“I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 3:18–19

We live in a world that celebrates intelligence and independence, yet somehow grows more foolish by the day. The prevailing message from our culture—from classrooms to podcast guru’s—is that humanity is little more than an evolved animal, a collection of atoms driven by instinct and chemistry. The so-called “enlightened” claim that the first step to wisdom is realizing we’re no different than the beasts, except that we can manipulate our vocal cords. And Solomon, centuries earlier, would nod and say, “Exactly… that’s what happens when we leave God out of the equation.”

When he wrote that God “tests” mankind so they might see they are but beasts, he didn’t mean we’re equal to the animals—he meant we’re blind. God allows us to taste our limits. He lets us see our frailty in the mirror of mortality. But instead of humbling us, it often drives us to madness. We double down on our arrogance, building towers of knowledge and self-reliance, pretending that technology or medicine or money will insulate us from the dust. It’s insanity to know we will die and still live as if we won’t.

Every hospital room preaches this sermon. Every grave whispers the same truth: you are not in control. But this is mercy, not cruelty. God’s test isn’t to shame us—it’s to save us from our insane illusion. Only when we admit our smallness do we begin to understand His greatness.

And then comes the gospel’s gentle shock: the One who created us from dust became dust Himself. Jesus entered our weakness, breathed our breath, and died our death—not to confirm our insignificance, but to restore our image. The insanity of human arrogance is healed by the humility of God.

Reflection Questions

Where are you most tempted to live as though you’re in control of life’s outcomes?

How could remembering your dependence on God bring freedom instead of fear this week?

Jimmy Carter

Groups and Cares Pastor