Who Knows What Is Good? - Ecclesiastes #26

 

Ecclesiastes 6:10-12 (part 1 of 2)

¹⁰ Whatever one is, he has been named already,
For it is known that he is man;
And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.
¹¹ Since there are many things that increase vanity,
How is man the better?

¹² For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?

The Sovereignty of God and the Free Will of Man; where does one end and the other begin? While this may be confusing to us, and will remain hotly debated and never fully understood this side of Heaven, God knows how these Biblical issues correlate. Yesterday, we saw the truth that what we already see and possess is better than what we desire. The simple reason why: we do not know what the future will hold. God is in control of all things, knowing and ordering everything past, present, and future.

As verse 11 insinuates, we may complain about this truth, we may even want to ultimately determine something in our lives, but no amount of yearning or groaning will change the truth of God’s sovereignty over His creation. Ephesians 2:1 declares that everyone who is a believer was “dead in [his] trespasses and sins” before salvation. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, no one can follow Jesus as the Lord of their life without the work of the Holy Spirit.

Yet, God evidently established the opportunity for us to make free choices in our lives. In the Garden, God gave Adam and Eve a forbidden tree; they clearly were able to choose between obeying Him or eating the fruit of that tree. Joshua also beckoned God’s chosen people to “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,” whether the foreign gods of their enemies or the One True God (Joshua 24:15). We will also be held accountable by God for the choices we make in this life, so this is essential.

In Christ Alone,

Dan

These thoughts are day 1 of a two-day devotion on Ecclesiastes 6:10-12. Day two is tomorrow. For these devotions, I used notes from the MacArthur Study Bible and this website.