A sober observation from Solomon

Ecclesiastes 9:11-12

I again saw under the sun
that the race is not to the swift and
the battle is not to the warriors
and neither is bread to the wise
nor wealth to the discerning
nor favor to men of ability;
for time and chance overtake them all.

Moreover, man does not know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them.



As I read this, I understand his cynicism--and I find it foreign to my normal interpretations of the Scripture. Yet, he reminds me that everything we do "is in God's hands" (Eccl. 9:1). However, we are forced to recognize that physical giftedness and ability is not what makes a man. It lasts for a short time, and then the physical ability is gone.

As we saw on Wall Street last week, wealth is the same way.

In the end, what are we left with? I get the impression from the author of Ecclesiastes that all that is left is death (Eccl 9:3: the same destiny overtakes us all). And his view of death is rather ultimate and empty (there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom--Eccl 9:10).

What does it all mean? Well, it is a sober reminder from Solomon. Money, strength, wealth, and power last for a brief moment. In the end, all of humanity must deal with the same questions: when death comes, what is my legacy, and what is my eternity? Those that trust in physical/material things do not have a happy or hopeful answers to these questions.