”Dust in the Wind”
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Julian Barnes is frightened. He knows that he shouldn’t be, but he is. You see, Julian Barnes is afraid to die.
Many times in life we do experience this thing called injustice. We see it in the home, in the workplace, in the courtroom, in our country, and in our culture.
Julian Barnes is frightened. He knows that he shouldn’t be, but he is. He can’t help himself. You see, Julian Barnes is afraid to die.
The famous English writer—the author of Flaubert’s Parrot and other prize-winning novels—formerly called himself an atheist. Then he claimed to be an agnostic, because in his opinion there is no good reason to think there is a God.
Yet the sober truth is that Julian Barnes is desperately afraid to die. The New York Times Book Review correctly diagnoses his condition as thanatophobia—the fear of death. Barnes thinks about death every day and admits that sometimes in the night he is “roared awake” and “pitched from sleep into darkness, panic and a vicious awareness that this is a rented world.” Awake and utterly alone, he finds himself beating his pillow with a fist and wailing, “Oh no Oh No OH NO.”
Julian’s dreams are even darker. Sometimes he is buried alive. Other times he is “chased, surrounded, outnumbered.” He finds himself “held hostage, wrongly condemned to the firing squad, informed that there is even less time” than he thought. “The usual stuff,” he calls it. And perhaps this is the usual stuff, because death is the sum of all our fears—of being alone, of being abandoned, of being condemned. When you wake up in the middle of the night, what are you afraid of?
Things that happen in our world… much of it sometimes makes no sense. We wrestle with it, we day dream about it, many of us lose sleep over it. Some of us over the years have become dulled or desensitized to some of it. Like all of the injustice we see in our world. Have we become jaded because it happens so much it just seems like normal life. Injustice even in the places that are supposed to uphold justice, now that’s just plain evil. The reality is… there is nothing we can do about a lot of it. But what is more than all the injustice is the meaninglessness of death, the mystery of death, the inevitability of death. All of this... and then we die. Wouldn’t it be better if we were never even born. It might seem this way today, but in Christ is it better to be born, because in Christ we are born again. Lets look at this further.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 99–100). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3
I also noticed that under the sun there is evil in the courtroom. Yes, even the courts of law are corrupt! I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.”
I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to people that they are like animals. For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die.
Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.
The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever.
Injustice
Justice
Dust to Dust
Dust to Glory
The first thing we will look at today is the preacher’s observation and discouragement from all the injustice in the justice systems. Then we see that he will find a moment of comfort in knowing that it is in God that we will ultimately find justice in the universe. Third we will uncover a sobering reality about where we will end up when we die…dust to dust. Finally, we will see that though to dust we will return, in Christ, we will go from dust to glory.
Thesis: Though sin and the pattern of this world cause us to despair because of injustice and become hopeless because of the inevitability of death not knowing the outcome , it is in Christ and in Christ alone by the power of the Holy Spirit that we will find meaning and hope by all that he has done for us on the cross and all that we receive by His resurrection…to dust we will return, to glory we will remain forever.
I. Injustice
- Why is the place of justice so unjust?
A. Here in v.13 Solomon sounds like the prophets of old. Amos, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk crying out about the injustices in the land. We all have a deep longing in our hearts for justice. We hear it all day long… hey thats not fair. No fair.
B. What we see here is that unfairness progresses. Unfortunately it goes from the playground all the way to the courtrooms. This is almost intolerable for us all… the place justice is actually unjust? How unfortunate. Qoheleth shows that the place where we are supposed to have justice done, is corrupt.
C. Innocent people are convicted for crimes they never committed. Just as frequently, other people get away with murder.
They have the money to hire better lawyers, or else they hide behind the structure of a large corporation to take advantage of people who are less fortunate.
D. It gets worse. And many times there is nothing that can be done about it.
The frustration is not simply that injustice is done, but that it goes unpunished.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 100). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 100–101). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 100). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books. They have the money to hire better lawyers, or else they hide behind the structure of a large corporation to take advantage of people who are less fortunate.
Martin Luther writes, “he is not complaining because there is wickedness in the place of justice but because the wickedness in the place of justice cannot be corrected.”
E. Consider the true story of “Lana,” a nineteen-year-old Egyptian girl who was raised in a devout Muslim home. Lana had always been taught to despise Christianity, but one day a friend from school invited her to listen to a radio program on which she heard the gospel. Lana began to wonder whether Jesus Christ was truly God or whether he was merely a messenger from God as she had always been told. As she read the Bible, she came to a clear conviction that Jesus is the Christ. Sadly, when Lana began trusting Jesus as her Savior and her Lord, she was attacked by her own family. Her father beat her. Her mother would not allow her to sit with the family at meals. Eventually they declared that Lana was as good as dead to them. But even after they threw her out of the house, they continued to persecute her. She was kidnapped and beaten until she was broken and unconscious.
at the temple (e.g., ). But what the Preacher mostly felt was frustration that he could not bring an end to oppression.
