The Meaning(lessness?) of Life
Solomon lived a rich and fulfilling life, but his shocking verdict on life? ‘Meaningless’!
I’m sure most people would agree that the Bible is a book that claims to tell us the meaning of life.
Many people would be surprised however that in the middle of the Bible, this library of books about the meaning of life,
there is a book about the apparent meaninglessness of everyday life ‘under the sun’.
This book is Ecclesiastes, written by the wisest man to have lived (apart from the Lord Jesus Christ): king Solomon of ancient Israel.
Humanly speaking, Solomon lived a rich and fulfilling life, but his shocking verdict on life? ‘Meaningless’!
For Solomon, his many and varied experiences were all vanity, they were empty, like the bubbles that a child blows on a breezy day.
Of course, for many people, meaning in life is something that we have to construct for ourselves.
But Solomon warns us: been there, done that, and it’s pointless.
In this message, we’re going to deconstruct all the things that Solomon tried to find meaning in,
before considering his powerful alternative to the empty promises of this world.
The Meaning(lessness?) of Life
‘Lord God Almighty, please help us, as we seek to find meaning in our lives. For Your praise and glory, amen’
The Meaninglessness of Wisdom
For a book by a wise man, all about wisdom, it’s surprising to read that wisdom is meaningless, but that’s Solomon’s conclusion in today’s verses.
He’s not saying there’s necessarily anything wrong with wisdom in and of itself,
but if we try and find meaning in wisdom alone, we will only be dissatisfied.
Someone could study the vastness of the oceans all their lives, and yet never plumb the depths of all there is to know about them.
We could sit on the seashore and consider its vastness,
but our thirst for knowledge is never quenched, just like untreated sea water cannot quench our physical thirst.
God gave Solomon a blank cheque when he was a young man for whatever he would like.
He wisely chose wisdom, because he knew he would need it as king of ancient Israel.
Even so, Solomon knew that there are limitations to wisdom. It can take us so far, but it cannot satisfy our souls.
It’s not enough to be so wise as to know the meaning of life, if we don’t put that knowledge into practice.
It’s all very well to know wisdom and even to talk the talk, but unless we walk the walk, we’re going to be unfulfilled.
Even in this walk of life, even if we live wisely, there are going to be plenty of frustrations and heartaches along the way,
and being wise to that fact doesn’t spare us the pain of difficulty.
The Meaning(lessness?) of Life
‘Lord our God, please give us the wisdom we need to live honouring lives to You. And please don’t let us idolise wisdom. In Jesus’ name, amen’
Ecclesiastes 1:13-14 KJV
[13] And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. [14] I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
The Meaninglessness of Wine
For many people today, alcohol is where they look for meaning.
For many people, the road to freedom from any challenge would end at a pub / bar!
This hedonistic (pleasure seeking) philosophy is nothing new.
It can be summarised with the motto ‘let’s eat, drink, and be merry (because tomorrow we die!)’.
The problem with seeking meaning in happiness /pleasure / substances / addictions that make us feel good is that those idolized things are only going to disappoint.
There’s not necessarily anything wrong with happiness and pleasure, or even wine.
But if we’re looking for satisfaction in those things, they will only disappoint us.
Solomon may have hoped to find meaning in getting drunk and forgetting his woes, but he will have only woken up with the added woe of a hangover!
God isn’t against us ‘having a good time’, but not at the expense of getting drunk and losing control of ourselves.
The Meaning(lessness?) of Life
‘God Almighty, please forgive us for focusing on our own personal happiness and pleasure rather than upon Your honour. In Jesus’ glorious name we pray, amen.’
Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 KJV
[1] I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
[2] I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
[3] I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
The Meaninglessness of Work
The meaningless things I’m mentioning aren’t necessarily bad in and of themselves.
So, it may seem surprising for me to describe something as important and noble as work as meaningless.
After all, God Himself works, and created a perfect world where mankind happily worked: Adam as a gardener and Eve as his helper.
Sadly though, as a result of our rebellion against God, and fall into sin, work, although it is still intrinsically good, has become cursed.
By the sweat of our brows, we earn our daily bread, and work is often frustrating.
As Solomon found with so many of the things in life that people idolize, work is a good thing that mustn’t be turned into a ‘God thing’: to take God’s rightful place upon the throne of our hearts.
It was all very well building palaces, gardens, and even the temple of Jehovah God in Jerusalem, but the son of David realised that nothing he built was going to last.
The Meaning(lessness?) of Life
He knew he wasn’t the promised Son of David whose Kingdom will endure forever.
