Ecclesiastes 2:24-25
How a person finishes this statement is very important, and it sums up the reason behind their existence–“For me, to live is ___________________.” Some live for their career. Others live for the pursuit of wealth. Still yet, there are others who live for the next thrill. The apostle Paul said that to live is Christ and to die is gain! Life is found only through knowing Jesus. The Preacher of Ecclesiastes shows us the absolute vanity of life without Him, and his purpose is to warn us against foolishly expecting earthly things to give us eternal satisfaction. He writes to expose the meaninglessness of life in a sin-cursed world in order to create a hunger within our hearts for something more.
From an ‘under the sun’ perspective, the writer of Ecclesiastes could look around and come to the conclusion that there is nothing new under the sun. Life only comes into focus through a relationship with God. The gospel gives us a beyond the sun perspective that says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)
Life under the sun doesn’t make sense when we view it from only a human perspective, when we never get our eyes and affections out of the dirt, failing to see to the glory of Jesus. It is only when we look up after the blinders have been removed from our eyes that we are able to truly see the meaning of life and find satisfaction that is out of this world.
Ecclesiastes says we find life, not under the sun; the gospel says we find life in the Son. Without Jesus at the center, life is very hollow.
For more, read Ecclesiastes 1-2; Philippians 1:20-26
