In Ecclesiastes 1-2, Solomon painted a picture of a life without God.
- The monotony of life
- The vanity of wisdom
- The futility of wealth
- The certainty of death
Ten chapters later, in chapters 11-12, Solomon describes life with God
- The meaning of life
- The value of godly wisdom
- The gift of wealth
- The hope of life after death
Only with God can a believer discover the life worth living. When we try to live on our own, following our own wisdom, or the ever-changing wisdom of the world, we will find little reason to get out of bed each day.
Life is an adventure - live by faith (Eccl. 11:1-6)
- Life is a vapor (James 4:13-15). It's short and uncontrollable.
- We have to live by faith (2 Cor 5:7)
Like the merchant who sends out his ships (vs 1-2) or the farmer who sows his seed (vs 3-6), we can't control all the circumstances in life. We can't wait until everything lines up just perfectly before we act. There are many things that we can not know, so we have to act on faith.
This faith is not an empty hope, but a certainty. So we have to have certainty in uncertainty. That can only be found in God. Certainty in His character, even though we can't fully grasp it. Certainty in His plan, even if we don't understand it at the moment, or ever.
Life is a gift - live with joy (Eccl. 11:7-12:8)
- Rejoice (11:7-9). If a person lives many years, let him rejoice in ALL of them!
- Remove (11:10-12:1a). Remove vexation and pain. Choose not to worry about what could happen, did happen or might have happened. Choose not to dwell on the pain of broken relationships, physical ailments and disappointments.
- Remember (12:1-8). Old age with its increasing weaknesses are symptoms reminding us that death is certain. Our bodies are not going to last forever, so as we get older we should be reminded of the future in glory and the shortness of life.
Only when God is in the picture is there a reason for living. Faith and joy without God are meaningless.
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