Ecclesiastes 3:18 says, I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.  Solomon saw mankind as being nothing more than beasts outside the will of God.  Some might see this as Solomon saying that there is no God so mankind is no better than the beast, who live in this world alone.  Taking in context, though, I believe he was referring to the way people live their lives outside the will of God.  We act no better than the beasts, seeking only self gratification without concern for others.  Until God is manifest in our lives, we are never what God intended us to be. Of course, denying that relationship does not change the fact that we are different than the other animals because we have an everlasting soul.  Verse nineteen says, For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.  Once again, man and beast both suffer the same fate in this world.  They both die, so if we are looking for superiority in this life alone, then all truly is vanity.  It is only in our relationship to God that we are different than the beasts.  Our soul lives on.  Verse twenty says, All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.  We were made from the dust and this body will return to dust if the Lord tarries.  We may take pride in our looks and the way our bodies are built, but they are but temporary vessels.  Verse twenty one says, Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?  We do not see the spirit of man go upward at death, nor the spirit of the beast die in the earth.  We must accept it by faith in God Who created and made man more than the animals.  Verse twenty two concludes, Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?  We cannot control what happens in this world after we are gone, so we should be content and enjoy what God has blessed us with.  Only those things done for God will have everlasting value.

Ecclesiastes 3:16 says, And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.  Solomon saw a place for judgment, and this has not changed.  There was wickedness even in the seat of judgment.  When people went to the courts of men to receive justice, it was often perverted.  Today, those who are rich and powerful seem to live under a different set of rules than do the weak and powerless.  This is not true of God's judgment.  He will always be fair in His judgment, and we will always come up short, no matter how good or how evil we are.  Verse seventeen says, I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.  Solomon was known for his wisdom in judgment, but he knew that the ultimate judge was God.  We may be able to judge a person's actions, but God judges that person's motives as well.  When we see the injustice in the world today, even in the courts of law, we can rest assured that this is not the final judgment.  God is the ultimate, everlasting authority, and if we remain true to Him, the evil of this world will never overcome us.  We are set free from the power of sin by our faith in the salvation of Christ.  This does not give us a free pass to sin, though.  Just knowing that our sins, all our sins for all time, are forgiven doesn't mean we are free to sin and that it won't ultimately matter.  When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are called to an even higher standard.  We realize that God will hold us accountable not only for our actions but for our thoughts as well.  For that reason we should always put God's will first.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 says, And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.  Solomon may have felt that everything done in this world was vanity, but he still felt that we should enjoy the fruits of our labor, since it was a gift of God.  It is when we begin to feel that we are doing everything on our own instead of everything being a blessing from God that we begin to have problems.  We start to look to the things of the world to bring satisfaction and feel that everything God blesses us with is our to use as we see fit.  This was never God's intention.  He blesses us so that we may do His work and help others.  Verse fourteen says, I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.  Solomon said the things of God are everlasting.  God created everything for a purpose, and the purpose of mankind is to love God above all else.  God gave us free will, so we may choose the things of this world over the will of God for our lives, but it does not change our true purpose.  The things we do for God last forever, and the things we do for material reasons will pass away.  The question then becomes which do we put the most emphasis on.  If all our time and energy are spent gaining and maintaining the things of this world, we, like Solomon, are going to see the futility of it all.  We must put our effort into the things of God.  His purpose for us is never going to change, no matter how much or how little we are blessed with in this world.  Then verse fifteen says, That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.  When we feel that the world has gotten so much worse or so much better than in the past, God says it is as it always has been.  We can only come to God in faith through Christ, and our past can neither save us or prevent our being saved.  As Solomon said earlier, there truly is nothing new under the sun.  God is never taken by surprise by the actions of humanity.

