Ecclesiastes 6:1-6 says,...Bible reading, week 5, day 3

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 6:1-6, which read,

v.1, 2 - There is an evil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent among men--a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them.  This is vanity and a severe affliction.

Solomon continues his conversation about wealth.  He introduces an evil that is prevalent among us.  We have a person who has received much from God.  God has put us in a place to have riches, obtain wealth and gain honorable admiration from others.  These things, riches, wealth, and honor are very satisfying and we use them to fulfill our desires.  We fall head long into the consumerism mentality as bringing last fulfillment to our lives.  

Something happens to this one who has been given so much at it is that God takes it away.  He or she is not empowered to eat from them.  What they once had has now transferred over to another and it is someone who the original owner probably doesn't know or have a relationship with, a foreigner.  Solomon calls this process of having and not having as vanity and not only a prevalent problem but a severe affliction on our lives.

How do we view what we have?  Does it have a hold on us that if we lost it we would be in such despair that we would give up on life or give up on God?

v.3-6 - If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he, for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity.  It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; it is better off than he.  Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not enjoy good things--do not all go to one place?"

We have a man who has been very successful with fathering many children.  He has also been very successful at living a long time.  He has the opportunity of imparting himself onto his children and has had a long time to do this influencing.  But the man lives a life of being unsatisfied with the things God has given him and these are called "good things" in this passage.  He is continuing looking at the things around him as not good enough and therefore ignoring those who will live beyond him, the hundred children, and the length of life to make an impact on them.  Because relationships were neglected for the pursuit of "better things" then when he dies a funeral is neglected by the 100 children.  This is a sad scene and I have conducted a few funerals where the attendance was below 5.  Many times these are people I don't know but you wonder what happened and if these could be the case.

There is a cross reference to this kind of funeral for King Jehoiakim in Jeremiah 22:18, 19.  It reads,

Therefore thus say the LORD in regard to Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, "They will not lament for him:  'Alas, my brother!' or, 'Alas, sister!'  They will not lament for him:  'Alas for the master!' or, 'Alas for his splendor!'  He will be buried with a donkey's burial, dragged off and thrown out beyond the gates of Jerusalem."

Maybe even the donkey would have a better burial because if he was a good one, faithful and sturdy, his master would shed some tears over losing this resource that he has relied on.  Solomon then gives us a hyperbole which is an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally when he brings up one in the womb who doesn't make it to term.  

This person's life is ended before seeing the light of day.  The man with 100 children, long life, and obsessed all of his life on trying to get "better things" is in a worse state than the one who has no children, a very short life, and no obsession with things good or bad.  Even if you increase the years of life from 100 to 2000 but he still lives the same way and not appreciating what God has given to him and those around him to love it makes no difference.  The end is the same.  No addition of years makes up for gratitude for what you have.  The miscarried child, though short of life, dies and the man with the very long life dies.  What good are all those years if no one comes to the funeral.  He is no better off or actually worse off than the miscarried child that probably has parents who are deeply grieved over this one that they didn't get to meet.

The rich man striving for something better and neglecting gratitude to God for his good things, many children and long life is to be pitied as rich in wealth but very poor in what really matters that Solomon is searching for.  Do you have good things from God?  Do you see who He has put around you to love?  What are you doing with your years given you that could be taken away in a moment?  Let us pray.

"Lord, what sobering thoughts Solomon brings our way today.  How many times have we gotten caught up in seeking the "better" things when we around have good things from You.  How many times have we neglected those to love for many years that we have been allowed to live.  May we see what is important today and seize the moment to make an impact for You because You have given us the opportunity to do so.  Amen."

Pastor Adam