Chapter 6 is a short chapter that further goes into how life 'under the sun' is meaningless. It seems to be a continuation of chapter 5. Solomon starts this chapter saying, 'There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:'. T his phrase makes me stop and think. If there is an evil which is common to man (humans), I need to be careful. I need to take pay careful attention to what is being said so that I do not fall into this 'evil which is common to man'. Solomon has spent 6 chapters now explaining how nothing but emptiness comes from searching for fulfillment 'under the sun'. I don't know about you, but I want my soul to be full. I don't want to be left empty. I want to live the life that God sent me here to live.
We have read how the rich and the poor have the same end. The wise and the foolish have the same end as well. Chapter five even went into the labor of our hands still leaving us empty. Verse 7 of chapter 6 says, 'All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.' The things 'under the sun' that we put our hearts towards, leave us empty and troubled in our spirit. Our Spiritual life needs to be nurtured. We have to look ABOVE the sun, to the creator of worlds without end to find meaning in our lives.
Solomon ends this chapter with questions. I am going to leave you with the same questions. I want you to really think on these verses because rest of our journey through Ecclesiastes will be Solomon giving Godly wisdom for our lives. Who would know better than our CREATOR himself on how to live a meaningful life?
'That which hath 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 knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?' (vs 10-12)
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