Ecclesiastes 06 (Contemporary English Version)
- There is something else terribly unfair, and it troubles everyone on earth.
- God may give you everything you want--money, property, and wealth. Then God doesn't let you enjoy it, and someone you don't even know gets it all. That's senseless and terribly unfair!
- You may live a long time and have a hundred children. But a child born dead is better off than you, unless you enjoy life and have a decent burial.
- That child will never live to see the sun or to have a name, and it will go straight to the world of darkness. But it will still find more rest than you,
- (SEE 6:4)
- even if you live two thousand years and don't enjoy life. As you know, we all end up in the same place.
- We struggle just to have enough to eat, but we are never satisfied.
- We may be sensible, yet we are no better off than a fool. And if we are poor, it still doesn't do us any good to try to live right.
- It's better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense than chasing the wind.
- Everything that happens was decided long ago. We humans know what we are like, and we can't argue with God, because he is too strong for us.
- The more we talk, the less sense we make, so what good does it do to talk?
- Life is short and meaningless, and it fades away like a shadow. Who knows what is best for us? Who knows what will happen after we are gone?
Solomon's thought at the conclusion of chapter 5 was that man's reward in life is to enjoy the fruit of his labor. Earlier in the chapter he discussed things that could keep man from enjoying this fruit which he should try to avoid, contenting himself to this simple enjoyment of what he has. This thought is continued as we move into chapter 6 and Solomon speaks of the tragedy of a man not being able to enjoy the fruit of his labor. And the irony, in many instances, is that a person may have abundant wealth, great honor, and lack nothing he would like to have, yet they do not enjoy what they have. Even if they had many children and lived a long life they still do not enjoy the fruit of their labor. Why? He is not satisfied with the good things he has. Is this really surprising? When has man ever found real satisfaction in life due to his accumulation of things?
How tragic is this occurrence? Solomon likens it to a stillborn child. In fact he says the stillborn is better off. It comes in futility, never sees the light of day, and is never conscious, but at least it has more rest than the one who has not enjoyed the fruit of his labor. Is the futility of this stillborn any greater than living a long life yet not enjoying it? But it is not as if man does not have a choice in the matter. He does have a choice. What makes the lack of enjoyment in life an even greater tragedy is that the person does have a choice and does not use his option of being satisfied with what he has and enjoying life.
Man's appetite is never satisfied and his lack of enjoyment in life comes, at least in part, from trying to satisfy an appetite that won't be satisfied. Thus, Solomon's conclusion is to be satisfied with what one has. All of us are susceptible to this pursuit of more, including the wise, the poor, the fool, and the rich. The wise may know better how to get along in the world than a fool, but in this respect he is no different unless he allows his wisdom to inform of this truth. Solomon says, "Better what the eyes see than wandering desire." Better to enjoy what we have than to be coveting what we don't have. Constantly longing for more is futile, a meaningless "pursuit of the wind."
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