Ecclesiastes 9:1 says, For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.  Solomon declared that those that believe God, the righteous and the wise, and all their works are in the hands of God.  The only wisdom we can claim is the knowledge that God is ultimately in control.  People may attempt to prove that they know just as much as God, but they only deceive themselves.  We cannot know the love of God based on the material world.  We can only know it through faith.  People may attempt to judge Christians by their wealth or even health, but people are only Christians by a spiritual relationship with God, and it is not dependent on materialism.  If we begin to proclaim a gospel based on material possessions, then we are not proclaiming what God's word states.  At least this is my understanding, and I believe is what Solomon was stating also.  Verse two states, All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.  I believe Solomon was saying that it doesn't matter what comes to us in live does not matter, but how we live our lives in relationship to God is what makes the difference.  Those who declare that there is no God may prosper, as may those that believe in God, leading those that do not believe to conclude that it is foolish to follow God.  Verse three says, This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.  Solomon proclaimed that the heart of men was full of evil.  This has not changed.   Without the direction of God, we all live under the evil and madness of the heart.  What can be more of a sign of evil and madness than to devote everything to the acquisition and hoarding of the things of this world when death awaits us, and those material things are forever lost.  We, as followers of Christ, must live in accordance with His leadership.

Ecclesiastes 8:14 says, There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.  I believe that Solomon was exploring the question we hear so often today, which is why do the evil prosper while the righteous suffer.  Solomon is saying that even if that is the case, we can never blame God.  Again, my understanding of this idea would be that we cannot claim that everything that happens in life is caused by God or is His will.  If it is, then we could indeed hold God accountable.  I realize that some people hold a different view, and that they see God as controlling ever aspect of life but as I have stated many times, this is not my understanding.  When bad things happen to good people, that is not God's will, but the result of people being given the freedom of choice.  Verse fifteen says,  Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.  Solomon said he commended mirth, or joy.  We, as God's people, should indeed be full of joy, no matter what is going on in the world.  We can really ask for nothing more than to eat, sleep and be merry, or joyful. A lot of money is spent today just to help people sleep, often because they are just too worried about gaining and maintaining the things of this world.   Verse sixteen and seventeen say, When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.   I believe Solomon is saying that even if we spend every moment day and night attempting understand everything that happens in the world, we would never be successful.  All we would accomplish is losing sleep and giving in to worry.  We must acknowledge that there are some things that we can never understand.  Like Adam and Eve, we may want to be as knowledgeable as God, but we never will be.  We must, as followers of Christ, learn to be content with simply enjoying our lives in a right relationship with Him.  As long as we accept that we have everlasting life with God, not someday but from the day we accept Christ as our Savior, then nothing else of this world really matters.

Ecclesiastes 8:9 says, All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.  Solomon was stating a fact that we today see everywhere, and that is that some rulers are not concerned with how much their actions may hurt others.  We really should not be surprised when this happens.  We too often look at the world from the perspective of life in America and think of how bad things have gotten, ignoring the abuse of people in the rest of the world.  We know that in some countries that those who oppose those in power are routinely killed, but somehow we are not really concerned.  We will really never change this through anything other than reaching people with the Gospel.  We may see leaders come and go, some supposedly to change things for the better, but once they are in power, they prove to be as bad or worse than those they replaced.  We must change their hearts by the acceptance Christ to really change anything.  Verse ten says, And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.  Those who abuse and mistreat the ones that they rule over may be buried with honor, their abuse forgotten.  This is not the final ruling of their life though.  One day, God will hold them accountable.  Verse eleven states, Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.  Solomon was continuing his study of those who do evil, especially rulers, and said since a sentence against evil was slow to come, they grew even bolder in their wickedness.  The same remains true today.  The longer a person lives successfully while doing evil in the world, the bolder they become.  We see so many instances of this in the world today, but we need to rest assured that one day they will face God, and they will then realize how vain their power and wealth really are.  Verses twelve and thirteen continue this thought stating, Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.  We cannot be upset with God if the wicked live long and prosperous lives here on earth, because our call is simply to serve God.  We need never think that because evil abounds that God has lost control or left us.  One day, God will judge all, and even those who thought they had a long life will realize how much like a vapor it really was.  Evil will never win in the end.

Ecclesiastes 8:8 says, There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.  We do not have the ability to avoid death of the physical body when it comes.  We can do everything that the health care professionals tell us to do, but we still will not be able to avoid death.  In our war with death of this body we are always going to be the losers.  It is where the spirit goes that we do have control over, and that is the ultimate victory or defeat.  If we are followers of Christ, we go to everlasting life with Him.  If we are not, we go away to eternal separation.   We can never have a victory over physical death, but we can choose how we live our life.  These last few verses have warned against fatalism and a devil may care attitude as well.  Especially as God's people, we can never take the attitude that nothing we do matters.  I hear Christians today say that they don't want to get involved in the things of this world because everything is so evil. We, as followers of Christ, withdraw more and more from the world and then sit back and complain about how bad things have gotten.  We cannot remove ourselves from the world and expect it to get better.  To restate another truth from earlier, we are sent into the world to change the world.  We are not commissioned to simply wait and pray for the Second Coming, but to use this life, no matter how long or short it may be, to spread the good news of Christ.  We are not a defeated people, but we are everlastingly victorious.  Again, we cannot control the fact that one day, no matter how hard we fight against it, we will die, but but that should never cause us to live fearful or reckless lives.  We are to live victorious under the leadership of Christ.

Ecclesiastes 8:6 states, Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.  We must always realize that everything we do is done at a certain time in life and is subject to the judgment of God.  When we realize this, that can lead to misery if we are not living by God's will.  That would be my understanding of what Solomon meant in this verse.  Matthew Henry says that good and bad are both preordained by God.  Again I will never believe that God is the author of evil.  Many religions do see their god, or gods, just arbitrarily sending evil into a person's life simply for their own amusement.  If we believe that God is responsible for everything that happens in the world, then we need not attempt to determine what we should do, because whatever we decide will always be God's responsibility.  That being the case, how could God in all fairness ever condemn a sinner, since God would be responsible for their actions.  This is one of the main reasons I believe that the free will of man is responsible for the evil in the world.  Verse seven says, For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?  Solomon said there was no way to know the future.  People today seek out horoscopes and seers to tell them what the future holds, but God tells us, as His followers, that we are not to be concerned with the future.  Our future, as His followers, is in His hands, and that is all we need to be concerned with.  As I have said before, I believe this means we are not to be concerned with pinning down the time of the Second Coming, but are only to be ready when it does come.  This really isn't a reward for those who have accepted Christ, but a judgment for those who haven't.  As we get older, as followers of Christ, we get ever so much closer to being with God forever, so we do not need to worry about our destination.  We do, however, need to be concerned with the everlasting fate of the lost and be utilizing our time reaching them.  The future here on earth is not something we can know, but we can be sure that God is in control.

Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?  In the world of Solomon, the king's word was all powerful.  A person did not question what the king said.  In our world, here in America at least, we do not have one person who has that authority, so we may freely question why our leaders are doing something.  We may even question a law, but unless it goes against the teachings of God, we are still to obey it.  Many people in the world do not have this freedom, and are never free to question the ruler or rulers.  We as followers of Christ have one ruler we should never question, though, and that is God.  What God says will always be true.  Verse five continues with, Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.  If we are obeying the law, we do not have to fear that law.  Just as an example from today's world, have you ever found yourself looking at the speedometer with one eye and looking for the police with the other, because you know you are speeding?  If we are driving within the speed limit, and not by how much over we think we can get by with, we don't have to look for the police.  We may even want to see how far we can stray from God's laws and not get caught.  When we are looking around to see who is watching, be sure that God is.  When it comes to the law of man, if we feel that a law is wrong, we need to use wisdom and judgment in attempting to change it.  If we feel the need for civil disobedience, we must make sure that we are doing it under the leadership of God and doing it in a civil manner.  God will never lead us to riot and destroy simply to show our anger or to enrich ourselves.  If people are oppressed enough, as in many countries today, they may rise up in rebellion.  If so, they need the knowledge and understanding to replace the corrupt government with something better, or nothing will really change.  When we become followers of Christ, we not only renounce our sinful nature, but we replace it with a new nature that is led by the Holy Spirit.  This is definitely a better plan.

Ecclesiastes 8:1 says, Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.  I believe  Solomon is saying that we should seek to live with wisdom.  We are more readily able to live with boldness when we live guided by wisdom.  This does not mean arrogance, but with faith that we are living justly, since we need to remember that wisdom comes from God.  I don't believe that Solomon was speaking of earthly knowledge, but of Godly wisdom.  Verse two says, I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God.  Throughout the Bible, we are called on to follow the laws of the rulers of the land.  There are exceptions when the law of the government goes against the law of God.  Otherwise, we are to obey the law.  We are to do this in obedience to our oath to God.  We cannot decide that we are going to overlook laws simply because we do not like them.  Solomon was king, but I don't believe he was only speaking of obeying him.  I believe he was speaking of kings, or rulers, in general.  Once again, if the law of the land would cause us to do wrong in our relationship to God, we are to be true to God.  Verse three says, Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.  I believe Solomon was saying to his people, as he is to us, that we need to be slow in acting if we don't agree with those in power.  Those who have done wrong are usually quick to get away from those they have wronged.  When we do this, we often find ourselves standing up for something that is evil.  When we refuse to obey the law, we become a law unto ourselves, doing whatever pleases us. As followers of Christ, we must obey the law of government, unless it goes against God's law.

Ecclesiastes 7:27 says,  Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account.   Solomon said he decided to attempt to count his sins one by one.  We should never undertake such a task.  We might think we could count the sins of others, but seldom do we attempt to count our own sins, and it would be pointless to do so.  One sin is enough to separate us from God, and when Christ died on the cross, He died for all our sins for all time.  We would be better off focusing on the blessings of God than the sins of the past.  If we find ourselves in a position to be tempted by the same sin again, we might remember in order to learn from it, but otherwise, we need to simply forget it because God has washed us clean by the blood of Christ.  God doesn't remember our sins, so neither should we.  Verse twenty eight says, Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.  Solomon said he could find one good man among a thousand, but he could not find one good woman. We must not take this as a judgment of man versus woman.  Solomon was speaking of his own experience with those he knew.  We, as followers of Christ, know that we cannot find one good man or good woman no matter how many we look to, based on there own merit.  Hopefully, we will be able to find many among God's people, those who have accepted Christ as their Savior, but even then, it is not due to their own goodness.  Many times today, if it were not for the women, nothing would get done for God's kingdom.   Verse twenty nine says, Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.  God made man upright, but we weren't satisfied to be what He made us to be.  Mankind has through history sought to be more like God than to simply obey and serve Him.

Ecclesiastes 7:25 says, I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness.  Solomon devoted himself to searching for the truth on his own, not to following the will of God.  He went so far as to live in wickedness to understand life.  Sometimes, people today are tempted by others to try something that they know is wrong, but decide that they really cannot know without experiencing it themselves.  It may sound good or look good, and they may reason that one time cannot rally hurt, but then find themselves enslaved by this one time thing.  We must acknowledge that sin is sin and there are no one time wavers.  God will never lead us to the decision that a small, one time sin will be okay.  Verse twenty six says, And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.  Solomon, with all his wives and concubines, knew something about sexual temptation.  Though he seems to be putting the responsibility on the woman, we know that it was the condition of his own heart that caused him to sin.  What started as giving in to the temptation of one woman ended up as a thousand.  Though there may be times when the woman is tempting us, more often it is just our own desires that lead us to be tempted.  The woman may have done nothing more than just be someplace where we are.  Solomon also says that if we are following the will of God, we will not fall into the temptation of lust.  We can really never put just the woman on trial.  There are many more cases today where a woman is arrested for prostitution than there are of men who are arrested with her.  There are rape trials where a woman's attire or past are tried to be used as an excuse for the act, but in God's design, the man will always bear a greater responsibility.

Ecclesiastes 7:23 says, All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.  Solomon had been discussing the failure of pleasure to bring happiness in life.  He had been given great wisdom from God, the Author of all true wisdom, but he had not lived wisely.  To know what God wants from His people is not enough.  We must live under His authority.  Solomon had said that he would be wise, but found the practice of living controlled by that wisdom to be far from him.  We, as followers of Christ, have vowed to live under His leadership, but often the way we live is far from the way He would have us to live.  We may look to our own understanding instead of looking to God for understanding.  No matter how wise we may think we are, without acknowledging God as the Lord of all, it will amount to nothing.  There are some very intelligent people in the world today who lack any wisdom.  We must remember that true wisdom comes from God, and many of these very intelligent people say they are to smart to believe in God, so they really do lack wisdom.  Verse twenty four says, That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?  I believe Solomon was speaking about knowing the mind of God.  God is far above us in His knowledge, and His knowledge is so deep we can never comprehend it all.  We certainly can never understand God by attempting to find knowledge in the things of this world.  We can only accept His will by faith and rely on His revealing His will to us.  When we begin to feel wise in our own understanding, and leave God out of our thoughts about life and the world, we are really just as the fool.  Now today, we might say that we should not use the term fool, but we must remember the Biblical definition of the word.  It is someone who believes with all their heart that there is no God.  No matter how brilliant they are in the eyes of the world, or even in their own eyes, in the eyes of God, they are a fool.  Solomon, in all his wisdom, often acted as a fool.  If we begin to look for wisdom anywhere other than through God, we will be acting the same way.

Ecclesiastes 7:19 says, Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.  I believe Solomon was warning us against relying on worldly strength, or power, to make us secure.  We deal with sinful people in all situations, as Matthew Henry points out.  Even the best of people are but sinners, either redeemed or unredeemed.  We cannot find peace and security in this world, no matter how strong or how many strong people we have guarding us.  It is only in wisdom, the acknowledgement that God is ultimately in charge no matter what happens on this earth that we can find peace.  Evil will continue to work to destroy even the most powerful person or nation, but we as followers of Christ must put our faith in Him.  This means, I believe, that we must seek His guidance in all things and not rely on our own intelligence. No matter how brilliant we may be, if we don't look to God for guidance, we are acting the same as a fool.  Verse twenty says, For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.  We may feel that we are pretty good people and really don't need forgiveness, but Solomon reminds us that there is none without sin.  If we could redeem ourselves, then Jesus would not have needed to die on the cross.  Verse twenty one says, Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.  We don't need to wonder about everything people say about us.  If it is the truth, it will either cause us to be prideful if it is good, or bring us despair or anger if it is a lie.  We really cannot control what people say about us, so the best action is to simply live under God's leadership and forgiveness.  Even if we were to hear our servants, or those we in a position of power over, curse us, we are not to become angry and self-righteous.  Solomon gives us a good reason for this in verse twenty two, which says, For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.  If we are followers of Christ, we always need to remember that we are simply sinners saved by Grace.  We may not have even cursed anyone, or shown anger toward anyone, openly, but we are held to a higher standard of what is in the heart.  We cannot become angry at sinners for sinning, because we ourselves are sinners.  We must hate the sin, but forgive the sinner.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 says, Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?  When Solomon warns us against being overly righteous, what does he mean.  I believe it is a warning against being self righteous, where we begin to rely on our own goodness to justify our actions.  It is good to condemn sin, but when we condemn the sinner, especially the repentant sinner, we are becoming overly, or self, righteous.  Another example would be studying the Bible.  This is a wonderful thing, but if we spend all our time studying and none practicing what the Bible teaches, the we are over righteous.  The same applies to wisdom.  If we reach the point that we know everything about the world, and especially about God, then we have become overly wise in our own mind.  We therefore will not listen to others, and possibly not even to God.  Verse seventeen says, Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?  Just as Solomon warned us not to be over much righteous and wise, here he warns us of the opposite.  We are not to be over much wicked and foolish, or we may die before our time.  Now, there are those that believe that no matter what we do, our death day is already established.  This can lead us to do foolish things, or it can keep us foolishly doing nothing.  Where is the need to act with any restraint, on the one hand, or where is the need to act with any urgency on the other.  Verse eighteen says, It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.  We are not to just attempt to remove ourselves from the things that happen in the world, but we are to act under the leadership of God to attempt to correct them.  We must rely on the leadership of God in all things, and not on our own understanding.  We may feel that we are a very smart person, but without God's leadership, we will be acting as a fool.

Ecclesiastes 7:13 says,  Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?  Solomon was reminding us to look to God when we consider the things of this world.  No law of man is ever going to make the things that God says is wrong be right.  We need to acknowledge this as God's followers, and never accept anything less.  Sin will always be sin, which is anything that goes against God's will.  Still, we must be careful that we hate the sin and not the sinner.  When we begin to hate the sinner, then we are not acting in accordance with God's will.  Verse fourteen says, In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.  When we prosper under the leadership of God, realizing that He is the author of prosperity, we should be joyful.  If we find ourselves in adversity, we should remember that God is still in control and rejoice in the Lord.  I believe Solomon is saying that in the perspective of God, they both amount to the same thing, which is nothing.  Again, we are to keep our focus on God, and we should live rejoicing each day that as His followers He has given us everlasting life.  The things of this world will always be but of this world.  Verse fifteen says, All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.  I believe Solomon was saying what we often say, and that is that life is not fair.  Why should the righteous die young and the wicked live long lives?  We are looking at things from a worldly view when we have this attitude.  This life, no matter how long, is but the blinking of an eye in terms of life everlasting.  If a righteous man dies young, that is not a reflection on the value of his or her life.  We have not been deprived of anything, since if we are followers of Christ we go away to everlasting life.  If a wicked person lives a very long life, that person has not gained anything, as they go away to everlasting separation from God.  Even if a righteous person's life were cut short by a wicked person's actions, the righteous person still wins.  This world is not the destination of the soul.

Ecclesiastes 7:11 says, Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.  If we inherit material possessions, and we do so without the wisdom to use them wisely, they will either be wasted away or will cause us to feel that anything we want should be ours.  Even an inheritance is to be used with wisdom.  This is not earthly wisdom, which says get more only for you and your family with no concern for the rest of the world.  I believe Solomon, when he refers to wisdom, is referring to the leadership of God.  When our only concern is for material things, then an inheritance really does us no good.  At some point, it will all be left behind for someone else's inheritance.  An inheritance used wisely with wisdom, or God's guidance, is a good thing.  It is not how much or how little we have that is good or bad, but how we use what God blesses us with.  Verse twelve says, For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.  Solomon says that both money and wisdom are a defence, but wisdom, the acknowledgement that God is in charge of our lives, gives us life.  We may go through live without many problems because we have a lot of money, or wealth, but what without acknowledging God, it will ultimately fail us. I don't believe Solomon was preaching against riches, but against seeing riches as the purpose of life.  If we do have riches, we must acknowledge that God is the One Who has blessed us with them and the One Who leads us in how to use them.  We must never feel that somehow we are more important to God and therefore He is blessing us more.  God loves all people equally, from the poorest to the richest, but He expects all to follow His leadership.  God will never judge us for what we have, whether ten talents, five or one, but for how we use what we have for Him.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 says, Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.  We need to remember that Solomon was speaking about material things.  We are not to quickly be angered by things that are simply worldly things. There are those who are said to be ready to fight at the drop of a hat, and they will drop the hat.  There are people who seem to be angry about everything.  Solomon warns us that anger rests in the bosom of fools.  This does not mean that there are not things that we should be righteously angry at.  When the things of God, those spiritual things, are being trampled on, we are have a right to be righteously angry, as Jesus was when He cleansed the Temple.  I realize there is sometimes a fine line between when we should react to things that happen to us and when we shouldn't, but as Solomon was saying, if we react to everything in anger, then we are being a fool.  If you remember, one characteristic of a fool is that he has said in his heart that there is no God.  When we begin to be angry about everything that happens to us, we are not following God's plan for our lives.  We might question where to draw the line, but we must remember that Jesus drew the line at the cross.  If ever there was a Man with reason to act in anger, it was Jesus.  We are to follow His example.  If every time someone does or says something to offend us we say that they will pay, this is not what Jesus taught.  Verse ten says, Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.  We often glorify the past, the good old days.  Matthew Henry points out that men have always been bad and God has always been good, no matter the time period.  When we look to the past as being better than the present, we tend to forget the problems and glorify the good. Even if the past were better, we cannot live there.  Our challenge as followers of Christ is to make the present the best that we can.

Ecclesiastes 7:7  says, Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.  Matthew Henry discusses this two ways.  One is with the wise man being oppressed and the other as the wise man seeing the oppression of others.  I hadn't really thought of it from the point of view of the wise man being oppressed, but I can see this as a valid view.  There are many wise people today who live under oppression.  Not all rulers are wise people, especially in the eyes of God, which is where all wisdom comes from, and a person who is wise, especially in the eyes of God, will be made mad by living under such oppression.  Matthew Henry says that this could lead to a wise person acting foolishly.  Though I can see this view, I believe this speaks more to the wise man seeing the oppression of others.  So many people in the world today live under oppression that we as God's followers should be mad about it.  We too often look at the world and see only the threat of the oppressors and not the plight of the oppressed.  As long as we can get the oppressors, we don't care what happens to the oppressed.  If a new set of oppressors who are friendly to us are put in power, we aren't concerned.  This is not the way God calls His people to be.  Now, the second half of the verse says a gift destroys the heart.  I believe this is saying that if we are given enough personal gain, it can destroy our heart of compassion.  We begin to view life from the attitude of what is in it for me instead of from what would God want and what is best for others.  Verse eight says, Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.  Those things gained by oppression will ultimately be gone, and in the end, God's will wins out.  We are called on to be patient in spirit and not proud in spirit.  Those who are proud in spirit see what they have as coming from their own wisdom instead of those things being a blessing from God.  We, as His followers, are to humbly realize that no matter how little or how much we have that is all a gift from God.

Ecclesiastes 7:5 says, It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.  We like to hear people praise us, even if it is for the wrong reason.  We usually like to hear that we were the life of the party instead of the spoil sport.  Sometimes, the more foolish our behavior, the more those around us, who are acting foolish themselves, are apt to tell us how great we were.  Solomon warns us that it is better to hear someone who is wise, which I think means living under God's leadership, rebuke us than to be praised by those living under the power of sin.  We often hear people say that they don't want to listen to a Bible thumper, as if that is one of the worst things could ever happen.  Now, we don't want to beat people over the head with the Bible, as it were, condemning the sinner and not the sin, but we must stand against, or rebuke, sinful behavior.  If we are truly God's people, we will recognize the truth of the rebuke being better, and if we aren't, we will seek the praises of the world.  Verse six says, For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.  When we are trying to heat something on a fire, we don't want crackling and popping, but a slow, steady flame.  The crackling and popping contribute little to real heat, and actually may do more damage than good.  Solomon said that the laughter of the fool is the same way.  It contributes nothing of value to life.  We may want to excuse certain things as only talk, but the Bible teaches us that our words should bring glory to God.  Once again, we cannot divide life into the secular and the spiritual.  We cannot justify our words and actions in the world by claiming that they don't matter from a spiritual perspective.  As followers of Christ, everything we do is done from a spiritual perspective.  We cannot be popping off useless words and doing things contrary to God's teaching and leadership and contribute anything of real value to His kingdom.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.  I believe Solomon is saying that we should value our good name above the riches of the world.  He also says that leaving this world should be a more joyous occasion for a person than being born into it.  We gather around to celebrate a birth, but then gather to mourn a death.  If the person who died has a right relationship with God through Christ, we should rejoice that they are going home, because as a Christian, this world will never really be our home.  Verse two says, It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.  We don't often think of a house of mourning as better than a house of feasting.  We look for pleasure in life when we look at the world from a materialistic view, but from a spiritual view, death releases us as followers of Christ to real happiness.  Those who are left behind at the day of mourning realize that this is their ultimate fate.  As followers of Christ, this shouldn't bring us sorrow, but for the lost it should and that should cause them to consider what life really is.  Verse three says, Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.  This does not support what many want us to believe today.  We hear that God wants us to be happy, so He should gives us more of the things of this world.  Solomon said through sadness that our hearts are made better.  We should have a great sadness for the lost of the world and allow our hearts to go out to them.   Verse four says, The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.  I believe Solomon is saying that we learn more by having compassion and mourning with those in sorrow than we ever will by just living for the joys of this world.  In mourning, we realize that this life is but temporary and that God is eternal.  What we do for Him is all that really lasts.

Ecclesiastes 6:8 says, For what hath the wise more than the fool? what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living?  I believe what Solomon is saying to us is that no matter how wise or foolish the world may view someone as being, life really comes down to meeting the basic needs of life, food, clothing, and a place to stay.  The world may place more value on clothes that have a certain name on them, but they still simply cover the body.  Some with a big name and price don't do that very well, but for some reason we, who consider ourselves to be wise, chase after them.  Then, Solomon continues by asking what do the poor that know to walk honorably among men have.  Even though they may have little in the eyes of the world, they do not deal with their neighbors in a way to simply gain more for themselves.  Verse nine says, Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.  Solomon is again speaking of being satisfied.  We should learn to live in satisfaction with the things that God has entrusted us with instead of having a wandering eye desiring more.  This is not just a warning to those we consider rich, but to everyone.  As long as we continue to live wanting more and more, we will never be satisfied.  Verse ten says, That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.  A person may be the most powerful person in the world, but that person is still but a human being.  We are all created in the image of God, to follow His leadership.  We tend to look around at those who are different than us and feel that they are of less value to God than we are, but all are created in His image.  Verse eleven says, Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?  There is so much in the world today for people to desire, whether it be a bigger house, a better car, or just to make oneself look better, but what does it all amount to?  In the end, we leave the world as we came into it, with nothing to carry with us, except the things done for God.  Verse twelve concludes the thought saying,  For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?  There may be those today who would tell us how to make life meaningful, based on materialism, but we as followers of Christ have to understand that the only true meaning and happiness comes from following the will of God.  Everything else amounts to nothing.

Ecclesiastes 6:4 says, For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.  Solomon continues to speak about the vanity of wealth.  We may come into the world feeling from the time that we are old enough to understand anything that somehow we deserve to have more materially than anyone else, but this amounts to nothing in God's eyes.  When we die, our names will be covered with darkness.  Even if we are one of the few who are remembered by most people, we still go away into death, or darkness in this world.  Verse five says, Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other.  Matthew Henry says this applies to one who dies at birth.  They never see the sun, but they go to eternal rest without having to endure the pains of this world. Still, even with all the problems in life, we should thank God just for our life here on earth, and do our best to live for Him daily.   Verse six says, Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?  I have known a few people who lived to be over a hundred, but Solomon said even if a person lived two thousand years, they go to the same place as one who died at birth.  They go to the grave and then stand before God.  I cannot imagine living two thousand years and seeing nothing good, but if we remember that Solomon was talking about those who look to material things for purpose instead of looking to God, then no matter the number of years lived, they never see anything as good.  We will never find everlasting hope outside of the will of God.  Verse seven says, All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.  I believe Solomon is saying that if everything a person works for in this world is for material things, then that person is never going to be satisfied.  If we do nothing to feed the soul, then nothing in life is ever going to satisfy us.  As followers of Christ, we need to seek to feed the soul, the spiritual relationship with God, instead of concentrating on the physical.  Our ambition should be to live under the leadership of God.

Ecclesiastes 6:1 says, There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:  Solomon had just concluded that rich or poor, we are called on to put our faith in God to find happiness.  He was now again warning against seeing the blessings of God simply as being for our own satisfaction.  I personally believe we can apply this to people and to nations.  We must never assume that God wants us to grow fat and be wasteful while others starve.  Verse two says, A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.  I don't believe Solomon was saying that we should not share our blessings when he said a stranger shall eat thereof.  I believe he was saying that when we live only for riches and not for God's glory, that one day this life will be over and someone else will enjoy those riches, and the person themself will have nothing to show for this life.  Again, only those things done for God will last.  We tend to almost worship the rich, as though the are somehow more important than the poor. Now, the warning is not exclusively to those who are rich in our eyes, but to everyone.  It is an evil under the sun that we forgot to put God first, no matter our status in the eyes of the world.  Verse three says, If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he.  I believe Solomon was again saying that a person with great material blessings, even children, who  doesn't have good, which is the will of God, as a guiding force, would have been better off to never have been born.  If we gain the whole world, we will one day leave it all behind.  If we spend our lives seeking and following God's will, then we never lose anything.

Ecclesiastes 5:17 says,  All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness. I believe that Solomon was saying that those who are living only for the things of this world would rather eat in darkness than to spend money to provide light to eat by.  Now we may see the very rich today spending a lot of money on themselves, but they still more often than not want to continue to accumulate more and more.  We can also interpret this as eating in spiritual darkness, because if the things of this world are all that matter, and a person has no time for God and His will, they truly are eating in spiritual darkness.  If a person like this becomes sick, that person becomes angry because they cannot gain more riches while sick.  They may also be angry because they realize that their life might soon be over and they will lose control of all they have worked for.  Verse eighteen says, Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.  I believe Solomon was saying that we are to enjoy the things God blesses us with.  We are not to starve ourselves or hoard what God blesses us with, but to use it under His guidance.  Too often we want our portion to be more than what God entrusts us with.  Verse nineteen says, Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.  If God does grant us riches, we are to eat, take our portion, and rejoice in our labor.  This does not say that our portion is increased and that we are to rejoice in our riches.  God does not bless us with riches to flaunt them, but to help others.  Verse twenty concludes the chapter with, For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart.  If we are living for God, we will live with joy in our heart.  We will not much remember the work or the rewards, but our joy will be from serving God.

Ecclesiastes 5:14 says, But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.  Fortunes are never enough, and often people chasing them lose everything in the chase.  We read often of those who have made a fortune losing everything by attempting to find a way to have even more, sometimes even by illegal means.  They would have left their children a fortune, but instead have nothing to leave them.  We can never find security in the riches of this world, but we can find security in God.  When we acknowledge that everything is under God's control, from our lives to our material possessions, then we can life a purposeful and peaceful life.  When we teach our children about God we can leave them something more important than riches if they will listen.  That is all that we can leave that has any lasting value.  Verse fifteen says, As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.  We come into this world with nothing, and we leave the same way. There is the old question of what does a person leave when he dies, and the answer is everything.  We can take nothing with us, but often cling tightly to everything, even as the end nears.  Whether it is a state funeral viewed by millions, or a poor man's funeral viewed by none, both take the same thing with them.  Whether adored or ignored by most of the world, both face God the same way.  Verse sixteen says, And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?  In all points, as we came we shall go.  When it comes to the time of leaving this world, we will find that all our works for material things will be like the wind, blowing away to nothing.  I believe Solomon made this point over and over because people too often fail to understand it.  We will never find everlasting happiness in the things of this world, so we should never count them as too important.

Ecclesiastes 5:11 says, When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eye.  I believe Solomon was again saying that the benefit of increased goods was not to hoard them but to share them.  We as followers of Christ should be looking for ways to help others and not ways to hoard for ourselves.  Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive, but we often prefer receiving.  When God's people become more materialistic than spirit led, the world is indeed in a sad state.  We tend to moan the lack instead of celebrating the things we do have.  Verse twelve says, The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.  When a people work and do their best, they sleep at night.  Those who live for riches worry about how to keep what they have and how to gain more.  They tend to think it is all their doing without thanking God and sharing with others.  We can become like the rich man Jesus referred to who wondered how he would keep the increased harvest, thinking only of himself.  This is not some worldly economic plan, but what God's word teaches.  We are not to envy the rich and despise the poor, but we are to do all that we can to help those less fortunate.  We seem to think the answer is to give more to the rich so they might decide to help the poor, but they seldom do.  God does not value one person more than another because of their wealth, or their lack of it.  It all belongs to God anyway.  The only thing of lasting value that we can do is to follow His will.  Verse thirteen continues with, There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt.  Solomon said hoarding riches was a sore evil that led the owners to hurt.  It first hurts them in the eyes of God, because they live selfish lives, using most of their wealth on themselves instead of helping others.  They hurt themselves by being consumed by their wealth.  Wealth becomes first in their lives instead of God and helping those less fortunate.  We, as followers of Christ, must guard against this attitude, and never let material things come first in our lives, always remembering that it all belongs to God.

Ecclesiastes 5:8 says, If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they.  Solomon was saying that we should not marvel at the oppression of the poor and the perverting of justice.  We don't have to look far today to see this going on.  We see it even in poor countries, where even the poorest are exploited, and in rich countries, where the poorest are either ignored or exploited.  We see justice, as it is called, for the rich being entirely different than justice for the poor.  God is not fooled by this type of oppression and justice.  One day, true justice, the justice of God, will prevail.  Now, I guess this would be more my opinion or understanding of this warning, but I believe Solomon was warning us to care more for the poor and oppressed than the rich and famous.  We often spend more time being concerned with the lives of those who are famous simply because they are rich than we do for the child who is starving.  We say the rich deserve what they have and the poor just need to work harder.  Yet, God says that it is the responsibility of His people to protect the poor and defenseless.  As long as we see material blessings simply for our benefit and enjoyment, with no concern for the less fortunate, then we are not following God's will for us.  Verse nine says, Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.  I believe Solomon, who had amassed so much wealth, was now realizing that wealth was to be shared by all and not hoarded by a few, even kings . We can spend all our time trying to accumulate and keep everything for ourselves, but this is not what God intended.  Verse ten is a further warning, stating, He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.  Those that love riches will never be satisfied, and may even begin to believe they deserve them, but this will eventually amount to nothing.  Again, it is what we do for God that really counts.

Ecclesiastes 5:3 says, For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.  Solomon was still speaking about prayer.  When we are busy with the everyday business of life, we often have strange and confusing dreams.  Solomon said the fool was the same way, thinking that a multitude or words would make him sound wise.  There is a saying that the less we know about a subject, the louder we argue for our point of view, and the longer we speak about it.  We can be sure that when it comes to prayer, we know less than God does, so we do not need to try and convince Him of our point.  We need to come to God with a humble and contrite heart.  Verse four says, When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.  Solomon was warning against making empty vows to God.  We often attempt to bargain with God by making promises to Him.  We tell God that if He will answer our prayer, then we will live totally for Him, but if the prayer is answered, then we begin to ignore our promise.  We need to quickly pay what we vow to God.  Otherwise, we are acting as a fool.  Verse five says, Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.  If we are not going to follow through with our vows to God, we are better off not making them.  Verse six continues, Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?  This is a warning against making false promises to God.  We may even mean them when we make them, but then decide we promised too much.  Matthew Henry says the angel could be our guardian angel or a reference to Christ as the Angel of the covenant.  I personally see it as a reference to angels as messengers of God.  Our vows are to God, not His messengers, and we should never attempt to go back on them.  God will be right to be angry at such promises.  Verse seven concludes, For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God.  We may claim God spoke to us in a dream and make false promises based on that dream, but Solomon warns that our first priority is to fear, to have an overpowering awe of God, in all we do.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 says, Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.  Solomon had shown the inability of the things of this world, power, wisdom, wealth and pleasure, to bring purpose to life, and he was now pointing people to worshipping God as the way to purpose in life.  I believe he was saying that we not only need to come to the house of God, but that we need to come earnestly.  We need to be ready to hear what God has to say.  If we bring sacrifices without even listening to what God is saying to us, we are as a fool.  Too often, people go to the house of God to be seen and heard and not to listen.  We are to go to hear God speak to us.  When we truly go for that purpose, we will never be disappointed.  Verse two warns us, Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.  Solomon was telling people that when we come to God in prayer, we must come with reverence.  They were to speak from the heart and not just continually utter words that had no real emotion to them.  The same is true today.  God wants us to bring our sincere concerns to Him, but He already knows our needs.  When our prayers become more about why did you let this happen or I want this or that God, then I believe we are speaking rashly.  We are to come to God humbly, seeking His will and guidance.  Solomon also said that we should let our words be few.  Matthew Henry said this was not to say that prayers shouldn't ever be long, but that they should be sincere and from the heart.  We do not need rehearsed prayers, but sincere prayers.  We are speaking to God, Who is already aware of what we need, and not to people who are listening to what we have to say.  I personally don't believe words from the heart as we speak to God are ever rehearsed.  Prayer should never be a performance, like an actor reciting lines.  It must be heart felt communication between a person and God, and must include our listening to God.  Prayer is not a shopping list, but a seeking of God's will for our life.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 says, Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.  Solomon knew what it meant to be king, and he was getting older and often had failed to be admonished because he had the power to do anything he desired to do.  He said it was better to be a poor, wise child than to be an old and foolish king.  We need to realize that wisdom comes only from God, and if we begin to feel that just because we have the power to do whatever we want that we have the right to do so, without acting under God's leadership, then we will one day end up realizing how foolish we are.  A true leader realizes that he needs to listen to others and even if he has great wisdom, he doesn't always know the best way to do everything.  Verse fourteen says, For out of prison he cometh to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.  Solomon seems to be referring to Joseph when speaking of the one who came out of prison to reign.  Joseph was also noted for his wisdom, but he never truly became self centered.  Solomon was born to his kingdom, was one of the wisest men ever born, but he to often focused on his own desires.  Since he could find no reason in life, he saw himself as having become poor.  Verse fifteen says, I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead.  Matthew Henry says Solomon was speaking of a king having an heir, who people would soon look to for leadership, as the old king was basically ignored if he was no longer the real authority.  I think it also applies to every passing generation.  Our children take over the leadership roles as we begin to fail in strength, and that is as it should be.  That is why it is so important to teach our children about God.  Verse sixteen concludes, There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.  Solomon seemed to be saying that just as most of the people who came before were soon forgotten, so would all those that came after.  If we are looking at life only in the terms of this world, it can truly amount to nothing.  We, as followers of Christ, are to look at the world from God's perspective.  Only then can we find hope everlasting.

