Ecclesiastes 6:1-6 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: ² a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. ³ If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. ⁴ For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. ⁵ Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. ⁶ Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place?

,The “preacher” brings us into this view of life of having everything but having nothing. Have you ever met a person who had seemingly everything a person could want? They have a big house, nice cars, go to extravagant places, and eat expensive food. They never seem to want for anything. Their life from the outside looks desirable to others but they are lacking sorely. They don’t have any good relationships with the people around them. The “preacher” is showing us that it is awful to live life without ‘real relationship’ in our lives.

What is the point of having a hundred children, if you’re not going to share your life with them. If God gives you the ability to get wealth, possessions, and honor but your own kids don’t even mourn your death what kind of life is that? Ultimately it will be pointless if we’ve ‘lived our dream life’ on earth and it was lived without faith in Jesus.

Ecclesiastes 6: 7-12 All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.⁸ For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? ⁹ Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.¹⁰ Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. ¹¹ The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? ¹² For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

The “preacher” takes us back to the basics. Whether we are wise or foolish – we still got to eat? Every man has to work for his food and yet even when his stomach is full, his souls may still be empty. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Hard work without faith in Christ leaves us empty and soul hungry.

Our view of God and how He functions life at times to us can feel as though we have no say. He is sovereign and His way goes but this view is missing an element that only God is Christ Jesus has given us – relationship! When we are in relationship with the Father through the Son, Jesus, we learn to trust that He has our best interest at heart. We stop fighting Him, shaking our fist at Him, when we think we know what is best for our lives. Life and it’s end is uncertain and scary without the security of adoption into the family of God through Jesus the Son.

Before the gospel, which brought the light and immortality to man, the unknown of what happened after death just felt like vanity and striving after the wind.

Starla