What does "a stillborn child is better off" teach about earthly achievements? Setting the Scene: Ecclesiastes 6:3-5 “A man may father a hundred children and live many years; yet however many are the days of his years, if his soul is not satisfied with good things and he has no proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. For the stillborn comes in futility and departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Though never seeing the sun or knowing anything, it has more rest than that man.” The Shocking Comparison Explained • Solomon pictures the ultimate earthly success story—vast family, extreme longevity, material abundance—yet declares it empty without inner satisfaction. • A stillborn child, though experiencing neither life’s joys nor sorrows, bypasses vanity and rests immediately; the restless achiever never enters that rest. • The comparison is literal: without true fulfillment in God, the greatest accomplishments cannot outweigh the tragedy of a life that never truly lived (cf. Psalm 90:10). What This Says About Earthly Achievements • Achievements are temporary: “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (1 Timothy 6:7) • Recognition is fleeting: “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” (Psalm 144:4) • Possessions cannot secure satisfaction: “One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Luke 12:15) • True value is measured by eternal rest, not earthly resume. Marks of Futile Accomplishment in Ecclesiastes 6:3-5 1. Quantity without content—“a hundred children” but an empty soul. 2. Longevity without joy—“many years” yet no “good things” enjoyed. 3. Honor without hope—no “proper burial,” signaling public disregard and private despair. 4. Restlessness that outlasts life itself. The Satisfaction God Desires • Contentment springs from fearing God and keeping His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). • Enjoying God’s gifts in their proper place is “the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 5:19). • Jesus offers the rest earthly success cannot: “Come to Me…and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) Living It Out • Pursue achievements as stewardship, not identity (Colossians 3:23-24). • Hold temporal blessings loosely, knowing they can vanish overnight (James 4:13-15). • Seek satisfaction first in Christ; then earthly accomplishments become tools rather than traps (Matthew 6:33). |
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