“Everything
is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NLT)
For ages people young and old have been asking the
question: “What is the meaning of
life?” Many books have been written
on the subject including Rick Warren’s book--The Purpose Driven Life, Dr. Hugh Moorhead’s – The Meaning of Life, and
Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s –Man’s Search for Meaning. Who of us hasn’t at one point in time
inquired into the why of our
existence?
Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, was
born with a “silver spoon in his mouth” as the saying goes. His father, David was a noted politician and
military leader. His popularity in Israel
was unquestioned, and his achievement unmatched. After his death all this was passed down to
his son, Solomon who became Israel’s second king.
The
wisdom displayed by the King during his reigning years was unsurpassed. His fame and fortune brought rulers from many
countries to hear of his wisdom including the Queen of Sheba. His crowning achievement was the completion
and dedication of the glorious Temple of Israel. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could
pronounce a “happy ever after” ending to Solomon’s life and the golden age of
Israel, but it wasn’t to be.
Solomon’s devotion to God cooled as
he indulged in creating a harem of foreign wives (700) and concubines (300)
many of whom worshipped gods of wood and stone forbidden by God.
Ecclesiastes begins with a question
and an answer: What is the meaning of
life? He could just as easily have
asked: Is life worth living? As he looks at the problem of life apart
from God he comes to the conclusion from a human perspective that “Everything is meaningless…utterly
meaningless!”
Ecclesiastes teaches us that life apart from Jesus
Christ is lonely, empty, and filled with guilt.
Only the Lord Jesus Christ can provide faith, forgiveness, belief, and
eternal life. Anyone who lives his/her
life apart from Jesus Christ will be asking the same question: What is the meaning of life? And receiving the same answer: Life is
meaningless and empty.
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