Ecclesiastes 9-11
Peace Within
As Solomon continues his search for the meaning and purpose of life he is sounding more discouraged and hopeless. In a sense he is trying to find heaven on earth. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. NASB
This is what Solomon is finding. There are those who are more evil than others and some who are more righteous than others but all fall short of God’s glory. Solomon observed some who were wise and did good things, but he also saw many more who were foolish. Some had it better than others, but all faced difficulties. In trying to make sense of it all he was coming to realize that God was in control.
Earlier in Chapter 3 he observed that God had placed eternity in the heart of mankind. We know deep down inside that we were meant to live forever so we try to make this life on earth eternal even though we know that one day we will eventually die.
Paul also wrote in Romans 6:23, The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. NASB
We know we are to live forever but eternal life will not be found in this world. It is only found in Christ Jesus. No matter how hard we work, no matter how hard we search, no matter how good we try to be in this world, we will not find eternal life in this world. The good news is that eternal life is obtained by faith in Jesus Christ. When we truly put our faith in Jesus Christ and receive forgiveness of our sins, which is falling short of God’s standard, we can have peace because our search has ended. We no longer need to search this world for eternal life we are now free to serve our Savior who has become our Lord.
Solomon wrote in Proverbs 16:26 that a man’s hunger drives him on. His hunger becomes his lord. Solomon was being driven in his search for that which does not exist in this world. Instead of finding what he is searching for he is starting to sound hopeless and depressed. Whether he has been deceived, or has deceived himself by thinking his hope of eternal life is found in this world, his search has come up empty and that is taking a toll on him.
God offers rest from the search. True peace and rest is only found in Christ Jesus.
Pastor Dave