What Will Happen to Us When We Die?

Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 2 A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction.

3 If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he— 4 for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness. 5 Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place?

7 All the labor of man is for his mouth,
And yet the soul is not satisfied.

8 For what more has the wise man than the fool?
What does the poor man have,
Who knows how to walk before the living?

9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.
This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

10 Whatever one is, he has been named already,
For it is known that he is man;
And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.

11 Since there are many things that increase vanity,
How is man the better?

12 For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?

The question that the preacher asked here echoes down through time to land on lips even today.  What will happen to us when we die?  The predetermined will of God makes it appear to some that the common evil among us all is to be given much by God but not the ability or chance to eat of the wealth and honor bestowed on us by Him.  Our desires often remain unfulfilled, with unknown others after us partaking of an inheritance left behind unused.  The writer here saw this as a great evil afflicting us with emptiness in our pursuit of material gain and personal honor.  We simply cannot take any of it with us when we die, no matter who we are, rich or poor.  The comparison is made of someone who loves a long life and has many children, yet is unsatisfied when death arrives and may even be put in the cold ground without a funeral to remember him or her.  One who dies at birth is said to be better off presumably because they are remembered for not existing as if a hope for an expected good and meaningful life might have happened had they lived.  Death comes to us all, and then God’s justice of judgment follows for each one (Hebrews 9:27-28).  We all go to this same place to stand before our Maker (Romans 14:10), but will we eagerly anticipate what follows our death (Job 19:25-27)?  What will happen to us when we die?  That is the real question of Solomon here in reflection on his life and those around him.  People work hard and are not satisfied, the wise has no more than a fool possesses, and desires wander all over in attempts to make life fulfilling.  Yet the poor man with little to his name often holds to greater riches because he or she knows how to live with and for others instead of for self.  Seeing clearly what matters for eternity past the veil of death is vision beyond vain pursuits of chasing wind of things that cannot be held onto when we die.  In the end, what and who we are has been predetermined by our Lord and Creator as mortals who are not masters of our fate.  God is in control.  We are not because we do not have that power of life and death and deliverance.  Thanks be to God (1 Corinthians 15:57, 2 Corinthians 2:14, 9:15) for His gift of life and purpose eternally beyond our limited understanding!  It is not our vain pursuits that pass the grace, but His pursuit and design for each of us which is the only purpose and pursuit worth living and dying for.  People say that we cannot tell what is good for us now or what will happen to us after we die, but God has made it clear enough that we are without excuse (Romans 1:20) to say these things.  Life has a purpose and our work is to trust His work (John 6:29) for the meaning of it, the substance of it to grasp, and the lasting things to pursue in life that matter after the death and judgment we each face.  God’s word tells us clearly what is good for us in life and what will happen after we die.  Our hope is certain only in the righteousness and labor of Christ’s love to deliver us and give living and dying meaning in His providence.  Amen!