Ecclesiastes 9-12

July 19

Ecclesiastes 9-12

Ecclesiastes can be a depressing book. Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world shares his observations as he nears the end of his life. He has tried everything he could imagine and came up empty. Everything was meaningless. Everyone lives then dies. Everyone faces the same fate in the end. We leave all we work for to the next generation and we die.

After his observations, Solomon wrote; "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, NIV) Solomon observed that no matter the lot of people, we all have the same basic purpose; “to fear God and keep His commandments.” Fulfilling this purpose leads to variety and adventure in life. But it also leads to contentment.

We cannot find true contentment in life, especially as death approaches unless we fulfill the purpose God has laid out for us. God created us and called us to walk in obedience to Him. He has given us His commandments not to enslave us but to set us free to live the lives He created us to live. God wants more for us than we could ever begin to imagine, but He will not pour out his blessings on us if we are not walking in obedience to Him.