Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash
Everything that people work so hard for goes into their mouths, but their appetite is never satisfied.
It is better to look at what is in front of you than to go looking for what you want. Even this is pointless. ⌊It’s like⌋ trying to catch the wind.
Who knows what may be good for mortals while they are alive, during the brief, pointless days they live? (Eccl 6:7, 9, 12 GW) [context– Eccl 6:7-12]
Satisfaction guaranteed?
You’ve probably heard more than a few advertisements with promises of, “Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!” I think the advertisers are confident most people won’t bother returning the product for a refund even though they’re not satisfied.
Most of us are used to not being “100% satisfied.” We accept disappointments as part of everyday life. We’ve come to realize satisfaction is relative and happiness is temporary.
The idea of satisfaction has a low threshold for the majority of people on the face of the earth. If there’s enough food for the day, shelter from the elements, and relative safety, most people are satisfied, or at least relieved of worry.
The expectation of satisfaction in life is more of a first-world concern than most of the rest of the world.
Many people who live at what the western world considers the poverty level are often more content and satisfied with their lives because their expectations are lower and life is more simple than in more developed western nations.
Subsistence poverty, also known as absolute poverty, is much different than America’s nationally calculated poverty level, also referred to as relative poverty.
First-world problems are trivial compared to having basic personal needs met. Western cultures and nations, especially America, are typically more concerned with more self-absorbed needs as echoed in a 1965 rock and roll song— ”I can’t get no, satisfaction!”
What we complain about is an indicator of how self-absorbed we are.
Is our level of satisfaction based on what we lack or want or a basic need?
In the times of the ancient world until the middle of the 20th Century, only the wealthy and privileged were concerned with what could be considered inconveniences or have expectations of more than the necessities of life.
But from the 1950s on, as we recovered from a global economic depression and a second World War, more and more people began to experience opportunities and affluence once reserved for the wealthy.
Perhaps longing for “the good old days” isn’t so much about nostalgia as a longing for a simpler way of life.
Insights
In the second half of Ecclesiastes Chapter 6, I see five frustrations and questions expressed by Solomon—a man unsatisfied with “life under the sun.”
Our bodies need fuel to function properly and that fuel is food. But how much food do we need and what foods are best for our bodies?
Of course, opinions abound in answer to these questions but one this is certain—most people in developed countries can and do eat more than their bodies need. And what we eat isn’t always healthy for us.
Working for food and other basic needs is wise and a reasonable motive for work (Prov 16:26). But, we are rarely satisfied with the basics. We want more and this leads to dissatisfaction in our lives. Or, as it says in another version— ”And yet the soul is not satisfied.” (Eccl 6:7 NKJV).
This sets the tone for the remaining verses. Solomon also returns to thoughts expressed earlier in Ecclesiastes.
Again, Solomon questions if the rich have an advantage over the poor for navigating life’s journey and interactions with people (Eccl 2:15). The poor have less to lose when disasters take place but are more likely to help their neighbors than those who are wealthy.
Solomon goes on to see the benefit of contentment with what a person already has rather than seeking more. Another Bible version puts it this way— Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite (Eccl 6:9 NIV).
This reminds me of what’s called FOMO (fear of missing out), and Solomon says— This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
In verse 10, Solomon reaches back to the famous expression— “there’s nothing new under the sun” (Eccl 1:9-11), and adds a reminder— “And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he”. This can be understood in two ways.
First, there will always be others who are greater than us in authority, power, and strength. But I believe Solomon also refers to God who is greater than all.
The last two verses of Chapter 6 echo Solomon’s thoughts at the beginning of Chapter 5. Speaking less and listening more is more useful and valuable than the other way around. And for all the talk, questioning, and theorizing we may do, only God knows the future.
Solomon summed up all of this before when he said—
There is nothing better for people to do than to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in their work. I saw that even this comes from the hand of God. (Eccl 2:24 GW)
Existential Reflections
Comparing our lives with others is a sure path for dissatisfaction and trouble, as I’ve shared before. It leads to more frustrations and an unsatisfied life. This makes us and those around us miserable.
Frustrations are common to all of us. What’s different for each of us are the sources of our frustrations. What bothers and frustrates me may be quite different from what bothers and frustrates you or someone else.
Disappointments lead to frustrations. But what causes our disappointments?
Most, if not all disappointments are the result of unmet expectations.
Some expectations are reasonable and realistic. When we work for an agreed wage, we expect to get paid when the work we finished. When we order an item from a menu at a restaurant, we expect to receive the meal we ordered.
But things don’t always go as expected. While overseas, my wife ordered a hamburger but received a cheeseburger. When she told the server about the mix-up, the server explained, “I’m sorry ma’am, we’re out of ham.”
Just because an expectation seems reasonable to us doesn’t mean it is realistic. My wife’s restaurant experience was the result of a misunderstanding in culture and language. Living overseas taught us the need for adjusting our expectations to the reality of life as it is.
The frustrations and questions that bothered Solomon, as expressed in these verses, were the consequence of his unmet expectations. Though he was given great wisdom from God, Solomon’s own failures and limitations frustrated him.
But Solomon’s expectations of knowing and understanding all there is to know and understand were unreasonable and unrealistic expectations.
Solomon’s frustrations and questions were the result of his limitations as a human. But such things are common to us all. And these disappointments and mysteries can lead us all to an unsatisfied life if we let them.
How can we overcome the frustrations and mysteries of life “under the sun”?
How can we avoid what leads to an unsatisfied life?
We can choose to approach life in a different way.
Here are a few suggestions based on Solomon’s previous conclusions and my own life experience.
Choose to trust God with your life and whatever is beyond your understanding (Prov 3:5-6).
Learn to be content with what God provides, whether it’s a little or a lot (Phil 4:12).
Choose to be humble and to do what is good and just (Micah 6:8).
Make people in your life more of a priority than things.
Live as simple a life as you can.
Do more listening than talking, be thankful rather than complain, and encourage others instead of criticizing them.
Susan and I have learned the value of these suggestions from our time in ministry in the US and overseas. These are decisions and choices we need to make each day.
These are my suggestions.
What are the ways you see to be helpful for living a satisfied life?
This is an excerpt from my newest book available on Amazon! Glimmers of Light in the Darkness of Life
The Scripture text for this devotional study can be found by clicking the blue button link– “Ecclesiastes Chap 6” [I’ve used God’s Word Translation (GW) for ease of reading but the button link will take you to the text in a parallel version with the NKJV text.]
Also, for further commentary, I recommend Enduring Word by Ptr David Guzik.