Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Ecclesiastes 1-6.
If you had the opportunity to hang with the wisest man that ever lived, would you want to?
The Book of Ecclesiastes is King Solomon's personal journal, and in this journal he seeks to understand the meaning of life.
In the very first chapter, King Solomon makes a number of summary statements. One that I have certainly struggled with is:
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.(Ecclesiastes 1:18)
Solomon is going to sum up the whole of a man's life by the end of his journal, but here he let's us know that this journey of seeking such a thing is very painful.
I don't claim to possess the wisdom of Solomon, but I have certainly painfully struggled with a number of issues that God has revealed to us through his word.
Saying that one believes in God is evidently an easy thing to do as 90% of Americans make that claim.
But, beginning to strap on the teachings of this book is completely another matter. Once people read what this book says, they tend not to like it, and would propose to cut out, or water down their meanings.
But, as Solomon is going to teach us, our lives are but a vapor, many of our strivings are but folly, and at the end of the day our task is to fear God and obey him.
There, I let the cat out of the bag.
Solomon proclaims that this must be the sum total of your life: fear God and obey him.
How does that make you feel?