Verse eight ended with a time to love and a time to hate, a time of war and a time of peace.  Ecclesiastes 3:9 says, What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?  Solomon was still questioning what we gain by working in this world.  After all the contrasts of the things that life offers, Solomon was again questioning what difference it all made.  Once more Solomon was looking at life from the temporary nature that it has.  If we are labouring simply for material gain, we will find the same to be true.  Only those things done for God have everlasting value. Verse ten says, I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.  God made man to care for the earth, and after the fall, He said man would toil for his living.  We were never intended to just sit back and enjoy the things of the earth, but were created for God to use us for His purpose.  So, if we are living and working outside the will of God, there is no profit in anything we do.  Verse eleven says, He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.  Solomon could not understand all the work that God was doing in the world, and neither can we.  We live in this temporary world, and cannot understand all the works of God, but we can rest assured that He is in control and that His works are indeed beautiful.  Verse twelve concludes, I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.  There really is no good in living simply for the things of this world.  We are called to rejoice in God and do good, which is to follow God's will, in our lives.  That is the only way to true happiness.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is a very familiar passage of scripture, though not everyone may know that it is scripture.  ECC3:1  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  ECC3:02 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  ECC3:03 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  ECC3:04 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  ECC3:05 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  ECC3:06 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  ECC3:07 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  ECC3:08 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.  It seems best to print the verses all together and look at them individually.  There really is a season for everything, and though we don't always acknowledge it there is a purpose for everything.  We may not always see it, but the purpose is there.  There is a time to be born and a time to die.  It is what we do between those two that matters.  Planting and plucking are variations of the same.  We plant gardens and wait for the harvest.  The time to kill we often are to good at, but the time to heal we often forget.  I think we have to be very careful about when we say it is time to kill, though.  A time to kill may apply more to killing for food than killing each other.   Sometimes things must be broken down before they can be built up again.  We may have to break down old walls and habits to build up new works of God.  There are indeed times when tears and mourning are appropriate, but through Christ there is even more reason for joy.  This world is not the end.  The contrasts continue in the next four verses, and we can see all this in the world today.  Nothing stays constantly good or bad, but God remains the same through it all.  We just need to ensure that through it all that we are working for His glory under His leadership.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 says, There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.  Solomon decided after all his seeking for purpose that man should eat, drink, learn to enjoy his labor in his soul.  We are not created to live simply to chase material things, but we can still enjoy the things that we acquire, as long as we do it under God's leadership.  As long as we recognize that all things come from Him then they do not become an end unto themselves.  Solomon said he saw this enjoyment of things as they were intended to be used as being from the hand of God.  How much or how little we have is not what creates problems.  It is when we are not content with what God has blessed us with that we begin to have problems.  Verse twenty five says, For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?  I think Solomon was saying that no one was going to be in a position to find happiness in the things of this world than he was, and after all his attempts to find happiness, he finally realized that it came from being content with his needs being met by God.  We as followers of Christ need to learn that lesson.  We are never going to find happiness in the things of this world outside the will of God.  Solomon with all his riches couldn't, so we should not be surprised if we cannot.  Verse twenty six says, For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.  I believe Solomon was saying that those who follow God have the wisdom to be content with what God provides and to use it for His glory.  The sinner, on the other hand, is ruled by acquiring or keeping the things of this world in an attempt to find happiness.  This pursuit of material things to find happiness and purpose outside the will of God only brings dissatisfaction to the soul.  We must put it all in God's hands if we are going to find peace and joy.

Ecclesiastes 2:21 says, For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.  Solomon said that those who lived and worked wisely would eventually leave what they had attained to someone who had not worked for it.  He saw this not only as vanity, but as a great evil.  Of course he knew he couldn't take the things of this world into the next, but he felt it was evil to leave everything to someone who could waste it all away.  If Solomon had been using his wisdom and wealth to benefit his subjects, those he was to be a righteous king over, he might not have had this problem.  He could have seen what his labor accomplished and not have had to be upset that he would have worked to leave everything to another.  Solomon was still focused on himself and not on what God had done for Him.  When we begin to feel that everything that we have gained in life is due to us, it can become a source more of stress than joy.  We wonder how we can keep it and control it.  If material blessings are seen to be from God and are put under His control, this will not be the case.  Verse twenty two says, For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?  As Solomon continued to look back on his life, he saw little of value in it.  If we live our lives only to amass the things of this world, ultimately we are going to look back the same way.  As followers of Christ, we are called to do everything for the advancement of His kingdom, not to look at all the blessings of life as being for our own purpose.  Verse twenty three states, For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.  I believe  Solomon was saying that when our total focus is on gaining and keeping the wealth of the world, there is never any rest.  We end up working by day to gain it and worrying at night how to keep it, and it all passes to someone else when we die.  That is indeed vanity, or nothingness.

Ecclesiastes 2:17 says, Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.  Solomon seemingly had it all, but nothing brought satisfaction.  Wisdom didn't, nor did his works.  When we look at our lives, we may feel that if we can just learn a little more, or accomplish a little more, that we will finally have fulfilled our purpose.  Solomon found this not to be true, and so will we.  Verse eighteen says, Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.  Solomon hated the business of this world, which was his labor under the sun.  Whatever he accomplished was going to be left to another to care for or benefit from.  The same is true today.  We realize that whatever we accomplish or attain in this life is going to be left to another, or at the return of Christ, just left period.  We should not allow the things of this world to cause us to feel frustrated.  All things under the sun, or of this world as we would say, are temporary. In verse nineteen Solomon continues,  And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.   Solomon said he had no way of knowing how those that would benefit from his labor would use what he had acquired.  That much we can be sure of.  The things of this world are no longer ours once we die.  If we are looking to them to bring everlasting purpose to life, we are going to be disappointed.  We may be happy to leave a lot to our children, but if everything we worked for was of the world and not for God's kingdom, we will be disappointed, and so will they if they do the same.  Verse twenty says, Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. Solomon was very unhappy in his quest for purpose in life, and so will we be if we look to the things of the world for happiness without following God's plan for our life.

