ECCLESIASTES 6
Great wealth without enjoyment verse 1- 2
There is an EVIL which I have seen under the sun
AND it is common among men
a man to whom God hath given riches
wealth – honor
so that he wants nothing
for his soul of all he desires
YET God gives him not power to eat thereof
BUT a stranger eats it this is VANITY
and it is an EVIL disease
Life without contentment verse 3- 6
If a man beget an hundred children – and live many years
SO THAT the days of his years be many
AND his soul be not filled with good
AND also that he have no burial
I say – that an untimely birth is better than he
For he comes in with VANITY – AND departs in darkness
AND his name shall be covered with darkness
MOREOVER he has not seen the sun
NOR known any thing
this has more rest than the other
YEA – though he live a thousand years twice told
YET has he seen no good
do not all go to one place?
Dreaming without fulfillment verse 7- 9
All the labor of man is for his mouth
and yet the appetite is not filled
For what has the WISE more than the fool?
what has the poor that knows
to walk before the living?
Better is the sight of the eyes
than the wandering of the desire
THIS is also VANITY and VEXATION of spirit
Intellect without knowledge verse 10- 12
That which has been is named already
AND it is known that it is man
NEITHER may he contend with him
that is mightier than he
Seeing there be many things that increase VANITY
What is man the better?
For who knows what is good for man in this life
all the days of his VAIN life
which he spends as a shadow?
for who can tell a man what shall be
after him under the sun?
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1, 2 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: a man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honor, so that he wants nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him not power to eat thereof, bout a stranger eats it: this is vanity and it is an evil disease. (7451 “evil” [ra‘] means misfortune, adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, trouble, disagreeable, malignant, or wicked.
DEVOTION: This word is used twenty-two times in this book. There are misfortunes in life according to Solomon.
There are a group of individuals who think that all there is to life is the accumulation of wealth and other things. The LORD allows people to think this way and HE allows them to accumulate riches, wealth and honor but there is another problem that they face. They are so busy accumulating these things that they forget to enjoy them or eat of them.
All of their wealth will be given to someone else when they die. It seems that Solomon thinks that they are so busy accumulating that they don’t get married and have a family. So their business partners or a distant relative inherits their entire estate and spends it a way that would displease the one who accumulating all of these things.
So the conclusion of the matter is that if you are living to accumulate things it is just like chasing the wind. It is emptiness. It is a waste of time. What would be better is that those who live accumulate enough to enjoy and leave the rest to those who will not honor God with their substance. Solomon considers this outcome to be an evil disease that affects many human beings.
Solomon wants us to realize that we need to focus on the LORD. Only what is done for HIM will survive. The common problem with all human beings is that they are trying to make a name for themselves here on earth. They think that their name will go down in history and that will make them important.
We have a responsibility to stop chasing the wind and concentrate on the LORD. Are we concentrating on the LORD or on our money or other things? Is family more important than the LORD? Is our work more important than the LORD? Only we can decide the answer to these questions. Solomon wants us to answer the questions honestly. He did with this book.
CHALLENGE: Priorities are important in our life. We need to regularly evaluate what we are doing and why we are doing it. Keep the right priorities. Life is short!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
:3 “If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
Soul – 5315 נֶפֶשׁ [nephesh /neh·fesh/] n f. From 5314; TWOT 1395a; GK 5883; 753 occurrences; AV translates as “soul” 475 times, “life” 117 times, “person” 29 times, “mind” 15 times, “heart” 15 times, “creature” nine times, “body” eight times, “himself” eight times, “yourselves” six times, “dead” five times, “will” four times, “desire” four times, “man” three times, “themselves” three times, “any” three times, “appetite” twice, and translated miscellaneously 47 times. 1 soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion. 1A that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man. 1B living being. 1C living being (with life in the blood). 1D the man himself, self, person or individual. 1E seat of the appetites. 1F seat of emotions and passions. 1G activity of mind. 1G1 dubious. 1H activity of the will. 1H1 dubious. 1I activity of the character. 1I1 dubious. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Woodside Bible Fellowship, 1995).
