Ecclesiastes 5:20 Commentary and Bible Study

The gift of God spoken of here is grace. In his old age, this man will not brood and focus on all the pains and losses, and reflect on how harshly life has treated him. ‘Remember’ is meant here in the sense ‘brood over’. God answers with pardon, life and eternity, and communion with himself.Life was not designed by God to be a burden but a source of happiness and joy, but due to the fall and the resulting curse of God on the earth, this world has become a realm of misery. The materialist, thinking that this is all there is, fights against the curse all his days and struggles to hold on to life’s fleeting pleasures. But the Christian is content to pass through the world, enjoying the blessing of God along the way, yet not so committed to earthly pleasure that he resents the passing of each day and is unable to face the eternal future with confidence. Pleasures themselves have a way of making our days pass quietly and with contentment. We may look forward to what the day has to bring without counting the hours since the pleasures we enjoy make us forget to observe closely the passing of time.To count each day is certainly to make life drag, but is what a man must do who has no future life to look forward to. If our best is now then we would like somehow to slow down the passing of time and anchor ourselves in the here and now. Such a person is far less equipped to face hardship and disappointment in this life as there is nothing to compensate him for his losses. But the believer has found the secret of enjoying the present without clinging to temporal things unduly. He recognises what comes into his hand as the gift of God, but the same God who gives him tokens of love in this world, will supply his eternal needs in eternity.