Ecclesiastes 2:14 says, The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.  I believe Solomon was saying that God gives us light to walk by, if we are willing to look to Him.  Those who will not follow God are find themselves wandering around in the darkness.  We as followers of Christ have been given the Holy Spirit to guide our steps and light our path, and if we refuse to allow Him to do so, we are indeed foolish.  We will never find happiness in the darkness of sin.  Whether wise or foolish, though, ultimately death comes to both.  Verse fifteen says, Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.  Solomon seemed to be questioning what advantage there was to living in wisdom when both the wise and foolish die.  If we look at life as being only this time on earth, that might be a valid observation, but we know we have life everlasting and God expects us to use our time here wisely.  We cannot live life as though everything here is all that matters.  Verse sixteen says, For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.  We may remember a few people throughout history for things that they did, whether good or bad, but for the most part, we soon pass into oblivion in the eyes of the world once we die.  As followers of Christ, though, we can be certain that we will never be forgotten by Him.  He gives us light and purpose in this world and everlasting life in the one to come, if we only accept it.

Ecclesiastes 2:11 says, Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.  Even if we enjoy out labor completely, one day that labor will end, even if we work until we die.  Everything we do in this world will pass away also.  If all our hope is in the things of this world, but we of all men, like Paul said, are most miserable.  We, like Solomon, need to understand that there really is no profit to anything under the sun not done in accordance with God's will.  One day, we will leave all this behind and will go to God with the good works we sent before.  The main thing that will matter is not silver and gold, but being in the presence of God.  Verse twelve says, And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.  Solomon was again reflecting on the wisdom and folly he had tried to gain purpose thorough, and asked what man who came after Him could do more.  There are many rich people in the world today who seem to think that they can find happiness through engaging totally in the riches, wisdom and center entertainment of this world.  They never are really satisfied, though. We, as followers of Christ cannot live the same way.  If Solomon, with all his riches could not find happiness through them, how can we expect to?  Verse thirteen continues, Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.  Hopefully we will be as smart as Solomon and choose wisdom over folly, but when we look at what is going on in the world today, I am not sure that most people do.  We don't have to walk in the darkness be Jesus gives us light for our path.  We simply have to follow in His wisdom and light.

Ecclesiastes 2:7 says, I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:  Solomon was not just a newly rich person.  He not only had servants, but he had them born in his house.  As King of Israel, he was called to lead the people of God, not shear them like sheep for his own pleasure.   We need leaders today, especially religious leaders, who are more interested in even the lowest of people, and not just Christians, than they are of their own personal wealth.  Solomon had more cattle than anyone in Jerusalem before him.  There is no doubt that he was a very rich man, but he was also very dissatisfied.  Verse eight says, I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.  Solomon was still looking for purpose in life, and now he looked to silver, gold, treasures, and entertainment.  Amassing treasures and looking to be entertained was not what Solomon was supposed to be doing.  He was supposed caring for God's people.  God's work must come first in all that we do. Verse nine says, So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. today are the same.  We can never hope to be as rich as Solomon, but through it all, his wisdom remained with Him.  He wasn't acting without considering what he was doing.  God gives us the wisdom to know what we should do, and also the wisdom to know when what we are doing is not right.  Verse ten says, And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.  Anything Solomon wanted, he got.  He felt this was his right, but his people did not fare as well.  Again, God does not bless us for our own selfish desires, but to help us reach the lost world.

