Life

Satan shrewdly deceived Eve in the garden. Just eat the forbidden fruit and you will be like God and know the difference between good and evil (Genesis 3:5). The deeper implication behind his temptation was that Eve was somehow deprived.  At this point in her existence, she had no knowledge of evil. What Satan did not tell Eve was that it was her relationship with God that was most important. Having her eyes opened would make her like him—a fallen creature out of God’s favor. His intent was to sever Adam and Eve’s relationship with their Creator by cunningly convincing them to disobey His command. ​

Many centuries later, Solomon, in his vast wisdom, set in course a strategy that flowed from the flawed path of man’s rebellion. He determined to explore life to the nth degree in the pursuit of understanding; with the desire to be satisfied.
 
Meditation
Ecclesiastes 2:1-3--I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile.  I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”  I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life with wine and how to grasp folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
 
If our set course is to enjoy life we boarded the train bound for oblivion. Pastor Tony Evans, commenting on Solomon’s experiment declared, “. . . if you look for the meaning of life in life, you’ll never find it.”[1]  Let’s consider that observation. The meaning of life is not life itself. After every thrill or success, is the word fleeting. With life comes pain, disappointment, and decay.  If life is our be-all-end-all we have swallowed Satan’s lure.
            
Solomon, after a prodigious accumulation of sampling everything life had to offer determined it was futile—which accompanied by futility he used 32x in Ecclesiastes.[2] “Absolute futility, says the Teacher. “Everything is futile” (Ecc. 12:8). His research conclusion was this: revere and obey God’s command (12:13). Notice the first action of fearing God is all about relationship. The key to life is revering the Maker of life. Second, obeying His commands fixes what Adam and Eve botched—had they listened to God and ignored Satan they would have known God instead of evil. Solomon’s wisdom preceded Christ’s coming. God knew that mankind acquainted with evil and focused on life could not be restored without His incredible grace extended through the sacrifice of His Son—who revered Him and kept His commands.  
            
Chasing life is futile. Pursuing Jesus is gaining life and what makes it so astounding—the relationship with the Savior!  To follow and know Him is to find fulfillment. Something to think about . . . in reveration!
 
Inspiration
If you live for the next world, you get this one in the deal; but if you only live for this world, you end up losing them both.—C.S. Lewis

©2022 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)
 


[1] CSB Tony Evans Study Bible, by Holman Bible Publishers, (2019), p. 748. 
[2] BibleGateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=futile&version=HCSB&resultspp=50