Ecclesiastes Revealed

“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” [Ecclesiastes 12.8] 

Well that's a great attitude for a king to have [sic].

With all Solomon has said up to this point, he follows with this:

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. [Ecclesiastes 12.13-14]

If we can see it, Ecclesiastes is revealed in that Solomon is not really in relationship with God, but rather resigned to God's rule. Unlike his father David, Solomon's relationship with God is reduced to "duty." It's no wonder he felt like life was meaningless. Solomon's heart was not given to the Lord like David's. Solomon was not a man after God's own heart, but was rather a man after the hearts of many women; a man distracted by idolatry who was burdened by "duty" to the Lord.

As we explore all that Solomon wrote, it seems the inadvertent unspoken story of his writing is this: As long as a person exercises religion out of duty, they will struggle to find meaning. 

Father, as much as Solomon's writings "strike a nerve" in my emotions, I realize that that "nerve" is purely godless humanism. May my resolve be to remove the distracting idols from my own life so that I might see clearly what it is to be in genuine relationship with You - not out of duty, but out of reverent love. I see the impossibility of holding on to idols and loving You. So be it.