The message of Ecclesiastes

I sporadically studied the book of Ecclesiastes this summer, and although I noticed Solomon’s realization of God desiring our pleasure on this earth, I was missing a huge point of the book. I had puzzled over the meaning of the word meaningless or vanity, depending on the translation of the Bible you use. I had thought it to mean worthless and of no significance. This explanation made no sense to me as I applied it to the passages. At the beginning of the first chapter the author writes Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless! To me it seemed to imply that one gets no benefits from life on this earth, and all the things we put our time and effort into don’t amount to anything. I disagreed with this initial interpretation, because I had seen wonderful people work hard at pouring into other people’s lives and make a huge impact on them. That did not seem meaningless to me. When vanity or meaningless is interpreted as affected by the fall it all makes sense.

Solomon had realized through his life that everything was affected by the fall. We humans are stuck in this world where justice is not carried out consistently, lazy fools can succeed in life, and bad things happen to righteous people. Unexplainable tragedies like cancer, war, car accidents, and heart attacks happen. Everyone eventually dies. It is especially tragic when someone who loved many, dies “early.” Many people blame God for “taking them away” or “letting them get sick.” They can’t explain why God does it, because they don’t realize that it’s not His fault! The Devil wants us to blame the unexplainable tragedies in life on God. Terminal illnesses, car accidents, paralyzation -- all these heartbreaking events or conditions exist as a result of the fall. It broke God’s heart when Adam and Eve committed the sin that kicked them out of the garden and tore them from a painless life full of enjoyment and intimate communion with God. He wants us to make the most of the world in which we live, despite the fact that every facet of life is affected by the fall.

There are two main factors that keep us from enjoying life on this sin-affected earth. The first is that we don’t know what is good for us. I see this in my own life, especially in my lack of finances. I feel that if God provided all the necessary finances to get me through school without having to take out any loans, I would be better off. God obviously has other plans and is wanting to teach me a lesson through trials, hard work, and trusting in His provision. The second factor that keeps us from enjoying the earth is that we don’t know the future. I have been struggling with this one a lot lately. I don’t know if God is going to keep me at Cedarville for the remainder of my schooling, of if he is going to move me close to home. The uncertainty of things is overwhelming. I sometimes wish God would just magically tell me the future so I would know how to prepare myself for what is to come and what to look forward to and get excited about. I tend to spend more time worrying about where God might have me next instead of focusing on where he has put me now. I need to find ways that God can use me where I am.

My grandma told me that the best way to find enjoyment on this earth is to pour your life into something greater than yourself. My grandparents are an excellent example of this. They pour their time and energy into other people: getting to know them, helping meet the needs of others, encouraging others during hard times. They have been through their share of hardships in this fallen world, yet they are the happiest people I know. They are happy because they know that they are serving God with their lives. I want to be like them. I want to use every breath God has given me on this crummy, fallen world to invest in the lives of others. The best way for me to find joy in my pain on this earth is to “banish anxiety from [my] heart” (Eccl. 11:10) and live in enjoyment of what God has given me, using my gifts to serve others.