September 25, 2017 - The wisest man who ever lived, king Solomon of Israel, lived a long life, a life filled with every reward known to man. Anything he desired was immediately available to him, both from God and from the people he served as king.
As he grew older and neared the end of his time here on earth he began to reflect upon what he had learned in all the years with all his wisdom.
The book of Ecclesiastes is the reflections of this old man.
He recounts how futile the effort or the vanity of chasing after what we consider to be the “good” things of life. Things such as; wisdom, work, pleasure, and wealth. These things are satisfying for a time, but death is certain to end this satisfaction. Solomon, although he struggled from time to time had learned that the person who lives in fear of the power of God will enjoy God’s good gifts.
As God had given Solomon the wisdom that he had asked for he applied his heart to seek out by this wisdom all that is done under heaven.
His deduction from this lifetime of study and searching; “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14)
So Solomon realizes that nothing worldly is worthy of trying the achieve or acquire, that only the things of God matter in the end.
In reference to the daily work that people do in the living of life on planet earth he says this.
“What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:9-11) Solomon sees the futility of trying to know and understand all that God has done. He finally truly understands what God intends for man as he lives out life on earth. As he goes on to explain more of man’s duty toward God he says; I perceived that there is nothing better for them (for man) than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; and that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil - this is God’s gift to man.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)
So there we have it according to Solomon, we are to do good as long as we live, to be joyful in life. That we are to enjoy our good deeds, to be joyful workers for the Lord each day, to do the job God has given each of us with a smile on our face and a smile in our heart that the joy we have will convict those whom we meet each day.
Solomon understands the futility of man’s striving for fame and wealth. That man and beast have the same breath, that man has no physical living advantage of the beasts, for all is vanity. That man and beast will die the same physical death, ashes to ashes and dust to dust.
From this he deducts that; “So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?” (Ecclesiastes 3:22)
Again reaffirming that we are to live our lives simply, serving God with the talents God has given each of us, being joyful every day that we have the honor and privilege of serving the Most High God, for when our time is done, how are we to know what will happen to our worldly possessions, who will remember us as time passes us by. Worrying about nothing of this world, but enjoying our lives each day, serving God by living joyful lives of service to him. May the rich blessings of our Lord be yours…
