It is no secret to those who know me well that the book of Ecclesiastes is one of my favorites. To many people it may seem a depressing book. After all, it starts off, “Vanity, vanity. All is vanity.” But I find the book to be encouraging, even uplifting.

It’s true that this wise writer honestly reveals the things in this world which appeare ultimately to be meaningless. Wealth, poverty, wisdom, and foolishness are all said to be meaningless-but there’s a catch. You have to read the entire book perhaps several times to really understand the intent of the author. Maybe this is a major spoiler, or perhaps it may help jumpstart an understanding of the book:

The bottom line is this: everything apart from God is meaningless. I believe that this is an Old Testament parallel verse to what Jesus said in John 15:5. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Apart from God you can do nothing; Apart from God life is meaningless.

When we see, in this world, how the righteous receive what the wicked deserve and the wicked receive what the righteous deserve we can only conclude that life is meaningless-apart from God.

Not to oversimplify the manner of writing, it does appear that this writer is at times speaking from the meaningless worldly point of view and then giving us an alternative or contrasted point of view. It’s as if you can always add the terminology, “apart from God” at the end of all the verses which speak about our meaningless life.

I believe we are seeing modern renditions of the theme of Ecclesiastes in such popular books as “The Purpose Driven Life” and “Search for Significance.” These books give meaning to our “meaningless” life by pointing out our purpose and significance in Christ. No doubt there are numerous other similar books but these two come to mind.

I think that if you were to read and even meditate upon Ecclesiastes 9 versus one through 10 and then go back and read the entire book beginning to end you would have a much greater understanding of life.

Ecclesiastes 9: 7-10 says this:

“Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”

Toilsome labor, meaningless days, I think another translation actually calls it miserable days. In all this I will anoint my head with oil, go with gladness, eat food, drink wine, and enjoy life with my wife. Because once I’m in the grave I won’t do any of these things. Thus I tell people, “I’m not 6 feet under so I’ll enjoy life (inspite of pain, in spite of the meaninglessness of life).”

For you, your pain may be different than mine. It may be a meaningless 4 hour-per-day commute, a miserable boss that you don’t get along with, financial difficulties, difficulty communicating with your wife or your children, or perhaps you, too, have health difficulties, physical pain, emotional or psychological problems.

For me, to leave the comfort of my bed risking that my feet will get cold, my pain will spike, and sometimes even experience tightness in my chest due to the constant gritting of my teeth (due to pain), I throw all this aside in order that I might enjoy the fellowship of the Saints on Sunday, watch my son at his archery lesson, sit down at the dinner table to enjoy a meal with family and friends. For me these things aren’t just difficult, they are painful. But then life is meaningless-apart from God.

In person I do a pretty good job most of the time hiding my pain, I think. I don’t want the focus of conversation to be on me or my pain. But in fact I’ll tell you honestly here that my pain level can be a 6, 7, or occasionally an 8 out of 10 even while we are pleasantly talking with one another. (I’ve learned a lot about self-control in my learning to manage this pain.)

This is the race marked out for me. I will run it with perseverance. I will fix my eyes on Jesus who demonstrated the manner and way that I should go. I will look for the joy set before me; Jesus said that he goes to prepare a place for me. I will not grow weary or lose heart because in Christ, even when I’m weak-I am strong.

I am in Christ as opposed to apart from God! That makes all the difference in this world!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”   (Hebrews 12:1-3)