Ecclesiastes 4:1-3

Ecclesiastes 4:1-3​
Christian Standard Bible
4 Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them. 2 So I commended the dead, who have already died, more than the living, who are still alive. 3 But better than either of them is the one who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

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This passage goes with the passage from yesterday with "The Mystery of Injustice and Death."  Solomon further reflects on the oppression that he saw around him (including from the people that are supposed to be the people of God).  He looks at those who are oppressed who are crying for justice, much like the children of Israel did when they were in slavery in Egypt.  Will not the LORD also hear the cries of these victims and judge the wickedness done against them even if it has been done by the hands of "His people"?  The prophets will have much to say about this later.

The rich and powerful are often the oppressors of the poor and powerless.  Those who are oppressed feel they have no one to turn to, no one to comfort them, and no one to help them--especially if they have this "under the sun" worldview and don't believe in God.  With this "under the sun" worldview, it seems like the dead who are in the grave would no longer be subject to this pain and suffering, especially if they simply cease to exist.  It would seem preferable in many ways to end this cycle of pain and suffering if (and that is a big if) there is no afterlife.  Again, Solomon is carrying this worldview to its logical conclusion to test it--he is not saying that this is true or worth believing.  Solomon says it is better yet to have never been born and never know this suffering at all, for the dead at least had to endure it before theoretically being at peace and having rest (there is no peace or rest for the wicked though who will endure eternal torture, torment, and punishment for their rebellion against God and their refusal to accept His plan of salvation for them).

These are hard things that Solomon is saying, but it is a logical viewpoint for someone who is starting from the Atheistic worldview that says there is no God, no heaven, and no hell.  There is just "under the sun," while that lasts.  If we truly believed like that and there was all this inexplicable pain and suffering, why would we want to bring children into this world if there was no hope of a better life or an eternal life with God?  Many in the world feel this way, and it is why they refuse to get married and have children.  They live in the moment for themselves to make their short lives as pleasing as possible and they look forward to retirement when they believe their toil from work will end, but by that point in their lives, their bodies are breaking down, and they have little time left to enjoy things.  The older they get, the more they look forward to death when they will no longer deal with the problems of the world and pain and suffering of a broken-down body.  If they believe in God, they have hope for a resurrection and eternal life, but even the wicked think they will have relief when they die.  Little do they know that the suffering they experienced here will pale in comparison for what is in store for them.  This is just one of the many lies that Satan tells the world so that they will suffer the same fate as him and the angels that rebelled with him.