Bible Men: King Solomon: Notes On the Meaning of Vanity

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. Ecc 9:10

Work and Pleasure

To be halfhearted, said the preacher, is to be unhappy. So we are called to enjoy “whatsoever” we do in life.

Ideally life should be easy. We should enjoy it every time.  

But the heart is a mystical organ. It has a way of devising its own happiness. Take writing for example. A man usually starts knowing what he wants to say and how to say it. But the pen usually has its own ideas. It says what it wants to say. Sometimes it comes up with a complete new idea.

Writing is both a struggle of the will and the spirit. And so is life. We discover very early in childhood that its chief tenor is struggle. Because we live not in a perfect world but in a fallen one, life is actually a curse because of sin. That’s what explains Solomon’s torment in his great sermon. Daily we swim upstream to beat the currents of life.

But life is also a blessing. Though it rears sharp thorns and briars, life is still wonderful. It is full of colour and beautiful people.

It is worth enjoying it with our whole heart. Including work. Every work. Are we lovers? Then we should love with our whole heart. Are we students? Then we should learn with our whole might. And not just because the grave waits hungrily but because God is the chief end. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecc 12:14). 

So how should a man find pleasure in his work? How should he defeat the struggle? I think finding meaning or purpose in life should be the first motivator. It is from that foundation that everything, including work or eating, becomes a delight.

The purpose filled heart works. The grateful heart works. And work becomes a joy and not an encumbrance because behind it is the hand of a loving God and chief worker. Work therefore ennobles or degrades according to what a man believes. Do I believe in God? Then nothing shall ever be absurd again in this life.

That word “grave” Solomon uses is not entirely useless. It gives compass to the whole idea of life. It has a beginning and an end.

By doing work we put something into life before that curtain comes down. And that end according to Scripture is not far. It is very near indeed. So then the urgency for every believer.

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. 1 Pet 1:24

For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better. Phil 1:23

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Ps 42:2 

So we struggle, because the soul cries to be released into the eternal rest.

I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. Joh 9:4  

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. Joh 11:9  

But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. Joh 11:10  

In the final analysis it’s not the duration of this life which counts, but what is left. Christ lived only for 33 years. His full ministry lasted a paltry 3 years. So get up gang! Let’s be about our master’s business!  

Hope is Not Ashamed

What keeps a man from wholehearted duty? If the body is ailing it will be hard pressed to be whole hearted. If the soul is despondent even the grasshopper will a burden. If there is no peace in the heart it will show in the work.

How did the prophets cope? David praised God. He vented, but in the end he praised God. There’s a school which deems it unfit for a man to vent. May I suggest that is not the school of prophets. Prophets weep. But even more prophets sing. Truth hates darkness. Truth shatters prison walls. So Saul and Paul sang in prison. Venting may actually be a form of prayer. The Psalms are full of it.

Walk But Do Not Run

Life is a journey, with slopes and hills, forests and plains, rocks and rough winds, but in the end it’s a life that breathes sunshine and throws up wonderful sands and vines and music along the way.

Life is poetry. It is a sublime gift from God. Read it. Recite it. Proclaim it on rooftops. Please drink it because it’s healthy.

I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved. Son 5:1

Lastly have a ball because nothing can really separate us from the love of God.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 8:38-39

It is only in the way of perfect freedom that a man can give his best. God is beautiful, and as his creatures we only give back that beauty to God who deserves it all.  

Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1Cor 10:31

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. Joh 8:36 

“Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden” cries Christ. It’s not life which has changed. It’s the heart and the vision. Before I couldn’t see but now I do. And seeing, the work becomes light. The struggle has lifted and gone. The clouds have broken and the sun is out. Christ has come and now nothing shall be impossible ever again.