Sabbath, April 28, 2007
Ecclesiastes 3:16-22
Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man 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 beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? (ESV)
by Dale E. Rood
Have you found yourself saying on occasion, “I’m glad to leave that matter in the hands of God. I don’t want to figure out that situation”? There are some heavy questions in this passage. In particular, do animals go to heaven when they die? No answer is given, but rather it states we need to leave these matters in God’s hands. He is willing to handle it, and we can trust Him because His judgment is right. Leave the things that belong to God in His hands, and let us focus on enjoying the work He has given us to do. (v. 22; Deuteronomy 29:29)
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
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