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(2) " Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "
Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." (3) What profit has a man from
all his labor In which he toils under the sun? New
King James Version Change your email Bible version
The book indicates in a number of places that it was written by Solomon, a
man especially gifted by God
with understanding and wisdom.
In its first verse, the author identifies himself as the son of David and king
in Jerusalem. Most commentators believe Solomon wrote it late in his life,
following an eventful forty-year reign.
Upon reading Ecclesiastes, many believe that Solomon's outlook on life was
decidedly pessimistic despite living in regal glory and with every amenity to
make life appealing. Such readers have misjudged him. Once a person understands
the reason for his palpable pessimism, then he also understands that it is
clearly justified by the record of history.
Ecclesiastes presents the Christian with a unique perspective on life. Though
the term "God" is used 41 times, Jesus Christ as Messiah and Savior
never appears within its twelve chapters. Nor does it focus on the wondrous
miraculous works of God, such as healing, raising the dead to life, or dividing
the sea for His people.
Every reference to God within it uses the Hebrew word elohim. The
Bible uses this term most frequently in a rather distant sense of "powerful
Creator" rather than "One with whom a close, personal relationship exists." Yet,
Ecclesiastes reveals Him as deeply involved in the constant operations of His
purpose, not only in terms of the oversight of His creation, but in the reality
of His unseen hand personally involved in the daily life of His children.
Some commentators have described Ecclesiastes as "gritty," probably because
it deals with life's realities and pulls no punches. Life is difficult. The book
deals, not with minor issues, but with major goals and events that come up as an
individual works out the purposes and challenges of life. Such events, which can
be either blessings or curses, fill and change the course of a person's life.
They are the kind of happenings that may make one wonder, "Where is God in what
I am going through?"
Life can be thought of as being similar to a person trying to navigate toward
the exit of a labyrinth. A labyrinth has many possible paths to follow, and thus
a person is forced to make many choices that either open or close the way toward
his goal. Will his choices yield growth and profit in living, or will they block
him, causing mystification and frustration?
For a Christian, this means that a reality of life is that everything
matters. Not every event and choice matters to the same extent, but whether
serious or passing, it does matter to some degree. The record of Solomon's
experiences reminds us that our calling is too precious to waste on meaningless
vanity. Though some choices are more consequential than others are, none of our
choices is totally inconsequential. God gives us the wisdom in Ecclesiastes to
help us grasp what the major paths and choices must be so that life is not
meaningless.
The major teaching of the book is that, despite the wide diversity of choices
available to us in life, in reality only two ways of life exist: God's and
man's. Solomon shows us that, if life is to be filled with profitable purpose,
then God and His way must not be merely considered occasionally but deliberately
chosen with foresight in every matter. Otherwise, life may be filled with a
great deal of activity yet prove to be a futile pursuit of time-wasting and
profitless vanity.
Thus, Ecclesiastes is not truly about the meaninglessness of life. Rather, it
is about the meaninglessness of living life without God, or as Solomon wrote,
living life entirely "under the sun."
— John W. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see:
Ecclesiastes and Christian Living (Part
One)
Related Topics:
Choice,Power of
Choices
Ecclesiastes and Christian Living
Everything matters
Life "under the sun"
Life as Frustrating
Pessimism
Solomon's Discontent and Frustration
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