The Meaning of Life: Ecclesiastes 2

Solomon was a very manly thinker. Men have this ability to put things in boxes mentally, so that one thing does not touch another. So Solomon says that he tried to cheer himself with wine, wealth, and women. He embraced foolishness (2:3) while remaining under the guidance of wisdom. Now, I don't doubt the truth of the scripture, but I have to wonder if I am hearing some arrogance coming from a former human king of Israel. That takes some brass--to confess that you experimented with drinking and pleasure, but analyzed it with a clear mind. Sure, God could have blessed him with immunity from the impact of alcohol, and allowed him to explore the folly of drunkenness without ever loosing control. Or maybe Solomon simply explored folly, wake up with a splitting headache the next morning, and then analyzed the foolishness of it all. It seems like he tried to separate the physical and mental aspects of his personality here--analyzing with his mind while he put his body through all sorts of tests. I think in the end, he found out that you cannot separate the impact of the physical from the mental or spiritual. We are whole beings, and it is foolish to think that turning off your mind or feelings will allow you to do whatever you want with your body.

In the end, Solomon concludes, " I surveyed all that my hands had done, . . . everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (2:11)

He says the same about emphasizing the mind and reason over all other things. "I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness . . . but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both." (2:13-14). In other words, it doesn't matter how smart you are. Your wisdom is limited and cannot find a way to defeat death.

Even his hard work and wealth did not provide sanctuary. "A man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who had not worked for it." (2:21) "All his days his work is pain and grief." (2:23). In the end, his observations about his own life lead him to express "My heart began to despair over all my labor." (2:20)

So, what is the heart of life--the path to happiness? Solomon states that pleasure, wisdom, and work are all dead ends.

Yet, he leaves us with this one nugget of hope at the end of chapter 2. "A man can do no better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too I see from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases God, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God." In the end, Solomon sees the building of wealth as foolishness, because God will give it to those who please him. In other words, IT ALL BELONGS TO GOD, AND HE WILL MANAGE IT AS HE SEES FIT.

The hope resides in knowing God. Wine, women, wisdom, and work are all meaningless without God's presence. Knowing God brings real satisfaction and enjoyment. Also, finding contentment in the basics of life--working, eating, breathing--is essential because these are basic gifts of God to all of us. If we fail to enjoy God's basic provision, how can we enjoy anything this world has to offer?

When things look out of control

It is always an adventure when big-picture events in our world take a negative turn. When the banking industry suffers a significant meltdown, all of us are left to ponder the future. Most of us have to acknowledge that fact that most of the things we put our faith in are very temporary and subject to change. Thus, when Wall Street shakes, we all feel it. Our faith is only as strong as the object of our faith.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Russia. Rumors of wars in Iran, N. Korea, and any other country in the world.

Persecution of Christians all over our world.

The upheaval of nature including hurricanes (four MAJOR hurricanes in three years between New Orleans and Houston), a major tsunami, wild fires, global warming or freezing (depending on where you are standing at the moment).

All of the signs of the end of the world about us. Is it time?

These events remind me of "The Gospel Apocalypse" found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. These accounts have a general order of events that goes something like this:
1. False Messiahs will appear
2. Political unrest (wars, rumors of war)
3. Upheaval in nature (famines, earthquakes)
4. Persecution of Christians
These images also appear in Revelation 6 in the four horses of the Apocalypse--a sign to me that both passages seem to be addressing similar issues.

And these things are just the beginning.

But I do not want to sound an alarm of panic. The basic truth of the situation is that our mission as Christians does not change in the end time. We are to be proclaiming the good news of Christ regardless of the day or the hour. There is an urgency that the "end" brings, kind of like a 2 minute drill in football. However, we are to be urgent about the eternal fate of all people, and our motivation should be more than the end of time. Our motivation should be the love of Christ.

We want to avoid the sign of the end times mentioned in Matthew 24:12: "Because of increased wickedness, the love of most will grow cold . . ."

Instead we need to be like those "who stand firm to the end. . ." (Matthew 24:13).

Stand firm is the opposite of panic. So, hold to your hope in Christ and continue to serve him regardless of the times.

Remember, when things are out of control, God is in control.