That honour of course goes to a humble carpenter from Nazareth, who also happens to be the eternal Son of God.
‘Almighty Lord, may we live and work for You rather than ourselves. Thank You for completing the work of salvation on our behalf. May we trust in You always, for Your eternal praise, amen’
Ecclesiastes 2:4-6 KJV
[4] I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
[5] I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
[6] I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
Ecclesiastes 2:9-11 KJV
[9] So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
[10] And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
[11] Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 2:18-19 KJV
[18] Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
[19] And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
The Meaninglessness of Wealth
Many of us assume that if only we had enough wealth to not have to work, we would be happy.
Some workaholics might seek meaning in work, but many people bank on winning the lottery/striking it lucky and becoming so rich that they don’t have to work.
Many of us assume that we can buy happiness / meaning and purpose in our lives.
But even if we had the finery of Solomon, like the flowers of the fields we would fade away.
Even if we could afford to go to the best gigs and hear the greatest musicians the world can offer, it would never be enough.
And even if romantic love could be bought, it would never fulfil for more than fleeting moments.
Famously, when one fabulously rich man was asked how much money is enough, he replied, ‘just a little bit more’.
Jesus’s teaching on money and wealth has been summarized as saying that Mammon (stuff) makes a great servant (if we use it to further the Kingdom of God),
but a terrible master (if we slavishly seek satisfaction in it).
As Solomon said elsewhere, it’s better to have a slice of bread with peace and quiet than to have feasting where there’s conflict.
Often the conflict in the greed for wealth is in our hearts.
But as Paul would remind us, godliness with contentment is great gain.
The Meaning(lessness?) of Life
‘Father God, may we look to You for our daily bread and to receive from You the Bread of life, Your Son in whom is satisfaction for our spiritual hunger.
In His name we pray, amen’
Ecclesiastes 2:7-8 KJV
[7] I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
[8] I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces:
I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts
The Meaninglessness of (Wo)men
I need to be careful with this one.
I’m not saying that women or men are without meaning or purpose at all.
I’m just saying that if we seek for ultimate meaning and purpose in human relationships, we’re going to be disappointed.
Solomon famously had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.
If his father David could lust after and take Solomon’s mother Bathsheba from her first husband,
then it seems that their son Solomon went into overdrive in taking whatever woman he wanted.
He sought to justify his actions in worldly-wise ways:
by marrying all these pagan women, he was making alliances with all the pagan nations that surrounded God’s people Israel.
But where is the security of God’s people found?
In politics or relationship, or in the Lord our God?
Our God is a jealous Lover, He will not share His glory with another.
Before we judge Solomon, what about us?
Are we lusting after lovers, whether in ‘real life’ or in the pixelated world of the internet, where real people are abused and exploited for the titillation of so many of us?
The Meaning(lessness?) of Life
‘O Lord God, have mercy upon us for looking in lesser loves for the meaning that can only be found in You.
May we wholeheartedly love You as You deserve, for the honour of Your name, amen.’
The Meaning of Life: Worship!
Solomon, in this introduction to Ecclesiastes/Biblical wisdom on the meaning of life, only hints here at what the whole point is of our existence.
But let’s make sure we don’t miss the point!
He says that if we please God, that is to be our meaning and purpose in life.
All the other things we’ve considered are about us trying to please ourselves.
All those things we might try and please ourselves with might not be wrong in and of themselves, but they are not our raison d’etre.
Even our own happiness isn’t what life is all about.
Our focus shouldn’t be to navel gaze, to turn in on ourselves and to be selfish.
Our focus should be upon Almighty God.
If we want to find meaning, we need look no further than our Maker.
A machine’s purpose is whatever its maker designed it for.
We might be more than machines, but as beings created in the image and likeness of God, we need to look to Him for purpose.
As a famous old catechism (series of questions and answers about faith) goes:
‘What is the chief end of man?’ (What’s the meaning of life for humanity?)
‘Man(kind)’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever’.
Isn’t it selfish of God to seek after our worship and adoration?
No, because He is worthy, and we are not.
The Son of David, whose Kingdom never ends, gave His life for us on the cross.
So, it’s not too much for Him to ask everything of us.
After all, it is in Him that we live, and move, and have our being.
‘Glorious Father in heaven, we acknowledge You as the source of all meaning, and we worship You today in the mighty name of Jesus, amen.’
The Meaning(lessness?) of Life
Also Read: Where is God? – Diademng (thediademng.org)
This Life !