6:1 Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:
Solomon was given supernatural human wisdom. At the end of his life, he expresses that human wisdom is emptiness.
6:2 God gives a man riches, property, and wealth so that he lacks nothing that his heart desires, yet God does not enable him to enjoy the fruit of his labor— instead, someone else enjoys it! This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.
It is God who makes one wealthy. He places different people in different places with a certain amount of wealth. The wealthy will grow rich, but they will not be able to enjoy their wealth. The gourmet food will begin to taste bland. The expensive vacations will begin to become boring. Doctors will not be able to keep them from death. Doctors will not be able to keep their wealth from going to someone else.
6:3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years— even if he lives a long, long time, but cannot enjoy his prosperity— even if he were to live forever— I would say, “A stillborn child is better off than he is!”
It is better to die a stillborn child than it is to live as a wealthy man.
6:4 Though the stillborn child came into the world for no reason and departed into darkness, though its name is shrouded in darkness, 6:5 though it never saw the light of day nor knew anything, yet it has more rest than that man—6:6 if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity. For both of them die!
The stillborn child never has to experience the anxieties of this life.
6:7 All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach— yet his appetite is never satisfied!
A man works his own life to feed his stomach, but he is always hungry.
6:8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?
It does not matter if a man is wise or dumb. They will all eventually die.
6:9 It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one’s heart always to crave more. This continual longing is futile—like chasing the wind.
It is better to enjoy the things in the present than in future hopes, desires, and wishes.
6:10 Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.
God controls the destiny of all men. It is useless for man to argue against God, because God has already determined their beginning from the end. This is the opposite of fatalism, which teaches that man is a product of random chance. Evolution is basically fatalism.
6:11 The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?
If one argues with God about his destiny, then he is wasting his time. He is not able to accomplish God’s will in his life. Arguing with God does not benefit man.
6:12 For no one knows what is best for a person during his life— during the few days of his fleeting life— for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.
Man does not know the future. He is ignorant of his place in God’s foreordained plan of all things.