“All is meaningless and there is nothing new under the sun” was the cry of Qohelet (the Preacher) in the book of Ecclesiastes. Though he pursued every sort of work, desire, knowledge and experience under the sun, his heart and soul remained empty.
Though Bible scholars are divided as to whether Solomon or a post-exilic anonymous character authored the book, the message is clear: apart from God, all is vanity, ultimately useless and empty (Ecclesiastes 1:1-3).
Qohelet begins by stating the first part of his thesis in Ecclesiastes 1:1-3. The following chapters describe how and why he arrived at his conclusion. In brief, Qohelet endeavored to find meaning and purpose in life by engaging himself in pleasure, women, wine, personal projects, wealth and many more (ex. Ecclesiastes 2:1-11). His pursuits and accomplishments left him only frustrated and even more so when he shifted his attention to the perplexities of our imperfect world (ex. Ecclesiastes 4:1-7, 13-16; 5:8-17).
Qohelet was dissatisfied with life because he did not live it initially with a proper perspective–that life is, in fact, worth living if lived “above” the sun, not under it. He finally acknowledges this truth in the final chapters of the book, especially chapter 12. He ultimately declares, “Remember thy Creator” (Ecclesiastes 12:1), expressing the need to surrender to God, the Creator and Giver of life. This second part of his thesis which he began in chapter 1 affirms man’s two-fold responsibility in order to have a meaningful and purposeful life.
Man’s first responsibility is to “fear God” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 a). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). This fear includes avoidance of sin which robs us of the joy of living (Genesis 39:6-9; Psalm 119:9-11).
Man’s second responsibility is to “keep His commandments” (Ecclesiastes 12:13 b). The Psalmist was right when he, as a result of his fear of God, expressed delight in doing the Lord’s will as revealed in His word (psalm 119:9-16). Qoheletactually gives us a glimpse of the coming judgment prepared for the righteous, referred to as the Bema judgment as described in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 and Romans 14:10-12 and the judgement of the wicked, referred to as the Great White Throne judgment in Revelation 20:11-15.
How are you today? Maybe right now you have everything materially. Maybe right now you are pursuing the pleasures offered by the world. But how is your heart? your soul? At the end of the day, don’t you feel the fact of your emptiness within? There is still something missing. There is still a void. Do you know why?
The answer is plain in Scripture. We are spiritual beings and as spiritual beings, we cannot be satisfied with things that are material or tangible. As Qohelet discovered, all is vanity “under the sun.” Only He who is “above the sun” can give true purpose and meaning to our lives. Only God who is Spirit can fill what our spirit longs for. Only when we come to terms with God, our Creator and Giver of life that we can experience true joy and contentment (John 1:1-4).
Jesus Christ was plain in his declaration about the futility of one’s life if, though possessing all the world’s wealth, you are bankrupt as to your standing before God (Matthew 16:26). I urge you to come to Christ because He is your only hope.
