Ecclesiastes 1
New International Version (NIV)
Wisdom Is Meaningless
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes 2
Pleasures Are Meaningless
1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 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.
11 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.
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 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.
Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless
12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,and also madness and folly.
What more can the king’s successor do
than what has already been done?
13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate overtakes them both.
15 Then I said to myself,
“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
“This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
What then do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
“This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.
Like the fool, the wise too must die!
Daniel's Thoughts
Wow, that is depressing right! Everything is meaningless. Wisdom and pleasure, two of the things that many people spend most of their life pursuing. Both are meaningless and not worth placing hope or finding purpose in! Lots of people believe society has improved or gotten better. But think about the cost of technology and medicine indirectly or directly some of the costs are for example human rights violations, poverty, and inequality. The world and people are so complicated there is
no start or finish in sight. There is brokenness in the world and as the verses say this brokenness cannot be made right by humanity. Yet God is at work in the world. We are his workers, together as the body of Christ we are making things new and bringing hope to the darkness. It is important to think about how this passage is written before the coming of Christ and the complete revealing of God and his mysteries.
Where have you found purpose? Maybe Church and family? What else?
For me it was school and success
Then it was InterVarsity
Now I want it to be God and God alone.
What is meaning?
- Feeling whole
- Doing what we are designed to do by God
- Allowing myself to trust God would make me whole
- Naming and being intentional
- Joyfully listening to word and praying to God. I believe that as we come to know God better we will be more complete and know what is right and what our purpose is, as it says in Romans 12:2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Ch2
Solomon pursued selfish pleasure in many ways: power, wealth, and women. He delighted in the pleasures and had everything he desired. That seems silly:right? Of course there is no meaning in it right? We are good christians, we know better than materialism!
We say materialism is bad all the time as Christians. But think about it, do you really depend on material things? Do you seek happiness and contentment in your status or in what you have? Would you be content without financial stability or even just a job? OK if nothing else ask yourself this question: Could I live without a car for 6 months? Would I be content and trust in God?
I don't think that I am nearly as independent of material things as I hoped I was. I am desperately dependent on my car. I drive all the time! I drive to church, bible study, to friends houses, to the store, to work, to school. I could not do half of the things I do without a car. I could take buses, but it would take a lot longer. Would I be content without a car? I don't know, but I think it is helpful to realize how dependent I am on material things and to think how I can actually Trust in the Lord in all things?.
What core things are necessary to make a life complete? Take away all things you have and what would you need in your life?
- Relationships
- Work- earn a living
- Self worth
- Goal or passion
- Relationship with God
- Growth in faith and character
- Grace
Could I have lived without God?
- Yes i did it, but without joy or purpose.
- Other people do and they seem to get by.
- They crave it an feel the brokenness and emptiness and desperately seek meaning in other things: marriage, the next best material thing, careers, drugs, social status . . .
Ok Solomon if wisdom, pleasure and even life itself are meaningless, then is there any meaning to life? Connor my roommate suggested: there is no deeper or inherent underlying meaning
The only meaning purpose is God and to live into how he created and designed us with individal gifts but yet a common purpose: (See Ecclesiastes 12: 13 Fear God and keep his commands this is the whole purpose of man)
- Love God
- Love other people
- Grow in faith and character
- Glorify God
Verse 16 says all will die wise ad foolish and not long be remembered. So why does our life matter or does it? Does your answer change if we take Christ out of our understanding?
This has been a rough section of scripture to read through. Lots of deep questions and maybe discouraging thoughts have come up. Yet there is a bigger purpose and meaning to life I believe in God!
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