ECCLESIASTES 9.1-2

1. For all this I laid to my heart [reflected on], even to explore [conclude] all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knows it not; all is before them [anything awaits him].

2. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him that sacrifices and to him that sacrifices not; as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that swears, as he that fears an oath.

In this section, Solomon seems to be correcting several superstitious notions of how the world and God himself operates, including the false concepts of fate and karma.

It is an unfortunate reality of life, for example, that the righteous suffer along with the bad, the wise along with the foolish – and perhaps Paul has this section of Ecclesiastes in mind when he tells committed Christians, Quote: “We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the redemption of the body that means our full sonship” (Romans 8:22-23).

All things come alike to all men, says Solomon, even to the righteous, and the wise – those individuals whose lives are in the hand of God, under his control. What this means is that we all live in the same physical world, and that “fate” does not select out certain ones to be confident winners and others to be helpless losers. Perhaps Jesus is also referring to this section when he says of the way God treats people, Quote: “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the un-righteous” (Matthew 5:45).

Perhaps Paul has this section of Ecclesiastes in mind when he tells Christians, Quote: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13).

All men can, of course, pray for God’s help in coping with the world, if they so choose, as Jesus in fact demonstrated by living the kind of life that Adam and Eve every human being since should have lived – namely, one of walking in faith with God, a faith that enabled him to even calm a storm, heal the sick, and walk away through a hostile lynch mob. To him that believes, says Jesus, all things are possible.

The fact that someone may be experiencing serious problems, Solomon is saying, tells us nothing about their standing with God – and, contrary to a widely held belief, neither is a physical affliction or disability a penalty imposed on them by God for having done bad things in some previous existence. The concepts of karma and reincarnation are totally un-scriptural.

Perhaps Jesus has this passage of Ecclesiastes in mind when he dismisses such superstitious notions in the following episode: Quote: “Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish” (Luke 13:1-3).

All people have to cope with the realities and vagaries of human existence – and all are born with minds that can learn, with creative ability, imagination and talents that can be developed and put to good use -- with 24 hours in each day to do so. Different people, however, make different choices, exploit or ignore opportunity, learn or stagnate, exercise self-discipline or live lives of dissolution, become proactive or passive, allow themselves to be optimistic or pessimistic in outlook.