Read: Ecclesiastes 12
Some of the most asked questions in all the world revolve around the meaning of life. So many people find themselves feeling alone, empty, and struggling with disappointment and heartache. Why this? What about this? What does this mean? When will things change? Those questions are just the tip of the iceberg. Many people look to possessions, money, experiences, pleasure, and power to fill the void and yet still come away feeling empty.
The Bible has a book that reflects these feelings. Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes as a way of contemplating all these feelings that go on inside. The book as a whole can be quite depressing unless we consider its wisdom, counsel, and reflective nature. Chapter 12, the final chapter is key to understanding where Solomon was and where he was going with these words.
At the end of his life he considered all of his experiences (good and bad) and shared his wisdom and learning with the billions of people who have read his words through the generations. In an attitude of repentance, wisdom, and humility he concludes that everything apart from God is hollow, meaningless, and empty. In other words, God is the way to find meaning in life.
In the Contemporary English Version, the last verses of the last chapter read like this, “Everything you were taught can put into a few words: Respect and obey God! This is what life is all about.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13) Perhaps the way the Life Application Bible says it sums this book of the Bible up the best.
“Solomon had a very honest approach. All of his remarks relating to the futility of life are there for a purpose: to lead us to seek fulfillment and happiness in God alone. He is not trying to destroy all hope, but to direct our hopes to the only one who can truly fulfill them and give our life meaning. Solomon affirms the value of knowledge, relationships, work, and pleasure, but only in their proper place. Everything temporal must be in seen in light of the eternal.”
Make it Personal: Read Ecclesiastes and learn about life. Don’t use it as a testimony of despair, instead consider it as a testimony of someone who has tried all the avenues of life and came back to the one thing that really brought meaning to life, a relationship with God. Solomon testifies that life is meaningless without God.
Have a blessed week, Pastor Glen Rhodes
