Ecclesiastes Part 09
When it comes to wealth, all is not as it may seem. Solomon’s father David had earlier stated, “Surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them” (Psalm 39:6)
We will now move into Ecclesiastes 6. From 6:1–7:15, Solomon outlines a proper evaluation of man’s circumstances. The difficulties some must endure and the inequities in men’s circumstances should not lead us to think that God is not righteous and fair or that He is unable to effectively deal with the human condition. We see this point developed into two complementary arguments that form two subdivisions of 6:1–7:15: First, prosperity is not always necessary or good (Ecclesiastes 6:1–12). Second, adversity, or affliction, is not always or necessarily evil.
Solomon gets into this matter by returning to the wealth discussion of chapter 5. There he warned that riches could perish (verse 14). Now he starts chapter 6 with reference to an evil affliction or calamitous plague that he says is sadly common. It occurs when a person is given great wealth, honor, and every material desire by God, yet is unable to enjoy those blessings because they ultimately pass to a stranger. (6:1-2). A similar reference can be observed in Isaiah 3:10. When it comes to wealth, all is not as it may seem. Solomon’s father, David, had earlier stated,
“Surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches and does not know who will gather them” (Psalm 39:6).
Solomon goes on in verses 3–6 to show how greater apparent success only magnifies the tragedy. “The three traditional conditions for happiness were wealth, long life, and many children” (Garrett). Here we see the exaggeration of the person having a hundred children and longevity of 2,000 years, more than twice the length of time that the oldest patriarch, Methuselah, lived. But despite the long life, “his soul is not satisfied with goodness” (verse 3). This refers to the person’s physical being, including his consciousness, having no enjoyment or contentment in blessings, not to his inner spiritual “soul” not being satisfied by doing good, as some would interpret this.
We recall that earlier in Ecclesiastes 4:3 Solomon had said it would be better to have not been born than to see the evil oppression in this world. He wrote this with understanding that there will be a future resurrection in which God’s way of life will permeate the world. Likewise, when he speaks in Ecclesiastes 6:6 of all going to one place, it is with the understanding that the dead will one day rise again in a better world. Ecclesiastes 3:20 defines this as returning to the dust of the earth. Remember that Solomon had a brother before him who died just days old, and that David had said he would meet this child in the future (2 Samuel 12:15–24). Solomon was aware of the truth about the resurrection and the world to come.
Solomon then gives a few proverbs to bring out some important lessons. In Ecclesiastes 6:7, we read,
“All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied.”
The mouth here directly represents both receiving sustenance and tasting. The Amplified Bible adds, “self-preservation and enjoyment.” And yet the physical, conscious soul is unfulfilled. Some take the problem here to be expending effort to satisfy one's material wants and desires without pursuing inner spiritual fulfillment. Yet the mouth here is meant to convey the full breadth of experience a person might take into living and find happiness, including mental endeavor. The point is that if we pursue fulfillment directly, by whatever means, we will never be fulfilled. Happiness is the byproduct of another pursuit.
Verse 9 then caps off the vanity of this constant pursuit of more to satisfy longing, giving us a “better than” proverb. In this case, “the sight of the eyes” is declared better than “the wandering of desire.” The sight of the eyes here must mean what is right before you that you already have rather than what you see elsewhere or that someone else has. The latter is coveting fitting with wandering desire. Recall the related warning in Proverbs 27:20:
“Hell [the grave] and Destruction are never full; so, the eyes of man are never satisfied.”
Covetousness leads to more covetousness and destruction. This is not the way to be happy.
Wisdom Literature is a course taught at ABC by Dr. Urwiller. Recordings from the 2018–2019 class year are available to listen to on the ABC website.
UYA Team | uya@ucg.org
United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of the young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships, and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.