Ecclesiastes 2:4 says, I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:  Solomon thought using his riches for his own benefit would bring him a sense of purpose.  He had first built a great Temple to God, but now he was building for himself.  We must be careful that we don't start building for God's glory and then get sidetracked to build only for ourselves.  Often today, people feel that if they can get a bigger, or better, house, or just more of them, it is going to bring happiness and purpose to life, but nothing is ever quite enough.  I am not sure how God feels about homes sitting empty for our occasional use while many people, even children, are homeless, but I cannot believe that He is pleased with His followers when we live this way.  If Solomon could not find purpose in building homes for himself, we should realize that we have little hope of doing it.  Verse five says, I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:  In verse four Solomon said he had planted vineyards and here he continues with gardens and orchards.  There is certainly nothing wrong with doing these things, but they are not going to bring us to the purpose of our existence.  I think Solomon actually had I others do these things for Him, and they likely didn't enjoy the majority of the fruit of their labor.  Solomon continues in verse six, I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: Again, the works that Solomon was doing were good, but they were being done for the wrong reason.  We certainly need to do good works today, but if they are done for simply to bring satisfaction in life, ultimately we are going to find ourselves dissatisfied.  We may do good things for the environment, but if we are only doing it for purpose in life, ultimately we will be disappointed.  We will find like Solomon, that good works alone are never enough if they are done for selfish reasons.

Ecclesiastes 2:14 says, The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.  I believe Solomon was saying that a wise person looks where they are going and lives life with purpose, but the fool just stumbles through life.  We today as followers of Christ need to live our with purpose.  That purpose needs to be to go where God leads us.  Still, even when we live life with a purpose, we like the fool are subjected to sickness, and ultimately death.  Solomon continued in verse fifteen, Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.  Again, Solomon was looking for purpose in life, and he was seemingly questioning what advantage there was to being wise.  There are people today who believe that what we do doesn't matter.  They believe that everything is already mapped out, so we might as well do anything we want to do.  They really see no advantage to living life wisely.  They seem to feel the same as Solomon was saying, and that is that the wise and the foolish end up at the same place.  They both die, and it all amounts to nothing in everlasting terms.  Verse sixteen says, For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.  Solomon was looking for purpose in life, and he wasn't finding it in the things of this world.  We may remember some people today because of what they did in a historical perspective, but most, whether wise or foolish, pass into oblivion, which is why we must look at life from our relationship with God.  If we are His, we will never be forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 2:1 says, I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.  Solomon moved from an intellectual pursuit for happiness to becoming a party animal, so to speak.  When we are seemingly unable to find happiness in our lives today, we are often told we just need to get out and party with others more.  We need to laugh and enjoy life.  Now, there is nothing wrong with going out with friends and having a good time laughing, but if this becomes our soul purpose in life, it is going to leave us feeling that life is nothing of value.  We today start at a very young age looking for things to bring us pleasure and happiness and often spend most of our lives doing the same.  Solomon with all his riches couldn't find value in chasing happiness.  Verse two says, I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?  Trying to live in a world that is all laughter is indeed mad.  As a matter of fact, if we go through life laughing at everything, or in spite of everything, people will indeed call us mad.  Verse three says, I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.  Though Solomon sought to give himself to wine, he did it with wisdom.  Even when using wine to find answers to see what was good for mankind, he did it with wisdom.  Too often, when we are using wine, or any other mind altering substance, we leave wisdom out of the equation.  We use these things as a means of escape from reality, not to understand the world better.  Even though some drugs are professed to be mind expanding, they simply remove a person from reality.  Solomon, though King of God's people, was still looking to himself for answers about man's purpose.  We will never find God's answer by our own abilities.

Ecclesiastes 1:15 says, That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.  Solomon discovered that all his knowledge could not make human nature straight.  Humanity without God is indeed crooked.  He could not make himself acceptable to God through knowledge, and neither can we .  He lacked the ability to fill the want in his life.  We today will find that the more we know, the more we realize that we do not know that much.  What we should be wanting is a right relationship with God, and nothing material can satisfy this wanting.  We still realize our lack of ability to understand all the workings of the world.  Likewise, the more we have of the things of the world, the more we want as a rule.  Verse sixteen says, I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.  Solomon looked inside himself and did a self evaluation of his estate and his wisdom compared to others.  I don't believe he was doing this to brag, but simply to compare himself to the rulers before him.  We today need to look to our own heart, to examine our innermost being, to see if we have been looking for purpose in the things of this world instead of our relationship to God.  If Solomon, with all his knowledge and riches couldn't find it, neither will we .  Verse seventeen says, And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.  Solomon looked for the answers not only in wisdom, but also in madness and folly.  People today look for happiness in many things that are foolish, such as excessive use of alcohol and drugs, but they soon find these do not satisfy.  Verse eighteen says,  For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.  Solomon warns us that if we are looking to our wisdom alone for happiness and purpose, we are only going to increase our sorrow.  We will never gain enough knowledge or wealth to be satisfied without God.

