April 17 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Why do things happen the way they do? Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes the preacher wrestles with that question. As he grapples with the realities of life he does not make declarations from some ivory tower. He does not stand at a distance from life’s questions and troubles and philosophize about the meaning of life. The preacher observes life under the arch of the sky—right down on ground level—where people live and work.

Observing life under the sun brings the teacher to a rather disturbing conclusion which he vocalizes in verse 2, “‘Vanity of vanities!’ says the Preacher. ‘Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.’” In other words, everything that happens in this life teaches us that life is vain, meaningless, futile and frustrating.

The three words “under the sun” are crucial to the development of this book. These words are mentioned some thirty times. Throughout his study of what takes place on this earth, the author observes life at face value. His perspective in this survey of life is not taken from above the sun—above the arch of this world—but from a horizontal view. He conducts his survey from the perspective of secular thinking, from what happens between birth and death. The preacher wants us to see it for ourselves. If we don’t think outside the box of what is secular (belonging to this world), what purpose does life have? If we do not have an above-the-sun perspective, everything is meaningless, frustrating, useless, hollow and chasing the wind. It doesn’t make any sense to go to work, educate children, or pursue pleasure. Religious activities and church attendance make no sense either. It leaves every person asking: Why am I here? Why bother getting out of bed?

We need to keep this in mind every day. If we work in the office, spend time on the jobsite, take care of our children, go to school, or get a post-secondary education without putting Christ at the centre, we delude ourselves. Life gets us nowhere. Throughout this intriguing book the teacher highlights the meaninglessness of life under the sun. What he observes in life under the sun is meant to teach us to seek our life in God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; we are to set our minds on the things that are above.