Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

 Ecclesiastes 7:1-14

After the low point of chapter 6, Solomon answers the unasked question, “Where might wisdom be found?” The answer is counterintuitive to most of our lives.

We spend a great deal of time, energy, and resources attempting to distract ourselves from difficult things. But there are times when the shallow, banal, and tinny entertainments are blown away like dust in the wind. In this passage Solomon mentions several unpleasant occasions that can be times for real and meaningful maturing. It is in suffering that we have real spiritual growth and progress. Who has ever said, “I had a great spiritual insight at an amusement park"? But at the funeral of a loved one, after a bad diagnosis, or in the midst of suffering, we tend to ask better questions. 

Much of our culture is built around the industry of frivolous distractions. This is like burning thorns in a fire; they burn fast and bright. Not nearly long enough to give off any heat. Enjoy life, but also gain value from or out of adversity.

“Lord, keep me from the shallowness of the soul and teach me in the difficult moments of life. AMEN.”

Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

Ecclesiastes 6:1-12

One is apt to wonder if this chapter is not the emotional autobiography of Solomon. It is easy to imagine the aged king, knowing that his end is near, reflecting on his life and coming to the conclusion that he climbed to the top of the ladder and found the ladder was in the wrong place. With massive wealth, numerous children, and years of reign, he wonders if he would have been better off as a miscarriage. Was Solomon envious of his brother who died in infancy? 

Note the discontentment that Solomon has in his inner being in verse 9. The Vulgate translates this as “It is better to see what one desires than to covet what one knows not." Having achieved everything possible, Solomon still had an emptiness in his soul. It seems the more he talked about it, the less meaningful the conversation was. In his prime the question was “What next?” With the end near, the question has become, “What is to follow? What is my legacy?" Suddenly the life of power, wealth, luxury, and pleasure is not a life to be envied.

“Lord, grant me a life that will grow more full before You. AMEN.”

Ecclesiastes 5:1-20

Ecclesiastes 5:1-20

Chapter 5 seems a little disjointed until we find the common theme that unites it: temple worship (vs 1-7), the consuming power of bureaucracy (vs 8-9), and the frustration associated with the spending of wealth (vs 10-17).

In the first case a person makes a sacrificial commitment but, for whatever reason, doesn't keep it. What a terrible thing to do—to make a promise to God but not keep that promise. Apparently these people were led by the impulse of dreams (vs. 3 & 7). It is better to live in faith and fear of God than to make promises you don’t keep. In the second case the ever-present hand of taxes eats away at what has been saved. Taxes were taken from the local agent all the way up the chain to the king. In the third case is the man who feels he just can't get ahead. With passionate love for wealth, he pursues it but never gets enough. Sometimes it is an investment gone bad. In some cases it is that the more he owns, the more he must spend to keep or maintain his wealth. Verse 17 is a powerful warning picture of the person who makes wealth a priority. 

So what is the answer? a steady life of faith, contentment, and work done for God's glory.

“Lord, let all that I am doing be done for Your glory. AMEN."

Ecclesiastes 4:1-16

Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 

Not having confidence in any long-term effect of the reform project of chapter 3, Solomon looks at the hardships in his kingdom. He says the dead and the unborn are better off than those living under oppression. As king, why doesn't he do something? The answer is hidden in verse 4. The motivation for action is rivalry, also translated as ‘envy’ or 'jealousy.' No decree, no royal edict will remove envy from the heart. The best countermeasure to envy is contentment: contentment is not indolence (v. 5), but it is never achieved by the pursuit of more (v. 8). Contentment is not just a matter of material possessions but also being part of a community. This community is a life that comes from committed human interaction and can never come from owning stuff.

Solomon moves to an archetypical story of a bad king who is replaced by a young wise successor who was, apparently, oppressed and in jail. His ascension to power is cause for celebration. But before long the people are not happy with this king either. It leaves us with the question: “Was there something wrong in his heart or in the hearts of the people?”

“Lord, give me a heart that is at peace with You and finds contentment in relationships. AMEN.”

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

After expressing hope that man can find meaning in his search for God (eternity in his heart), the author is confronted with another vanity or smoke. The author finds wickedness in two places: the courts and the religious institutions. A friend of mine recently faced an unfair, even false, accusation. It is hard to contemplate eternity in the heart when under the threat of injustice. It is also equally difficult to do so in the face of the evil of religious immorality.

This passage is difficult for us because the Hebrew word translated “spirit” can also be translated “breath,” as in the biological function of the lungs. Solomon is not questioning the immortality of the soul. He is pointing out that in the midst of injustice and irreligiousness, man is little better than an animal.

It is not hard to find injustice in government and wrong in the church. It is also easy to get wrapped up in a crusade to set things right. The problem is reform campaigns often fall into the trap of the same vice that they hope to correct. Since we can't predict the future of our reform measures, the best we can do is be happy with what we are doing.

“Lord, help me not to put my trust in religious movements or our government authorities but rather always in you. AMEN.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

This most famous of all passages from the book, due to the song by The Byrds, is a bit of an enigma. But if we look at the greater context, it comes into focus. Verse 9 asks the question of what the point of everything is. In verses 2-8 we see the sum is zero. Each couplet comes to nothing. Almost as if to say “birth plus death” equals zero. We are returned to the opening of the book: “Meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless.”

Clarity comes to us in verse 11. The word often translated “beautiful” is easier to understand as “appropriate” or “fitting.” There's a balance and symmetry in creation and life. That symmetry awakes in the heart of man as “eternity.” As we look at the world and its complexity and simplicity and balance, man realizes there is something more. There is a longing, a hunger in the hearts of man for something beyond. Which explains the last part of verse 11. Without this awakened hunger, man would never inquire about his Creator. In God we began to seek meaning.

“Lord, help all things drive me to seek and to know You. AMEN.” 

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

Ecclesiastes 2:18-26

One has to wonder if Solomon, approaching the end of his life, didn't look at his heir and future king in despair. Solomon's reign was larger than life, so grand as to seem mythic. But as he looks at the future king, perhaps, he realizes it will all be for nothing. His vast wealth, political influence, and expansive knowledge will, he fears, be squandered.

Part of the human condition is to deeply desire a lasting and meaningful contribution to those we will leave behind. But how can we be sure? Rehoboam was 41 years old when he began his disastrous reign. Did Solomon see in the 30-something-year-old prince the telltale marks of future failure?

What could be done in view of his heartbreak? Verse 24 is not so much an invitation to an indulgent life. That has been tried, and it failed. It is more than just focusing on the moment. There is more to it than taking nourishment and seeing the good of the effort. Rather than tormenting the mind on failure that might come, this is an invitation to see how honest work honestly done now can be a springboard to honoring God. 

“Lord, give me a life that is a positive legacy for the generations to come. AMEN.”