DEVOTION: In a world where everything is measured by your outward success it is interesting that Solomon states that that success is less than a stillborn child. The effort and exertion that many in society place in “upward mobility” is severely questioned by Solomon. A large family and successful business venture are nothing in comparison with the spiritual development that Solomon refers to here. If the soul (person, appetite, seat of emotions) is not satisfied then the person is incomplete and unfulfilled.
As much as the society presses for the material possession craze and the desire for success and family it is essential that we continue to present the immaterial, spiritual part of man to individuals. God is still desirous to have people receive the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ!
There is still a hole and a vacuum in every person that can only be filled with the Spirit of God!
CHALLENGE: If you are tired of the rat race you have been pursuing and sense that there is an emptiness and hole in your inner being consider the Lord today. He may be speaking to you that riches, consumerism and promotion cycles are not the answers you need! The answer is Jesus Christ! Go to Him! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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: 7 All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled. (5315 “appetite” [nephesh] means a craving understood in terms of the throat, soul, the breathing substance or being, soul, seat of the appetites, seat of emotions and passions, or inner self.)
DEVOTION: Are we working just for food? Is there another reason for living? Our soul needs more then just food to eat. We need to realize that life is more than the food we eat, it must have something to do with our appetite for our mind.
Our understanding of the present needs to be matched with our understanding of the future. We need to not just think of today but of eternity.
So we need understand the need to feed our soul as well as our body. What are we feeding our soul each day? Are we feeding it the Word of God and what HE expects of us each day?
We should not be working only to feed our belly but to feed our mind and serve the LORD with our actions. If we are satisfied with our life it will be based on what we are doing for the LORD and not just on what food we eat.
Our witness to our family and friends will feed our soul that will last for eternity. The reason to have an appetite for food should be, so that, we can witness to our family and friends regarding eternity.
Life doesn’t end with death, it is only the beginning of eternity. If Christ is our Savior than each day we should share the truth of the Word of God with others, just like, we share our food with others.
CHALLENGE: Do we have a desire to see all those we love in heaven for eternity? If so, we need to feed them the truth of the Word of God as well as fill their belly with food.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 12 For who knows what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spends as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? (6738 “shadow” [tsel] means shade, protection, defense or shelter.
DEVOTION: Life is interesting. How do we figure out what is good? How do we figure out how to do the good we think we should do? Once we decide, how do we know we are thinking right? Even when we do good from our perspective we sometimes find out that it was the best thing we could have done.
Solomon is giving advice regarding life that is sometimes hard to follow. We know that the LORD knows what is going to happen before it happens because HE lives outside of time. We are the only ones who live in time. We try to do the best we can but sometimes we don’t have enough information. As we grow older we find out information that we wish we would have known when we were younger making those decisions. We try to help the next generation not fall into the same type of thinking we had but they have to learn on their own even when we try to tell them what we have learned.
Our life is so short. It is likened to being like a dark spot. It only lasts for a short time and then we are gone. We don’t know what is going to happen after we die. We try to do the best we can but life goes on after us in the direction that the LORD has established before the world began.
The only good we can do is to follow the Word of God and listen to the Holy Spirit as HE leads us through our journey. Some of the time we are not listening to either and we fail.
We can look over our lifetime and wish things were different but they are not. We have to live with our decisions. We have to face our failures. We have to do the best we can with the knowledge and experiences we have from the directions the LORD has given us.
CHALLENGE: Allow the LORD to speak to you. Ask for forgiveness for past failures and pray for future successes with the LORD’S help. As the saying goes: “Don’t cry over spilt milk!” Move on to find what is good now for you.