 Ecclesiastes 1:12 says, I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.  Solomon had been speaking in generalities, and now he was going to share his own experiences.  We can talk about the world today and how bad it is in general terms, but the most effective witness we can share is what God has done in our life.  Until we accept God as Lord of our life through Jesus Christ, we will continue to see the world as a futile, hopeless place.  Solomon was king of Israel, but now he was speaking to the people as a spokesman for God.  No matter how important we may be in the world, ultimately it is our relationship with God that matters.  Verse thirteen says, And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.  People today are seeking to understand everything done in the world.  We here in America are much more educated in general than ever before, but most still do not even know enough to acknowledge that God created and sustains the world.  Solomon was not condemning learning, but only saying that all his learning took a lot of effort and did not bring satisfaction to his life.  No matter how much worldly wisdom we gain, we will never find satisfaction outside the understanding of Who God is.  Verse fourteen says, I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.  Again, Solomon was not condemning work or saying that we shouldn't do our best in everything that we do.  He was saying ultimately that our works on earth will pass away.  We may believe that we are so important in our job that if we leave everything will fall apart, but once we leave, we are surprised at how quickly we are forgotten.  Everything we do in this world is temporary, but as God's followers that shouldn't cause us to feel defeated, because we are working to serve God and not the world.

Ecclesiastes 1:10 says, Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.  This is a continuation of what was last said.  We may think we have come a long way since Solomon's time, but we still chase the vanities of the world.  Those things that we felt were such great inventions twenty years ago are now outdated, but the new things are still just rearrangements of what God gives us.  We cannot look to our own knowledge and understanding to find purpose in life, and that has always been and always will be the case.  Verse eleven says, There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.  A few people are remembered today for things done in the past, but most are completely forgotten by nearly the whole world.  Whole civilizations disappeared from the world and were forgotten.  If this life on earth and our achievements here are where we place all our time and hope, we need only to look to how quickly nearly all people are forgotten to realize how vain that hope is.  Again, this is not to say that we are to feel hopeless or worthless, but we are to put our hope and faith in God.  He will never forget us.  Many people have been attempting to make themselves smarter and greater than God since the beginning of the world.  Adam and Eve sinned because they thought the could know more on their own than by following God, and that has been the same for everyone, except Jesus, ever since.  Today, there are people who think they have so much knowledge that they disprove the existence of and need for God.  Just as Solomon said those centuries ago though, it is all based on vanities, on nothingness.

Ecclesiastes 1:7 says, All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.  Rivers have been emptying into the seas since the beginning of time, but the rivers still flow and the seas don't overflow.  We can believe that a cosmic accident caused this to continue, or we can believe this phenomenon is the result of an intelligent design.  We, as followers of Christ, have to acknowledge it as the creation of the only true God.  Verse eight says, All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.  Most things that we want reguire labor to achieve.  We often call everyday life the art race.  We are busy attempting to get the things we see or the things we hear about, but we are seldom satisfied very long once we have them.  We are not satisfied with just seeing and hearing about things, but feel we must have them.  It becomes a vicious cycle of vanity, or notingness.  If we are never satisfied with what we have, or even the things we do, then we are always wanting more, more, more.  Yet, nothing ever satisfies.  As followers of Christ, we need to learn to be thankful for what God blesses us with and realize that the things of this world are all temporary, but our relationship with God is everlasting.  If we are truly following God's will for our lives, we will not see life as a continual working to satisfy our senses.  Verse nine says, The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.  We are always hearing about something new, but the laws of nature never change.  We may feel that we are the smartest, most advanced people in the world, but so have many, many other generations that have gone before us.  God set the world, the universe, in motion, and no matter how smart we feel, it is still the same world and universe.  Even with all the technology of today, there really is nothing new under the sun.  We either accept that God created it all and placed us in the midst of it, or we deny Him and feel that we don't need God.  Whatever new that comes along, it is built from what God created and relies on His laws of the world.

Ecclesiastes 1:4 says, One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.  There have been many, many generations to pass away since Solomon's time, but the earth indeed remains.  That doesn't mean that each generation doesn't have a responsibility to be good stewards of the earth, since that was God's plan from the beginning.  Neither does it mean we are to worship the earth.  It is God's creation for each generation to use, so we need to insure that we live in a way that the next generation has the best world we can leave them.  We may look back on certain time periods as being the greatest, but we need to work so that the next generation can be the greatest.  When we feel that the future is only going to get worse, so why bother, we are not living up to God's calling.  God did not task Adam and Eve to have dominion over the world and then for every generation after them to not be concerned about it.  We still have the same task today.  Verse five says, The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.  The world, and even the universe, continues to function as it was created to do.  Solomon, with all his wisdom, wealth, and power could not change that.  We need to remember today that no matter how bad the world may get, God still controls the universe.  After God pronounced His creation as good, nothing changed, except for man.  Though pronounced as very good, mankind alone was given free will.  Even though our free will has led to all the evil in the world, the world continues to function by God's law set in place at creation.  If we begin to feel that we have all the answers and the ability to do anything, then just try to stop the world from turning.

