Ecclesiastes Moments
“Ecclesiastes moments” tend to occur more often as one grows older. For the first time, U.S. schools are filled with children who were born after the horrible attacks of September 11, 2001. For every student in 12th grade and below, it is all “history.” Figures such as Osama Bin Laden and his underlings are not reviled by this generation; they are simply answers that must be learned to pass a history test and the few who can find Afghanistan on a map know little of the American blood that has been shed in a decades-long war. “There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after” (Ecclesiastes 1:11 ESV).
Ecclesiastes is an important book of the Bible. While written as a life primer for those who are young, it is better understood by those who have grown old and seen its truths firsthand. An older generation has not only seen a war in Afghanistan largely forgotten but also a world war and conflicts both in Korea and Vietnam. However, its lessons strike even closer to home. Things that seemed so important in the early years of life take on a different perspective as one grows older. One soon realizes that “life” is not the things that held sway over thoughts in the early years; instead, it is primarily the little things that can seem so mundane at the time.
In the author’s “life experiment,” he speaks of failed efforts to find happiness in wealth and merriment. He opines about his money going to the next generation and wasted. He troubles over being buried and forgotten. However, amid these dark scenes, he encourages his readers to seize on these “little things” of life. For example, he advises that “there is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil” (2:24). Later, he states, “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do […] Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all of the days of your vain life” (9:7,9a). Someone once keenly observed, “Life is what happens while we are busy making other plans.” The Ecclesiastes writer would offer a hearty amen and caution that no one should take for granted the day-by-day events that can so easily be abandoned in pursuit of future goals. Indeed, these are the things of life!
The darkness of the book also seeks to bring the reader to a real understanding of life. To this end, the word vanity makes many appearances. In 21st century America, this word typically is used to describe one with an elevated opinion of self-worth; however, this is not the writer’s intention. His use is to present an ephemeral idea; it is the equivalent of seeking to trap smoke in one’s hand. The smoke is real, yet it cannot be grasped. As quickly as it comes it goes. Many years later, the writer James used a similar analogy to describe life: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:13-14 NKJV). While the old hymn As the Life of a Flower promises “a grave in the vale and a memory of me,” the writer of Ecclesiastes begs to differ; he promises that the dead are quickly forgotten.
Acumen quickly brings the reader to understand the writer’s point: Do not invest your time and efforts in things that disappear. While one should enjoy the little things in life, the goal is preparation for the life to come; thus, he concludes his grand experiment with this admonition: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil” (12:13-14).
Still, if the story ended there, questions about the value of life would remain. The blessing of living on this side of the cross means the completed story can be viewed. While life does vanish quickly, God promises better things in store for His people and demonstrates a willingness to move Heaven and earth to make it happen: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). Here is where life finds meaning!
Wars will come and be forgotten; school children will never know many of the heroes and villains of their parents’ generation; deaths will occur, and tombstones will crumble; however, God is the great I AM and will never forget His own. Do not dread the “Ecclesiastes moments” but instead let them serve as a reminder of the stark contrast between a life lived for temporal pleasures versus a life lived for God. Enjoy the little things in the here and now, but long for the full realization of joy that lies in store when united with the One who makes life worth the living!
