Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, prepare me to receive your word. Clear my mind and warm my heart. Assure me of your loving purposes for me, and speak into my life today.
The beginning of Ecclesiastes 6 should be read with Ecclesiastes 5 in mind. In verses 18–20 of chapter 5, the author speaks of someone who has wealth, food and work, with the ability to enjoy these things being the gift of God. In contrast, in chapter 6 we see that someone who has these things but doesn’t have the ability to enjoy them is afflicted.
The key difference in each of these scenarios is the ability of the person to be content with what they have. For some, even when they have abundant food, wealth, a long life and many children, they cannot enjoy these things because ‘the appetite is never satisfied’ (verse 7) and they keep wanting more. The author again sees this as part of the vanity or meaninglessness of a life without God, as no matter how much we have, unchecked greed can lead us to always want more and so have no peace. We can compare this to Philippians 4.11–13 in which the ‘secret of contentment’ is something that the apostle Paul exemplifies, through being satisfied with or without food or belongings. For him, contentment comes from ‘Christ who gives [him] strength’, and the author of Ecclesiastes also implies that we can more easily find satisfaction by accepting that our belongings and wealth are the gifts of God rather than something we need to struggle for.
Dear Lord, thank you for all that you have given me. Please help me to control my desire for more of what I already have, knowing that all my desires and needs are in your hands.
This reflection was written by Hannah Stevens who is part of Bible Society's Publishing team
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