Setting – Solomon points out that it is futile if one can’t enjoy life.
Content – If one (v. 2a ESV) “lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them” then (v. 2b ESV) “This is vanity; it is a grievous evil.” Or if the (v. 3 ESV) “soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.” We should (v. 6 NLT) “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind.” If you think about it (v. 12 NLT), “In the few days of our empty lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? And who can tell what will happen in the future after we are gone?”
Application – Once again Solomon looks at life when one doesn’t enjoy what God has provided for them. If you can’t enjoy life with what God has given to you, life is vanity. We hear about this all the time, famous people who have “arrived” at success only to feel empty. They strive after the wind, only to find they can’t obtain enjoyment. God provides enjoyment for mankind. It’s not what the world has to offer, which are things. Rather, it’s the knowledge of what our purpose is, to live our life for God and with God while on this earth until we enter into our eternal home.
Content – If one (v. 2a ESV) “lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them” then (v. 2b ESV) “This is vanity; it is a grievous evil.” Or if the (v. 3 ESV) “soul is not satisfied with life's good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.” We should (v. 6 NLT) “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless; it is like chasing the wind.” If you think about it (v. 12 NLT), “In the few days of our empty lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? And who can tell what will happen in the future after we are gone?”
Application – Once again Solomon looks at life when one doesn’t enjoy what God has provided for them. If you can’t enjoy life with what God has given to you, life is vanity. We hear about this all the time, famous people who have “arrived” at success only to feel empty. They strive after the wind, only to find they can’t obtain enjoyment. God provides enjoyment for mankind. It’s not what the world has to offer, which are things. Rather, it’s the knowledge of what our purpose is, to live our life for God and with God while on this earth until we enter into our eternal home.
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