Utterly Meaningful | Ecclesiastes
Welcome to Real Life. What makes life meaningful? “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 1:2 If this was my teacher, I’d probably drop the class! Who is this jaded educator? He is generally accepted to be Solomon, son of David, King of Israel. [1] He is considered the wisest man who ever lived. In his latter years, Solomon ponders a lifetime of seeking fulfillment in power, projects, and pleasure. His vast wealth [2] enabled him to chase every dream, scratch every itch, and indulge every desire. What does he find at the end of his rainbow? Everything is meaningless. Some wonder how Ecclesiastes found its way into the holy writ. Had Solomon lost his faith? The key is recognizing his perspective. Most of the Bible is written from God’s eternal perspective. In Ecclesiastes, however, Solomon focuses primarily on our cradle-to-grave experience. Chasing every dream, scratching every itch, and indulging every desire is