If the deep and perplexing issues of life intrigue and perplex you, then you might want to spend some quiet time reflecting on the book of Ecclesiastes. Be prepared for a few surprises.
On the surface, Ecclesiastes seems to challenge essential biblical truths. It dares to face hard questions. It shows the ugliness that can overtake life in a sinful world. It offers a glimpse into the secular mind. It looks at suffering and struggles to find meaning in it all. But most importantly, in the end Ecclesiastes points us to a solution.
Ecclesiastes offers a philosophy of life and shows how God fits into it. Part of the wisdom literature of the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes was used by the Hebrews as a book of instruction on how to live life focused on God and not self. It showed them how to find spiritual significance in a life that would otherwise be meaningless (12:8, 13).
As you begin to read and study Ecclesiastes, expect surprises. Ecclesiastes has lots of them: honest confessions of doubts, struggles with faith and disillusionment. The book begins with a prologue (1:1–11) and ends with a epilogue (12:9–14) both serve to frame its contents in such a way as to reveal a proper God-fearing attitude toward life. Watch out for isolated statements... they must be understood within the context of the whole book and ultimately, that of the whole Bible.
While not directly identified as such, Solomon is generally credited with being the writer of Ecclesiastes. He was King of Israel. He was wise, rich beyond belief and experienced everything you could imagine life had to offer. Yet, with all he had and did... he uses a couple of words that makes you think he saw his life as a hopeless journey to nowhere... the words are “vanity” and “meaningless.” The word translated “meaningless” refers to a mist or a vapor—something you can’t get your hands on. Solomon isn’t saying that life is not worth living; he’s saying that we can’t figure it out. It’s a mystery we can’t fully grasp no matter what we may have or accomplish.
Solomon is uniquely qualified to teach this lesson because he dabbled in most things we humans desire—education, pleasure, wealth, and success. He’s tried it all and found it unsatisfying. Solomon’s message is not one of a man experiencing deep depression, but a call to be careful about where we search for satisfaction.
We obviously have to work, explore new things, establish some kind of financial security, and look for ways to enjoy life. How can we do those things without them becoming our only focus in life? Things we think are “good” can even be unsatisfying as Solomon describes in his writing... even the pursuit of knowledge and WISDOM.
Solomon, thought to be the wisest man that ever lived, identified wisdom as a detour to true satisfaction. Whether you have a college degree, enjoy learning, or just wish you had more answers to life’s questions, we all can be detoured by the pursuit of knowledge. For some it can become a life long obsession that crowds out all other things.
In the weeks before the death last week of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer, he had time to reflect on the imbalance in his life and those who suffered from his intense pursuit of business achievement. Just before his passing, Mr. Jobs’s personal biographer asked him why so private a man had consented to the questions of someone writing a book about his life... “I wanted my kids to know me,” Mr. Jobs replied, I wasn’t always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did.”
Achievement and advancement are central pillars in today’s culture. Ecclesiastes 1 explains the heavy burden that Solomon discovered when one is “out of balance” in life’s pursuits. The word translated “twisted” in verse 15 refers to something bent—it evokes the futility of someone hammering on a bent nail. A life out of balance is much like attempting to hammer a bent nail.
No matter how many answers we come up with, we can’t fix what’s fundamentally wrong with life around us or how things impact us. Nor can we supply what is missing in our lives. Wisdom helps us to understand the world, but not to control it.
Solomon also determined that PLEASURE doesn’t provide lasting meaning or bring ultimate satisfaction to life either... but his journey was interesting. (Read Ecclesiastes 2:1–11).
Solomon realized that joyful experiences, no matter how fun and pleasure-filled, have no lasting effects. He cites laughter, alcohol, estates, landscaping, being waited on hand and foot, great wealth, concerts, and the pleasures of women... many of the things people hope will bring them happiness in today’s world.
Solomon spent years and immeasurable resources to recreate paradise on earth and found that the pursuits of pleasure only transforms you into an empty shell. The rewards you find in such experiences drift away like wisps of smoke. (Read Ecclesiastes 2:24–26).
The best thing we can do is learn to appreciate and enjoy what we do have—to be careful of the purpose, pursuit, and parameters of pleasure. As the people of God, we should have a greater capacity to enjoy all of life more than anybody else, because we recognize that our joy is under God’s control.
When you acknowledge and seek God as the source of your pleasure, he gives you gifts that satisfy—wisdom, knowledge, and joy. If you focus on accumulating and acquiring in this visible world, becoming unbalanced, you will know a lack of satisfaction and joy in your life.
Many people have interpreted 1 Timothy 6:10 (“The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”) to mean that money itself is evil. This is certainly not the case. However, Solomon’s pursuit of money does alert us to four potential dangers we expose ourselves to when we crave wealth and possessions. In addition, Solomon teaches us one valuable principle that can help us be satisfied with the blessings we do have. As Christians, we can avoid the emptiness Solomon experienced by praising God for whatever we do have.