We feel the same frustration today when we learn about the plight of the persecuted church. Consider the true story of “Lana,” a nineteen-year-old Egyptian girl who was raised in a devout Muslim home. Lana had always been taught to despise Christianity, but one day a friend from school invited her to listen to a radio program on which she heard the gospel. Lana began to wonder whether Jesus Christ was truly God or whether he was merely a messenger from God as she had always been told. As she read the Bible, she came to a clear conviction that Jesus is the Christ.
II. Justice
Sadly, when Lana began trusting Jesus as her Savior and her Lord, she was attacked by her own family. Her father beat her. Her mother would not allow her to sit with the family at meals. Eventually they declared that Lana was as good as dead to them. But even after they threw her out of the house, they continued to persecute her. She was kidnapped and beaten until she was broken and unconscious.
Preaching the Word: Ecclesiastes—Why Everything Matters A Time for Justice
Our confidence does not lie in a justice system but in the Chief Justice himself, Jesus Christ.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 101–102). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
- Our confidence does not lie in a justice system but in the Chief Justice himself, Jesus Christ.
Our confidence does not lie in a justice system but in the Chief Justice himself, Jesus Christ.
A. But like all the prophets Solomon came up with an answer to the difficult question of injustice. God.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 103). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
B. So what does that mean? Therefore… rather than simply getting angry and sad about all the oppression we see in the world, we can trust God to make things right in the end. God will make it right for Lana in the end.
C. Now we should know that this does not mean that we should not pursue justice ourselves. Whatever our place in society—the spiritual or civil authority that God has given to us—it is our responsibility to fight against oppression.
Therefore, rather than simply getting angry and sad about all the oppression we see in the world, we can trust God to make things right in the end.
D. Nonetheless, even our best efforts will not bring an end to all oppression.
Still there will be acts of violence against women and children. Our beloved police officers will still get killed in the line of duty. Unfortunately, there will still be corruption in business and government. And foreign powers will still abuse their own people.
This does not mean that there is never a time for us to pursue justice. Depending on our place in society—the spiritual or civil authority that God has given to us—it is our responsibility to fight against oppression. As fathers and mothers, as pastors and elders, as citizens and public officials, we are called to do what is right in the home, in the church, and in society.
Yet, unfortunately, even our very best efforts will not bring an end to all oppression. There will still be violence against women and children. Police officers will still get killed in the line of duty. There will still be structures of corruption in business and government. Foreign powers will still abuse their own people in defiance of world order. But in all the situations that we do not have the power or authority or wisdom to resolve, God will see to it that justice is done.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 102). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
- But in all the situations that we do not have the power or authority or wisdom to resolve, God will see to it that justice is done.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 102). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (pp. 102–103). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
E. But again. Our confidence does not lie in a justice system but in the Chief Justice himself, our Lord Jesus Christ.
“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 103). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
F. Yes… the wicked may seem to be prospering right now but it will come to an end by the might hand of God one day. And the evils of this world will be punished and it will be punished forever.
G. It will all come to an end. So if we are ever wondering about injustice in our land and feeling like we are powerless to do anything about it, we can pray and know that our Lord will bring us justice. Jesus said that when His people cry out to him for justice they will receive it. It may seem like a long time for it, but we should remember Habakkuk and what he said.
This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.
III. Dust to Dust
- Death is the great equalizer.
Death is the great equalizer.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 104). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
A. Some people may still wonder why justice is delayed. Why doesn’t God judge people right away? Why does he wait until the Final Judgment? The Preacher has a good answer, but it does not fix anything.
Some people may still wonder why justice is delayed. Why doesn’t God judge people right away? Why does he wait until the Final Judgment? The Preacher had a good answer to this question as well: “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”
I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.
B. Our present existence is a test, not simply in the sense of something we pass or fail, but also in the sense of something that demonstrates who we are. One of the purposes of life is to examine and to reveal our place in the universe and who we really are before the living God.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 103). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 103). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
C. We know that this test is not for God’s benefit, but for our benefit, so that we learn to recognize our mortality, our humanity, our frailty. We need to see ourselves for what and who we really are.
D. But he is calling us beasts? What Ecclesiastes says is true: men are beasts. In saying this, the Preacher is not commenting on our biology but our destiny. He goes on to further explain.
For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 104). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
E. We are all, people and animals alike… dust in the wind. This is one of the Bible’s strongest statements of the inevitability of death. The Preacher’s point is that people die, just like the animals. Death is the great equalizer. We are reminded of this every time we see a dead animal.
