Ecclesiastes 6:7-9 - An Unsatisfied Appetite

Ecclesiastes 6:7-9
All a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the appetite is not satisfied. For what advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living? What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.

Message: An unsatisfied appetite

Time: Solomon's authorship is not stated. Solomon's reign as king of Israel lasted from around 970 B.C. to around 930 B.C. The Book of Ecclesiastes was likely written towards the end of his reign, approximately 935 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

This passage is something I do not see I struggle with. The idea is that we don't work hard to simply keep up with the Joneses, but I work hard to provide for my family. Yet, the Joneses are a problem in my life because they are doing things I am not interested in doing and so my kids love to spend time with them. I want to do work at home and simple activities but they want to go have fun in new ways. I guess I should allow them, but sometimes it hurts when I do want to do something that then they aren't here. 

"What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires." Do we stop at times to just enjoy what we have or are we too conditioned to just seeking more? This is the danger in life. 

From Tabletalk, "There is nothing wrong with having nice things, but if we think those nice things will make us content, we will never find our self in a place of happiness. The more that we own, the greater the temptation to make what we own the source of our contentment. But Christ alone can satisfy us permanently."

Promise: Work hard and then be content.