May 28

Ecclesiastes

There's a show on the History channel called Life After People. It speculates about what would happen to the earth if suddenly all the people disappeared. How long would it take for the Sears Tower in Chicago to crumble? The Hoover Dam? The Eiffel Tower in Paris? The Statue of Liberty? How long will it take before there are no traces of people on the planet? It's a very interesting show, but also quite unsettling. It puts into perspective how insignificant human accomplishments are. Plants and animals would thrive without humans hunting or polluting. After a few thousand years, there would be no evidence of anything humans have done.

Reading Ecclesiastes made me think of Life After People, especially Essl 1:4-11. The sun rises and sets, the wind blows, streams flow, and the men of old will not be remembered. Our lives and accomplishments are meaningless... without God who created us and loves us. Solomon had it all: riches, wisdom, wives, servants, a palace. Every material desire was at his fingertips. Yet he writes "Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? (Essl 1:2-3) If Solomon's accomplishments and possessions meant nothing, how much less is anything that we do?!

I think Ecclesiastes paints a picture of what life would be like without God. Life would be meaningless. Thankfully, He gives us love, and He gives our lives meaning!