This is one of the Bible’s strongest statements of the inevitability of death. The Preacher’s point is that people die, just like the animals.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 104). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
F. Under the sun it is all bad. Animals are living creatures, just like us. They have been given life and breath by their Creator just like us. But that life will not last forever just like us. The day will come when they breathe their last, just like us. And just like us they will return as dust. Dust in the wind.
Death is the great equalizer. We are reminded of this every time we see a dead animal. Living in the city, I often see corpses when I walk to church—pigeons and other birds, squirrels … even rats occasionally. When we see something like this, do we remember that we too are mortal, or do we look away?
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 104). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Remember that you made me from dust—
will you turn me back to dust so soon?
Animals are living creatures, just like us. Like us, they have been given life and breath by their Creator. But that life will not last forever. The day will come when they breathe their last, just like us. With
My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 104). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
G. So why is this a good answer for all the injustice under the son? By using this language, we see the vanity of the curse of Adam upon us all.
By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return.”
You turn people back to dust, saying,
“Return to dust, you mortals!”
H. Understand the futility of it all under the sun. Meaningless Meaningless Vanity of vanities. The curse of sin had come upon the entire human race. We have nothing to stand on. This is a reminder.
- We might think that we are special and deserving of so much.
- We might think that we are so high above all of the creation in the universe.
- We might think that we are great and deserving of nothing but greatness and celebrate the superiority of mankind over all creation, but under the sun.
But in reality, we are no better off then the animals in the end.
but their fame will not last.
They will die, just like animals.
I. There is certainty in our mortality. There is certainty in our mortality. We are all gonna die someday. Have we spent time thinking about our mortality? Do we think about the fact that we are all going to die someday?
J. There are some of us that do think about death often. Some will simply laugh it away and not take it serious.
- Woody Allen said, “I’m not afraid to die; I just don’t want to be there when it happens!”
“I’m not afraid to die; I just don’t want to be there when it happens!”
K. Some are terrified of death like Julian Barnes who we talked about earlier. And the terror of death continues even in the mind of the wisest man who ever lived that its all once again meaningless.
Sommerset Maugham said, “If one puts aside the existence of God and the survival after life as too doubtful … one has to make up one’s mind as to the use of life. If death ends all, if I have neither to hope for good nor to fear evil, I must ask myself what I am here for, and how in these circumstances I must conduct myself. Now the answer is plain, but so unpalatable that most will not face it. There is no meaning for life and [thus] life has no meaning.”
If one puts aside the existence of God and the survival after life as too doubtful … one has to make up one’s mind as to the use of life. If death ends all, if I have neither to hope for good nor to fear evil, I must ask myself what I am here for, and how in these circumstances I must conduct myself. Now the answer is plain, but so unpalatable that most will not face it. There is no meaning for life and [thus] life has no meaning.
L. Meaningless, meaningless, it’s all meaningless. It almost seemed as if the Final Judgment would solve the problem of injustice. The answer to his problem turned out to be another problem! As he reflected further on the delay of divine justice under the sun and started thinking about the implications of his own mortality, he ended up right back where he started: vanity of vanities!
Meaningless, meaningless, it’s all meaningless. For a moment it seemed as if the Final Judgment would solve the problem of injustice. But whatever relief the Preacher felt was only temporary. The answer to his problem turned out to be another problem! As he reflected further on the delay of divine justice and started thinking about the implications of his own mortality, he ended up right back where he started: vanity of vanities!
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 105). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 105). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
M. Qoheleth knew there was one thing that could make a difference in the face of death, however. Even if it is true that our bodies will return to the dust, maybe our souls will live forever. If they do, then this would clearly distinguish man from beast. It would also give the Preacher some reassurance that oppressors will come to justice. It all depends on whether or not there is life after death. If there isn’t, then there is no way out of despair; but if there is, then everything may still come out right in the end.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 105). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
N. For the moment, the Preacher is not entirely sure about the life to come. In fact, he seems downright uncertain: v. 21 … Who knows? Obviously the Preacher had heard the conventional wisdom that when animals die, they just die, but when people die, their spirits rise to Heaven. Yet Qoheleth was starting to have his doubts. So he asked the agnostic questions: Who knows? Can we really be sure? How can we know for certain that after we die we will go to Heaven and live with God?
O. These are the most fundamental questions that we can ask about our destiny. We know that one day the time will come for us to die. The question is, will we live again? Knowing what will happen when we die would help us understand how to live. Yet the Preacher was struggling to find certainty.
For the moment, the Preacher is not entirely sure about the life to come. In fact, he seems downright uncertain: “Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?” (). Obviously the Preacher had heard the conventional wisdom that when animals die, they just die, but when people die, their spirits rise to Heaven. Although some scholars still doubt whether people in Old Testament times believed in life after death, it is clear from this and many other verses that they generally did. Yet Qoheleth was starting to have his doubts. So he asked the agnostic questions: Who knows? Can we really be sure? How can we know for certain that after we die we will go to Heaven and live with God?
