Ecclesiastes 3:16-22: a reflection

16Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there. 17I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” 18I said in my heart, “As for the sons of men, God tests them, so that they may see that they themselves are like animals. 19For that which happens to the sons of men happens to animals. Even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so the other dies. Yes, they have all one breath; and man has no advantage over the animals, for all is vanity. 20All go to one place. All are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, whether it goes downward to the earth?” 22Therefore I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works, for that is his portion; for who can bring him to see what will be after him?

The Teacher of Ecclesiastes looks honestly at the world and sees something troubling: in the place of justice, wickedness; in the place of righteousness, wickedness. The very institutions meant to uphold what is right are corrupted. It is the ancient, familiar grief of seeing injustice where there should be justice. But the Teacher does not stop at despair; he says in his heart: God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and every work.

Notice how he handles the injustice he sees. He does not pretend it is not there, and he does not take vengeance into his own hands or collapse into cynicism. He entrusts it to God's future judgment: there is a time coming when God will set things right, judge the righteous and the wicked, and address every matter. The injustice is real now, but it does not have the last word; God will judge, in his time.

And from that trust, the Teacher draws a conclusion about how to live in the meantime: there is nothing better than to find joy in one's work, for that is our portion. While injustice runs its course and God's judgment waits for its time, we are not to be consumed by what we cannot fix, but to receive the good gifts God gives now, our work, its satisfactions, as our present portion. When you are troubled by the injustice you see, entrust it to the God who will judge in his time, and meanwhile receive the ordinary joys of your work and your days as gifts from his hand.

Lord, I see injustice where there should be justice, and it grieves me. Help me neither to pretend it away nor to collapse into cynicism, but to entrust it to you, who will judge the righteous and the wicked in your time. And in the meantime, keep me from being consumed by what I cannot fix; help me receive the ordinary joys of my work and my days as gifts from your hand, my portion for now. I trust your justice, and I receive your gifts.