Ecclesiastes 4:7 says, Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.  Solomon was still looking for something to give him purpose, and nothing in this world was providing it.  As people look for meaning today, outside the will of God, they are going to be just as disappointed.  Verse eight says, There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.  I believe Solomon was saying that a person who lives by himself and has no children may really question why they are working so hard.  It is not that they don't want to share their blessings in this case, but there is no no one to share them with, and this can cause a feeling of despair.  Still, they could share with others less fortunate and receive a blessing from it.  Verse nine says, Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.  Man was not intended to live alone.  From creation, men and women were designed to be together, to get married and bring completion to one another.  They see the good reward for their labor as the share in it.  Verse ten says, For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.  We have seen the commercial that says, Help, I have fallen and can't get up.  This applies to being out working alone as well.  If we are in an accident, we may not be able to get up, but if someone is with us, they can help.  I think this applies to emotionally as well .  If we are down, then we have someone to lift us up.  Verse eleven says, Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?  Now we might just say turn up the heat or turn up the blanket, but they did not have that advantage, and neither do a lot of people in the world today.  They need each other to just stay warm.  Verse twelve says, And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.  Just having one stand with us in the adversities of life make us much stronger than standing alone.

Ecclesiastes 4:4 says, Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.  Solomon said when he then considered all the right work, all the things that neighbors envied, it still amounted to nothing.   He had just talked about the corruption in the world, but now he said even those who came by their possessions honestly would be envied.  Even as God's people, we often look around us at others who are better off and think that if we only had what they have, we would be happy.  Solomon saw that this was not the case, and so should we.  Again, the things of this world, even when acquired honestly, will never bring true satisfaction.  Verse five says, The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.  I believe  Solomon was saying that those who just sit idly by without being willing to work are as a fool.  They end up so hungry they feel like eating their own flesh.  We were created with a purpose, and that is to serve God and take care of His world.  When we decide that we have no purpose and the world somehow owes us a living, we are not living by God's plan.  No matter how bad, or even how good, the world becomes, our purpose never changes.  Verse six says, Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.  I believe Solomon was warning against wanting more and more of material things.  When we have our needs met, we should be satisfied and learn to be happy and live a contented life.  It is when we want a double hand full, or more than we need, that problems begin to arise.  This does not mean that we are not to be ambitious, but that we are to be ambitious about doing the will of God.  We are never to be overly concerned with attaining and keeping material things.  If we are, this will only cause us worry.

Ecclesiastes 4:1 says, So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.  Oppression is nothing new in the world.  Solomon began to look beyond his own life to those around him, and he saw many living in oppression without any comforter.  The oppressors had the power, and still do today.  We, as followers of Christ, are called on to help the oppressed, not to look to keep them in oppression.  If we, as His followers, lose our compassion for others, where will they find compassion?  Verse two says, Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive.  Solomon said those oppressed who had died were better off than those still living.  If we look at life from a purely physical point of view, then death would indeed bring relief from oppression.  If we look at life from a spiritual point of view, then if we are God's people, the same is true.  This does not mean we are to end our lives to end oppression.  We just know that this life with all its problems is but temporary.  Verse three says, Yea, better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.  Solomon said it was better to have never been born than to have to live in this evil world.  There are people today who have the same attitude since they only see life from a material perspective.  It can be applied to their own life with the thought that they would have been better off to have never been born, or to the bringing of another life into this world.  We, as followers of Christ, can never allow this to be our attitude.  We are born with a purpose and life is a gift from God.  As long as there is life, no matter how bad the world may be, there is hope and our purpose is to live to glorify God.