Solomon’s practical counsel
Ecclesiastes 6:1 thru 8:17
Solomon is now stepping from personal observances to practical counsel. Counsel from the “wisest man on earth” ought to be worth paying attention to, wouldn’t you say? Let’s see what he has to say …
The 6th chapter begins with what Solomon considers to be a “serious tragedy”. That being the man who works hard to accumulate great wealth and honor yet has no time to enjoy either one. If this man finds no satisfaction in life than what is the purpose of that life. He might as well not have been born at all.
It seems as though money has played an important part in Solomon’s life and it also seems as if he may be describing himself. I believe he is. Not being born would eliminate many negative things from a person’s life. No pain, no sickness, no failed attempts at love (which brings heart pain rather than physical pain), no financial debt and so on. Surely even if a person has virtually no time to enjoy what he has accumulated there must be something positive that has come from his life. Solomon seems to have a very dour disposition. If everything is truly meaningless than why would anyone want to live at all? There is meaning in the simplest of endeavors. It is up to us to learn from what we go thru in this life. Is it possible that Solomon’s massive wisdom was both a blessing AND a curse? Perhaps his experience as King of Israel has caused him to seek a solution to life’s various situations as if life itself and the satisfaction of it all relied on him.
It would seem that after all he had been thru, Solomon was able to present us with the following nugget of wisdom and truth in verse 9: “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless - like chasing the wind.”
Solomon shares with us the point that while the future is set and determined, it is also unknown to all but Almighty God. We are unable to predict the future. It is a foolhardy endeavor to argue or complain to God though it isn’t a sin to do so. Solomon declares that “the more words you speak the less they mean.” I suppose that our words would become like the clanging cymbals spoken of in 1 Corinthians 13:1. Meaningless words with no benefit. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.
Richard Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
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