Today in God's Word—July 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
July 18, Ecclesiastes 6
Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. - Ecclesiastes 6:10
In Chapter 6, Solomon slipped back into the pessimistic fatalism that is the inevitable result of humans trying to find meaning and significance of life apart from God. When he failed to trust and acknowledge God, he was frustrated with his life and dissatisfied with his surroundings. As negative and pessimistic as this chapter sounds, it is an accurate assessment of life on earth without God.
Solomon saw wealthy people die and leave their wealth behind them, to be enjoyed by someone who had not worked for it. He pronounced such a thing “evil.” A man with many heirs and lots of wealth cannot find satisfaction for his soul in material wealth. (100 children may be more autobiography than hyperbole for Solomon, with 700 wives and 300 concubines.) Solomon lamented that even if we lived 2,000 years without discovering genuine good, we still die. He thought a stillborn child was better off to have never seen the troublesome evils of life.
Solomon wrote, "All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.” We should remember that this was the conclusion of a fellow who had no limitation or restraint on getting what he wanted. Even after a life of privileged extravagance, he still thought that there was no satisfaction to be found in life.
Solomon already knew what Job learned in his interview with God near the end of the book of Job. Solomon probably had access to that book. But the king realized that human beings were not able to dispute with God. It is vain to think that humans can disagree and quarrel with God, but we tend to do it anyway. When God disciplines us for our own good, we protest. When we suffer pain or disappointment, we wonder where he is, and how he could allow
such a thing to happen to us. We sometimes think a person died “too soon” or “too young.” We see no earthly sense in why certain people die when they do. We may never express such thoughts aloud. But in our thoughts we wonder why God would do such a thing.
Solomon expressed the futility of thinking how our life experiences were known before by God. But we whose lives are mist and shadow cannot quarrel with God. Solomon said we do not know what was good for us in the here and new, and we are clueless about what will come after we are gone.
This dark chapter is a good reminder of the inevitable outcome of thinking and living without regard for God. It leads to frustration and pessimism. The incomprehensible circumstances of life are good reminders that God knows better and sees farther than we can see. That's why trusting God is a good antidote to the poison of doubt and the inflammation of anxiety.
I pray that you and I never experience these bitter emotions to the depth and degree that Solomon did. But at whatever level we may have such thinking, it’s good to remember the same remedy applies. Our best path to satisfaction and peace in a troublesome world is to trust and rely on God, instead of our own understanding.
Copyright © 2023 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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