IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

What is Good for a Person in Life?

Date: May. 19, 2023

Passage

Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

6:1 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a 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. 3 If 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. 4 For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. 5 Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place?

7 All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. 8 For 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? 9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

10 Whatever 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. 11 The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 12 For 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?

Daily Bread

Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 6:12

For 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?

We usually believe that wealth, possessions, and honor will give us joy and contentment. God will give an abundance of these things to some people. To an observer, they seem to have everything. But God also withholds from them the ability to enjoy these blessings and instead, a stranger enjoys them. The Teacher calls this “another evil.” What good is it to have everything in the world our heart desires but not be able to enjoy them?

The author gives another example. A person may have many children and a long life. But if the person cannot enjoy his prosperity or receive a proper burial, the person’s end is no better than a stillborn child. Such a child could arguably be better off since it dd not suffer in the world.

Wealth, possessions, honor, children, or a long life cannot alone give us contentment. Toiling for our mouths never satisfies us (7,9). In this light, even wisdom or knowing how to conduct ourselves can seem pointless (8). The inadequacies of human life are well known, and we cannot contend with God who is stronger than us (10). Who knows what is good for us? God knows! When we delight in him, he will give us the desires of our hearts (Ps 37:4).

Prayer: Prayer: Father, you alone know what is good for us. Help me to pursue you, instead of worldly things, and live a meaningful life that honors you.

One Word: One Word: God knows what is good for us

Daily Bread

God Stills the Conflict

Psalm 76:1-12

Key Verse: 76:6

At your rebuke, O God of Jacob,
both rider and horse lay stunned.

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