Turn to Ecclesiastes

Today in class after Prof. read the end of Ecclesiastes and I noticed how short the book was I decided I would read it. Initially I was confused about who was talking and checking back to the end of Proverbs did not help but, on I read. One common theme, among, others I noticed right away was the mention at the beginning, end, and middle of almost every book was the phrase, "under the sun" I wonder still why this particular group of words was selected to preface many of the prophetic statements that filled the book. Perhaps it was used to communicate a kind of oneness and objectivity with which the views of this book should be applied. In any case I found the tone and phrasing of the words in this book to be enjoyable. I was interested to see how these views either conflicted or melded with some of my own values. Overall the one theme I liked to see discussed was the labor of men and how we should feel about it and what others after us will do with the fruits of our labor. In the second chapter the speaker says, "Yea, I hated my labor which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me." This I found puzzling for two reasons, one- that the man hates his labor because he does not like the fact that he has to leave it for someone after him, I wonder why this hatred for hard work in the light of the inevitable mortality of men. And two- that he does not want this labor to go to the man after him, I think that if anything one who works hard today should be glad others can benefit and the generation after them can do the same. Another interesting theme I saw in this book was the mention of science in relation to the human existence. "As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all." I find this equation of the lack of knowledge regarding God's plan and science to be perplexing. It seems to throw the complexities of something that we know well today, science, and something we still have no concrete grasp on, religion, under the bus, to be left alone without inquiry. But why? Is there some kind of element of deception going on, do they not want us to discover more about nature and evolution. I can see that when one embraces science they distance themselves from God. But do the two have to be mutually exclusive, I do not think so, for if we are to look at this Bible as a book of stories and morals them they can, and maybe it's just me but that makes great sense.