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?
Ecclesiastes is an interesting and sometimes depressing book. It contains the words of the Preacher (Eccl. 1:1) as he struggles to find meaning in life. Throughout this book, you will find the word “heḇel,“ often translated as vanity (Eccl. 1:2). The word means breath or wind and can express the transitory nature of life. And that is how the Preacher is using it here. Nothing you do will last. It is just a wisp of cloud that is quickly blown away. And that includes our lives as well. They are here today and gone tomorrow.
In the passage quoted above, the Preacher was debating with himself about wickedness and God’s judgment. Will the wicked have to face God’s judgment? Or does death end it all?
The Preacher has no real hope for life after death. He sees the same fate awaiting humans as that which awaits the beasts. We all go to the same place. We came from the dust. And we all return to dust.
Who knows what happens after that? Does man’s spirit go up while the spirit of a beast goes down into the earth? Or is that just wishful thinking? The Preacher concludes that we should just make the best of the life that we have now. Because who will help us see what, if anything, might come after?
But what the Preacher could only hope for has become a reality for us. One has come, died, and returned to life. And in him, we can have assurance that this life is not all there is. When this body returns to dust, my spirit will rise to be with my Lord and eventually be reunited with a new body. This life is only the beginning for those who know Jesus as Lord.
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