Today's Reading:

Ecclesiastes 1
Ecclesiastes 2
Ecclesiastes 3
Ecclesiastes 4
Ecclesiastes 5
Ecclesiastes 6

What does anyone’s life look like if they are not focused on God? It is meaningless; you can do nothing of substance without His love and grace at the forefront. That is a hard lesson for some to hear. Where does that hit home for you? Life can feel pointless and repetitive; wisdom is both a burden and a guide. If you say, “How can it be pointless? I am raising a family, I am a good employee, I help others, etc.,” are you really everything you think you are without God at the forefront? Notice all of those qualifications started with “I.” If you are not putting God first, asking Him to help raise the kids, to help you be a good employee, etc., then you have already lost the meaning of life.  

Today’s reading skipped over the last part of Proverbs, and we started another book in the “Poetry/Wisdom” section of the Bible. This book could possibly have been written by Solomon. The “teacher” had an experiment and set out to explore all the ways to find the meaning and purpose of life: wisdom, pleasure, work, wealth, power, etc. They are all empty; nothing fulfilled the soul. This was a question of wisdom, similar to the book of Job, as the teacher wrestled with the meaning and purpose of life.  

 Everything is vanity and meaningless. We should live in the fear of God and enjoy His simple gifts such as food, work, and relationships. Life is complex and unpredictable, even sometimes seeming unfair. But when you fear God and keep His commands at the center of your life, He will bless you and remember you. By leaning into the little things in life and having gratitude throughout the day, you will shift your thoughts to joy and thankfulness rather than anxiety and pride. 

Creation will continue to survive without our help. If human existence were to perish, the sun would still rise, and streams would still flow. These are endless cycles that go on and make no real progress. Human life is short in the grand scheme of time, and the more wisdom and knowledge we gain, the more sorrow and frustration we experience. In Job, the question of life was, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” That is the wrong mindset; it assumes that suffering is the punishment for sin. Humans can only understand to the limit that God allows. Life has problems, injustice, and death, all of which seem meaningless. No matter the struggles, “Fear God and keep His commands” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Job kept his integrity and faith through prosperity and then in his suffering, but all the while he grew in character. In Ecclesiastes, the teacher was watching life and had a repeated experiment to find meaning through wisdom. The approach was skeptical.  He tested wisdom, wealth, pleasure, and work, deciphering all as temporary with no substance (vanity). So then, what was the point of life? Enjoy God’s gifts as they come. Wisdom and success do not mean you will be happy. There is a season and proper time for everything, from birth and death, planting and harvesting, weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing. God has made it all beautiful and, in its time, and apart from Him, life feels empty and repetitive (3:11).  

Chapter 4 continued on the cruelty of the oppressed. There was emptiness in working just to try to outdo others. Two are better than one; they show how others can bring help and strength. Envy and rivalry destroy joy and life. Without relationships, life is lonely and empty. Then chapter 5 gave practical wisdom about being close to God. Be careful with your words and vows, as it is better not to vow than to make a vow and break it. Do not be surprised by injustice in the world; God will judge everything in His perfect time. Wealth is meaningless; the more you have, the more you will worry. What is the point of worrying, since you cannot take the wealth with you? Extreme success without the ability to enjoy life is wrong. Everything is out of our control, so enjoy the little things because it all comes from God: your food, sunsets, friends, and wealth. No matter how much a person has, they never seem to be satisfied. Death comes to all humans; the poor, the fool, and the wealthy, it does not skip over anyone.  

Today's Discussion question:

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