Please read E1. Meaning to the Meaningless before reading any other reflections on Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 1:3-11

Solomon lived his life “under the sun”. Life “under the sun” is life limited to what you can physically experience. It leaves no room for the spiritual; it has no room for mystery. Solomon looked at the world he lived in and saw repetitive meaninglessness. He did not believe anything he did would last. The sun comes up, the sun goes down, and humanity, is powerless to change that. We cannot control the wind, and we cannot control the waves. Water flows downhill to the sea, and yet it returns in the rain and all of our toil has no lasting effect upon nature.

Like most men, Solomon wanted to believe his life had lasting meaning. Life under the sun has convinced him it does not. In Egypt, the people considered the great pharaohs to be gods, and they built mighty pyramids as burial tombs. By Solomon’s time, the sands of the desert had already reclaimed many of the great burial sites. The world was already forgetting the names of Egyptian leaders who once claimed to be gods. New leaders had the names of the previous leaders removed from the stone monuments by chisel. Solomon notes that nobody remembers the former generations, and in the generations to come nobody would remember him. He was partially right. Scholars today still argue the question, “Was Solomon a real king, or simply a composite of several Kings recorded as one story?” When we limit our life to living under the sun, nothing we do has permanent meaning.

Christians are not limited to living our lives “under the sun”. Christ has called us to live our lives under His Lordship. Life “under the Son” is very different from the life live by Solomon. God calls us to a spiritual life, a life of mystery, and newness. Each day brings with it new possibilities and opportunities to live righteous. We live each day knowing that our lives are making an impact that will last for eternity. Life under the Son, it never becomes repetitive, and it is never meaningless.