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Bible Notes - Tabernacle Commentaries
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Ecclesiastes 6:8
Comments
Solomon gives us two examples of those who try to better their lot in this world. The first has wisdom and certainly it makes a great difference to his earthly status, but in the light of eternity it gains him little or nothing. Then think of a poor man who lacks much, but nevertheless learns to conduct himself with discretion, and so earns himself a degree of respect and security within the limits of his capabilities. He learns to conceal his ambition and control his sense of inequality, so that he makes the best of his position; this is a shrewd insight into the way that many conduct themselves. But neither does he have any lasting advantage, for the respect he gains is only passing, only recognised by those who were familiar with him, and the whole lot of them are eventually removed from the scene of this world and the little drama they put on for a time is swept away into oblivion. St Bernard comments, ‘He who has climbed to the top of the mountain has reached a higher elevation than the man who remains at its base. But for the purpose of reaching the stars, both situations are equally ineffectual’.
Application
Is there any real advantage of one person over another, anything that really marks out one as superior? To be sure, men of the world believe there are major differences, and these differences are what motivate them to strive for various earthly achievements. They judge that it is an enormous benefit to gain a good education, to have social standing, to have a successful career, and to obtain knowledge in some area of expertise. To achieve this, it is worth investing many years of study and hard work, for these are the kinds of prizes that this world offers to the industrious. These are the ones the world calls wise, while those who lack these things it calls fools.
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