All is Vanity under the Sun

When Solomon became king in place of his father David, God spoke to him and asked what he could do for him. He asked for wisdom. The Lord was pleased, giving him the wisdom and other rewards, and his wisdom became famous. Indeed, even today, people refer to the "wisdom of Solomon."

People wonder about the meaning of life and why we are here in the first place. Some even seek out philosophers and gurus for answers, only to come away unsatisfied. Solomon did some investigation and reached a conclusion.

Traffic under the sun on Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen

The book of Ecclesiastes has some allusions to creation in Genesis. It can also seem depressing, but that is because Solly was taking secular views and experiencing things that people seek out for pleasure and learning. He shows why humanistic thinking and leaving God out of our lives is vanity.

Of all the books in the Old Testament, one of the most mysterious and least understood must surely be Ecclesiastes. To the Christian reader, many of its thoughts and reflections seem negative and depressing. This impression is immediately created by the opening statement: Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher … . All is vanity (1:2). This kind of sentiment is repeated in different ways throughout the book. One could easily conclude that the Preacher thinks of life as a sick joke, with himself and the rest of humankind as the punchline.

You would do well to read the rest at "Life under the sun."