Ecclesiastes

     "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem," we read in the first verse of Ecclesiastes.
     "I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem," the author continues in verses 12 and 13.  "And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven."
     Of course, the only son of David who was king in Jerusalem was Solomon, so it is not difficult to identify the author.  When we try to examine the life of this great king, though, we are confronted with a very perplexing situation.
     Here is someone who talks with God and is offered whatever he would like to request.  This is no jinni in a magic lamp.  This is a genuine offer from the only One in the universe who can make good on it.  God is so impressed by Solomon's request for wisdom that He also gives him wealth and power.
     This is the same king who is allowed to build the great temple in Jerusalem, an honor denied to David.
     But it is also the same king who makes treaties with Egypt, something which has been prohibited by God.  Against God's instruction he multiplies gold and silver, as well as horses and chariots.  And, perhaps worst of all, he takes 1000 wives and concubines from the very groups of people about whom God has specifically stated, "you shall not marry women from these nations."  He even builds places of worship for the false gods of these women.
     Since Solomon's life is so perplexing, it is no wonder that a book such as Ecclesiastes raises some questions for those who read it.  While we have in the Proverbs the wisdom of God through the mouth of Solomon, we are sometimes confronted in the book of Ecclesiastes by Solomon's own evaluation.
     Another thing we have to know while we read this book is that conclusions drawn in the body of the book are only preliminary.  After all the facts are in, Solomon arrives at his final decision in the last chapter.  The book of Ecclesiastes is nothing without the final chapter, and any knowledge drawn from the book is worthless unless the last words are taken into consideration.
     As we have already noted from verse 13 of the first chapter, Solomon's goal is nothing less than to "explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven."  Sometimes he analyzes things from a physical standpoint.  When he does this, his conclusions are accurate from the viewpoint of the world.  But they are hardly what we would expect from the Bible.  Other times he looks at things philosophically.  And, most significantly, he sometimes evaluates things spiritually.
     Another thing that he does in part of the book is discuss some of his futile attempts to find happiness through various avenues.
     As the writing begins Solomon makes a general evaluation from a physical point of view.
     "Vanity of vanities!" he comments in verse two.  "All is vanity."
     This is true, isn't it, when we analyze the world from a purely physical standpoint?  If there is no higher value to our existence above what we do during this lifetime, then everything is truly, "vanity!"
     "What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?" Solomon continues.  "A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever."
     "Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;" he adds in a phrase borrowed by Hemingway, "and hastening to its place it rises there again."
     "That which has been is that which will be," he decides in verse nine, "and that which has been done is that which will be done.  So, there is nothing new under the sun."
     In chapter nine Solomon draws some  more conclusions that are valid from a physical point of view.  But these are also true when taken in a spiritual light.
     "Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun;" verse nine suggests, "for this is your reward in life, and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun."
     As we know from passages such as Matthew 19:1-9 that it is also God's desire that we enjoy life with the mate He has given.
     "Whatever your hand finds to do," Solomon advises in verse 10, "verily, do it with all your might."
     "Whatever you do," the apostle Paul instructs in Colossians 3:23, "do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."

     In addition to looking at the world from a physical standpoint, he sometimes considers it from a philosophical slant.
     "And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness," he concludes in Ecclesiastes 2:13.  He acknowledges this in spite of the fact that he knows that both the wise and the foolish face the same finish: the grave.
     Chapter three begins with what is most likely the best known passage of the entire book, thanks to a popular song of a few years ago.
     "There is an appointed time for everything," the chapter starts.  "And there is a time for every event under heaven-
     "A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
     "A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to tear down, and a time to build up.
     "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
     "A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
     "A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away.
     "A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
     "A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."
     Solomon begins chapter seven with this observation: "A good name is better than a good ointment."
     Chapter 10 contains a number of philosophical comments.
     "Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink," verse one notes, "so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor."
     "He who digs a pit may fall into it," verse eight observes.
     "If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge," Solomon says in verse 10, "then he must exert more strength.  Wisdom has the advantage of giving success."
     "Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious," we read in verses 12-14, "while the lips of a fool consume him; the beginning of his talking is folly, and the end of it is wicked madness.  Yet the fool multiplies words."
     But Solomon does not spend all his time make material or philosophical observations.  He also makes some statements of spiritual importance.
     In Ecclesiastes 3:10-15 the king recognizes the authority and power of God.
     "I know that everything God does will remain forever;" he recognizes in verse 14, "there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him."
     "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man," he adds in verse 17, "for a time for every matter and for every deed is there."
     Chapter five presents some very timely advice for those who are quick to make deals with God.  How many times do we hear someone promise, "If God will just do this for me, then I will do that for Him?"
     "When you make a vow to God," Solomon warns in verse four, "do not be late in paying it, for He takes no delight in fools.  Pay what you vow!"
     In his search for happiness, Solomon tries every avenue available to him.  And, being familiar with his circumstance, we know that this includes anything and everything.
     Verses 13-18 of the first chapter mention his quest for pleasure through increased wisdom and knowledge.  How many people today believe that true happiness is found only through human knowledge? 
     "In much wisdom there is much grief," Solomon instructs in verse 18, "and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain."
     Read chapter one of 1 Corinthians to find what the Holy Spirit has to say about man's desire to raise himself up through human reasoning.
     In chapter two he tries many physical pleasures, including gardens, slaves, performers and, most of all, many concubines.
     "Behold all was vanity and striving after wind," he decides in verse 11, "and there was no profit under the sun."
     Solomon mentions in chapter four, verse four, his attempt to find happiness through work.  Again, how many people today are "workaholics?"
     "This too is vanity and striving after wind," he says in verse four.
     Of course, Solomon also pursues happiness through money.  Are there any people today following the same pathway?
     "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money," he claims in Ecclesiastes 5:10, "nor he who loves abundance with its income.  This too is vanity."
     When all is said and done, Solomon presents his conclusion in the final chapter.
     "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth," he writes in verse one, "before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no delight in them.'"
     "Remember Him," he continues in verses 6-7, "before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it."
     "The conclusion, when all has been heard," he says in the last two verses, "is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.  Because God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."
     Some seek happiness in earthly knowledge, others in worldly pleasures.  Still others worship work or money.  But all is vanity and striving after the wind.
     Only the truth will set us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.lockman.org)