Ecc 6:10 | KingComments | STEP | God knows the beginning of every man ( ), also his name and character ( ). His name, his identity, is given to him by God (cf. ). Giving a name to someone or something means that someone has the authority to do so. Thus God called “light day and darkness night” ( ). A name expresses the nature of something ( ). Concerning man “it is known what man is”. Man must know that he is a weak creature (cf. ) and not the strong God ( ). He must know that it is impossible to dispute with God or call Him to account. It is foolishness to begin with this, for he will always be defeated “by him who is stronger than he” ( ). It is also possible that with ‘him who is stronger than he’ death is meant. He cannot change what God has made of him, the character He has given him ( ). To accept that is the most essential thing to function as God has purposed it to be. That also gives full meaning to life. It makes no sense to argue about this with God, although God allows us to do so when we do, as with Job, in order to teach us even richer lessons. However, man is not inclined to accept what God has made of him. He dares to rage against God, the Almighty, for the slightest thing, and to challenge His right to the government of all things. Like a nitwit, he grumbles at God and curses at Him, even though he himself is to blame for the misery, his decay and his mortality in which he finds himself, due to his own sins. Even though a man is well known and rich, it is generally known that he is only a man, made of dust, and therefore weak and fragile. He is, because he is human, subject to numerous disasters. His ability to prevent them is completely beyond his control, despite all his fearful efforts and worries. He cannot use his power and wealth to carry out his will in order to make the disasters disappear from him when they have struck him. Although a man may become famous, it is known that he is only a man who cannot dispute with Him Who is stronger, which means that he cannot control events, for only He Who is stronger, namely God, can. There are so many things in the life of man that are futile, transitory ( ). What is the real benefit of such things to him? They do not benefit him, they do not benefit him at all. Words of people do not change the world, they only make the emptiness bigger. Just listen to the countless empty words of many politicians. The firm language used to suppress evil in any form is becoming more and more pitiful. It is reminiscent of the saying that a proverb in the mouth of fools is like the legs to the lame, which are useless ( ). You can see it happen before you: the firm words seeping like powerless saliva out of the speaker’s mouth, trickling down along his chin and making his neat jacket dirty. Only the living and powerful Word of God is able to bring about a change for the better. No one knows what is good in this life for mankind, only God knows, but He is off side in this book, because the Preacher sees everything only under the sun ( ). Will there be days of prosperity or adversity, of profit or loss, of abundance or of lack? Man does not know it because he spends his days as a shadow, which means as if he has no real existence. He cannot control the course of his life and cannot make it to his own will. His life is counted in a number of “years”, which are seen as “futile” and spent like “a shadow”. This description shows how small man is. This is the reality of life when it is lived apart from God, because life only has meaning and sense in connection with Him. A man who does not consider God, knows nothing of the value of life, and has no knowledge of what will be after him, let alone any certainty about it. The life after him cannot be described in a plan. Without God, he can make predictions, which at best have no other basis than previous experiences. At the same time it will be experienced how worthless those forecasts have often proved to be. With the change of people the view on life also changes. God knows from the beginning what is going to happen and He knows what will happen to him after the life of a man on earth. Only God knows what will happen after this life, and so does anyone to whom God reveals it.

‏ Ecclesiastes 6:10

Man Is Only a Man

God knows the beginning of every man (Isa 46:9-10), also his name and character (Ecc 6:10). His name, his identity, is given to him by God (cf. Isa 40:26). Giving a name to someone or something means that someone has the authority to do so. Thus God called “light day and darkness night” (Gen 1:5). A name expresses the nature of something (Gen 2:19).

Concerning man “it is known what man is”. Man must know that he is a weak creature (cf. Psa 9:20b) and not the strong God (Isa 31:3). He must know that it is impossible to dispute with God or call Him to account. It is foolishness to begin with this, for he will always be defeated “by him who is stronger than he” (Job 23:13 ; Job 33:12). It is also possible that with ‘him who is stronger than he’ death is meant.

He cannot change what God has made of him, the character He has given him (Jer 1:5). To accept that is the most essential thing to function as God has purposed it to be. That also gives full meaning to life. It makes no sense to argue about this with God, although God allows us to do so when we do, as with Job, in order to teach us even richer lessons.

However, man is not inclined to accept what God has made of him. He dares to rage against God, the Almighty, for the slightest thing, and to challenge His right to the government of all things. Like a nitwit, he grumbles at God and curses at Him, even though he himself is to blame for the misery, his decay and his mortality in which he finds himself, due to his own sins. Even though a man is well known and rich, it is generally known that he is only a man, made of dust, and therefore weak and fragile.

He is, because he is human, subject to numerous disasters. His ability to prevent them is completely beyond his control, despite all his fearful efforts and worries. He cannot use his power and wealth to carry out his will in order to make the disasters disappear from him when they have struck him. Although a man may become famous, it is known that he is only a man who cannot dispute with Him Who is stronger, which means that he cannot control events, for only He Who is stronger, namely God, can.

There are so many things in the life of man that are futile, transitory (Ecc 6:11). What is the real benefit of such things to him? They do not benefit him, they do not benefit him at all. Words of people do not change the world, they only make the emptiness bigger. Just listen to the countless empty words of many politicians. The firm language used to suppress evil in any form is becoming more and more pitiful.

It is reminiscent of the saying that a proverb in the mouth of fools is like the legs to the lame, which are useless (Pro 26:7). You can see it happen before you: the firm words seeping like powerless saliva out of the speaker’s mouth, trickling down along his chin and making his neat jacket dirty. Only the living and powerful Word of God is able to bring about a change for the better.

No one knows what is good in this life for mankind, only God knows, but He is off side in this book, because the Preacher sees everything only under the sun (Ecc 6:12). Will there be days of prosperity or adversity, of profit or loss, of abundance or of lack? Man does not know it because he spends his days as a shadow, which means as if he has no real existence.

He cannot control the course of his life and cannot make it to his own will. His life is counted in a number of “years”, which are seen as “futile” and spent like “a shadow”. This description shows how small man is. This is the reality of life when it is lived apart from God, because life only has meaning and sense in connection with Him.

A man who does not consider God, knows nothing of the value of life, and has no knowledge of what will be after him, let alone any certainty about it. The life after him cannot be described in a plan. Without God, he can make predictions, which at best have no other basis than previous experiences. At the same time it will be experienced how worthless those forecasts have often proved to be. With the change of people the view on life also changes.

God knows from the beginning what is going to happen and He knows what will happen to him after the life of a man on earth. Only God knows what will happen after this life, and so does anyone to whom God reveals it.