Oppression and Evilness under the Sun (Ecc 4:1-3)

OPPRESSION AND EVILNESS UNDER THE SUN (Ecc 4:1-3):

After looking at the vanity of the things around him and the time for everything that God has scheduled, the author of the book of Ecclesiastes looks at the oppression that is done under the sun. The author says that the tears of the oppressed were tremendous and they have no one to comfort them. The kind of oppression is not mentioned very clearly, but the oppression could be exploitation or evilness that is done by the stronger one to the weaker one. The oppression is very strong that the oppressed people have filled their eyes that are full of tears. Another difficult part that the author quotes is, the oppressed people don’t have someone to encourage, care, and thereby comfort them. The author also sees the other side, which is the oppressors. On the side of the oppressors, there was power and they are very proud of it. The oppressors use their power to show themselves high and oppress the weak people for their own selfishness with exploitation, by making use of weak people’s ignorance and inability. The author does say that even the oppressors don’t have anyone to comfort them. The oppressors use their power neither for their joy which arises out of goodness, love, and peace and nor for the joy of the people associated with them. The author perceives that there is no one way to guide and correct them by showing the right path and the oppression is continued to the oppressed which makes their life more bitter with detriment.

The oppression and the status of the oppressed are very spiteful in the sight of the author and it makes him think that the dead who are already dead are more fortunate than the living who are still alive. There is an unusual statement that the author makes by saying dead, are already dead. Because of the oppression, people have lost all their hope for life and they are merely dead. And the author says that living who are still alive as they are the people who haven’t undergone any oppression and still have their hope. The intensity of the oppression grows more weirdly that makes the author say that the dead in emotions, intellect, and physique are already dead, and they are more fortunate than the living who are still alive.

Also, the author reflects furthermore about the evilness of oppression that destroys the lives of many people. Thereby he concludes that the people who are not yet been and who have not seen the evil deeds are better than the dead who are already dead and living who are still alive. The atrocities and exploitation are vigorous in the sight of the author, so he sees that people who don’t come into the face of the earth and see the evil deeds that are done under the sun are better.

Stimulations for Self-Reflection:

1.    What does the author see under the sun?

2.    What is the status of the oppressed?

3.    Why the oppressed are tearful?

4.    What is the status of the oppressor?

5.    What do you mean by author’s words ‘they had no one to comfort them’?

6.    Who is more fortunate than whom? Why?

7.    Who is better than dead who are already dead and living who are still alive? Why?

8.    How we could tolerate the oppression?

9.    How we could support the oppressed?

10. How we could correct the oppressor?