Futile or Fulfilled?

​Ecclesiastes is a wisdom book written almost certainly by King Solomon.  The book title in Hebrew is Qōheleth and translates “Teacher.”  A predominant theme of Ecclesiastes is that “under the sun, all is futile.”  Futility comes from the Hebrew word hevel which stresses that which is empty and transitory.  This key word occurs 38 times and is used to describe outward, physical things as well as inward thoughts. [1]   It is often paired with the phrase “a pursuit of the wind.”  ​

Meditation
Ecclesiastes 1:2,3—"Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility.  Everything is futile.”  What does a man gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?
 
Why would Solomon, who until Christ was considered the world’s wisest man, have such a pessimistic outlook on life?  We read from his writing:

• Life was wearisome because the eye, ear and appetite were never fully satisfied (1:8; 6:7)
• Life was boring and unfulfilling—nothing new was under the sun (1:9,14)
• Increased wisdom brought sorrow; increased knowledge more grief (1:18; 2:23)
• The pursuit of pleasure and laughter was unsuccessful (2:1,2)
• Accomplishment through hard labor and struggle was pointless and distressing (2:11,17)
• The fate of the fool and the wise were identical—death and forgotten; all people have the same fate  (2:14-16; 4:16; 9:3)
• Hard, skillful work was inherited by those who did no work (2:21)
• People had no advantage over animals—both eventually died (3:19,20)
• Much work was done from jealousy (4:4)
• Many dreams brought futility (5:7)
• The pursuit of wealth and a good income was unsatisfying (5:10,16-17; 6:2)
• Many words increased futility (6:11)
• The songs and laughter of a fool were futile (7:5,6)
• The righteous perished in spite of their righteousness while the wicked lived long despite their evil (7:15)
• The righteous got what the actions of the wicked deserved and vice versa (8:14)

Much of Solomon’s pessimistic view was enhanced by the fact that he did not know what happened to man upon death.  “Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth? . . . For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies?” (3:21,22b).  But he also made a significant error.  Instead of using the wisdom God blessed him with to pursue God, he lived to find his own fulfillment and that was a doomed formula.  In the end he realized his mistake and advised his readers to enjoy the life that God provided and, “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity” (12:13).  

How blessed we are: to have the Holy Spirit; the hope that we will rise from our decaying bodies to receive perfect bodies for eternal fellowship with God; awareness of the profound love of God for us expressed through Jesus so that life has awesome meaning; and, the ability to learn from Solomon and not have to repeat his mistakes.  Life is either futile or fulfilled.  If only Solomon had known what we know.

We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.  He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Him for the administration of the days of fulfillment—to bring everything together in the Messiah, both things in heaven and things on earth in Him.We have also received an inheritance in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will, so that we who had already put our hope in the Messiah might bring praise to His glory. (Ephesians 1:7-12)
 
Inspiration
People are only joyful when they fulfill the design of God’s creation of them, and that is a joy that can never be quenched.—Oswald Chambers in He Shall Glorify Me

[1] Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, Christian Standard Bible, © 2017 AMG Publishers


©2019 Daniel York  ARR.  Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause.  If you would like to receive these devotionals go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box.  Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed subject to inclusion of this copyright notice.      
 
Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth.  (Holman CSB)