Ecclesiastes 6
Today’s reading again smacks us in the face with hard realities. Ecc. 6:1,2 speaks of the person who has everything but is incapable of enjoying it. I expect that we have all encountered such people, perhaps up close and personal, perhaps more from a distance. At the very least we’ve seen them on the road, furiously driving their Maserati (or Mercedes, or Lexus, or…), evidently mad at the world, and thoroughly discontent. They shake their fist as they drive by, and we shake our heads in disgust at them, thinking how perverse it is that they have so much and yet are not satisfied. We tell ourselves that if we had that kind of money, we’d be nicer. We’d be happy. And in so saying, we reveal that we, too, are discontent, and that we have our eyes on the wrong prize: if only we had that kind of money…
And thinking of “that kind of money”, I’m sure we’ve all heard the news that someone in California just the other day bought a winning Powerball lottery ticket valued at over $2 Billion (with a “B”). What luck! That ought to be enough to satisfy the winner’s every desire, right? But it won’t. Guaranteed. Just ask the Preacher.
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:11b-13
Saint Paul, sitting in a Roman prison, points us in a better direction.
What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. (v. 9a, NASB) This verse intrigued me when I first read it. (NOTE: I like the NASB translation better than the ESV.) At first I didn’t understand what the verse was saying, forcing me to read and ponder it over and over. Finally it came to me – that living with reality is better than dreaming about “whatever”. This is fully consistent with the rest of what the Preacher has been saying about whatever else is out there that is futility and striving after wind. Dealing with reality does not eliminate planning or strategizing on our part – and it certainly does not rule out our seeking the Lord in prayer over this item or that thing. But what it does say is that we need to consider what we have in front of us – our time, our talent, our resources – and use them to the best of our abilities. I can recall “B” and “C” students telling me that they thought they might like to go on for a Ph.D. Rather than dashing their dream, my advice was always, “Get your B.A./B.S. first!” That itself would be reality for them!
Excellent insight, Fred! That gets very much to the heart of the Preacher’s message. It pays to take the time to mull over Scripture, especially those bits that aren’t so obvious, like Ecc. 6:9.
By the way, I would love to hear what other folks think. RTB is not “The Fred and John Show”. It’s meant to be a discussion. Are the rest of you even reading Ecclesiastes? Do my comments make any sense? Or do you think I’m off base? Do you have a different take? Or, like Fred here, do you have an insight on something that I didn’t even begin to comment on? I’d like to encourage you to speak up. We all have something to contribute, and we can all benefit from one another. So don’t be bashful. Please join in.