Ecclesiastes Chapter 12: Verses 9-10 (NIV)
Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 12: Verse 13 (NIV)
Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
Solomon was not only wise, he also had great riches and the land was in a place of peace and prosperity during his reign; in fact, everything you could hope for. He set out to find out what the most important things in life were. He wrote down all that he learned and taught others too.
I had always been struck previously about the number of times he used the word “meaningless”, which is quite a negative word. However, I have come to the conclusion that what he is trying to convey is that certain things are not as important to making the most out of our lives as what we think they are, such as the acquirement of possessions, money and status. We found that out ourselves during the worst of the covid pandemic. It was people we missed, not possessions. It’s nice to have a decent job that allows us enough money to live comfortably, but those we love and the health to be able to spend time with them is far more important.
However, Solomon sums up his findings by telling us that the most important thing of all is to seek and serve God, and that’s something we can all do because Jesus has opened the door for us to be able to do so.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for all the things that I have been blessed with in my life – family, friends and a nice wee home to live in. But thank You most of all that through the work of the cross, I can have the privilege of being called a child of God. Amen.