Eclesiastes 6

Eclesiastes 6

Meyer - Under the sun. The Preacher constantly refers to what is done under the sun; and is not this the clue to so much that is puzzling in this book? If your horizon is limited to what the sun shines on, it is impossible to get the true standpoint of vision, or discover the real policy of life. If this world and the time-day are all, we are entangled in an inexplicable maze. It is impossible to believe in the existence of a benign and wise Creator unless there is more than we can see, larger than we can grasp. We have no choice but blank materialism, unless we believe there is some one and something over and above the sun, and that the sun and his attendant train of worlds is but a speck in the vastness of his existence. O Christian soul, let you and me get beyond the sun, which one day will be no more, to the Lord, who is an everlasting light. Let us sit with Him in the heavenlies, and thence look down upon man and his little life. What inconsiderable atoms do kings and empires appear; even our affliction seems to be but light, and for a moment! Not on this side of the sun, but on that lies our true portion and home, our enduring substance. In order to live as we should, the sun must be under our feet, a position which is only possible to those who are in Christ Jesus. “I knew a man in Christ,” says the Apostle, “caught up into the third heaven, and he heard unspeakable things.” Would you be unworldly, seek to become other worldly. Do you want the sun to grow dim? — ask for the light which is above the brightness of the sun. Set your affections on those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God. Ray Pritchard - Something New Under the Sun HE DIED TOO SOON I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men: God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil. Ecclesiastes 6:1-2 In the first two verses of Ecclesiastes 6, Solomon tells a truly sad story. A man works years and years, climbing to the top of his profession. When he finally makes it to the top, everything is taken away from him. We aren't told what happened, but many explanations come to mind. Perhaps he had a heart attack or lost his health and was forced to retire early. Or it could be that one of his employees conspired with the board of directors to remove him from power. Or he might have been falsely accused of wrongdoing and publicly humiliated. Solomon's point is clear: God gives wonderful gifts but that doesn't necessarily mean that we will enjoy them. This is one of the mysteries of life. No one achieves wealth without the blessing of God, yet no one enjoys wealth without God's blessing. Once again Solomon brings us face-to-face with the seeming inequities of life and the inescapable fact that God alone controls the course of human events. In one of his books, Watchman Nee wrote that we approach God like little children with open hands, begging for gifts. Because He is a good God, He fills our hands with good things—life, health, friends, money, success, recognition, challenge, marriage, children, a nice home, a good job—all the things that we count at Thanksgiving when we count our blessings. And so like children, we rejoice in what we have received and run around comparing what we have with each other. Yes, we are like children, and when our hands are finally full, God calls us: "My child, I long to have fellowship with you. Reach out your hand and take My hand." But we can't do it because our hands are full. "God, we can't," we cry. "Put those things aside and take My hand," He replies. "No, we can't. It's too hard to put them down." "But I am the one who gave them to you in the first place." "O God, what You have asked is too hard. Please don't ask us to put these things aside." And God answers quietly, "You must." God's grace comes in many shades and variations. Sometimes we see His grace in the things He gives us; often we see it in the things He takes away. I hesitate to say that God always replaces what He takes with something better (though He does), because that might be misun-derstood in earthly terms. Some losses cannot be calculated because the cost is so great. But of this much we may be sure: When God takes something from our hands, it is not an act of hatred—much less a quirk of cruel fate— but an expression of God's love as He leads us to a place where our trust will be in Him alone. Gracious Lord, when I tempted to hold on too tightly, remind me that I never owned anything, because all that I have comes from You. Amen. SHINING THE LIGHT What things in your life are you holding too tightly these days? Has God been asking you to let go? What must happen for you to loosen your grip? MORE LIGHT FROM GOD'S WORD Read John 3:27; 1 Corinthians 4:7; and James 1:17. Warren