When King Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes he was obviously tired, discouraged and disheartened. It is the thoughts of a man worn out and satiated. He had used his enormous wealth to glut his whole being with the things of the world. Nothing brought him pleasure anymore. He had grown useless to himself and his people.
Listen as I read just a few verses from Eccl. 1:8, “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”
Solomon needed to sit down with the apostle Paul who would have argued with him. Paul says, 1 Cor. 2:9, “However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him — but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.'”
Solomon was not the wisest man who ever lived. Paul was head and shoulders wiser than Solomon. Maybe they both had the same IQ but Paul knew something Solomon did not. Paul knew Jesus Christ. It made all the difference. Solomon had seen everything the world had to offer. Paul knew Jesus offers us so much more than this world. Solomon fed off the world. Paul fed from the deep things of God because of His walk with Jesus.
If we want to be really rich, if we want an endless experience of growth into the deep things of God and His universe, Jesus is the abundant never-ending source of truth and happiness.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 31, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org