Though short, this chapter is a deep theological dive and we can only review a small portion of it.
“Whatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. The more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life, which he passes like a shadow? For who can tell man what will be after him under the sun?” (v10-12)
There are several key thoughts in these three verses:
– God is absolutely sovereign, and humans cannot stand up to Him
– Our judgements of ‘success’, ‘good’ and ‘better’ are called into question
– Our lives on earth are brief, and filling them with with meaningless things is vanity
– Only God can tell the future with certainty
Let’s unpack the thought that our judgements of ‘success’, what is ‘good’, and what is ‘better’ are completely relative, based on our perspectives and circumstances.
For example:
– Is being wealthy ‘better’ than being poor? The wealthy may not lack health care, yet they inevitably get sick and die just as the poor do, so is wealth actually better?
– Is it ‘good’ to own a pet? If they improve your quality of life, yes. If they cause you grief, frustration, and/or cost more than you can afford, maybe not.
– Is it ‘success’ to own a ‘successful’ company? Perhaps mental health is a real struggle, and ‘success’ can be framed as getting out of bed.
Who gets to judge what is ‘successful’, ‘good’ or ‘better’? In my opinion, we can only define these for ourselves, in our own lives, within current context. Who am I to tell you what’s ‘good’, ‘better’, or ‘successful’ in your life? I can only make these assessments (somewhat) accurately when comparing me to myself, in the moment. For example, I can confidently say I am ‘better’ since I lost 20 pounds. That statement is true for me right now, but may not be true for me at another point in my life, and certainly won’t be a guaranteed truth for someone else.
I encourage us to use these judgements carefully, especially when looking into someone else’s life and circumstances. Telling someone “You’d be better off if…” may be causing them more harm than good, because who are we to judge and remove their freedom of choice? Do we know them and their circumstances so well we can make this type of statement? I suggest we’re not as well-informed as we think. Asking coaching questions like “Have you considered…” will be far more helpful to someone, and empowers them to make their own choices. I caution us to only use judgmental statements on ourselves, and only with the guidance of the Holy Spirit – He truly knows what is ‘good’ or ‘better’ for us, and how we can ‘succeed’ in following Jesus.
Father God, our Absolutely Sovereign Lord, we lift Your name high above the heavens. We know You are kind and loving, since Your Spirit gently guides us. Please guide us to build up our neighbors, and refrain from judging them. May we also exercise caution when judging ourselves, and seek the Spirit’s wisdom on what is ‘good’ and ‘better’ for us. As we seek Your will, may we ‘succeed’ in loving You and loving our neighbors, from this day forward, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training