Ecclesiastes 1:14: “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.”

July 6th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

When King Solomon, who is believed to be the author of the Book of Ecclesiastes, said “under the sun,” he wasn’t talking about life under God the Son, but rather this temporal life that we live on earth apart from the consciousness of God. He was claiming that everything that had been done by humanity, up until that time, he had tried: “I’ve seen it all.” Or, “been there, done that!” He was boasting that he had tasted of all of the things that a person could possibly experience, of pleasure or pleasurable work, and that he had found it all to be “vanity and grasping for the wind.”

The Guinness Book of World Records has some very strange records in it, useless things like the most marshmallows ever eaten at one sitting or the tallest stack of dominoes ever built. Presumably someone who was trying to be remembered made these records, someone who was trying to accomplish something of lasting value, perhaps thinking: “No one has equaled what I have done, and my name will be remembered for this great feat.” But it begs the question, “Why? Does it truly have value?” Solomon would answer, “it was all empty and now I’m frustrated for wasting time.”

The things we do here on earth that only have merit on earth, are empty. But God has given us the great honor and privilege of not just living our life “under the sun” (a life concerned only with the temporal), but under the Son (a life concerned with the temporal and the eternal). Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). We get to represent Him, the Creator of the universe, to others here on planet earth, and that is where we find true significance both in this life and on into eternity.

“LORD, help us to live today in the light of eternity by sharing Your love with someone new.”