed the puzzle, who knows the answers and has the power to eventually put all the puzzle pieces together.

In the meantime while even for the believer there are pieces missing and life down here under the sun can be discouraging and difficult, how do we live down here? Well this is a paragraph again that starts out pessimistically and somewhat negative though realistically. But once again includes encouraging truths. That is if you accept the word of God, the fall of man, the existence of sin, that death came because of it and with that then the promise of a coming redeemer, then life has meaning. In fact there are at least two principles I want to wrap up with that I'll draft from this paragraph.

And the first is this. Enjoy the place God has assigned for you. It isn't meaningless. It isn't the passing of time.

It isn't a few seconds until you either fry or freeze. Enjoy it. Look at what he says in verse 22. So there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work for that is his lot. That's his assignment. Where you are right now, beloved, is his assignment. Does that make it easy?

No. But Solomon says when you understand your assignment from God that you have one life. You don't live in regret. You don't live for revenge. You don't live with complaint. You make the most of it.

That's his point. Even our lives, even our locations, even our addresses, even our employment, they are assignments by God. Your work is God's gift to you. Whatever it is, it might be in the kitchen, it might be in the courtroom, it might be in the classroom.

Do your jobs well. Ask God to give you a perspective of joy during this brief life for the assignment provided to you. It isn't just God leading you there.

It is the enemy of your soul who will rob your joy throughout it. You can't have your soul but He will take your joy because if He can, He will rob God of your worship which He hates to see take place. How do you worship God?

By giving thanks, by praising Him, by trusting Him, by surrendering to Him, by obeying Him. All of that is tantamount to worship. Worship isn't just here on Sunday morning. It's going to be your opportunity on Monday morning.

It isn't just in here, it's out there. So our lives can be wasted if God is not worshiped. Your coming week can be wasted if God is not worshiped. How do you worship Him? By praising Him and trusting Him and thanking Him. Leaving those unanswered questions to Him, those missing pieces to His providence. Look for ways to thank Him. Warren Wiersbe, now with the Lord, wrote on this text the illustration of the farmer who evidently was looking for new ways to thank God. He prayed at the dinner table, Lord, thank You for good food and good digestion.

That's true. You know, the older you get, you're as grateful for good digestion as you are for good food, which is why, you know, people are pouring chia seeds on everything in sight. Stop that, by the way. Stop it.

I've seen people pour chia seeds on ice cream. That is not in the Bible. I want you to know right away.

Stop that. Enjoy the place God has assigned for you. Secondly, anticipate the place God has prepared for you. Solomon has hinted that God alone has the power to bring you beyond death and to seeing, experiencing eternal life. So, if I could reword these two principles.

One, don't waste your life. And number two, don't forget your future. Don't forget your future. Anticipate the place God has prepared for you. It has a way of changing perspective. The difficulties of life down here under the sun can have a redeeming purpose as a way, and as we trust God, He uses them to develop in us a deeper longing, a deeper desire for something beyond this life. Certainly, our life with Him that is to come.

Don't forget your future. Paul David Tripp wrote along these lines with this illustration, and with this I'll close. He writes this, I am persuaded that the entire purpose of camping is to make a person long for home. On that first day in the woods, putting up the tent is exciting, but three days later, your tent has odors you can't explain. You love the taste of food cooked over an open flame, but three days later, you're tired of foraging for wood and irritated by how fast it burns. You were excited at the prospect of catching your dinner from the stream running past your campsite, which was reported to be teeming with trout. But all you've caught are the roots of trees at the bottom.

You're now four days in, and your back hurts. There's no more firewood laying around to forage. You're tired of keeping the fire going anyway.

You look into what was once an ice and food-filled cooler to see steaks floating gray in a pool of water. You begin to think fondly of home. You stand there hoping that someone in the family will break the silence and say, why don't we go home? Your four days in the wilderness have accomplished their mission. You are prepared to appreciate home. He adds, our world isn't a very good amusement park after all. It's actually a broken place, groaning for redemption. Time here is meant to prepare us for eternity. Earth is meant to make us long for heaven. Home. With that, Stephen concludes this message and this series entitled Finding Meaning Under the Sun. This is the kind of series that really gets to the heart of what every person deals with. What's the meaning of life?

What is your ultimate destination? If you'd like to go back and listen to this series again, or if you'd like to share it with a friend, we've posted the complete series Finding Meaning Under the Sun to our website. The address is wisdomonline.org. It's also posted on our smartphone app.

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