Ecclesiastes 6 (Listen)
6:1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. 4 For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. 5 Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place?
7 All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. 8 For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
10 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. 11 The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 12 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?
Devotional:
For who knows what is good for anyone in life, in the few days of his futile life that he spends like a shadow? Who can tell anyone what will happen after him under the sun? (Ecclesiastes 6:12)
It is important to keep in mind that much of Ecclesiastes is an internal monologue as “the Teacher” wrestles with the meaning of life apart from God. This means that there are things he may say that are not completely accurate but rather need to be challenged in light of God’s existence. He will also ask questions that are unanswerable apart from the reality of God but with clear answers in view of God. Without God, life is pointless and the reality of an afterlife is uncertain. But with God, there is purpose! Because of Jesus, there is clarity about what happens after we die – those who believe in Him will have everlasting life and those who reject Him will suffer eternal punishment. The ultimate question is not what happens when people die but what will happen to you when you die. Do you know? .
Pray It: Father, thank you that I don’t have to go through this life not knowing what happens after this life because of Jesus. Fill me with this hope and enable me to share it with others who may wonder what will happen to them. Amen.
Share it: Who can you share a verse or thought from this passage with today?