Two Unanswered Questions and Our Response

Ecclesiastes 6:12

St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
August 23, 2026
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes

"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?"

Big idea: Wealth cannot guarantee enjoyment, desire cannot satisfy the soul, and human beings cannot control life's outcomes. Therefore, receive God's gifts gratefully and trust the God who is sovereign.

Chapter six of Ecclesiastes ends with two unanswered questions.

First, who knows what is truly good for us? We usually think we know. We assume more money, better health, greater visibility, or fewer difficulties would necessarily produce a better life. Yet blessings can become idols, while hardships can produce wisdom, compassion, and endurance.

It is absurd to call evil good or minimize suffering. Additionally, we can acknowledge that our perspective is too limited to judge the whole story. What initially appears to be gain may damage us, and what initially feels like loss may deepen us.

Second, who can tell us what will happen after us? We cannot control how others will use what we build. We cannot guarantee that our reputation will survive, that our plans will continue, or that our wealth will be handled wisely.

Our days pass like a shadow. That image is not intended merely to depress us; it teaches us to live humbly and attentively. Because life is brief, we can stop postponing gratitude, reconciliation, generosity, worship, and obedience.

The answer to life's uncertainty is not despair. It is trust.

Ecclesiastes exposes the inadequacy of life viewed only "under the sun." The New Testament directs us to the One who came from above. Jesus did not promise wealth as the cure for mortality. He entered our mortality, died, and rose again.

Because of Christ, death does not have the final word. Because he holds our lives, we need not demand that possessions, accomplishments, or control give us immortality.

Here are a few practical ways that we can respond to God’s word today:

Receive God's gifts

Do not merely consume God's gifts; receive them. Pause long enough to recognize ordinary mercies: food, friendship, meaningful work, rest, beauty, worship, and time with those you love. Gratitude turns possession into enjoyment.

Define enough

If "enough" remains undefined, appetite will always redefine it upward. Prayerfully consider what sufficiency looks like and resist arranging life around limitless accumulation.

Practice generosity

Generosity loosens wealth's grip on the heart. It declares that God, not accumulated possessions, is our security. Giving transforms wealth from an object of worship into an instrument of love.

Release imagined control

Identify what belongs to your responsibility and what belongs to God's providence. Do what faithfulness requires, then entrust the outcome to him.

Seek God above his gifts

The deepest problem in Ecclesiastes 6 is not insufficient wealth but an unsatisfied soul. The soul was made for more than possessions. It was made for communion with God.

Conclusion

Ecclesiastes 6 dismantles three common illusions:

If I possess enough, I will be satisfied.
If I live long enough and accomplish enough, my life will be secure.
If I plan carefully enough, I can control the outcome.

My friends, wealth cannot guarantee enjoyment. Longevity cannot satisfy an empty soul. Appetite does not stop by itself. Human reasoning cannot master providence, and no one can see the future.

So what should we do?

Receive what God gives. Enjoy it gratefully. Share it generously. Hold it loosely. Work faithfully. Admit your limits. Trust the One who is stronger than you.

The goal is not to possess enough to eliminate dependence on God. The goal is to discover that God himself is enough, and then to receive every lesser gift from his hand without asking it to become our god.

Let us pray, “Father, forgive us for seeking from wealth what only you can give. Deliver us from restless appetite and the illusion that we can control our lives. Teach us to receive your gifts with gratitude, use them with wisdom, and share them with generosity. Give us contentment without complacency, diligence without anxiety, and trust when we cannot understand your providence. Fix our hope not on uncertain riches but on you, the living God, who richly provides all things for our good. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”