Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, Solomon wrote this book near the end of his life. His writings are symbolic of his life review. A man who sees the finish line in sight, yet must still complete the race. He starts his writings saying, “everything is meaningless,” and ends with elements of true faith. Solomon was the son of David. 1 Kings 10 describes King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all other kings of the earth. The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.
Later in chapter 11, reads, King Solomon loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter-Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hitties. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites not to marry because they didn’t believe in God. Solomon had 700 wives and royal birth and 300 concubines and his wives led him astray. So, he did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
It is surprising to me that his wisdom didn’t keep him on the straight and narrow. I guess that shows our hearts can lead us astray. Solomon wrote the Proverbs and has much wisdom yet it was tainted by sin. As Solomon’s body was failing him, he reviewed his life and summed it up as meaningless. He could see that his ways profited him nothing. He was at the mercy of the God he betrayed. As you read Ecclesiastes, he points out some great lessons he acquired. In Ch 4 v 9, e points out that two are better than one. In Ch5 v 10, Whoever loves money never has enough, following verse 12 that records the sleep of a laborer is sweet. Meaning that working for what you have allows you to rest. In chapter 7, a good name is better than perfume, a day of death better than the day of birth. Solomon had surely ruined his reputation. He had big shoes to fill in his father David. The day of death better than the day of birth was grim. Consider this is written 1,000 years before Jesus Christ. There was no promise of eternity, could he be forgiven from all he had done without the blood of Jesus. In those days it was forgiveness by sacrifice. How many sacrifices could be made from making the same mistake 700 times?
In closing he writes, when times are good be happy, but when times are bad consider God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future. However may years a man may live, let him enjoy them all. His last line, from the wisest man to ever live, hang on…Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment including every hidden thing whether good or evil.
Solomon didn’t have the hope of eternity so life he seemed up as meaningless. The richest and wisest man of the world summed his life up to meaningless. The reason is simple-he didn’t obey the Lord. He spent his days chasing about what felt good in the moment. In the end, it broke him. His wisdom was no help. We are so blessed. We have Jesus. Maybe you relate to Solomon and you are looking over your life as empty and meaningless. You can make things right today. You do not have to wait and its not too late.