There is a cycle to how God has built life that results in everything having a season and a time. Everything happens when God ordains for it to happen and then it happens for a season until its time is up. Your life began when God planned for it to happen and you have a purpose on earth for this season until God has allotted for you to die. In one sense this adds to Solomon’s claim that everything is meaningless—it just goes round and round in a repeating circle over which we have no control. But in another sense there is hope because the broken down, scattered, weeping and mourning will return to building up, gathering, laughing and dancing.

In this cyclical life, God has placed the concept of eternity into us so we know that beyond this life is an endless sea of time but we are not fully able to comprehend it apart from what God has told us. It is in eternity, beyond this repeating cycle of life, that we must turn for meaning.

Solomon considered the idea of living wisely against living like a fool. He saw that there is more benefit from living wisely like there is more benefit in light over darkness. The wise man has a clearer picture while the fool stumbles in the darkness. But the same fate awaits both people—they both die. Ultimately no one remembers the dead for long whether wise or a fool. This meaninglessness drove Solomon to say that he hated life, he found it distasteful.

What benefit was there to all the work he had done if all that remained was to leave it to someone else after he died. There was no telling whether the person who continued where he left off would be wise or a fool. Sometimes we will leave what we have worked hard for to be enjoyed by someone who did not have to work for it. It is quite possible that all you work for in life will be left to someone who will not appreciate it and will squander it all. But even if not left to a fool, the fact that all you have worked for gets left behind begs the question of the ultimate meaning in all that effort.

The best we can do is enjoy the work we do and the benefits we get from it (eating and drinking). The ability to enjoy one’s work is a gift from God. To the one who pleases God, He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy. To the sinner, his work will ultimately be for the enjoyment of those who please God.

Our work should not be what defines us. No matter how great your achievements, no matter how significant your accomplishments, not matter how successful your career, those things will be meaningless when you die. God created us to work (Gen 2:15) and our enjoyment will come from Him, not the significance of our accomplishments. The world celebrates big accomplishments like being CEO or president. God enables us to enjoy our work even if it something the world may consider menial.

Solomon considered the benefits of pleasure and enjoying all the world has to offer and determined that it too is all meaningless. It’s not that he’s calling any of this bad (although some of what he did is) but that none of it has ultimate meaning.

He tried all manner of things while maintaining the restraint of wisdom (“my heart still guiding me with wisdom”). He tried using wine to cheer his body and living what would be considered a foolish or frivolous lifestyle to see if pleasure-seeking was worthwhile. He built great buildings, planted gardens and parks, bought slaves and had great flocks and great treasures of silver and gold as well as entertainment with singers and concubines to satisfy everything his heart desired. He said he kept his heart from no pleasure. If money could buy you happiness, Solomon could have bought it. And he did find pleasure in what he had done with his hands and all the work he had done and yet he still considered it all meaningless and of no ultimate gain.

We see messages all around us telling us that if we just had this or a new that or a bigger, better, shinier thing we’d be happy. We’re told if we go here or do that or buy this then life will be better. But Solomon tried all that. He didn’t only buy what his heart desired, he also worked hard to build and create and still when he considered everything, it was ultimately meaningless. Things and experiences will never bring deep satisfaction in themselves.

Ecclesiastes is the writings of the “the Preacher” typically believed to be Solomon, son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem.

When he speaks of vanity, he is speaking of something fleeting or elusive or even meaningless. Life seems to be full of chasing after something that can’t really be achieved. What does a man really gain for all he does here on earth? Generation follows generation but the earth just keeps on going. The sun rises and sets and just goes round to rise again. The wind blows to the south but just seems to go round to come back from the north again. Streams run to the sea but no matter how much they flow, the level of the sea never rises. Even what we do as people is not really new. We might build bigger cities, but they’re still just dwelling places. We might build cars and then planes but they still just move people. We strive and yet have to keep on striving.

Solomon was given great wisdom and the position of king and set himself to study all manner of human activity and discovered that in itself all activity is just like chasing the wind—meaningless. No matter how hard we try, the crooked cannot be made straight. What is deficient in life always remains deficient. Even with great wisdom Solomon realised that he had no real advantage over madness and folly. Even the pursuit of wisdom is like chasing the wind.