Ecclesiastes 5:11 points out that no matter how much money we have, more and more people will show up to consume the extra. It’s kind of like winning the lottery... you’ll hear from relatives you never knew you had! At the other extreme, your money may cause you to trust no one—to be fearful that everyone in your life has wrong motives. You will never know if people love you for who you are or for what you can give them.
Ecclesiastes 5:12 points out that a rich person has more trouble relaxing and is less likely to have peace of mind. Wealth brings with it an all-consuming desire to protect and expand it. And if we base our happiness on our wealth, the fear of losing it is intense. It can also make people more resistant to spiritual things. (Read Matthew 19:23–24). Ecclesiastes 5:13–17 warns that holding on to wealth is difficult in life and impossible in death... so you end up chasing the wind. Look again at Ecclesiastes 5:18. The word translated “lot” means your share, your piece of life—whatever God hands you.
Enjoy food, drink and your career, not as sources that define the meaning of your life, but as part of the gift of life God gives. When we praise God for our portion, we are seeing everything we have as belonging to him, to do with as he chooses. So when we look back on our lives, we are not consumed by the pain, failures, and losses of the past. Instead we feel gladness and joy that God provided, and that we learned to love and follow him.
Salvation is the currency that matters! Being in a right relationship with Jesus Christ, one that ensures we will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to hold firmly to all God’s promises. That’s the only wealth we need. So if that’s your attitude, then no matter what you have or don’t have, you have an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ.
We live in a culture that worships youthfulness. It seems like everyone wants to look younger, feel younger, and live longer. In one year, Americans collectively spend over $50 billion on anti-aging products. But Solomon discovered that such endeavors are ultimately futile. Instead, he identified two keys to finding joy and satisfaction at any age. Whatever our season of life, we can find joy and satisfaction by fearing and obeying God. (Read Ecclesiastes 11:9–12:14).
Youth is a gift from God—use it, enjoy it, and don’t waste it. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says that youth is the time to find God. Seek him before it is too late. Enjoy your youth with the realization that God is watching your every move. Manage the years of your youth with the knowledge that all your actions and choices are subject to God’s eventual judgment. (Read 2 Corinthians 5:10). In our youth, we take life for granted. Seek God now. In our advancing age, we can be weighed down by disintegrating bodies and spend our time chasing a fading youth. Remember your Creator before it’s too late.
Enjoyment and satisfaction don’t flow from our youth, health, or strength—they flow from fearing and obeying God.
In everything, fear and obey God. Look again at Ecclesiastes 12:6–7. We need to appreciate how transitory this life really is, and we need to remember God, placing Him at the forefront of all we think and do. Life is like a silver cord with a golden bowl attached. When you cut the cord, the bowl falls and breaks. Before you return to dust, before life ends, pursue God while you have time... cultivate a deep relationship with Him for it lasts for all eternity. Death is the smashing of the bowl. Whatever you do in life, be guided by the fact that you will stand before Christ as He renders judgment on your life (v. 14).
At judgment, sheep will be identified by their choices and behavior as will the goats. So the statement that God will render an account of everything done by each one of us is not a threat, but a loving encouragement to persevere in faithful obedience. It tells me that when I feel frustrated, frantic, hurt, cynical, rebellious, and just plain sick of trying... my life record actually matters to God. God is very concerned that we will "keep on keeping on" in the godly life we’ve chosen, no matter what turns and twists life throws at us.
Solomon said numerous times... life’s pursuits and passions are meaningless... it's all pointless, so we might as well eat, drink, and be merry until it's all over. That's kind of how the Book of Ecclesiastes can make you feel. That’s the view many will take away, if you only see the surface. The book does show the meaninglessness of a life... lived for all the wrong reasons.
Solomon was right and that’s the point he was making in his portrayal of a life lived in the absence of God. Ecclesiastes offers Christians an opportunity to understand the emptiness and despair that those who do not know God grapple with. Those who do not have a saving faith in Christ are faced with a life that will ultimately end and become irrelevant. If there is no salvation, and no God, then not only is there no point to life, but no purpose or direction to it, either. The world “under the sun,” apart from God, is frustrating, cruel, unfair, brief, and “utterly meaningless.” But with Christ, life is but a shadow of promises fulfilled and glories to come... only accessible through Him.
Ecclesiastes reinforces the only thing that matters: Fear God and obey him. That’s how we can find satisfaction in this uncertain world. Without God in our lives, everything is vanity and meaningless. Enjoy life at every stage, but don’t neglect your relationship with God. Live large, but live within His boundaries. Remember the words of Paul who undoubtedly was frequently immersed in reading Ecclesiastes, in 1 Corinthians 15:58 he says... "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (NASB).
Ecclesiastes ends with these sobering words, our solution for living...
"Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil" (12:13–14).
