Solomon was thinking deeply again, but he was looking at life from a purely human perspective. “This, too, I carefully explored – that godly and wise men are in God’s will; no one knows whether He will favor them or not. All is chance!” (Verse 1). As Christians, we sometimes think that because we are serving God, He will keep us from failing. I did; I read books about what I wanted to do. As a bi-vocational pastor, after my wife and I had prayed about it, I decided to go ahead. Even government officials thought it was a good idea and gave encouragement to follow through, but four years later our area was in an economic disaster.
Continuing on in verses 2-4, he went on to write, “The same providence confronts everyone, whether good or bad, religious, or irreligious, profane or godly. It seems so unfair that one fate comes to all. That is why men are not more careful to be good but instead choose their own mad course, for they have no hope – there is nothing but death ahead anyway. There is hope only for the living.” Is it any wonder we hear stories of gang violence, even murder? If I believe that there is nothing after death, does it really matter if I kill someone to get what I want? If I am killed in gang warfare, does it matter?
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth regarding this very subject. He said that if there is nothing after this life, “then we might as well go and have ourselves a good time: let us eat, drink, and be merry. What’s the difference? For tomorrow we die, and that ends everything! Don’t be fooled by those who say such things. If you listen to them, you will start acting like them.” (1 Cor. 15:32-33).
Solomon concludes this chapter with the illustration of a small town that was surrounded by enemy forces. There was a wise man in the town who knew how to rescue it. But after the rescue, no one thanked him for saving the town because he was a poor man. (Verses 13-18). In verse 11, Solomon summed up his thoughts from a human perspective and it is commonly used today: “It is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time.”