Ecclesiastes 1 to 6
Who even writes this stuff?
There is a case for Solomon being the author, where there
is a reference to a father on the throne and mention of Jerusalem. And yet there are no events mentioned in
these writings that would confirm its placement in history or an era. There are
also references to the writer being a subject as opposed to a monarch. But…nothing conclusive.
The NIV Notes. “With his life largely behind him, the
author takes stock of the world as he has experienced it between the horizons
of birth and death- the latter a horizon beyond which man cannot see. The world is seen as full of enigmas, the greatest
of which is man himself. It’s very much about the limitations of wisdom, even
in a godly person. It cannot find out
the larger purposes of God, or the ultimate meaning of life. “
So lets wrestle a bit.
With the meaning of life
And about whether it all is vanity, a chasing after the
wind.
Wrestling with meaningfulness, and meaninglessness.
Even though the word meaningless is mentioned over 35
times.
It could be very easy to write it all off as futile.
Don’t do it!
I kind of love that this book sometimes reads like an
academic study of life and wisdom.
Complete with testing, theories, and hypotheses. That this is a life long search that sometimes
finds loose ends and sometimes a conclusion.
But that so much is learned in the searching. That life has worth, value and meaning. And
that we mustn’t set our eyes so far on the horizon that we miss whatever is
right on the path before us.
And I always wonder about what there is to glean in this
search, for the cynic, the pessimist, and the optimist. What filter do we read through? What filter does the writer use?
Ch 1:2 “Meaningless! Meaningless! Says the Teacher.
Utterly meaningless.
Everything is meaningless.”
NIV notes. “The basic thrust of Ecclesiastes is that all
of life is meaningless, useless, hollow, futile and vain if it is not rightly
related to God. That human effort appears to be without benefit or purpose. Only
when based on God and His Word is life worthwhile. “
Ch 1:12 “I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in
Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to study
and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!!”
Ch2:1 “I thought in my heart, “Come now, I will test you
with pleasure to find out what is good.”
But that also proved to be meaningless. 3 I tried cheering myself with
wine, and embracing folly – my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men
to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.”
Ch 2: 10 “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I
refused my heart no pleasure. My heart
took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had
done and what I had to toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing
after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
Ch 2:17 “So I hated life…18 I hated all the things I had
toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after
me. “
So we wrestle, and we watch this writer wrestle.
In chapter 3 we come across that well-known passage that
there is a time of everything. This is
something the writer has discovered. “A
time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven (Ch 3:1) We
read that in so many different contexts, but it’s the verses that follow that
are laden with meaning and beauty, and yet we so rarely read this summary. And it has so much fuel for our thirst and
hunger and love for life and work.
Ch 3:9 “What does the worker gain from his toil?
10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.
12 He has also set eternity in the hearts of men;
Yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning
to end.
12 Know there is nothing better for men than to be happy
and do good while they live.
13 That everyone may eat and drink,
And find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift
of God.
14 I know that everything God does will endure forever;
Nothing can be
added to it and nothing taken from it.
God does it so men will revere him. “
I wonder why don’t we hear that more often? About finding the simple joy of satisfaction
in work and in life. And the value of simple contentment. Or has life become such that contentment and
heart-rest is elusive? I love how the
NIV notes put it. “God’s beautiful but
tantalizing world is too big for us, yet its satisfactions are too small. Since we were made for eternity the things of
time cannot fully and permanently satisfy. “
Do you love that paradox?
Of life being simultaneously too big and too small.
And I love the Case for Togetherness! Reinforcing our need for community and
relationship.
Ch 4: 9 “Two are better than one,
Because they have a good return for their work;
10 If one falls down,
His friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
And has no one to help him up!
12 Though one may be overpowered,
Two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Ch 5:1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of
God. God near to listen rather than to
offer the sacrifice of fools. 2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
Do not be hasty in your heart
To utter anything before God.
God is in heaven,
And you are on earth,
So let your words be few.
7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless.
Therefore stand in awe of God.”
Ch 5:18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a
man to eat and drink and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the
sun during the few days of life God has given him- for this is his lot.
19 Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions
and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this
is a gift from God. 20 He seldom
reflects on the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with gladness
of heart. “
I hope today that we find our hearts occupied.
Occupied with gladness and contentment.
Moments of rest and deep breaths.
In this long and this short life.
That we will feel the Spirit moving in us and our circles
That this walk is not just a chasing after the wind.
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