In v.15 Solomon points us to God’s Sovereignty. In vv.16-17 that God is the Righteous Judge. Then in vv.18-22 that Man’s Portion is his Work. **God is Sovereign, v.15**. “The treadmill of life and death that he previously described as ‘vanity’ has now, with the recognition of God’s sovereignty, become a secure environment in which he can gladly experience the hand of God at work.” (Jim Winter) William MacDonald gives a good understanding to that last phrase: “God requireth that which is past. He brings back again what is past and thus history repeats itself.” Sproul calls it the theme of eternal recurrence — “This idea maintains that in infinite time, there are periodic cycles in which all that has been is repeated over again. The drama of human life is a play with one encore after another.” “…whatever happens now has happened before; it is the same old, same old over and over again. Thus the book is helping us make progress in understanding the universe. The things that are outside our control should not cause us to despair but to hope in God, who is sovereign over everything that happens.By his grace he will recover and restore what seems, from our vantage point, to be lost forever.” (Ryken) **God is the Righteous Judge, v.16-17.** Solomon looks to the place where justice and righteousness should be—the courts—and instead sees wickedness. (16) As we read the Bible, we quickly discover that this is a conflict in which God chooses sides. (17) v.18 - we are beasts! v.19-20 - we all just die in the end. Here is his point: We want justice and we want things to be set right, but what about our part in this injustice? That is our problem. God cannot hold evil and injustice accountable without holding us accountable for our part in it. The problem is that we don’t recognize our own unjust acts. When someone wrongs us—we want justice. We want justice for others and mercy for ourselves. Warren Wiersbe and William MacDonald offer helpful perspective on these verses which are often misused: MacDonald writes, “Notice that he introduces his views with the words, “I said in my heart.” It is not a question of what God revealed to him but of what he concluded in his own mind. It is his own reasoning under the sun. Therefore, this is not a passage from which we can build an adequate doctrine of death and the hereafter.” Wiersbe said, "We must be careful not to misinterpret verses 19–20 and draw the erroneous conclusion that there is no difference between men and animals. Solomon merely pointed out that men and beasts have two things in common: they both die and their bodies return to the dust (Gen. 2:7; 3:19). Being made in the image of God, man has a definite advantage over animals as far as life is concerned; but when it comes to the fact of death, man has no special advantage: he too turns to dust. Of course, people who are saved through faith in Christ will one day be resurrected to have glorified bodies suitable for the new heavenly home.” **In vv.21-22 Solomon concludes 2 things:** 1. First, who knows for sure what happens after this life? (21) 2. Then, who can bring us to see what will happen in the future? (22) What then is Man’s Portion? There is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works. He “again commends finding joy and satisfaction in life where and when one can.” (Sproul) From what he knew about death, and also from what he didn’t know: Solomon figures that the best thing a man can do is enjoy his daily activities. That, after all, is his lot in life, and he might as well cooperate with the inevitable. He should find satisfaction in accepting what cannot be changed. But above all, he should enjoy life as it comes to him, because no one can tell him what will happen on earth after he has passed on. (MacDonald) “We can’t explain life, but we must experience life, either enduring it or enjoying it.” (Wiersbe) While never satisfied with ourselves, we are to always be satisfied with what God gives to us in this life.