Hello Aj,
One needs to begin at the beginning of the book and follow the context. If one does…one will see many verses like this…
Being that
JOY is the message of the book 4:19 is mainly speaking of
spiritual joy found only in Christ. However, it should not be limited to just spiritual joy because blessing do indeed come from God in things such as a car. You have a car, because God gave you a car, for God wanted you to have a car, if indeed you have a car.
Some would say we should not bring “things” of this world into this passage. I would disagree. Things can bring joy, just not lasting joy, if they do not control us and we see them for what they are.
Things are to be seen as blessing from God and not “our things”.
I would suggest you reading Ecclesiastes along with and side by side Philippians to get the full picture of how this all works together. We are to thank God for all the blessing God gives us, yet not get attached to those things, for God can take them away, just as He gave them to us. (see Job)
The real path to joy as found in of both Ecclesiastes and Philippians is to find contentment. This is where we will find joy.
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This contentment is not found in things, but in Christ.
Its not wrong to ask for things, but it is wrong to long for them and focus on them. Things will not bring lasting joy. Joy will come when we get things for a while, but joy always leaves because things fail us just as we fail.
This message is clear in Ecclesiastes. The “preacher” tries everything in the book to find joy or happiness, and everything ends with a worthless filling.
Ecclesiastes really does not point us to Christ as much as it points us away from the world and things. It does end with this… “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
This is where contentment is found. It is found in knowing God and following Him.
That is the point of 4:19. As a babe in Christ one will apply this passage to getting a car or the likes. For they feel things will bring joy. As you get older, you begin to know joy is not found in things, and you begin to change your prayer to, “bring me closer to You dear God more then any thing else.”