Ecclesiastes 6:7-12 says,...Bible reading, week 5, day 5

Today's verses are Ecclesiastes 6:7-12, which read,

v.7-9 - All a man's labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied.  For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool?  What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living?  What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires.  This too is futility and a striving after wind.

When our focus in on ourselves then this is the conclusion we come to.  We labor to be satisfied with the pleasures of this world but they don't fully satisfy us.  We are consumed with consuming but with finite things the world offers and our deep soul hunger remains.  The wise man and the fool man in a physical sense are no different with the final outcome of how they are living.  The wise man might have more and have some morals to back it up but if it is based on anything other than God, it ends with his life just like the fool man who might have less and loose morals but is found in the same grave apart from God.

I like the phrase, "What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires."  This describes our culture.  We are obsessed with what we see.  We are driven by what is before our eyes.  We settled for it rather than going for what the soul longs for.  We even call it better than what God has to offer with His eternal desire for our souls.  We go with what we see rather than what we don't see but we know from God's Word.  Here are a couple question to ponder.  "What is really driving what I do; how I live my life?  Is it the sight of the immediate or the sight of the eternal?"

v.10-12 - Whatever exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he cannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is.  For there are many words which increases futility.  What then is the advantage to a man?  For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life?  He will spend them like a shadow.  For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?

Solomon is realizing that there is a big difference between man and God.  God cannot be disputed with.  God has existed, exists, and will exist after man is gone.  God is stronger than man.  Man has a plan but God has the final official stamped blue prints of life.  Man speaks a lot of words but God's words will last forever.  

Solomon then does what I do a lot of times, he asks a lot of questions.  Is there an advantage to the human race?  Is there someone who can set what is good and bad for the human race for the years that we live?  Is there someone who spans beyond the grave so he can give an authoritative answer to life after death?  Who is the someone?  Does this someone exist?  You want to scream at Solomon the answer to his questions but he is giving us reality that we all have walked through until we knew of the Savior, the One who is the Someone who cares for our souls with something different than what our eyes see.  Let us pray.

"Lord, may we be driven by what You have put into our souls rather than what our eyes see today of the world's offerings.  May we say and live that what You have is better and because You are You we have Someone who knows what is good for us during our days and can tell us what is to come.  Amen."

Pastor Adam