Ecclesiastes 1:1 says, The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.  Solomon identifies himself, if not by name, at least by description.  He calls himself the Preacher, and he was by nature of the fact that he was presenting God's word to the people there.  Solomon had been guilty of sinning against God, but God had restored him.  Matthew Henry says there is none better to preach than someone who has been restored to God in spite of their sins.  That would include all followers of Christ.  He didn't put the fact that he was the son of David or the king first.  When we reach out to the lost world today, we must first identify ourselves as those who proclaim God's word.  Who our parents are nor our standing in the world are important.  Presenting the word of God accurately is what we are called to do.  Verse two says, Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.  Solomon was sharing God's truth.  When he looked to the things of this world for happiness, it all amounted to nothing.  We look in vain today to find happiness anywhere other than in the will of God. Solomon was indeed one of God's people, one of the most successful in the eyes of the world, but he said it all amounted to nothing.  We may be one of God's people and very successful in the eyes of the world, but if we are putting all of our effort into maintaining or gaining more of the world's riches, it will all come to nothing.  Verse three says, What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?  Solomon was not saying that we shouldn't labor, but that labor and all that we get by it can never satisfy the soul.  Only our relationship with God can do that.  If we reach the point where all our efforts, our labor, are spent to gain the things of this world, it all amounts to nothing.  I don't want to belabor the point, but we must work for heavenly things for our labor to have any value.  The things we do for God are what bring value to our life.

I am going to go from the book of Jonah to the book of Ecclesiastes.  Jonah ran from God for fear of success in getting the people of Nineveh to follow God.  Solomon, the writer of Ecclesiastes turned from God because God had blessed him so much he felt he could do anything he wanted to at times.  Matthew Henry says that people waited around to hear his wisdom.  Solomon was one of the richest and wisest men who ever lived.  His wisdom came from divine revelation and his riches as a blessing from God, but he often forgot that in his life.  We today need to look to God for wisdom, and acknowledge Him when blessings come our way.  Solomon seemed to often think he could find happiness through the things of this world, but as his life began to pass away, he realized how wrong he was.  This is not a call for us to give up hope, but for us to realize that what we do for God is what really counts.  If we look to our own wisdom, then we have every reason to despair, but if we look to God for wisdom, we will realize that material things are not what make us happy.  There are those today who feel that knowledge is the answer to the problems of the world, and that if they learn more about the world and how it works, they will find happiness in this world.  They can never find enough truth, though, because they don't look to the author of truth, God, in faith.  Some people look to material wealth for happiness, but again, they never gain enough wealth to be satisfied.  Drug addicts did mot start out to be addicts, but to find happiness, or at least momentary escape from the pressures of this world.  Solomon shares with us his conclusions as we look at the book of Ecclesiastes.  We as followers of Christ need to acknowledge that what Solomon said then is still true today.

Jonah Review

I am going to review some of the things I believe we can learn from Jonah.  The first is that God has a purpose for us.  We are not saved to just sit back and watch the world go by waiting to get to heaven.  If salvation is simply a ticket to heaven, then once we are saved, there would be no reason to remain here on earth.  We do have a purpose, though, and that is to witness to the lost and dying world.  Next, we need to realize that God is not going to force us to obey His calling. We can run, just as Jonah did.  It doesn't matter why we run.  When we do, we put ourselves and others at risk.  We don't even have to leave home to run.  Anytime we fail to follow God's will for our life, we are running from Him.  Jonah was still one of God's people, even when he ran, and so are we.  After we are saved, we are God's children forever.  Still, we need to realize that running brings consequences.  It affects not only us, but all those around us.  If we are rebelling against God's call, we cannot be an effective witness for Him.  Our decisions as Christians affect all those around us. Fortunately, as He did with those on the ship, God still waits for them to come to Him and can still reach them through us even if we are running.  We simply have to acknowledge that the one true God is who we serve and that He is in control.  We should never be so full of hate that we don't want certain people saved.  My belief is that God did not call us to be destroyers but witnesses.  We need to witness to the love of God for everyone, not to His love for some and hatred for others.  God loves the vilest sinner as much as the mildest sinner.  We can trust God to meet our needs.  Jonah may not have felt that way in the belly of the whale, but God was saving his life.  Running from God may lead us to some bad situations, but we are still His forever. We simply have to run to Him instead of away from Him.  Finally, we are never justified in being angry when someone is saved, no matter how much we may dislike or hate them.  Again, as followers of Christ, we are to live by His example and reach out to all with the love of the Father.

