We have been working verse by verse and chapter by chapter through the book of Ecclesiastes on Wednesday nights in our Bible study. Last night, we completed our look at the least studied book in the Bible.
This book is not filled with words that you would ever find in a greeting card. It is a realistic but pessimistic commentary on life. Solomon was at the end of his life – a full life crammed with accomplishments, wealth, wisdom and power. But his conclusion, after pursuing all these endeavors and succeeding in just about everything he attempted, was it was all pointless. He used words like futility, vanity and meaningless.
As I said, inspirational quotes for greeting cards do not appear within these 12 chapters. But what does appear is an authentic and extremely raw look at life. The frustration and depression we feel about the world from time to time but would never bring up in a small group at church is exactly what Solomon put into words.
And through his dissection and analysis of this life “under the sun” he learned a valuable principle. The foundational principle of life he defined was not relevant for his era only. This principle is foundational today as well. The timeless truth Solomon uncovered in all his study, thought and experience was this:
Fear God and keep his commandments (12:13)
That’s it. The answer to the age old question of the meaning of life is made up of 6 words.
This idea of fear is not terror but rather reverence and healthy respect. It carries the idea of submission and love – of worship. We only find purpose in life when we approach God in this manner. What we see “under the sun” is all temporary – pointless. But when our focus is on loving and pleasing God by following him and his plan for our lives, then even life in the here and now has meaning.
Live with lasting purpose today!
Clay in the Hands 
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