Ecclesiastes 1 -- He DID Learn SOMETHING

Solomon would have made a terrible fiction writer.  His first sentence would probably have been, “The butler did it.”  For once he had determined that life on this earth without God was futile, he spilled the beans, and he did it often.

He gave real meaning to the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it.”  He’d asked for wisdom, and God had said, “OKAY..”  Solomon said, “I have become very wise … I know what wisdom and knowledge really are … This turned out to be like chasing the wind.”  There’s real satisfaction if I ever saw it.

In verse 7 he says, “All the rivers flow to the sea, but the sea never becomes full.”  I don’t think he was trying to impress us with his knowledge of the science involved in the evaporation cycle of water.  Instead, I think he was talking about his desires, and the fact that he never became satisfied from anything.  That’s exactly what we will find when we try to derive our satisfaction from anyone or anything other than God.

Father, my own quest for knowledge left me terribly empty and far from You.  It was only when You drew me back and taught me to find my satisfaction only in obeying You that I found real happiness and fulfillment in this life.  Thank You for showing me what eluded Solomon all those years!  And keep me knowing it for the rest of my life on this earth.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford