Ecclesiastes, 6
8. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living?
8. For what advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living?
Chapter 6 of Ecclesiastes reflects on the question of life and death, as well as about human dissatisfaction and the vanity of earthly things. The author points out that even those who have everything they want may not find true joy in life, and that death is inevitable to all. To complement this theme, five related verses follow:
Job 14:5: "But if his days are marked, if his number of his months is with you, and you have established him limits that he cannot exceed." This verse talks about the limitation of a person's lifetime, which is established by God. This is in agreement with the thought of the author of Ecclesiastes about the inevitability of death.
Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to tell our days, that we may have a wise heart." This verse emphasizes the importance of valuing the time we have in life, and using it wisely, for we do not know how long it is left.
Proverbs 23:4-5: "Do not strive to get rich; Stop paying attention to it. When your eyes fix on Him, it will disappear, for it will surely wings like the eagle and fly to the heavens." This verse points to the dissatisfaction that the incessant search for wealth can bring, since it is fleeting and does not bring lasting happiness.
1 Timothy 6:7: "For we have brought nothing to this world and we can take nothing from it; so having to eat and to dress, let us be satisfied." This verse emphasizes the idea that earthly things are fleeting and should not be the object of our constant search, since none of them can take beyond this life.
1 John 2:17: "The world and his greed pass, but he who does God's will remains forever." This verse reinforces the idea that what is most important in life is to seek God's will and live according to it, because this is the only thing that lasts beyond this earthly life.
“Proponha-se a exercitar-se nas virtudes”. São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina