Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

[13] Consider  the work  of God:  for who can  make that straight,  which he hath made crooked?  [14] In the day  of prosperity  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 

What does Ecclesiastes 7:13-14 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

We cannot understand why God uses adversity and prosperity as He does. A man or woman of faith trusts God nonetheless ( Romans 8:28). Therefore, we should enjoy the times of prosperity, and remember in the times of adversity that God is in control.
"God balances our lives by giving us enough blessings to keep us happy and enough burdens to keep us humble." [1]
The phrase "man cannot discover" or the equivalent is another structural marker in Ecclesiastes that indicates the end of a subsection in chapters7,8 (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:14; Ecclesiastes 7:24; Ecclesiastes 7:28 twice; Ecclesiastes 8:17 thrice). Other key structural markers are the phrases "vanity and striving after wind" ( Ecclesiastes 1:14; et al.) and "man does not know" ( Ecclesiastes 9:1; et al.). [2]