Gaining Wisdom From Ecclesiastes

The following excerpt is taken from Wisdom from Ecclesiastes by Time of Grace Ministry.

Day 1

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun”

-Ecclesiastes 2: 10-11

It’s All About Me

Jewish scholars have a tradition that Solomon wrote the Song of Songs as a young man, Proverbs in the middle years, and Ecclesiastes as an old man. The voice coming from Ecclesiastes sounds like one who has been wealthy and accomplished, who has known pleasures in abundance, but who lost spiritual focus.

The book of 1 Kings shows that Solomon’s loyalty to the Lord waned in his later years, and the following words express the futility of a worldview that is not organized around God: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:10,11).

The key words here are “under the sun,” a refrain that echoes through Ecclesiastes. When God is not the center of things, when he is not honored as Creator and Redeemer, when one’s labors are only for personal fulfillment, there is no satisfaction. Pointless. Meaningless. God programmed us to find our greatest joy in worshiping him and serving one another. Not ourselves.

Solomon’s staggering wealth, immense power, palaces, armies, fortresses, and pampered lifestyle left him sad and empty at the end. Do you still think that more money will buy you more happiness?

Day 2

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”

-Ecclesiastes 5:10

How Much Is Enough?

It’s fairly easy for me to criticize other people for being materialistic. I can see conspicuous consumption in others; I am not quite so sharp in seeing it in myself. Even though I don’t have a Porsche, golf club membership, or second home, I am just as at risk in being seduced by the addictive allure of MoneyMoneyMoney as any wealthy person.

Money is an amazing tool. It concentrates power and makes it portable. It allows you to accumulate things that you want and get other people to do what you want. To some degree those are good things. But it is a small step from working hard to accumulate wealth to falling in love with the power it brings you.

How do you know when you have enough? “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). You know you’re in trouble when money is at the core of what makes you feel safe and secure, when money is at the core of whether or not you feel that your life is a success, when money is at the core of your personal happiness. God made us to be connected in love to other people. Even more, God made us to find our greatest fulfillment, satisfaction, and happiness in loving and serving him first.

Do you believe that?

Day 3

“Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.”

-Ecclesiastes 7:10

A Foolish Nostalgia

Every so often I’ll get an e-mail that has been chain-forwarded featuring a slideshow of nostalgic pictures from life in the “good old days.” There will be pics of freckle-faced kids in cuffed blue jeans riding in a red Radio Flyer coaster wagon, a family sitting around an enormous console radio in the living room, and gigantic heavy cars with flying tail fins at a drive-in movie. The fantasy is that life back then was safer, healthier, you know, better.

The past has always been a place of mental and emotional escape for people who are stressed out by the present and fearful of the future. Nostalgia, however, is usually a selective slideshow. Former times weren’t always that hot. You won’t see nostalgia slides of black folks being abused by Jim Crow laws, the millions of people suffering in Stalin’s mass starvation, or Holocaust SS death camps.

Solomon was aware of the lure of nostalgia: “Do not say, ‘Why were the old days better than these?’ For it is not wise to ask such questions” (Ecclesiastes 7:10). It’s one thing to study the past and appreciate it. It’s another to use the study of history as a dreamy way to run away from the challenges, dilemmas, and work of today.

History is important because it is the record of God’s working out of his magnificent plan of salvation. History also informs you about how to make decisions right now.