After spending some time in the Psalms, for the next little while, we are going to walk through one of the books of wisdom from the Old Testament, Ecclesiastes.  Today we’ll look at Ecclesiastes 1: 1-11:

1 The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What do people gain from all the toil
at which they toil under the sun?
4 A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down
and hurries to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south
and goes around to the north;
round and round goes the wind,
and on its circuits the wind returns.
7 All streams run to the sea,
but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
there they continue to flow.
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can express;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing
or the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been
in the ages before us.
11 The people of long ago are not remembered,
nor will there be any remembrance
of people yet to come
by those who come after them.

I’ve always thought that Ecclesiastes was an interesting book of the Bible, and it will be a good experience for us to walk together through this text.  This book is traditionally attributed to Solomon, the wise king, the son of David.  Solomon lived a life of excess; he had everything.  The wisest man to live.  Wealth.  Power.  He was the greatest political king Israel ever had; the kingdom was even larger and stronger than it was under his father.  He has hundreds of wives and concubines.  He had so very much.

Ecclesiastes shows, however, the foley of so many possessions.  We will see Solomon try and experiment with everything known to humans; he will try every pleasure, everything a person could turn to for pleasure. 

And what will he find all these things to be? Vanity. Worthless. Of no value. Not life-giving.  Not worthwhile.  Not the foundation for a life.  None of these will be the purpose of your life. 

None. 

So, journey with us as we walk through everything Solomon can try.  And journey with us as we find that nothing he tries is wisdom and life. 

May we, as travelers in this life, to know and to understand that Jesus is alone is the only foundation of this life.  Only life in Him if true wisdom. 

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