Ecclesiastes – Bride Prepared

Author Merle

Empty, futile, and hollow are words which capture the feelings of disappointment and disillusionment. This is the life experience of many. We strive to find the “good life” – filled with possessions, power and pleasure – only to find life empty and meaningless.. Such disappointment ends in despair.

Let’s pray:

Father God, as we embark on these studies this evening of the one you chose to impart practical insights into our lives, Your servant Solomon, we ask that Your Wisdom, Love and teaching light our hearts. Help us to understand the importance of our lives eternal. In Jesus Name, Amen

Almost 3,000 years ago, Solomon spoke of this human dilemma, but the insights and applications of his message are relevant in our century.

Ecclesiastes, Solomon’s written sermon, is an analysis of life’s experiences and a critical essay about its meaning.

In this profound book, Solomon takes us on a mental journey through his life, and he explains how everything he tried, tested, or tasted was useless. (2:11), irrational (2:17), pointless (4:8), foolish (4:16) and empty (6:12), an exercise in futility.

Solomon searched for satisfaction almost like it was a scientific experiment. He discovered that life without God was a long and fruitless search for enjoyment, meaning, and fulfillment.

True happiness is not in our power to accumulate or attain because we always desire more than we can have. There are circumstances beyond our control which can snatch away our possessions or attainments.

People are still searching. Yet the more they try to get, the more they realize how little they really have. No pleasure or happiness is possible without God. Above everything we should strive to know and love God.

The cure for emptiness is to center on God. Fear God throughout your life and fill your life with serving God and others rather than selfish pleasures.

Remember the words in Ecclesiastes are from one who “had it all” – tremendous power, wisdom, and wealth. After this biographical tour, Solomon makes his triumphant conclusion. “Fear God, and obey His commandments, for this is the entire duty of man. For God will judge us for everything we do, including every hidden thing, good or bad” (12:13,14)

When Solomon became king, he asked God for wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:7-12), and he became the wisest man in the world (1 Kings 4:29-34) He studied, taught, judged and wrote.

Kings and leaders from all nations came to Jerusalem to learn from him. But with all of his practical insight on life, Solomon failed to heed his own advice, and his life began its downward spiral. Near the end of his life, he looked back with an attitude of humility and after his life of perpetual seeking had no choice but to acknowledge the true source of Wisdom.

Please take note here that unlike Psalm 51, David’s “Penitential Psalm,” there is no confession of sin, and his reflection “vanity and vexation of spirit” is more expressive of disappointment than an acknowledgement of wrongdoing.

The Bibles teaches us that Jesus is made wisdom unto us and even Solomon concluded that in his final chapter of the book

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Jesus Himself testifies of this in

Matthew 12:42 (King James Version)

The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

If it is true that Jesus made a claim that something greater than Solomon was present in and through his ministry, one must ask what it could be...

Surely the most straightforward answer would be that Wisdom had come in person.

Solomon in his office was granted all the ability to know “this Wisdom” but he turned his back on Him, and walked in worldy wisdom that left him empty.

And yet he took stock of the world as he had experienced it, hoping to spare his readers the bitterness of learning through personal experience that everything apart from God is empty, hollow and meaningless.

How often our parents or best friends have tried to do that. My mum always said to me, “Merle don’t do that honey, I know what the outcome will be, simply because she had experienced it in some form or another.

But we turn our backs, and often we land up just like Solomon. And how wonderful that we have a heavenly Father who in all His wisdom gave us Wisdom and a way out.

Although the tone of Ecclesiastes is negative and pessimistic, we must not conclude that the only chapter worth reading and applying is the last where he draws his conclusions.

In reality, the entire book is filled with practical wisdom (how to accomplish things in the world and stay out of trouble) and spiritual wisdom (how to find and know eternal values).

Solomon had a very honest approach to life.

All of his remarks relating to the futility of life are there for a purpose – to lead people to seek true happiness in God alone.

He was not trying to destroy all hope, but direct our hopes to the only One who can truly fulfill them. Solomon affirms the value of knowledge, relationships, work, and pleasure, but only in their proper place. All of these temporal things in life must be seen in light of the eternal.

Read Ecclesiastes and learn about life. Hear the stern warnings and dire predictions, and commit yourself to honor your Creator now.