RPG Teenz
WHAT IS ECCLESIASTES ALL ABOUT?
AUG 21
Ecclesiastes 1
Memorise Ecclesiastes 1:3 "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity"
WHAT IS ECCLESIASTES ALL ABOUT?
There are many varied explanations as to what the book of Ecclesiastes is really about. There are those who see it as but the ramblings of a pessimistic man disillusioned with life. However, a simple literal reading of the book, coupled with faith in the divine inspiration of God’s word, leads us to understand that the book of Ecclesiastes is a collection of writings born from the sincere desire of an elderly man who has experienced life and all that it seeks to offer, tasted the vanity and futility of it, and now seeks to encourage men who come after him to not go down the same bitter path that he has gone. He writes not as a king commanding his subjects, but as a preacher who seeks to point men and women towards God, to fear God and keep His commandments, and not to seek after the vanities of life.
This purpose is clearly set forth in the introduction in chapter 1, where Solomon conclusively declares that if a man labours and does all things ‘under the sun’, meaning apart from God, then that life is vain, and a continual vexation of the spirit. There can be no true joy or fulfilment if in this life we never acknowledge God and live in His will. The book of Ecclesiastes is therefore a timeless commentary on the frailty of human wisdom, and the vanity of life here on earth apart from God. It is a book that is highly applicable for our current atheistic age, where men on earth refuse to acknowledge God, and live lives only in pursuit of worldly happiness and ignoring God in all that they do. Such was the experience of Solomon, and he thus wrote the book of Ecclesiastes as a reflective and retrospective look at the vanities of life that he has observed. This is a book that is filled with practical wisdom to guide a man in any age to know the true meaning of life, and to realize that a life lived apart from God is a meaningless life that promises much but will never be fulfilling. However, it is sad to see that in every age, so many people, even Christians, throw themselves headlong into the world, and chase after the things of the world, caring not that they only grant fleeting temporal satisfaction.
As we study this book, the question that we would have to continually ask ourselves is this: Do I truly understand the meaning of life? And is my life a life of vanity, doing all things apart from God, or do I truly fear God, and desire to keep his commandments?
Thought: "Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth"
Prayer: Lord, may You help me to glorify Thee in all that I do.
Posted in Teens RPG
Ecclesiastes 1
Memorise Ecclesiastes 1:3 "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity"
WHAT IS ECCLESIASTES ALL ABOUT?
There are many varied explanations as to what the book of Ecclesiastes is really about. There are those who see it as but the ramblings of a pessimistic man disillusioned with life. However, a simple literal reading of the book, coupled with faith in the divine inspiration of God’s word, leads us to understand that the book of Ecclesiastes is a collection of writings born from the sincere desire of an elderly man who has experienced life and all that it seeks to offer, tasted the vanity and futility of it, and now seeks to encourage men who come after him to not go down the same bitter path that he has gone. He writes not as a king commanding his subjects, but as a preacher who seeks to point men and women towards God, to fear God and keep His commandments, and not to seek after the vanities of life.
This purpose is clearly set forth in the introduction in chapter 1, where Solomon conclusively declares that if a man labours and does all things ‘under the sun’, meaning apart from God, then that life is vain, and a continual vexation of the spirit. There can be no true joy or fulfilment if in this life we never acknowledge God and live in His will. The book of Ecclesiastes is therefore a timeless commentary on the frailty of human wisdom, and the vanity of life here on earth apart from God. It is a book that is highly applicable for our current atheistic age, where men on earth refuse to acknowledge God, and live lives only in pursuit of worldly happiness and ignoring God in all that they do. Such was the experience of Solomon, and he thus wrote the book of Ecclesiastes as a reflective and retrospective look at the vanities of life that he has observed. This is a book that is filled with practical wisdom to guide a man in any age to know the true meaning of life, and to realize that a life lived apart from God is a meaningless life that promises much but will never be fulfilling. However, it is sad to see that in every age, so many people, even Christians, throw themselves headlong into the world, and chase after the things of the world, caring not that they only grant fleeting temporal satisfaction.
As we study this book, the question that we would have to continually ask ourselves is this: Do I truly understand the meaning of life? And is my life a life of vanity, doing all things apart from God, or do I truly fear God, and desire to keep his commandments?
Thought: "Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth"
Prayer: Lord, may You help me to glorify Thee in all that I do.
Posted in Teens RPG