APR 27

Ecclesiastes 3:16-18
Memorise Ecclesiastes 3:17
“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked…”

So after considering the futility of man’s life, especially in light of God’s sovereign works, Solomon will now shift his attention back to the subject of death, and then move on to life after death. He looks first at the courts of man and again sees the futility of it, for how can sinful man judge one another (Ecclesiastes 3:16)? He saw a great injustice in the affairs of men - wickedness was found in the place where judgment ought to be executed fairly; sin in a place where righteousness ought to be. He will elaborate more on these injustices and wicked acts of man in Chapter 4.

In comparison to the corrupt human judges, he then mentions God the divine judge who will one day judge both the righteous and the wicked (Ecclesiastes 3:17). There will certainly be a time set aside for this great event one day, where every purpose and every work will come under the divine spotlight of God’s judgment. He will rectify all the injustices that He sees in the works of man. All that man does here under the sun, he must one day account for before God Almighty. God will then bring to light all the wicked works of men, that they might see and realise that they are no different from beasts in the carnal sins that they have committed.

For the unbeliever, this is a terrifying prospect – to know that one day, all his works will be made known and will have to come under the searchlight of God’s holiness. God, in all His perfection, is one who is too holy to even behold sin! He will certainly judge the wicked. On the other hand, for the believer, for one who has been saved and cleansed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the promise of God’s judgment is one of comfort and assurance. He knows that it is not his own sinful works that will come under judgment because we have the imputed righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ with us. It is also a comfort to know that whilst there may seem to be many injustices and unfairness in this present world, God will make it right one day. God is not unaware of the affairs of man, and He will take action in time to come.

For us, we must be certain that on that day of reckoning, we will be judged as one who is righteous, and not wicked.

Thought: Is the thought of God’s judgment one that brings fear or joy?
Prayer: Lord, may I always look forward to the soon coming return of our Lord Jesus Christ!