Ecclesiastes 6:1

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 6:1-6, “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:[2] A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.[3] If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.[4] For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.[5] Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.[6] Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?” This passage is worth paying close attention to because we are told that the evil mentioned here is “common among men.” Because it is common, we must be careful to know the danger so that it does not happen to us. In verse 2 Solomon speaks of a rich man, but what happens to this rich man can happen to anyone, rich or poor.

Verse two explains the result. It says, “A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.” Someone appears to accomplish something, and it turns out that they have no power over what they thought they were accomplishing. Someone else comes along and takes control. That certainly can happen to anyone who climbs the corporate ladder. That can happen to anyone who builds their own business. That can happen to anyone in politics. It can happen to anyone because of the temporary nature of this life, and because of how easily things can fall apart. One of the benefits of being a Christian is that we can dedicate everything that we do to the Lord no matter what the outcome appears to be from a human standpoint. The Lord will reward us for what goes on in our hearts no matter if people can see any results or not.

One of the things that Solomon is pointing out is the fact that someone may lose everything that he has worked hard to build, and one reason that can happen is as it says in verse 3, “and his soul be not filled with good.” The way to be filled with good is to believe in Jesus and then to walk with Him day after day. Do the right thing and you will benefit from it. Do the wrong thing, and you will lose. There are people who have lost their marriage and their family as the result of one night’s indiscretion. There are people who have lost their careers and their financial well-being due to one dishonest or illegal act. Be careful. It is dangerous out there. It says in First Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Concerning the person who is not filled with good, it says in Ecclesiastes 6:4, “For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness.” The problem with human beings has to do with the spiritual darkness that they are born into. You need light to take away the darkness. That is where Jesus comes in. Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world.” Everyone needs light, and so everyone needs Jesus. The Lord tries to give light to every person in the world. It says about Jesus in John 1:9, “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” Sadly, some people do not turn to Jesus, and thus they remain in spiritual darkness. One of the terrible results of that condition is that when they die they go into outer darkness forever. Jesus said in Matthew 8:11-12, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.[12] But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We are not talking about being in outer darkness for a short time. We are talking about being there forever and ever. No matter how long you live, it can in no way compare to eternity. Even if you live for two thousand years, that is a very short time compared to eternity; and if you still go into outer darkness, then you have still lost everything. That is the point that Solomon was making in Ecclesiastes 6:6, “Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?” There is nothing more important that being saved through faith in Christ. If you receive Christ into your life, instead of living in darkness forever, you will live with Jesus in the glorious light of the children of God.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 6:7-12, “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.[8] For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?[9] Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.[10] 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.[11] Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?[12] 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?” We must remember that much of what Solomon says in the book of Ecclesiastes is looking at life on earth from the human standpoint primarily. Once in a while Solomon talks about the spiritual truths, especially in his conclusion at the end of the book. But we need to look at each verse and ask the question, “Is this a statement about the human existence only without taking into consideration the spiritual factors when some one follows Jesus?” Ecclesiastes 6:7 is such a verse. When Solomon says, “All the labour of man is for his mouth,” he is talking about the fact that the basic human motivation is selfishness. The human being is centered on self. That self-centeredness might be sinful and it might not be sinful depending upon the circumstance and how it is responded to. For example, every human being has certain basic needs such as the need for food, clothing, and shelter. Human beings are motivated to satisfy those needs and other needs for themselves. It becomes sin when the desires and needs are satisfied in the wrong way and for the wrong reasons. One of the benefits to being a Christian is that Jesus promised to take care of our needs. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” One of the problems of not being a follower of Jesus is that all of that seeking to fulfill one’s needs does not and cannot satisfy. That is why Solomon also said at the end of Ecclesiastes 6:7, “and yet the appetite is not filled.” We were born to serve the Lord. If we do not do that, then we will never have a fulfilled existence. Among many other things, Jesus is the life.

In Ecclesiastes 6:12 Solomon asks an important question, “For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow?” That is why we need to be led by the Lord. No one is good except God, and no one knows the path that leads to good, except God. If you are being led by the Lord, then somehow what happens to you is part of the great good. That does not mean that we will always understand how good comes out of it, but we will eventually understand. It says to Christians in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:1, “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth.” Staying on the subject of what “good” a person can accomplish with his or her life, Solomon tells us about the importance of a “good name.” This refers to one’s reputation. This is what people know about you and therefore, what influence you have upon them. “A good name is better than precious ointment.” As a matter of fact it is better than anything of value. It is better then money, it is better than property and goods, and it is better than gold and silver. What good is a rich man if he has a bad reputation? In such a case his riches are wasted, because the true effect of his life has to do with his reputation and the influence of his life. Christians know the importance of having a good name. That is what being a good testimony for Christ is all about. Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.[14] Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.[15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.[16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

In the next several verses Solomon gets on the subject of sorrow and sadness verses mirth and joyfulness. Which is better? Many might say, “mirth and joyfulness.” Let’s see what wise King Solomon said. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:2-6, “It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.[3] Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.[4] The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.[5] It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.[6] For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.” In verse 2 Solomon mentioned mourning. That is the sadness that we experience when someone that we know or care about dies. It can be the greatest sorrow of life. One of the advantages of being a Christian is that we know there is life after death for the believers. We know death is not the end. We know that we will see our friends and loved again assuming that they knew Jesus as Savior. Talking about the resurrection from the dead, it says in First Thessalonians 4:13-14, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.[14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.” It does not say that Christians will not have sorrow in mourning, but that Christians should have less sorrow than the unsaved.

Another thing to point out about sorrow and the mourning for the dead instead of being happy and joyful all the time, is that death is the reality of all life. Life as we know it ends in death for everyone. It is important to not forget that fact. Some people might come to Christ if they would only think deeply about the fact that today might be their last day on the earth, and it would be terrible to face eternity without Jesus. Too much merriment can be an evidence of the spirit of the world. Jesus quoted the words of a lost soul and said in Luke 12:19-20, “And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” There is a time to be merry, but there is also a time to be sorrowful. If you get those times wrong, you will be a foolish person. We should be sorrowful about the lost souls who do not know Jesus. We should be sorrowful about the downward spiritual direction of the world and of our own country. We should be sorrowful about our own spiritual shortcomings and need to be more dedicated to Christ.

Notice that Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 7:3, “Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” Sometimes we just need a good cry. Christians are not shielded from the sorrows of life, and sometimes Christians have even more sorrows because of the rice to be paid for following Jesus. Jesus did say that the servant is not greater than his Lord; and Jesus is called “a man of sorrows and well-acquainted with grief.” The smallest verse in the Bible says, “Jesus wept,” in John 11:35. Do not become so callused that you cannot cry. Go ahead and have your cry, and then lift yourself up and trust in Jesus. He will help you to bear it and to go on.

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