Ecclesiastes 3:18 (ESV)

18 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.

When you see the injustice even in the courts, it is terrible, but it is not good to blame God for this. The cause of injustice on this earth does not lie with God. The blame for this lies with the people. We cannot rely on people for a perfect and just world.

The translation of the first part of Ecclesiastes 3:18 is difficult. We therefore come across quite different translations. Below are some examples of those translations:

ASV: “I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.

ESV: 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.

GNT: I decided that God is testing us, to show us that we are no better than animals.

MSG: “I said to myself regarding the human race, God’s testing the lot of us, showing us up as nothing but animals.

The Dutch NBV-21 translates: I told myself that God has favoured people: they realize that they are like animals.

The word favoured in the NBV-21 is rather unfortunate. The point is that when we as people see injustice, we are not able to change it forever. We will have to be sober in this matter. Through our own fault, by choosing to sin, we often do not rise above the level of the animals. That is what God shows us here!

We as humans cannot build the perfect world. The ideal world will not come about because of us. The injustice that we experience and learn to see should lead us to ask, Whom do I trust; on whom can I rely in this situation? If we do not look beyond this world, we will become disheartened. Then things will never work out.