Daily Devotions

Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 
Day 
Day 73

"Do not all go to one place?"

Text: Ecclesiastes 6:6

THE REALITY OF DEATH

Solomon struggled much with the thought of death. It seemed so very final to him.

“Though it has not seen the sun or known anything,
this has more rest than that man,
even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness.
Do not all go to one place?”

Ecclesiastes 6:5-6

1. “Though it has not seen the sun or known anything”

a) Solomon’s context is the stillborn child (Ecclesiastes 6:3).

b) The child is simple described as “it”.

i) It has not seen the sun.

ii) It has not known anything.

iii) It died when in the mother’s womb.

2. “This has more rest than that man”

a) The child has never worked.

b) It rested while in the womb.

c) It had “more rest” than the person who worked very hard all his life.

3. “Even if he lives a thousand years twice- but has not seen goodness”

a) The measure of the worth of life is not to be found in its length.

b) Even if a man lived two thousand years, his longevity does not mean his life was worthwhile.

c) Seeing goodness

i) Doing something good to someone.

ii) Receiving something good in return.

iii) This would have brought some measure of worth to life.

d) But if a person has never seen anything that may be called “goodness”
his longevity of life would not be worth much, if anything at all.

4. “Do not all go to one place?”

a) This was a reference to death.

i) One who had never seen life.

ii) One who had 200 years of life.

iii) They all go to the abode of death.

b) What would be the point of a long life without having seen goodness?

i) There would have been no joy.

ii) There would not have been any satisfaction.

iii) There would not have been much meaning.

c) Life must have more meaning than just longevity!