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6 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity; it is a grievous evil. If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his 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. For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. Moreover, it has not seen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to the one place?
All the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?
(ESV)
Though a stillborn child does not see the sun and is not conscious, it has more rest than he. 6 And if he lives a thousand years twice, but does not experience happiness, do not both go to the same place? 7 All man’s labor is for his stomach, yet the appetite is never satisfied.
Ecclesiastes 6:5-7 HCSB
This life cannot satisfy without purpose. And, purpose cannot come without obedience. Obedience can never happen without justification before God. So, in a roundabout way, Jesus knocks over the first domino which eventually leads to forgiveness, obedience, and purpose.
In verse 7, the Hebrew word for “soul” can also be translated as appetite. If we read this verse using the word soul, it becomes a powerful metaphor for how we live our lives. “All man’s labor is for his stomach, yet the soul is never satisfied. The hunger that burns deep within cannot be satisfied merely by food. The feeling is short-lived. It takes something much more, found only in Jesus, in order to truly bring purpose and satisfaction to the deepest part of our being.