This book can seem incredibly depressing as it starts. If everything is just a repetition of what came before, what are we doing here? Where is life’s purpose? As you consider your own life, is it meaningless, a pursuit of the wind that you’ll never catch? If not, why not? Keep that in mind as we work through Ecclesiastes.

This psalm of David has three sections.
The first focuses on how the glory of God is evident in the heavens which continually speak as evidence of a creator. There is no part of the world that is not exposed to their message. In the heavens, God has placed the sun which comes out in the morning like a bridegroom radiant after leaving his room. It follows the circuit God has set for it across the sky like a runner running with joy. No one is able to miss the warmth it produces.
The second section focuses on God’s word and all the qualities and benefits it provides. God’s word is a sure thing that does not change and can be completely trusted to provide everything we need to live lives that honour God. God’s word is something to be desired, treasured, and followed because obeying God’s word keeps us from trouble and provides great reward.
The final section looks inward. We cannot always recognise all our sinfulness because it is so much a part of who we are. We need God, through His word, to reveal them to us. We also need God’s word to help us to stay away from committing intentional sin, to keep us focussed on right so we don’t stray into doing wrong. God’s word leads us to Jesus who is the only One who can deal with our sin problem. He provides forgiveness from all our sins and He gives us His Spirit to help us walk blamelessly.
When we live in recognition that God is the God of the universe and spend regular time in His word then the words of our mouth and the meditation of our heart will be acceptable in His sight.

Jesus passed through Jericho and as He was leaving with his disciples and a great crowd they passed a beggar on the side of the road. Bartimaeus was blind but as he heard that it was Jesus walking past he called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He acknowledged that Jesus was the fulfilment of David’s everlasting throne—the Messiah. Many in the crowd told him to be quiet but he called out even more. Jesus stopped and called him. The fickle crowd changed from rebuke to calling him to Jesus. He threw off his cloak and ran to Jesus. Jesus asked him what he wanted and he asked for his sight to be restored. Jesus told him that his faith had made him well and immediately his sight was restored. He then followed Jesus on his way.

We can be like that crowd, so comfortable in how we are following Jesus that we don’t want to be inconvenienced by helping the helpless along the way.
Bartimaeus showed faith though he was blind while seeing Israel remained spiritually blind. Bartimaeus threw off his cloak, probably the only thing he owned, and followed Jesus. The rich man from a few days ago was so consumed by all he had, he wasn’t able to leave it behind to follow Jesus. What is holding you back from fully following Jesus in faith?

Each time they journeyed closer to Jerusalem, Jesus took the disciples and continued to prepare them for what awaited Him in Jerusalem. He was going to be captured by the chief priests and scribes who were going to condemn Him to death. Because they couldn’t implement capital punishment, they were going to hand Jesus over to the Romans who would mock Him, spit on Him, beat Him, and then kill Him. And three days later He would rise again.

James and John came to Jesus with a request. They asked to be seated one on His right hand and one on His left when He sat on His throne in glory. They were looking for the most significant positions when ruling with Him in His kingdom. Jesus pointed out that they didn’t understand the requirement of suffering that leads to rewards in the kingdom. You don’t get rewarded your position in the kingdom through a granted request but through suffering. Jesus points out that His own glory would be preceded by suffering. They boldly declare that they are ready to suffer. Jesus answered that they would suffer but to grant their request of sitting at his right and left hand was up to God the Father.

When the other ten disciples heard of James and John’s request, they were indignant—probably because they wanted the same positions of honour and were likely upset they hadn’t had the boldness to ask first. Jesus reminded them that His kingdom is unlike the kingdoms of the world. In the world system those in authority lord it over those who are under them. But in Jesus’ kingdom those who lead should be the ones who serve. Those who are in front should be a slave of all. Even Jesus Himself did not come to be served but to serve everyone by giving up His life to save us.
Are you looking for positions of authority out of pride and a desire to be greater than others? Or are you looking to serve others?

