## Ecclesiastes, Part 5

## Eccl. 6

C. The Futility of Riches 6:1-12

1. A Common Problem v1-6

a. God pours out blessings upon a person (v1-2a)

1) riches, wealth, honor

2) lacking nothing & desiring nothing

b. That person has good reason to serve God, but doesn't

c. Therefore, God doesn't allow him to enjoy the blessings. (2b)

d. God blesses with a large family and long life, yet "his soul be not filled with good" (3a)

1) once again, this person would have good reason to serve God

2) but he doesn't, therefore, there is no satisfaction in all that he has.

3) he does not even receive a decent burial.

e. Solomon says he would have been better off if he had died in an untimely birth [miscarriage] (3b-6)

1) One who dies in miscarriage is described as "coming in vanity and departing in darkness" (3b-4)

2) Little or no notice is taken of him, he has no name or if he had, it would soon be forgotten.

3) He never saw the sun and knew nothing of this world, yet he has more rest (peace) than the man who has lived long, received many blessings, but refused to serve God. (5)

4) Solomon states that if a man lived thousands of years and saw no good come of his life, he would be no better off than if he had died in birth. (6)

2. An Uncommon Viewpoint. v7-12

a. Toward satisfaction. (7)

1) Labor is for the mouth to satisfy the appetite.

2) But the appetite is not satisfied.

3) So who will be more satisfied?

a) the one who has enough to meet his present need?

b) or the one who loads up and has stored more than he can ever use at one time?

b. Toward fulfillment. (8-9)

1) Since the carnal appetite is insatiable

2) Is the wise better off than the foolish or the poor?

a) absolutely not!

b) in terms of carnal desires they are all on the same level.

3) It is true that present posessions are better than longing desires for something else...

a) just being satisfied with present posessions is not the answer...

b) Solomon says that this also is "vexation of spirit"

c) there is more to life than just living!

c. Toward the future. v10-12

1) Man is still man (10)

a) he cannot control his destiny

b) he cannot contend with God

c) no matter what he may attain in life, he is still man.

2) Man is unable to determine what his future shall be (11-12)

a) many things promise satisfaction, but yield vanity.

b) man, because he is limited, is unable to know what is best for him in life.

c) man's life is like a shadow: it appears, goes through some changes, then disappears.

d) man cannot determine what is good for him in life, and he cannot know what his future will be.