Bible Passage: “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:1-11
Few things are more frustrating for men than realizing that we’ve spent time, energy, and perhaps money on something that turns out to be futile.
Utterly useless.
For most men, the idea that what we may be doing doesn’t matter is a bitter pill that even the biggest spoonful of sugar can’t make palatable.
Preparation for a presentation that proves to be pointless, outdated, or off-topic doesn’t just disappoint; it can shake our confidence. And insecurity may prompt us to ask bigger questions than are warranted by that particular miscue.
Ecclesiastes begins with a declaration of “Meaningless!”, and we’ll spend this week digging into this fascinating book of Scripture and all that it means for men.
When the Teacher of Israel (long associated with King Solomon) begins his writing in this book with a definitive declaration of the utterly futile nature of “everything,” it’s not exactly a warm invitation to keep reading.
And if we do press on in the reading, we may want to nuance our understanding of “everything.”
Though this is Hebrew poetry, and perhaps has room for hyperbole, we need to sit with the opening words, letting them carry their weight into our hearts, minds, and experiences.
The Teacher was a man who had it all: power, wisdom, riches, no limitations. It’s tempting to think that his was a truly free life.
How many men haven’t dreamt of at least one of those things in our own lives?
We climb the ladder, rarely pausing to wonder if the next rung is the one to make us lose our balance. The drive for the top of the ladder is so strong that we don’t worry if the next rung will finally induce vertigo and lead to our tumble.
We grub for money—sometimes through raises or promotions, sometimes through over-developed stewardship that has made us into misers. Or perhaps we long to have the power and riches we imagine will allow us to live the life we dream of—indulging in our pursuits whenever and wherever we want.
But the Teacher’s exclamation calls men not to despair and dejection, simply sitting and awaiting our own bitter and futile end.
Rather, the words of the Teacher on the value of our activities and achievements ask us to examine our lives and times. Chasing meaning in the wrong places will leave us empty and frustrated. We still must live and do—but what, where, why, how, and with whom are what we are invited to examine.
Prayer: God who provides for us and rules His Kingdom that is under this sun, help me to spend my short days in the pursuit of things that matter on a scale that is bigger than myself. Forgive me for the days that I spend pursuing my ends. Grant me a larger vision of life that includes the work of Your expanding Kingdom. Amen.
Reflection: Are you pursuing what matters most? Are you investing your energy in the things that matter to the Kingdom of God? Do you value people over possessions, power, prosperity, or pleasure?
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