The Book of Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes |əˌklēzēˈastēz| a book of the Bible traditionally attributed to Solomon, consisting largely of reflections on the vanity of human life.
The book of Ecclesiastes is an incredible poetic book of wisdom, written by King Solomon as he ponders the meaning of life.
Solomon seems to be in a dark place as he writes some of this book. But most of us would wonder why. He has everything anyone could ever want, and then some. He is the richest man in the world, he is the King of all of Israel, and he has over 700 wives (well, maybe that could be his problem…haha!). But the book of Ecclesiastes shows us that no matter how much money, power, and human love one person attains—nothing will ever satisfy us like God does.
The book starts out in Chapter 1 with Solomon saying, “Everything is meaningless—completely meaningless!” In Chapters 1 and 2 Solomon lists all the things he has chased after in this world trying to satisfy the depths of his soul.
He said, “No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content,” (1:8). He searches for for pleasure in alcohol and partying (2:3), in building big homes and vineyards (2:4), he collected treasures of silver and gold (2:8), and even hired famous singers and performers (2:8)—but still, nothing could satisfy his soul.
After searching for true happiness down every path and road, Solomon comes to one conclusion: “But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.” (2:11)
God is the only true source of happiness, purpose, strength, peace, and joy we could ever need or find. Nothing else will do, because nothing on earth compares to knowing Him.
Solomon continues to write in Chapter 3, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die…. God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole cope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 (NLT)
Death isn’t a topic anyone loves to talk about—but Solomon reminds us that death is a reality for every single one of us. We have one life to live and it passes quickly, without us knowing the day or the hour we'll take our last breath. But Solomon’s advice from the book of Ecclesiastes is to simply enjoy the lives we have, to enjoy the time we’ve been given, and to enjoy the gifts and blessings God gives to us! We have one life to live—and the wisest man to have ever lived told us to enjoy it…
“So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! Live happily with all you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun… Whatever you do, do it well.” Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 (NLT)
The whole book of Ecclesiastes is man’s pursuit for the meaning of life—and there is no one better to write it than a man who had everything anyone could ever dream of or want. This man reminded us that no matter how much we attain in life, we will never be satisfied by anything but God. Solomon found that only fearing God and keeping His commands was the essence of all things—living for God is the meaning of life!
And Solomon leaves us with these final words of wisdom at the end of the book…
“Young people, it’s wonderful to be young. Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. So refuse to worry, and keep your body healthy… Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.” Ecclesiastes Ch. 11 9-10, 12:13
This is a beautiful book of authenticity and transparency. It’s one we can all enjoy and learn from because we all try to find fulfillment in things outside of God. Fear God and obey His commands. Enjoy life and every blessing it brings! For serving Him is the meaning of life!
XO-
Sabrina