A rich man comes to Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” He comes with a great question but it is loaded with some bad assumptions which Jesus begins to help him see. He first asks why the man calls Him good because only God is good. Does this man recognise Jesus as God—because He needs to? He also needs to understand that because only God is good, no one is able to be good on their own merits. Jesus reveals this by asking him about his obedience to the commandments. Jesus asks him about all the interpersonal commandments except one. The man is very self-righteous and claims that he has obeyed the law since he was young. He hasn’t understood that even a singular failure to keep even one of the laws disqualifies someone from being good according to God’s standard. Jesus helps the man by pointing to the final commandment and telling the man that he lacks one thing and to achieve that he must sell everything he has and give it to the poor because then he can trade his earthly treasures for treasure in heaven; then to come and follow Jesus. The rich man left sad because he had great wealth (that he was not prepared to give up).

Jesus turned to His disciples and explained to them that it is more difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle—i.e. impossible. Riches ensnare us because we become more dependent on our wealth than we do on God. Riches ensnare us because they deceive us into thinking we are under God’s blessing. The disciples rightly point out that if this man who has kept the law and has great riches (assuming blessing from God) can’t be saved, then who can. Jesus answers that it is impossible for any of us to enter God’s kingdom because none of us can be good enough. But with God, it is possible receiving the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:3-8; 5:24).

The disciples then point out that they have left everything to follow Jesus and He assures them that their reward will be great. Those who sacrifice things for God will be reward both in this life and in the life to come. Those who seek to be first (living for self in this life) will be last (not be saved or suffer loss of reward in eternity if they are saved) but those who are last (give up their lives for God) will be first (will be greatly rewarded in eternity).
The choice is yours, where do you want your reward, in this life or the next?

Whenever a crowd gathered around Jesus, He taught them. While teaching a crowd, some Pharisees came and asked Jesus if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. The Pharisees were almost always out to trick Jesus and He knew this so He answered their question with a question, what does the law of Moses say? The Law of Moses allowed for divorce (Deut 24:1-4) but they implied by their answer that God was okay with it. Jesus tells them that this law only existed because of their hardness of heart. The Pharisees were also hard-hearted. (Some laws God instituted were primarily to protect the innocent or weaker party because of the sinfulness of others.) God’s original design from creation is that God made people male and female and in marriage, the man leaves (the authority of) his father and mother and forms a new family with his wife and they become one flesh. Through the marriage union, God creates a special one-flesh relationship that man should not separate.
When the disciples again ask Jesus about divorce, Jesus clarifies that the union God creates is so strong that if a man (initiates and) divorces his wife and marries another woman, he is committing adultery. The same applies to a wife.
Marriage is a serious issue with God. If you are married, what do you need to do to make sure you stay happily married and divorce doesn’t even enter the picture? If you are not yet married, what approach to dating and marriage do you need to take to ensure sure it will be a till-death-do-us-part relationship? In both situations, it will require self-sacrifice.

People were bringing their little children to Jesus so He could bless them. The disciples rebuked them because, unfortunately like many people, they saw little children as a nuisance or less worthy than an adult. Jesus was displeased with His disciples and lets the children come to Him. He then tells everyone that the only way into the kingdom of God is like a child—with childlike faith.

Jesus gives a strong warning. Whoever causes a young believer to sin (false teachers find young believers and early, immature believers to be easy prey) would find it better to be drowned in the sea than what God would have in store for him. Likewise, we should be very severe in how we treat sin in our own lives. Isn’t it better to cut off your hand and be a cripple than let your hand be the reason you enter hell? The same with your foot or eye. You can’t save yourself from hell by maiming yourself, only Jesus can deal with our real sin problem. The point is to be decisive about the areas in our lives that cause us to sin. We are generally too permissive about things we should cut off. Don’t be alone with a boy if the temptation is too great. Don’t be alone on the internet if the temptation is too great. Don’t go to the place which always results in sin. Be open and honest and accountable to someone who will help you stay away from temptation.

Salt in the closing verses points to sacrifice. We are called to live our lives in sacrifice as Jesus sacrificed His life for us. Our trials present us with opportunities to live that sacrifice. Salt was used for preservation and seasoning. We are called to be salt. If we lose our saltiness (by giving in to temptation and living just like everyone else in the world) then how will we regain that saltiness? We can’t. A ruined witness is a ruined witness. We must live as a witness of Christ and in peace with one another.