"Eternity in Our Hearts" April 21 Readings: Ecclesiastes 1-6

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Today's Reading - Ecclesiastes 1-6


Background


Ecclesiastes is a mysterious book, written from an earthly and even somewhat cynical viewpoint. It says some strange and confusing things, mixed in with some powerful wisdom.

It is generally believed that Solomon was the author, but he is not identified by some. Some believe that the "son of David" (which can also mean descendent) might have been Hezekiah. Both ideas had support in Rabbinical traditions. It is most likely that Solomon was the author.

We know of three periods in Solomon's life, the third only known because of this book. In his youth, Solomon was a man of God and a man of wisdom  - the greatest man in the world. But then he turned to sin, something we will read about in a later reading, embracing the folly he warned his sons against in the Book of Proverbs. Here, in Ecclesiastes, we have a restored but wounded Solomon. He has returned to God but bears the scars of his sinful days. Even when we repent of sin there are often consequences that remain.

In Ecclesiastes, we see a man who has seen the dark side and has figured out how to apply God's wisdom to life situations when life in this world has become messy.

There are two key concepts in Ecclesiastes. First, Solomon is dealing with life "under the sun." He is not dealing in heavenly, eternal, theological truth, but examining life as it is here on earth. Second, he observes that life is meaningless. The word means fleeting or empty and speaks to the vapidity of life. It is not that life has no meaning, but that life under the sun has no meaning without God. We must do right and honor God even when things do not make sense.

Devotional - Eternity in Our Hearts


Pete Seeger wrote a song called, "Turn, Turn, Turn" which became a hit in the 60s by a band called the Byrds. The lyrics actually belonged to Solomon and the translators of the King James Version of the Bible - they are almost verbatim from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

In those verses, Solomon tells us that there is a rhythym to life - up and down, good and bad, life and death, win and lose. That is the way that things are in this world. We want to find ways to guarantee ease and comfort in life, to avoid all the hard times and difficult days, but it never works out that way. Life is fun and then it is a grind. It is a joy then it is a burden. That is the way of things in this world.

That's why Solomon said everything was meaningless and empty under the sun. No matter how wisely you live your life you will still suffer the consequences of the sin of others. Even the most holy, the most innocent and righteous people will face tragedy. There are no guarantees.

But in Ecclesiastes 3:11 Solomon drops a nugget of truth (there are several of these treasures hidden in this meanderings of the life-weary writer of the book).
He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts.
God is working in the affairs of this life. The seeming randomness of life, the up and down is not without purpose. God is at work. But it all has a higher and nobler goal. God has put eternity in our hearts.

Why is it that earthly things can never satisfy? If you had a million dollars, or a billion, it would not satisfy your soul. If you attained fame and power, you would not find contentment. Even Romeo and Juliet's love story ended in tragedy. The things of earth always seem to grow strangely dim. Why is that?

Because you and I have eternity in our hearts and only the eternal love of Jesus can satsify the soul. You are made for God and unless you are connected to him, walking with him, and serving him faithfully, you will always feel that meaninglessness that life under the sun is doomed to bring.

Father, I thank you for every blessing I have under the sun, but help me to remember that all my true blessings are eternal and that all I really need comes to me in glory and from you. 

Think and Pray


Are you seeking fulfillment, contentment, and happiness "under the sun" or are you living to satisfy the eternity that God has placed in your heart?

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