As the saying goes, talk is cheap….it was probably never more true than it is today.  In our Ecclesiastes, Solomon again points out the minuscule importance of man in comparison to God.  Something we should take note of, because in our own arrogance, we tend to put ourselves on the same playing field as God.  So that is important to consider as we delve into today’s scripture:

Ecc 6:11  For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man?

Indeed, man can run his mouth day and night speculating through unproven theories why things are the way they are, but the truth is, man is very short sighted, and also short lived as the following verse shows us:

Ecc 6:12  For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun

In the scope of time, which we have a very limited knowledge of, our lives pass like a shadow, in that they have a very small impact on the world.  As harsh as that May sounds to some of us, especially now a days, when we are conditioned to think the earth revolved around us, we will more than likely be forgotten.  Let’s be honest, how many of us can name all of our ancestors?  Not many, right?  And apart from maybe their names, how much of their lives do we really know about?  Not much, yet they came and lived here for a little while, just like we will, only to be replaced by a new generation. 

Again, this may sound harsh, as if our lives are meaningless, but it is also a critical reminder not to take ourselves too seriously, which is a mistake many of us can make.  The Bible always points to God, after all it is His Word, these verses underscore how our lives a finite, or can be quantified, but God, the great “I Am” who created the universe and who transcends anything that can be quantified, God is infinite and eternal.  In other words, He is greater than we.  An important reminder to help keep us humble.