How does Ecclesiastes 6:4 illustrate the futility of earthly pursuits? Setting the Scene Solomon has just lamented that a man may possess wealth, honor, and a hundred children yet never enjoy them (Ecclesiastes 6:1-3). To drive the point home, he compares such a life to a stillborn child—brief, silent, and unknown. Verse Text “For he comes in futility and departs in darkness, and in darkness his name is shrouded.” (Ecclesiastes 6:4) Key Observations • “Comes in futility” – Arrival marked by hebel (vapor, emptiness). • “Departs in darkness” – Exits without light, clarity, or celebration. • “Name is shrouded” – No enduring reputation or remembrance. How the Verse Illustrates Earthly Futility • Empty arrival – All human striving, however impressive, begins with the same fragile breath (Job 1:21). – Wealth or status cannot alter our vulnerable start. • Inevitable departure – Darkness pictures death’s certainty and finality (Psalm 49:17). – No earthly accomplishment can escort us past the grave. • Forgotten identity – A famed name quickly fades (Psalm 103:15-16). – Honors and titles lose meaning when life ends (Isaiah 40:6-8). • Comparative shock – Solomon says the stillborn, though never seeing the sun, is “more at rest” (Ecclesiastes 6:5) than the man who strives but never enjoys God’s gifts—underscoring how hollow success without satisfaction truly is. Echoes in the Wider Canon • Jesus: “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). • John: “The world is passing away along with its desires” (1 John 2:17). • Proverbs: “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone” (Proverbs 23:4-5). Contrast: Where Lasting Significance Is Found • “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). • “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). • “Your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Colossians 15:58). Takeaways for Today • Hold possessions loosely; they arrive and depart with vapor-like speed. • Pursue joy as God’s gift, not as the product of accumulation (Ecclesiastes 5:19). • Invest in eternal realities—faith, obedience, love—where darkness cannot smother your name (Revelation 3:5). |
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