PPic: Oberon Golf Course - Links Pro Am 2006

PGA Chaplain Bible Studies

Weekly Study No 11 - 03/06/2009

Ecclesiastes Ch 3:18-22

“I also thought, “As for men, God tests them so that they may see they are like the animals. Man’s fate is like that of animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down to the earth? So I saw that there was nothing better for man to do than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? ”.(Ecclesiastes Chapter 3: verses 18 to 22).

Are We Any Different to the Animals?

Over the last few years I have taken an interest in the evolution debate and whether human beings have descended from a special creation of God apart from apes or whether we have evolved from apes. This interest has arisen from the number of times I been questioned about evolution from golfers and from the community in general. What has amazed me in reading about the debate from all sides of this issue is how confident each position is that they know the truth. It seems so much depends upon your starting point.

The author in our reading above has a devastating assessment of human life; he sees the same fate coming to both humans and animals, with no advantage to us. His view comes from the fact that God gave each life, however since we both die and return to the dust of the earth, there is no difference between being a human or an animal. He is unsure about the afterlife.

When we behave badly or unjustly, it seems also that God cannot distinguish between the two.

While he is certainly not an atheist or a convinced evolutionist, our writer lumps our fate in with that of animals. But it is a mistake to think that our writer is saying anything evolution. The conclusion of our author is that since all we can know is this life, we should enjoy it as much as we can, since our future is uncertain.
I think many today would agree with our author; there is a lot of uncertainty about whether there is life after death.

As a result, it is a strong theme in our society to live for the moment, to celebrate life and enjoy what we achieve. It is amazing how much our younger generation live like this and are spenders compared to the earlier generations when we were savers and planners.

We have to acknowledge that our author is reflecting on life prior to the fuller revelation of life disclosed through Jesus. There is no doubt that human life is different to animals in regards to our capacity to live, make choices, reflect and have ethics. Even the atheist agrees with this. As Genesis Chapter 1 points out, human life is created in the image and likeness of God. Because of Jesus; no longer does sin or death have the final say in our life. The same cannot be said for animal life. Jesus has overcome the heavy burden death can have through his rising from the dead.

Gracious God, There are many times when we just survive and go through the motions of life and sometimes behave just like animals. However thank you that we are different; created in your image and likeness. Help us to live in this way. Amen.

Read ouR Bi-Monthly Newsletter

Upcoming Events

• Go to Events Page

Site by Limelight Creative