King Solomon was on a quest to find meaning in life. He seemed to start out so well, yet toward the end of his life, he concluded that everything is meaningless? (Click here to read last post)
Scripture says he had everything a man could want, denying himself nothing his eyes desired, and refused his heart no pleasure (Ecclesiastes 2:10); and he had an abundance of unlimited resources to accomplish just that (1 Kings 3:13). Sound enticing? Well, I'm pretty sure, if we had the same, left to ourselves, we'd end up as miserable as he was. And I'm equally sure that we'd eventually find it all meaningless, empty, like chasing the wind. (Eccl. 1:14)
It seems as though Solomon's understanding of God was either a spill over of his father's faith, or maybe it was simply an intellectual connection. Whichever the case, where he found himself was in a place of rebellion and rejecting God. By the time we hear from him in Ecclesiastes, he spends most of his time explaining his world view and the conclusions he came to during that long season of his life; conclusions about life on earth, or as he called it, life under the sun.
Much of what he says is not only cynical, but as we'll see, his conclusions are based on human reasoning, with no eternal perspective. However, I believe that is exactly the point. It's almost as if he's writing in his journal. It's his perspective as he lives life apart from God and God is allowing him to give us a bird's eye view of exactly what that looks like.
Having said all that, I will give you a necessary spoiler alert—in the end, when he's finished telling his story, he seems to finally tap into the wisdom God had given him and concludes that all should fear God and obey His commands (Eccl. 12:13). But for now, back to Solomon's skewed perspective.
It would be impossible for me to express the wealth he had in every aspect of his life, so please check out the prosperity and wisdom of Solomon's reign for yourself in 1 Kings 4 and beyond. Remember, he had everything anyone could want or need, in ridiculous proportions, yet he found himself still empty. He was not a happy guy, nor did he exude much joy at all. I mean, maybe he did for a little while, but he spent most of his life chasing the wind!
Although very few of us have even a fraction of Solomon's wealth, every one of us is in danger of falling prey to the notion that happiness and fulfillment come from the things of this world. Even you Christian; we know that an eternity awaits us that's far beyond what we could ask for or imagine, yet we spend much of our time and resources making sure of the here and now. It seems the more we have, the more we want, yet the unhappier we become. And the wind is chased to-and-fro. It's confusing and exhausting. Why do we get tangled up in such things?
It's no wonder Solomon's natural follow-up question is one I'd venture to say we've all asked ourselves in one form or another—
What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun? Ecclesiastes 1:3 NIV
There it is, the million dollar question. What's it all for? Everyone eventually dies, so what's the point of it all? Is it to fatten up before we go? This was Solomon's dilemma, he spent his life doing exactly that—fattening up!
As he views life, he acknowledges that time ticks on and we can do nothing to stop it. He declares that people come and go, but the earth lasts forever. Seasons repeat and the streams flow into the sea, only to return again and again (vs 1:4-7).
There is this maple tree that sits outside my window. Just a few short weeks ago it's leaves changed to beautiful colors. Now, I'm in south Florida so that part was clearly God delighting me. But I digress, its leaves fell off just a few days later, as they do every year, leaving the tree looking bare and barren. But today, just like it always does at this time of year, it's leaves are back and it's lush and full of life.
So Solomon was mostly right, people do come and go. So do seasons. And streams, they will continue to flow back and forth. However, the earth, that will not last forever, no matter what we do or don't do to try to make that happen; and it doesn't matter how many talking heads believe they can do exactly that. Jesus said that heaven and earth will pass away, but it's God's Word that will last forever (Matt 24:35). He will make all things new (Rev 21:5).
To Solomon's point, if everything keeps repeating, is there anything gained? After all, is there anything new under the sun? (vs 1:8-10)
And generations, they come and go and people are forgotten (v 1:11). That's not meant to sound morbid, but it's true. I think of my great grandparents, I'm sure they labored under the sun and yet I know very little about them, if anything at all. Life does go on. None of us are that important to this world, but to God, His beloved mattered so much that He sacrificed Himself and conquered death to solidify eternity for her.
Solomon began an experiment of sorts by applying his mind to study and explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens (v 1:12-13). He's trying desperately to prove that there is a way to fill the gaping hole in the human heart. Honestly, I'm really not sure how God is going to unpack all that He wants to reveal to us as we journey with Solomon, but what He has revealed so far is really important to tuck away in your heart. God has planted in each of us a longing for something that lasts and it's been proven over and over again that people will do just about anything to find it.
So, the question on the table today is this—
"Will your journey to lasting fruit be under the sun, or will it be under the Son?
The choice is yours. It always has been. Choose wisely, your very life depends on it.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
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