Ecclesiastes 6

V 1–2: PASSING PROSPERITY The Preacher asks what the point is of having prosperity under the sun which then goes to someone else. V 3–6: FINAL FUTILITY He asks what the benefit of living a long life is and also what the benefit is of having plenty of children. Is not a stillborn child in a better position as he has avoided the vanity of it all? The false doctrine of annihilation after death feeds this depressing view. V 7–9: SATISFIED SOULS He sees that man’s labour and possessions cannot satisfy the soul. The wise man is no better off than the fool. V 10–11: NOTHING NEW As life passes like a shadow, nothing new comes. We have seen it all before. V 12: UNCERTAINTY UNDERLINED Man does not really know what is best for him in the uncertainties of his transient life. Who knows what the future holds ‘under the sun’?