What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.
The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
around and around goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they flow again.
Solomon, based upon God’s Word, was the wisest human being who ever lived. Jesus Christ is wisdom (1 Corinthians 1-2), but Solomon was given wisdom by God, in abundance, as a gift. In the book of Ecclesiastes we read about his application of this knowledge to his everyday life. As always, however, you can’t read (or shouldn’t read) any portion of the book without first reading his conclusion.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Solomon is setting out to explore the world. He wants to use wisdom to find what life is about. His conclusion tells us what he found. The conclusion makes the above introduction make sense. There is NOTHING on earth that makes sense and will solve the hole in man’s heart except our relationship with the God who created us. Creation is not the solution for God’s created. The Creator is the solution for those God creates. If we look carefully, Solomon is telling us, all things just keep repeating. They never change. Yes, each generation might have a different look at what they see and do, but they see and do what every generation that came before them (and after them) sees or will see. The entire book is summed up in the introduction and the conclusion. Nothing we see and touch will fill that hole in our soul. Nothing God created can replace the Creator who formed it.
No comments:
Post a Comment