Ecclesiastes 6 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study
Ecclesiastes 6 Short Summary:
Solomon contemplates the vanity of a life of riches, wealth, and honor when the possessor never gets to enjoy them. Solomon warns men that their life’s work could all be meaningless, because nobody knows what will happen to their work after they die.
Ecclesiastes 6 Bible Study
ECCLESIASTES CHAPTER SUMMARIES
Ecclesiastes 1 - Solomon declares that life on earth is vanity. Earthly pursuits are largely meaningless. Men are born and men die in the endless cycle of the earth’s spinning. History is forgotten and repeated generation after generation.
Ecclesiastes 2 - Solomon tested the offerings of the world and found them empty. Physical pleasure, wine, laughter, entertainment, accomplishing things, riches, making a name for himself, they were all vanity. Solomon discussed the fate of the wicked vs. the foolish, and lamented the short-term value of hard work.
Ecclesiastes 3 - The cycle of the earth repeats continually, and everything happens at its appointed time according to God’s design. God created mankind with knowledge of eternity, although much of His work is still hidden from them. Injustice is prevalent on the earth, but a time for judgment is approaching.
Ecclesiastes 4 - In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon expands on his reasons for calling all of life “vanity.” Life is oppressive, and the weak are victims of the powerful. There is vanity in hard work and in laziness. Companionship is preferable to solitude, even high-achieving solitude. Fame and power are fleeting.
Ecclesiastes 5 - Solomon continues his discussion on vanity, bringing up at least 3 areas of life where vanity is observable. Solomon saw vanity in the way some people worshipped, when they offered empty words and promises to God. He goes on to describe the vanity of greed and the vanity of wealth.
Ecclesiastes 6 - Solomon contemplates the vanity of a life of riches, wealth, and honor when the possessor never gets to enjoy them. Solomon warns men that their life’s work could all be meaningless, because nobody knows what will happen to their work after they die.
AUTHOR:
Ecclesiastes was almost certainly written by Solomon (Ecc 1:1), the son of David, the 3rd king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah.
His palace and the Temple of God were located in Jerusalem.
Solomon became king in approximately 1015 B.C and reigned for 40 years.
OUTLINE:
RICHES WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO ENJOY THEM (6:1-7):
Solomon thought it was a great shame that some men have great riches, wealth, and honor, but because of some life circumstance or some mindset they are unable to enjoy the things they have.
Other people get to enjoy their wealth, but they never personally get to appreciate it.
Solomon said this was “vanity, and it is an evil disease.”
Another vanity of life was seen in a man who had all the external signs of happiness and fulfillment but who was internally very empty.
In Solomon’s day, a long life and many children was a mark of a good life. But Solomon observed that there were some men who lived many years and had a hundred children, but those blessings never touched their souls. A man could have everything and still be unhappy.
Solomon said that a stillborn child was better off than such a man. At least the child found peace without toiling away for decades on earth to find none.
What advantage is it to live 1,000 years without satisfaction? Why live 1,000 years of frustration? Both the stillborn child and the 1,000-year-old man end up in the same place in the end, in the grave.
THE VANITY OF IT ALL (6:8-12):
Solomon called into question the real value of wisdom in such a vain world, saying, “For what hath the wise more than the fool?” (6:8).
Some men have everything and aren’t content. Some men have nothing and aren’t content. It’s better to appreciate what you have in front of your eyes than to lose your peace to a mind that is always wandering with desire.
Solomon concludes with a fatalistic statement about the world, saying that the world abounds with vanity and there is really no way for a man to know what is vanity and what isn’t since a man can’t know what will happen after his death, he can’t know which of his works will endure and which will crumble.
APPLICATION
It is a very depressing thought to think that you can devote your life to a cause or to building something, and that after you die, it could be that nobody will care about it and it will all fall apart.
So, how do you escape the potential vanity of building something that won’t last?
Answer: Build something that will last forever!
I can think of two things that will last forever, (1) The Kingdom of God and (2) souls.
Time spent contributing to God’s Church and time spent building up the souls of others is time you don’t ever have to worry about labeling as “vanity.”
If you’re struggling with purposelessness in life, consider putting more of your time into these eternal things and shifting some away from the temporary things.
There is great comfort and peace knowing that a hard day’s work in the service of the Lord will never be wasted.
