Meaningless
Could we be included with those assembled listening to Solomon preach the message of Ecclesiastes?
Yes, I know we are Spirit-filled, born-again Christians, so we couldn’t possibly be included…could we?
Let’s follow the hypothetical and see where it leads…
Solomon opens his message with very deliberate and brutal language as he paints a picture of human endeavor. It is somewhat surprising that the king would express this sentiment, which is filled with pessimism and fatality. “Meaningless, Meaningless,” are the words etched on the parchment, yet it is directed at each person. I’m guessing most people would look with eyebrows raised and utter, “He can’t be talking about me!”
But wait just a moment!
Solomon is not talking to just anybody. He is delivering a message to the Jewish people who, by-the-way, are God’s chosen. The words are not directed at an unbelieving nation. Now, let’s be very careful here…Some of you may be thinking about Israel’s history of disobedience and idol worship. Some may even use that to form a line-in-the-sand mentality – “Well, they are different than me. Their consistent wanderings away from God made this message to them a necessity!” The Jewish people crossed the line that I never cross. Really?
Now, let’s look at reality…
Solomon is not just talking about any person. He is outlining his own experience. Yes, the man who was granted wisdom beyond all others is using himself as the model. He openly admits his inability to foster anything new or lasting. Moreover, he makes it quite clear how he was lured by dissatisfaction to the pursuit of pleasure and toil. His emptiness resonates quite loudly against the hope of other Old Testament books. Do you think those listening to the message understood it wasn’t just he who fell into this paradigm? Do you think Christians today experience this emptiness as well?
Powerful, thought-provoking prose painting a landscape of barrenness we will experience – are experiencing – have experienced.
Yes, Solomon is talking to us, and here is the question he posits:
Does man have any special significance?
What is your answer?
posted by Pastor Dean Goneau @ 7:36 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Perhaps for God, this earth's existence is like a bad rerun. As for the question, an angel in Psalm 8 ask a question to: what is man that God is mindful of him? In himself man really is nothing of much importance and even when we think we know God, we still wonder what the heck we're doing here or are we of any importance at all? It's just nice to know that God is mindful of me.
I think you come close to answering the question with "in himself man really is nothing of much importance."
I agree with this sentiment in that man always puts himself and his endeavors before God, and Solomon is establishing this point to the 'nth' degree. Our importance apart from God is worthless regardless of position or title. This is established in the chapter 1 of Ecclesiastes.
However, we truly are important to God and His plan for us, for God works wonders and miracles through His own. We are chosen, accepted, adopted, forgiven and redeemed by God. When we work in His ways and follow His example and precepts we fulfill His purpose for our creation.
That is an awesome thought and minimizes our own feeling of self-importance.
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