What are we doing here?

Ecclesiastes is my Achilles heel. It always gets me depressed in a bittersweet way. It gives me a good understanding on what I should be doing, after I realize that im not doing that, and ive never been doing it. And this is why.

[chapter 1]
2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. 3 What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?”
kind of grounding isn’t it? Everything we do “under the sun” (on earth) is meaningless. And “chasing after the wind”

16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.


So I look at this, being at college, at a place of learning… and I think, if Solomon looked at all of his wisdom and knowledge and saw it to be meaningless, then what good will my education do?

Solomon supposedly wrote this book as he was looking over his life at an old age. And he is looking at all of his accomplishments, and seeing them as meaningless. Solomon was one of the smartest, wisest, and most knowledgeable men to ever live. And he looked at his knowledge as meaningless… so what will my education here at Wayne State College mean? It will mean NOTHING. Nothing, unless I am doing it for Christ.

And for me, that is what is grounding. If a man such as Solomon can look back at his accomplishments as a king, as a scholar, and as a man, and see that it was all meaningless unless he was doing it for God, then who am I to think that anything I do outside of doing it for Christ is of any significance?


“18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.”
This kind of comes around to how having the faith of a child is better than having the faith of a scholar. Children can grasp salvation and Jesus’ sacrifice pretty easily. But you don’t start to challenge that until you gain earthly knowledge. Now im not saying that challenging what you believe isn’t bad, because it reaffirms what you believe. But it still comes back to believing.

[Chapter 2]
“1 I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?"


Solomon goes on in chapter 2 to describe how he build great vineyards(2:4), gardens (2:3), had huge gatherings of livestock like no one has ever seen(2:7), and gathered a huge mass of gold and silver(2:8). And he did all of this while still keeping his wisdom.

[Chapter 2]
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.


Ho. Ly. Crap.

Talk about living the dream! Solomon had everything any man can dream of! Wives, Money, Gold, Wine, Wisdom, and a successful kingdom. And he looked at everything he accomplished and saw that it was meaningless.

[Chapter 2]
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?
26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

[Chapter 9]
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun— all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, [c] where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.


So here, God is telling us to be happy with what we have. Be happy with our “lot” and give thanks to God for letting us have what we have.

[Chapter 11]
9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless.



Whoa. To me, I have no idea what this means. Is this God telling us that our youth, the fun we have here at college watching movies, or playing Frisbee, or going to concerts, is worthless and a waste of time? Will we be judged because we used that time for our own folly, instead of using it to spread the Good News, and learning more about Him?

I really have no idea.

But the reason why I am writing this note, is because these are the things I struggle with day to day, and what makes me depressed a lot. So feel free to say what you want to help me, or correct me, or anything. Because I would really like some answers…

he goes to finish in chapter 12 with this

13 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.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.