While reading my daily portion of Scripture, I came across a disheartening verse. However, as I read on and began to understand the message that was being conveyed, a whole new perspective unfolded. It was like I had been reading this part all wrong for so many years. And I think that is because, when I used to read the Old Testament, I would just read through it just for the sake of reading, not really trying to understand it. I used to study the New Testament thoroughly. But when it came to the Old Testament, I thought, “That part is done, so I don’t need to study this. I just need to read it and move on. It’s not that important.” However, my eyes have been utterly opened to the various nuances within the Old Testament that when you see it, you can’t unsee it. This last year has been a fantastical adventure through the Old Testament.
Ecclesiastes is one of those books that I just could not understand. I thought, “Why is Solomon so pessimistic? He is just a grumpy guy that isn’t happy about anything.” But then I began to study it, and now I understand its premise. Now I am rereading it with that new perspective and a fresh understanding of what the Holy Spirit was communicating through it to me. The verses that started this are:
"Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?... I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after the wind." - Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, 14 (ESV)
Solomon wrote this while he was looking back on his life, much of which was lived apart from God. With much wisdom, he wrote this to spare future generations the bitterness of learning through their own experience that life is meaningless apart from God. There are three themes that emerge from this book: searching, work, and emptiness. And the key thread throughout is “without God, all is in vain.” You will see what I mean in a bit, and then you can’t unsee it as you read Ecclesiastes.
First, Searching. Through searching different paths of living, Solomon saw that without God it was pointless. The word translated “vanity” is actually the Hebrew word hebel which refers concretely to a “mist”, “vapor”, or “mere breath”. But metaphorically, it refers to something that is fleeting or elusive with different nuances based on the context surrounding it. Basically it means “utterly meaningless.” This word is an extremely important theme as it is woven throughout this book. Many of us feel restless and dissatisfied. So we go searching for meaning, purpose, or direction. We search for meaning in life. However, God tells us that which is good. We search for purpose in life, but God tells us what we should do. We search for direction, but God tells us where to go. It is all there in the Scripture as we are guided to wisdom and understanding by the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, Work. When we are struggling to find meaning and worth, we tend to do more things to prove to ourselves and prove to others that we have value. We do this on our own and in our own ability. We forget that God has already shown us that He sees value and worth in us. He loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son to die on the cross for our sins so that we may be in right standing before Him. We are valuable to the only One that matters, to the only Eternal Judge and Father. There is no amount of work that can make us more valuable and more worthy to be in God’s presence than what has already been done in and through the work of Jesus Christ.
Lastly, Emptiness. As we diligently search and arduously work to find meaning and purpose in our lives on our own strength and reasoning, we end up finding out that all of it leads to emptiness. That sense of emptiness comes from the hole in our lives that only God can fill. Without God, we do not have meaning and purpose that is valuable and worthy of eternity with love, for God is love. We can find purpose and value in ourselves. However, it is not near as wonderful and glorious as the Eternal One has for us. God has the perfect plan for all of us, and it culminates in being with Him for eternity in a perfect ecosystem that is coming. Jesus is our King that God has provided for that Eternal Ecosystem called the Kingdom of God. We become full of hope, meaning, purpose, direction, worth, and love when we enter into the Kingdom of God. Outside of that is nothing but a striving that leaves us empty.
Reading intentionally through Ecclesiastes has lead me to learn so much more than I had the bandwidth to acknowledge before. Now that I know the intent of the book, it has lead me to be so much more encouraged and strengthened in the message that without God, all is in vain. If we take that the other way, with God, all is purposeful, meaningful, and worthy. God brings us into His work and ecosystem of the Kingdom of God that is perfect through and through.
Solomon ends Ecclesiastes with this:
“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 (ESV)
After all that Solomon did throughout his life, after all that he witnessed with the extreme God-given wisdom that he possessed, after all that he reasoned and calculated with intelligence and reason, he noticed the heartbeat of life being God. “Fear God” meaning have reverence and awe for the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of everything. And “keep His commandments” meaning follow the guidelines that keep you alive, healthy, happy, and whole. “For this is the whole duty of man” meaning this is what we were created for, our purpose, direction, and meaning revolves around this “duty”. Genuine faith in God is shown by the way we live our lives in light of God’s love and finished work of redemption. Inevitably, if we have true faith, our works show it. We do not work for ourselves for that is vanity. We fear God so much that we can’t help but to show it in our lives following His commandments.
Gotta fill up my cup…..
Coffee with Candee 