These are the most fundamental questions that we can ask about our destiny. We know that one day the time will come for us to die. The question is, will we live again? Knowing what will happen when we die would help us understand how to live. Yet the Preacher was struggling to find certainty.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 105). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 105). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
P. Oh well then maybe I should just throw myself back into work. If we are facing an uncertain future, perhaps the best thing that we can do right now is to be productive. Unfortunately, the logic continues. Unless we have the assurance of eternal life, however, finding joy in our everyday work will never give us lasting satisfaction here under the sun.
If we are facing an uncertain future, perhaps the best thing that we can do right now is to be productive.
Unless we have the assurance of eternal life, however, finding joy in our everyday work will never give us lasting satisfaction.
Q. So now the preacher, in chapter 4, continues down the road of despair. He continues with the injustice and the oppression that he sees under the sun. And his conclusion? He now envies the unborn and the dead.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.
R. Even Jeremiah came to this kind of conclusion.
Jeremiah
Yet I curse the day I was born!
May no one celebrate the day of my birth.
Why was I ever born?
My entire life has been filled
with trouble, sorrow, and shame.
S. Have you ever wished that you had never been born, or else wanted your life to end so that all your troubles would be over?
T. This is happening all over the world. Each year approximately 45,000 people commit suicide. It is 123 suicides everyday. 7 out of 10 suicides were white middle aged men. What about attempted? In 2015, over half a million people were treated in the hospital for self harm. As of 2016, Colorado was the 10th highest in the united states. 1 person dies by suicide every 8 hours in Colorado. 5 times as many people die by suicide in Colorado annually than by homicide. Suicide is the 7th leading cause of death in Colorado.
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
U. Given all of the depressing things that happen in this depraved world, maybe we are better off never having lived at all. We are being warned here about chasing things in this world. Finding meaning in the things that lie under the sun. Look at all the injustice. It is better to not have lived at all. This is why we will not find happiness and fulfillment in all that is under the sun. If all we have is this life under the sun and all that it gives and promises, then yes… like many philosophers like Albert Camus who did say that the logical conclusion to this life is suicide.
V. Solomon is saying something very similar here. If all there is is what we have here under the sun, then there is no point in living. I hope we are seeing the real problem here. Suicide is the 10th highest cause of death in the United States. Many people believe that in this world we are better off dead.
Given all of the depressing things that happen in this depraved world, maybe we are better off never having lived at all.
IV. Dust to Glory
Ryken, P. G. (2010). Ecclesiastes: Why everything matters (p. 106). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
- Not just born, but born again.
A. As we look at the flow of Solomon’s journey, it seems hopeless. If we are trying to find our happiness with what the world gives and promises then we will not have hope and aimlessly float like dust in the wind through life. What do we profit from life under the sun. Nothing and with all the evil and injustice out there it would have been better if we have never been born.
B. Here is the huge biblical warning for us today. Stop chasing the things of this world. Stop following the pattern fo this world. Stop accepting the philosophies of this world. Stop listening to this world. Stop believing the pattern of this world. Stop trusting this world. Everything under the sun is meaningless. We will be better off dead.
C. But everything under the Son of God is not just meaningful but it is life and life more abundant. Everything under the sun is meaningless, but everything under the Son is everything. It is sin that causes us to find hope in the creation instead of the Creator. It is sin that causes us to find life in the dust of the earth instead of the water of life. It is sin that causes us to find happiness in the arms of fleeting mist and vapor instead of the solid rock by which we should stand.
D. Here is the good news. The good news that Solomon knew. Meaning can only be found in God. It can only be found in Christ. And Christ came to bring us life and life more abundant. The world will bring failure, Christ brings forgiveness. The world brings despair, Christ bring deliverence. The world brings injustice, Christ brings justice. The world brings horror, Christ brings hope. The world brings sadness, Christ brings salvation.
E. We need not be lost in sin. Not anymore. Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost. The saying is trust worthy and deserving of full acceptance… Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures…
F. There is hope for us today. But it is not found under the sun, but found under the Son of God. When you are in Christ it is better to be born… because in Christ we are born again. When you are in Christ then it is better to live that is why we will all live again.
G. And now we do not need to wonder whether we will live after we die anymore.
And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News.
H. This is why I am certain we will go to heaven. He has gone to prepare a place for us. So that where He is there we can be also.
I. Everyone here will go from dust to dust. But all of us who are in Christ will rise again from dust to glory. That is hope for us today. We do not need to despair. No more injustice, no more confusion, no more death, no more dust in the wind.
Revelation 21:
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”