Jonah 4:6

Jonah 4:6 says, And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. Jonah was in the hot sun, and God brought him relief in the form of a gourd that provided him shelter from the heat.  This is at least the second time God had met Jonah's physical needs.  We might wonder at the giant fish and the gourd, but they met a need.  We have to understand that it would have been just as easy for God to immediately place Jonah on dry land from the sea or to place clouds and a cool wind over Jonah, but God was attempting to help Jonah grow in faith and compassion.  Jonah was exceedingly glad that his physical need had been met.  We need to be careful that we don't rejoice more when God meets our physical needs than when He meets others spiritual needs.  Verse seven adds, But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.  God was not trying to bless and then torture Jonah. We can be sure that if we have been received a blessing from God and it is then taken away that it doesn't mean that God loves us any less.  Verse eight continues, And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.  God took away the shelter He had prepared for Jonah, and once again Jonah said it would be better for him to die.  Do we act the same way when we lose material blessings?  We may value something, or even someone, so highly that if we lose it or them, we feel that we would be better off dead.  Jonah was self-centered, and if we feel that way, so are we.  Verse nine states, And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.  Jonah felt justified in his anger.  He was not getting what he wanted.  We today may feel justified to feel angry unto death when things don't go our way, but that isn't God's will for us.  That is being self-centered. Verse ten adds, Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:  God was again attempting to teach Jonah.  He wanted Jonah to grow in his understanding of what is important, and He wants the same for us today.  Verse eleven continues, And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?  God asks Jonah what was more important, the gourd or all the people of Nineveh.  We are not told Jonah's answer.  God asks us the same thing today.  What is more important, our physical comfort or the salvation of souls.  It is up to each of us to answer that question.

Jonah 4:4

Jonah 4:4 says, Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry? Jonah was angry that a whole city had accepted God as their God, and God wanted to know why Jonah felt that was the right attitude to have.  When people today come to Christ as their Savior, we should never be upset or angry about it.  Jonah was angry at least in part because the people of Nineveh were Gentiles, and God was accepting them.  We cannot feel that there are people who shouldn't be saved, much less whole nations of people.  Verse five adds, So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.  Jonah wanted to view the city to see if God would yet destroy it.  We today do not need to be sitting back waiting for God to destroy evil people.  Had He done that, we would have been among them.  Jonah was attempting to be comfortable while he waited.  We need to be careful that we are not guilty of the same thing today.  We are not called to sit back in comfort while waiting for the destruction of those we do not like and who do not like us. We are to be witnesses for God, not judges of the world.  Jonah definitely did not want to go to Nineveh, and he was angry when they repented. There may be places we don't want to go today to share the gospel, not because we are afraid that people won't listen, but because we are afraid they will.  We want God to forgive us, but we want Him to punish others.  This is not what we are called to do.  We are called to share the message of Christ with all those we come in contact with. We cannot spend our time trying to make ourselves comfortable while waiting for God to destroy those that we don't like.  As followers of Christ we are called to a higher standard.  Until we truly begin to reach out to all the world with the message of salvation through Christ, wanting all to be saved, God may be asking us if we do well to be angry.

Jonah 4:1

Jonah 4:1 says, But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.  We would think that Jonah would be very happy that his obeying God and proclaiming His word had been used by God to save Nineveh, but Jonah was displeased with what God had done.  He was more than upset.  He was angry.  I believe he was angry with the people for repenting and being saved, at God for forgiven them and even at himself for his part in it.  We today need to guard against resenting anyone being saved.  No matter how we may personally feel about them, we need to realize that everyone is saved by the same grace of God, and the only way anyone is saved is by the grace of God.  We should rejoice anytime this happens.  Verse two adds, And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.  Jonah was in effect telling God I told you so.  Even before Jonah tried to run away to Tarshish, he knew that God's mercy would be extended to the people of Nineveh if they repented and turned to Him.  Jonah, I believe, would have willing gone to Nineveh if he thought the people were actually going to be destroyed.  As followers of Christ, we need to be careful that we are not looking for the vengeance of God to fall on anyone, but for His mercy to be displayed.  I do not believe that we can ever have the attitude that we are waiting for God to give those that we don't like, even those that we hate, what they deserve.  Instead, we need to pray that God will save them through His mercy, just as He did us.  Verse three continues, Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.  Jonah was so successful as an evangelist that he wanted God to take his life.  That is a powerful hate for a group of people.  I believe too often today we hate groups of people instead of wanting to reach them with God's love.  A person who dies without knowing Christ as their personal Savior is forever separated from God, and we should mourn anytime that happens.

