Day 26 Finding meaning in life
Ecclesiastes 1:
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
While reading the book of Ecclesiastes, I felt like putting it down several times. I found it discouraging. The Teacher, King Solomon who was the wisest man who ever lived next to Jesus Christ, wrote that everything under the sun was meaningless. He started out the book with that thought and carried it all the way through. He confessed that in trying to understand all his wisdom and knowledge, it was like chasing after the wind and with the gaining of wisdom and knowledge comes sorrow and grief. He said laughter was foolish and asked, "And what does pleasure accomplish?" (2:2b) He tried cheering himself with wine and he embraced folly, but he found it to be foolishness. He undertook great projects, accomplished great things and became wealthy. He refused his heart no pleasure and denied himself nothing his eyes desired. Again, he found it all meaningless, a chasing after the wind, nothing gained under the sun.
He speaks of the burden of toil God has put on men and says in man's toil there is pain and grief and then he must leave all he owns and has worked for to someone who has not worked for it. One wonders, "Did all the wisdom and wealth God had given Solomon work against him? Did it cause life to become meaningless to him?"
However, interspersed in all this "bah humbug" discourse we see positive thoughts of faith in God:
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (3:11)
" I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him." (3:14)
But best of all are his concluding statements:
"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
"For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. (12:13-14)
On second thought, maybe everything on earth is meaningless when viewed in the light of eternity. Perhaps this conclusive counsel of fearing God and keeping His commandments can be used as an overlay for everything we do and pursue. If we fear God and keep His commandments in all that we do, perhaps that is the key to make life meaningful.
Consider this:
Years ago Peggy Lee recorded a song entitled, "Is that all there is?" I don't remember the words to the song but I do remember the feeling of despair that it left behind. It was a song with a message of someone's heart crying out for meaning to life. It is a cry of despair when one cannot find meaningful purpose in life. Perhaps the Teacher in Ecclesiastes wanted to tell us that wisdom, fame or fortune in and of themselves do not bring meaning to life in lieu of eternity. The only thing that really counts is fearing God and keeping His commandments.
Paul wrote to Timothy, " For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:8) With the exercisecraze today, many are looking for meaning to life through a perfectly-shaped and healthy body, unaware that godliness would be a better pursuit for both now and for the future life to come.
There was a TV special on happiness which was supposed to tell us what made people happy, why some were happy and others were not. Interviews were conducted with people from various walks of life and the conclusion had similarities to that of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes: none of the accomplishments that brought fame or fortune brought enduring happiness. This was from a secular point of view. After all the interviews and searching for answers, their conclusion as to what determined happiness was inconclusive.
Jesus said that even giving a cup of cold water to one of His followers will bring a reward. The smallest deed done out of love and obedience to God is meaningful and has value.
Could we conclude that people who get caught up with earthly causes without the overlay of fearing God and keeping His commandments could end up saying what the Teacher said, "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."? (1:2)