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 2
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Man verse 1- 3, 7, 10, 12
Stranger verse 2
Children verse 3
Poor verse 8
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Evil verse 1, 2
Vanity verse 2, 4, 9, 11
Fool verse 8
Wandering of the desire verse 9
Vexation of spirit verse 9
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Wise verse 8
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Solomon verse 1 – 12
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Burial verse 3
Darkness verse 4
Do not all go to one place verse 6
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QUOTES regarding passage
:3 Better to miscarry at birth than to miscarry throughout life. (p. 106) …. :10 Thus the Preacher is underlining the impossibility of changing the basic character of life. Man cannot escape his limitations, nor can he completely unravel the world’s anomalies (cf.1:15). (p. 107) ….the Preacher is slamming every door except the door of faith. (p. 108, Michael Eaton, Ecclesiastes)
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It is good to have the things that money can buy, provided you don’t lose the things that money can’t buy. (p. 41) …. In Ecclesiastes 6, Solomon discussed three of life’s mysteries: riches without enjoyment (1-6), labor without satisfaction (7-9), and questions without answers (10-12). (p. 74). What is Solomon saying to us? “Enjoy the blessings of God now and thank Him for all of them.” Don’t plan to live – start living now. Be satisfied with what He gives you and use it all for His glory. (p. 75). God gives us enough information to encourage us, but He does not cater to idle curiosity. One thing is sure: death is coming, and we had better make the best use of our present opportunities. (p. 82, Warren Wiersbe, Be Satisfied)
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6:7–9 This text moves the reader from a discussion of wealth (5:10–6:6) to a discussion of wisdom (6:7–7:5). It is a series of three proverbs bound together by two catchwords.
The first proverb (v. 7) states that although the appetite is the real motive behind human efforts, no one is ever fully satisfied. Wisdom, moreover, is no particular advantage here (v. 8). The point is not only that the wise do not necessarily get wealthy but that they no less than others are bound to the drives of the appetite.
The reader might assume that the Teacher is still talking strictly about the insatiable appetite of the greedy; but there is an implicit, unexpected reversal: the aphorism of v. 7 is as true of the desire of the intellectual for knowledge as it is of the greedy for wealth (cf. 1:16–18). Verse 8 anticipates that the reader, by now convinced that the pursuit of wealth is folly, might conclude that a life devoted to the quest for knowledge is the better way. The Teacher argues that in fact the learned really have no significant advantage over the unlettered, and that sound judgment and social skills do not do a poor man all that much good. The third proverb (v. 9) asserts that it is better to be satisfied with what one has (be it money or knowledge) than to be continually driven to obtain more. (Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs (Vol. 14, p. 316). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
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6:8–9. The wise and even the poor have no advantage over the fool. Though a poor person might know how to get along in the world (lit., “know how to walk before the living”), he is susceptible to desires that outstrip his acquisitions. So Solomon concluded his lengthy treatment of the futility of toil (2:18–6:9) by recommending that one be content with what he has rather than constantly longing for more. Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite (lit., “soul”; “heart” in v. 2 and “appetite” in v. 7 are also lit., “soul”). This clause is rendered in the NASB, “What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires.” The reason for this wise advice is that constantly longing for more is futile or meaningless, a chasing after the wind. This is the last of nine occurrences in Ecclesiastes of the phrase “chasing after the wind” (cf. 1:14, 17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16). This phrase fittingly opens and concludes the first half of the book on the futility of human achievement. (Glenn, D. R. (1985). Ecclesiastes. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 990–991). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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6:7–12 Lack of soul satisfaction comes from working only for what is consumed (v. 7), seeing little difference in the end between the wise and foolish (v. 8), not knowing the future (v. 9), realizing that God alone controls everything (v. 10), and true understanding of the present and future is limited (vv. 11, 12). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ec 6:7–12). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
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Ver. 7. All the labour of man is for his mouth, &c.] For the food of his mouth, as the Targum; for the sustenance of his body, for food and clothing, one part being put for the whole: all that a man labours for is to get this; and if he does not enjoy it, his labour is in vain; meats are for the belly, which are taken in by the mouth, and for these a man labours; and if he does not eat them, when he has got them, he labours to no purpose. And yet the appetite is not filled; even the bodily or sensual appetite; no, not even by those who eat the fruit of their labour; for though their hunger is allayed for the present, and the appetite is satisfied for a while, yet it returns again, and requires more food, and so continually: or, the soul is not filled, or satisfied; it is the body only that is filled or satisfied with such things, at best; the mind of man grasps after greater things, and can find no contentment or satisfaction in earthly or sensual enjoyments. This seems to be a new argument, proving the vanity of riches, from the narrow use of them; which only reaches to the body, not to the soul. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 587). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the †appetite is not filled.
