Solomon’s point in Ecclesiastes is that life without any greater divine purpose is meaningless. Here he complains that good and evil all meet the same fate. It all ends in death for everyone. These statements are not dogmatic in nature. This is wisdom literature and here Solomon is looking at life in and of itself apart from God. The Greek philosopher Plato was likewise perturbed by death. He saw that no matter what people do in this life we all meet the same ending. This was, for him, the great unresolved equation of life. He observed that everything else in the universe seems to run with mathematical predictability. But with human life he observed an unresolved equation. He therefore insisted, on this basis, that death must not be the final end. He felt compelled to believe that there was some kind of afterlife in which ‘the equation’ was resolved. Good and evil must be repaid accordingly; the scales of justice must be made level again. Plato’s intuition and reasoning in this case was sound. Life is not pointless, there is an ultimate purpose. But because of this we will also be held accountable for whether we lived according to that purpose. Don’t live a pointless life. Take time regularly to assess your life. Reflect on your life in the light of Scripture and before Christ who is both your judge and saviour. If you allow Christ to assess your life now you can be saved and reoriented. Don’t leave it until it is too late.
Thank God for what you have to enjoy and ask him to keep you focused on what is most important.
Read Ecclesiastes 9:1-6
