CRITICAL NOTES.—
Ecclesiastes 6:6. Do not all go to one place?] All go to School—“the house of assembly of all living” (Job 30:23). There all arrive equally poor; nor is the chance afforded them to regain what they have failed to enjoy on earth.
Ecclesiastes 6:7. The appetite is not filled] The deep wants of the inner man are not satisfied, though the sensual part of him may lack nothing of indulgence.
Ecclesiastes 6:8. Knoweth to walk before the living] Knows how to walk accurately by the proper rule of life. Thus St. Paul—“See that ye walk circumspectly, i.e., accurately, Ephesians 5:15.
Ecclesiastes 6:9. Better is the sight of the eyes] The enjoyment of what is before us—our eyes resting contentedly on our lot.
Ecclesiastes 6:10. That which hath been is named already] Whatever happens has happened before, and long ago received its name; i.e., the nature of it was accurately described and known in the plan of God. And it is known that it is man] Lit., Adam. There is a play upon the name. Man is known to be what he really is, Adam, i.e., man from earth. Mightier than he] He cannot contend with the All Powerful One.
Ecclesiastes 6:11. Increase vanity] All that tends to strengthen the impression of vanity.
Ecclesiastes 6:12. What is good for man in this life] What kind of lot is the best; seeing that all is uncertain, and the future is concealed. After him] The meaning is—not after his death, but after his present condition. The force of the question is—who can tell what is the next thing that will happen to him, or through what changes of fortune he may be called to pass?
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Ecclesiastes 6:11-12
THREE OPPRESSIONS OF HUMANITY
I. The Oppression of fruitless Toil after Happiness. (Ecclesiastes 6:11.) Some fancied good ever lies before us, but we are doomed—if we have no resource but earthly wisdom or contrivance—to toil after it in vain.
1. Every advance we make only increases the sources of annoyance. As we pass from the possession of one seeming good to another, in this life, our brief happiness receives successive impulses; and we indulge the hope of enjoying in peace the rewards of endurance and conflict. But when we have gained what we sought after, and the gifts of life are multiplied, and the objects of our ambition secured, we find that at the same time there is generated for us an increase of vanity and vexation—a more complicated misery. Riches bring cares; honour and fame set a man up as a mark for envy, and make him feel more keenly the pain of wounded pride.
2. In the best conditions of earthly happiness, there is a craving for some unpossessed good. Men never attain to the end of their desires—never reach a state of satisfaction and repose—the goal ever lies beyond them. There is no anchor to stay the soul on the troubled sea of life but immortal hope, and those who have it not drift in danger and in fear. They have no safe harbour where they can be sheltered till the indignation be overpast. This fruitless toil after happiness is one of the oppressions of man. It is that burden of vanity under which the creation groans, and which only God himself can lift from the soul.
II. The Oppression of Ignorance. (Ecclesiastes 6:12.) The empire of human knowledge expands from age to age, but the great problems of existence still remain unsolved. All our investigation, all our labour of speculative thought only pushes the mystery further back into the darkness. The unknown is ever the terrible; and darkness is not only the deprivation of light, but also the region of fear and terror. The imagination paints horrid forms where the eye can no longer see. This ignorance is considered here under two forms.
1. Ignorance of the best conditions of happiness. If we have only the wisdom of this world to direct us, it is hard to tell what state of life, on the whole, is the best. Every condition has some disadvantage, and it is difficult to strike the balance. Humanity without the light and comfort of religion must remain in ignorance of that most concerning question, how can the soul be happy in all the scenes and changes through which it is called to pass? Even spiritual men must feel that there are aspects of human life, the contemplation of which, for the present, is not without pain. They also must wait for the clearing up of mystery. This burden of ignorance presses upon all; some are sustained under it by faith and hope, to the rest it is an intolerable load—a weariness and vexation.
2. Ignorance of the future. A man “cannot tell what shall be after him.” He knows not what shall occur in his own immediate circle, or in the broader field of history. The intellect is equal to the task of framing principles which future history will be certain to illustrate. The spiritual man knows that certain great moral truths will be vindicated through all the events of the future. But what those events shall be in their number, variety, and special issues, no human sagacity can foresee. That part of the roll of history which is still to be unfolded by time, is hidden from us, and our keenest vision cannot read the writing there. In front of the darkness and uncertainty lying before us, we can only utter the cry, “Who can tell?”
