What is the meaning of Ecclesiastes 5:15? As a man came from his mother’s womb We begin life empty-handed, completely dependent on God and others. Job voiced the same truth: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb” (Job 1:21). Paul repeats it: “For we brought nothing into the world” (1 Timothy 6:7). These passages remind us: • Every heartbeat is a gift from the Creator who “knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). • Because God is both Origin and Sustainer, every possession and ability we later enjoy is on loan from Him, not an entitlement. Seeing our entrance into life this way cultivates gratitude rather than presumption. So he will depart again Death is as certain as birth. “It is appointed for men to die once” (Hebrews 9:27). Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12), and Jesus warns the self-confident rich man, “This very night your life will be demanded of you” (Luke 12:20). Such verses press home two realities: • No amount of planning, success, or health can delay the moment God calls us home. • Knowing our exit is sure urges us to steward the in-between years wisely, for “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). Naked as he arrived Solomon stresses the vulnerability that bookends life. Just as birth clothes us only in the Creator’s care, death strips away titles, bank accounts, and achievements. Job repeats the refrain: “Naked I will depart” (Job 1:21). Jesus counsels, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20). The comparison highlights: • Earthly security is an illusion; eternal security rests in belonging to Christ. • Inner character, not outer assets, follows us beyond the grave (2 Corinthians 5:10). He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands After a lifetime of toil, a person “cannot take it with him” (Psalm 49:17). Solomon earlier observed, “I must leave it to the man who comes after me” (Ecclesiastes 2:18). Paul reiterates, “We can take nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7). Therefore: • Labor has value, yet its fruit is temporary unless invested in God’s purposes. • Holding possessions loosely frees us to be generous now (Proverbs 11:24-25; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8). • The only secure transfer into eternity is treasure laid up through faith and obedience (Matthew 6:20). summary Ecclesiastes 5:15 brings us face-to-face with life’s great equalizers—birth and death. We arrive with nothing, leave with nothing, and answer to the God who gave us everything in between. Recognizing this: • Fuels gratitude for every gift. • Refocuses our efforts toward what outlasts the grave. • Urges us to hold resources lightly and live for the Lord wholeheartedly, knowing He alone turns temporary labor into eternal reward. |
    |