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1There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2a 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. 3If 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. 4For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. 5Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place?
7All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. 8For 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? 9Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
10Whatever 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. 11The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 12For 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?
Qoheleth continues his reflections on man being in God's hands. No one has anything on his neighbor, no one has an advantage over another, for all are in the grip of God who has already determined what will happen, and no one can argue with him: We will live with craving and unfulfilled desires in our hearts, in order to return to the dust from which we were taken. As for those who endeavor to build an icon or monument for themselves, or perhaps leave behind some kind of an abiding legacy, 6:12 dashes such hopes: "Who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?"
Once again, the doctrine of the fall is lurking beneath the surface of the text. Uneasiness of mind and a general state of dissatisfaction are tragic and in this sense "evil" (6:1). But they are not accidental travel companions on the road to the graveyard (6:6b). They are here because God's curse is on this world. Creation has been subjected to futility, and until time comes to an end, there will be no escape from its consequences.
In any case, should man who seeks satisfaction in some other thing or person but God be rewarded with happiness and live fulfilled lives? Can we complain that we live under the cloud of the curse with no way out of the dilemma? We cannot. There is no case to be produced, we have to lay our hands upon our lips and plead guilty.
What we so desperately need is someone who can dispute with God over our hopeless condition, someone who is able to turn the heart of the Father to us, and able to turn our hearts to the Father; someone who can reconcile us with God. Find someone who can do this, and everything is different, everything has changed: "The old is passing away, behold, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17). There is still futility and plenty of suffering to go around in life, but it cannot have the final word. There is still darkness, but the light has dawned upon us, and hope does not make ashamed. There is still death to be faced, but it has lost its reigning power—all this because of Jesus Christ.
Now let us ask Qoheleth’s closing questions one more time: "Who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life...? Who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?" These questions are no longer exercises in rhetoric, requiring the answer, "No one!" The questions have been answered in Jesus Christ. He is good for us, no matter what the circumstances of life, and he has told us what will be hereafter.
This, of course, does not answer all of our questions. Hardship has a way of knocking the bottom out of our faith. But Heb. 10:35 reminds us not to throw away our confidence (or, trust) in Christ’s gospel. For if in your despair you throw away your confidence, then despair is all that is left. Faith is not a mathematical equation where everything is accounted for. Even for the believer there remain unanswered questions. But faith enables us to live with open questions. "What do we gain?" "What is the advantage to man?" Those who trust in Christ alone will have nothing to lose, and will gain everything, for "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32).
The author of these devotionals, the Rev. Martin Emmrich, is an ordained OPC minister (Westminster OPC, Corvallis, Oregon) as well as the author of Pneumatological Concepts in the Epistle to the Hebrews, a book on the teaching of Hebrews on the Holy Spirit. We are happy to make these devotionals on Ecclesiastes and other passages of Scripture available to you.
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