III. The Oppression of Weakness. Man’s life is “vain,” and he spends it “as a shadow.” There is no enduring substance in it—no power of defence against the terrible forces which threaten, and will in the end overwhelm it.
1. This weakness is felt in our utter helplessness before the great troubles and disasters of life. In the time of prosperity, when the love of life is strong, and the enjoyment of it keen, we may glory in the conscious possession of power. But our triumph is short and when a great trouble arises, we feel how weak we are. All our science and skill can raise no permanent defence against disease, nor hold us back from going down one of the many paths to death. Wealth and grandeur are no defence in the day of trouble. The grim realities of existence mock at our poor refuges and sweep them ruthlessly away.
2. This weakness is a cause of sadness and misery to humanity. To feel ourselves strong is a happiness—a grateful assurance for the mind. While we have plentiful reserves of strength, there is a consciousness of security which is pure enjoyment. But to be weak is to be miserable—to feel ourselves the sport of every unfriendly power. The weakness of man revealed to him by misfortune, suffering, and death is one of the saddest burdens of the race. The Gospel makes a gracious provision for humanity oppressed by these three burdens.
1. Christ offers rest to those who weary themselves for very vanity.
2. Christ promises to dispel the darkness of this present state. He makes duty the condition of the higher revelation; through goodness, man reaches that splendour where all is clear.
3. Christ arms the soul with His own strength. That soul whom He strengthens can fear no foe. He who is joined to the highest is as secure as the throne of God.
SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS ON THE VERSES
Ecclesiastes 6:11. What the better is man of that reputation which only makes him more envied? What the better is he of that wealth which only makes him obnoxious to plots and dangers? What the better of that philosophy which, like a taper on the face of a midnight cliff, only shows how beetling is the brow above him, and how profound the gulf below, whilst he himself is crawling a wingless reptile on the ever-narrowing ledge? What the better is acquirement, when, after all, man’s intellect, man’s conscience, man’s affections, must remain a vast and unappeasable vacuity? [Dr. J. Hamilton.]
In our anxiety to get rid of the burden of vanity by new diversions, pursuits, and acquirements, we only make that burden the heavier, and condemn ourselves to the grief of failure.
The boasted improvements of reason, while they enlarge our view and refine our taste, at the same time serve to render the sense of misery more acute.
No imagined change in the external conditions of a man’s life can make any radical improvement of his real self.
The diseases of the human spirit are inveterate. Not only are we not healed by the physicians who undertake our case, but we grow worse under their hands. We can only be healed by a miracle of grace.
Ecclesiastes 6:12. What we often looked forward to as a source of great good has turned out to be a great evil. The sages have failed so often in the experiment of determining the best conditions of happiness, that there can be no certain knowledge except by Revelation. Faith alone can heal the sorrows of the mind.
The voice of complaint and distress is heard from every position in the social scale. In the face of this fact, who can tell, on merely human principles, what is best for man?
It is a “vain life,” and all its days a “shadow.” A shadow is the nearest thing to a nullity. It is seldom noticed. Even a “vapour” in the firmament—a cloud, may catch the eye, and in watching its changing hues or figure, you may find the amusement of a moment; and if that cloud condense into a shower, a few fields may thank it for its timely refreshment. But a shadow—the shadow of a vapour! who notes it? Who records it?.… But Jesus Christ hath brought immortality to light. This fleeting life He has rendered important as “a shadow from the rock eternity.” In His own teaching, and in the teaching of His Apostles, the present existence acquires a fearful consequence as the germ, or rather as the outset of one which is never ending. To their view, this existence is both everything and nothing. As the commencement of eternity, and as giving complexion to all the changeless future, it is everything; as the competitor of that eternity, or the counterpoise to its joys and sorrows, it is nothing [Dr. J. Hamilton].
The mysterious depths of the future are hidden from human eye, but nothing shall be found there which can hurt or alarm the righteous. In the upshot of things, there will be seen the triumph of great moral principles, and the vindication of goodness wherever it is found.