Scripture:

Ecclesiastes 3:18-22
18 I said to myself concerning the sons of men, "God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts."
19 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.
20 All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.
21 Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?
22 I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?
NASU


Thoughts:

These cynical and faithless lines could appear in a modern philosophy book.  They are in line with the godless naturalism and evolutionary beliefs of many, today.  Yet even in this, Solomon at least acknowledges God (verse 18).

As Solomon continues his reasoning through the meaning of life in this book, this will not be his final conclusion.  As he will find, we are not merely beasts.  God has formed us in His image,

Genesis 1:26-27
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
NASU