Jonah 3:10

Jonah 3:10 says, And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.  The people of Nineveh were saved because they truly repented, asked for God's forgiveness, and turned from their evil ways.  Again, true repentance is more than words.  True repentance is a change in our very nature, where God's forgiveness leads to a new way of life.  There are those who say everything, both good and bad, is preordained.  Here, we read that God changed His mind about what He was going to do to the people of Nineveh.  Some would say that God knew all along that they were going to repent and be saved, but He did not send Jonah with a message of salvation, but of destruction.  Fortunately, we as His followers today are sent with a message of salvation.  I don't believe we are to look for the destruction of sinners, no matter how evil they are, but for their salvation.  We know Jonah knew of the reputation of the people of Nineveh as being evil, but it wasn't a fear of them that made him not want to go. We know he didn't want to go because he was afraid that they would be saved.  What is our attitude today about those who are truly evil today?  Do we fear them?  Do we want them destroyed?  As followers of Christ, we must pray and witness for their redemption, not their destruction.  If anyone dies without coming to a saving knowledge of Christ, then they are forever separated from God.  We, as God's followers, should never be happy when this happens, no matter how evil, or good, that person might be. We cannot write off whole segments of society, or the world, because we view them as evil.  Again, from the cross, Jesus asked for forgiveness for those who crucified Him.  We might say they didn't deserve it, but neither do we.  If we, as followers of Christ, begin to live our lives out of fear and hatred of whole segments of the world, then we cannot be effective witnesses for God.  God may still work through us, but we will miss the joy of our salvation.

Jonah 3:7

Jonah 3:7 says, And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:  There was not just a claim of repentance, but there was a total change in life.  It affected not only the people, but also their animals.  Nothing was to eat or drink.  I think sometimes today, we take repentance too lightly.  We want to repent without anyone knowing that we did anything wrong.  Repentance requires acknowledging that we have sinned and asking God's forgiveness.  It requires humbling ourselves and admitting that we cannot restore ourselves to a right relationship with God.  As long as we feel that our sin isn't really a big deal and that as long as we utter words of repentance God has to forgive us, I am not sure we have really repented.  Repentance should touch every aspect of our life.  I don't believe we can truly repent and stand on our own goodness.  Sinning against God is a serious thing, and repentance should be also.  Verse eight adds, But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.  They were called on not just to show outward signs of repentance, but to change the very nature of the way they lived.  Repentance has to bring change, based on turning everything over to God.  We cannot feel that our sins are small and other peoples are big.  Any sin separates us from God, and we can only be restored to a right relationship with Him when we ask His forgiveness.  Nothing else should be of importance until this happens.  The outward signs are not enough until we call on God. Verse nine continues, Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?  The king was hopeful that God would hear them, and that He would not destroy them.  We today know that as God's followers He is not out to destroy us, nor anyone else, but that doesn't make sin any less powerful.  We cannot effectively follow God with sin in our life, no matter how small we feel it is.

Jonah 3:4

Jonah 3:4 says, And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.  Nineveh was a large city, and Jonah was but one man. Since he was God's messenger, though, he had no reason to fear.  I hear people today say that Jonah was bleached out very white while in the belly of the whale.  I personally don't believe that to be the case, since God prepared the whale to save him, and the Bible doesn't say anything about it.  Jonah was not sent to call attention to himself, but simply to proclaim God's word.  The city was put on a forty-day notice, and it was up to them whether to believe or not.  We cannot be that exact about the time, but we can tell the lost of the world that if they don't turn to God, they ultimately will be destroyed.  Verse five adds, So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.  Jonah didn't want to be there, and we find no evidence of his preaching being powerful, but the whole city believed God.  The people must have been convicted by the power of God, because from what we read about Jonah's message, he offered them no hope.  We today, when we are reaching out to the world, need to reach out to them with the message of repentance and hope, not with the message of destruction.  We are not called to judge and condemn the world, but to reach them with God's love.  The people of Nineveh did not say they had forty days, so there was no hurry.  They believed God and repented.  They humbled themselves before God, from the greatest to the least.  What a revival Jonah preached, but it wasn't Jonah's powerful preaching that made the difference.  It was the belief of the people.  God today can work through the simplest of messages, as long as it is His word being presented under His leadership and authority.  We simply have to obey His calling and proclaim His message.  God will bring forth the results.