Gospel Glimpses
GRACE AND GENEROSITY. In this passage we see that the days of our lives and the possessions we have are gifts from God (5:18–19). These gifts are a sign of God’s common grace, something he provides for all his creatures. As believers, God’s grace both saves and provides for us, allows for contentment, and gives a future. It also leads to our giving of grace to others in generosity and excludes the need to hoard and withhold forgiveness. As we recognize God’s good and gracious gifts to us, we are able to take joy in them in giving to others.
OLD AGE AND THE AGE TO COME. In the Old Testament era, long life and numerous children were considered some of the highest of all earthly blessings (e.g., Gen. 15:15; Psalm 127). Yet even as good gifts from God, the days of our lives and of our children are still just a vapor. This leaves a longing within us for a permanence we cannot achieve in the here and now. Our longings point us to the promise of eternal life offered by God through Christ (1 John 5:11–12). The life we now enjoy and the fellowship we share with our families are foreshadowings of the joy that will be found when we live forever in the new heavens and the new earth (Revelation 21–22).
Holcomb, J. S. (2016). Ecclesiastes, A 12-Week Study. (J. I. Packer, D. C. Ortlund, & L. T. Dennis, Eds.) (pp. 49–50). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.