I feel that the next thing we should explore is the Book of Ecclesiastes. In this book, Solomon takes a reflective journey of his life… He “had it all.” He held onto power, wealth, fame, an unsurpassable intellect…etc. With having everything this world offered… he took stock of his life, and is hoping to spare his readers the bitterness of learning through personal experience, that everything apart from God is empty, hollow, and meaningless.
Solomon had a very honest approach. All of his remarks about the emptiness and unproductive things in life are written for a purpose: to point us towards the fulfillment and happiness we can only find in God. His aim was to direct us to turn our hopes to the only One who can meet those hopes and give us meaning and purpose to our lives.
I can only give you a summary of this book. As always, I really encourage you to read Ecclesiastes for yourself. Solomon teaches us that we can’t find true meaning in our lives by acquiring knowledge, making money, or gaining popularity. This book spells it out for us… True satisfaction comes from knowing that what we are doing is a part of God’s plan and purpose for us. By reading this book, it can help free us from scrambling for power, approval, and money. It can help you draw closer to God.
There are five major themes in the Book of Ecclesiastes…
* Searching ~ Solomon was searching for satisfaction in life. People today are still searching. Isn’t it true that the more we get, the more we usually want?
* Emptiness ~ Solomon shows that searching for pleasure, wealth, success…etc. is ultimately disappointing. The cure for emptiness is to center on God.
* Work ~ Solomon shows that work done with the wrong attitude will leave us empty.
* Death ~ the certainty of death makes all of our human achievements fruitless and in vain. Because life is short, we need wisdom that is greater than what the world can offer. God’s wisdom gives us a hope that goes beyond death.
* Wisdom ~ Human wisdom falls short…knowledge and education have their limits. To understand life and make right choices, we need God’s wisdom. His wisdom can only be found when we get to know and honor Him.
So have a nice weekend 🙂 More on Ecclesiastes next week…