For his mouth; for meat to put into his mouth, that he may get food; and as bread is oft put for all food, so food is put for all necessary provisions for this life, as Prov. 30:8, and elsewhere; whereof this is the chief, for which a man will sell his house and lands, yea, the very garments upon his back. Is not filled: although all that a man can get by his labours is but necessary food, which the meanest sort of men commonly enjoy, as is observed in the next verse; yet such is the vanity of this world, and the folly of mankind, that men are insatiable in their desires, and restless in their endeavours, after more and more, and never say they have enough. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 2, p. 291). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
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James 5
The rich of this world are warned against an uncompassionate use of their wealth.
INSIGHT
James does not condemn wealth; rather he condemns the uncompassionate use of wealth. It is not wrong to have money, but it is very wrong to have money and not use it to further the Gospel and the welfare of the needy of the world. Those in need are often utterly dependent on those with wealth. In support of James’ teaching, Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6:17-18: “Command those who are rich . . . that they be rich in good works.” Neither Paul nor James tells the rich to give up their riches; rather both encourage the rich to use their wealth compassionately and generously. (Quiet Walk))
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OVERCOMING THE WORLD
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:4
John means by this that the Christian is one who conquers the world, who masters it. He actually says a most extraordinary thing here, and for once I have to grant that the Revised Version is superior to the Authorized! The Authorized reads like this: “And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” But the Revised has, “This is the victory that has overcome”; it has already happened.
Now John is saying two things here that at first sight, as so often with John, appear to be contradictory. He says that the Christian is one who has overcome the world and also that the Christian is one who overcomes the world. Christian people, John tells us, are men and women who are in an entirely new position with regard to this matter. They are not like the non-Christian. Christians are in this new position because of their faith. They have come to see the real meaning of the world; they have come to see what it is, and they hate it. They know that the world has already been conquered by the Lord Jesus Christ, and they know that they themselves are in Christ; therefore there is a sense in which the Christian has overcome the world. Christ has overcome it, and I am in Christ, and therefore I have overcome it.
And yet there is a sense in which I am still overcoming it. I am already victorious, but I still have to fight. The New Testament is fond of saying that. “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus,” says Paul, “who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). He is already that to us; so there is a sense in which I am already sanctified, already glorified. Read the eighth chapter of Romans, and you will find that Paul tells us that explicitly (verses 29-30); in Christ Jesus we are already complete, it has all happened. And yet I am also still being sanctified, and I am still on the way to glorification.
A Thought to Ponder: Christ has overcome the world, and I am in Christ, and therefore I have overcome it. (From Life in God, pp. 41-42, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Wisdom and Might Are His
“Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his.” (Daniel 2:20)
Men have sought wisdom all through the ages, “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7). Others have sought great power. But then we read of Alexander weeping because there were no more worlds to conquer, and we see one rich man after another who cannot bring himself to say, “It is enough.”
The problem is, of course, that they are searching for wisdom and might in the wrong places, and thus they can never be satisfied. Wisdom and might belong only to God. In the Lord Jesus Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3), and to Him has been given “all power . . . in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). God, revealed in Christ, is both omniscient and omnipotent, and true wisdom and true riches must come only from Him.
Therefore, “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). If we are in need of strength, we must become weak, for “when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). If we need riches, we must know poverty, for before Christ can commit to us “the true riches,” we must be found “faithful in that which is least” (Luke 16:10-11).
Daniel’s testimony, as recorded in this passage, was given to the most powerful monarch on Earth, with access to all the wisdom of the most highly educated men of the age. But neither human might nor human wisdom could solve his problem. Only Daniel, drawing on the wisdom and power of the God of creation, could meet his need. God’s servants, even today, have the same privilege and responsibility, because our God is “for ever and ever.” (HMM, Institute for Creation Research)
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Joanne writes (MO): I’d say I am fed up with all these politically correct people complaining about Christmas songs and phrases that people have been saying for years, but if I did say I am fed up with people, the canibals would be offended.
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The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, an individual or a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, And that is our attitude….. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it….. Charles Swindoll
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