Little Wonderings' Blog

Vanity of Vanities

April 15, 2011 at 3:31 am (Uncategorized)

I recently read through Ecclesiastes again.  I’ve always liked Ecclesiastes.  I sometimes get into moods where I wonder what the ultimate purpose of life really is.  And I’m a Christian – I have Christ.  He’s the giver of all purpose and He is the purpose of my life.  I get up every morning thinking about how I can serve Him, and when He accomplishes something through me, it’s grand.  I mean, my actions, when done in His strength, become part of history – part of His story.  What’s better than that?

But then the haunting question comes back – “but what’s the purpose of anyone’s existence?”  In all of history, what’s the point of anyone actually doing anything?  Good things happen to everyone, regardless of their lifestyle.  Evil things happen to each individual and community, no matter how pure.  What’s the point of being righteous when evil is going to plague your life anyway?

I realize these are dangerous questions if not asked in the right spirit.  But I hear Solomon, the wisest man to ever walk on the earth, asking the same questions in Ecclesiastes.  He spends an entire book asking why these things are so, and stating that all we can do is to accept the good gifts God has given and depend on Him when we experience evil.

But I love the way he concludes the book.  So plain.  So straight forward.  So… all-encompassing.

12:13-14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear* God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
{{*the word “fear” includes the idea of “trust”}}

It’s funny how Solomon spends so much time expressing how evil people are and how they don’t seem to “pay for it.” Then at the end of the book, he tells us to mind ourselves – our own hearts and actions.  He does say that God will bring justice for every little thing, but not in the context of vindication; rather in the context of self-evaluation and personal responsibility.

These verses also include the idea that we should not continually strive for answers to the vanity of life.  He simply states that it’s our duty to act on the truth we do understand.

God is just and sovereign.  Ecclesiastes 12:14; Psalm 46:11
He is loving and compassionate.  1 Peter 5:7, John 11, Isaiah 53:4
He is good and merciful.  Psalm 37:39-40
He is strong when we are weak. 2 Corinthians 12:9
He is personal and cares deeply about each individual on the planet. John 3:16; 17:20