Chapter 629 of 1163

Ecclesiastes 1

When Solomon began his discussion, he was convinced that life was meaningless. Perhaps you feel the same way at times and for the same reasons. When you look around, you see nature functioning as it has since creation (vv. 1–8). When you look back, you see history only repeating itself (vv. 9–11). When you look within, you find (as Solomon did) that your wisdom and experience cannot explain the mysteries of life or solve life’s problems (vv. 12–18). Vanity of vanities!

Solomon’s big mistake was to leave God out of the picture and forget that God has broken into creation and done new things. He stopped the sun for Joshua (Josh. 10:12) and moved it back for Hezekiah (Isa. 38:8). He opened both the sea (Exod. 14) and the river (Josh. 3) for His people. God is in charge of the world and human history, and what He does is not “vain.”

Knowledge can increase sorrow if you leave out the God of wisdom and the wisdom of God. Satan promises knowledge apart from God (Gen. 2:17; 3:1–5), but it leads only to sin and death. Be sure to grow in grace as you grow in knowledge (2 Pet. 3:17–18), or knowledge will make you critical and cynical.

“Nine-tenths of our unhappiness is selfishness and is an insult cast in the face of God.”

G. H. Morrison

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