Ecclesiastes is on my mind. Life feels discouraging lately, in church and in society. The economy is in a hard place.  Long time business owners are closing their doors.  Unused factory buildings have weeds growing in the parking lot.  Houses along the street where I walk Jazz are empty.  At church we are working harder than ever, but we seem to be falling farther behind.

In the midst of all this, Ecclesiastes has a special power and relevance. Solomon observed all that is done “under the sun” and found it full of vanity. All of life ultimately is vain and precarious.  In spite of the great store we put on it, it will disappoint us. The business or the organization that is thriving today may falter and disappear before long.  It is best not to put your final trust in these temporal things.

This is not to say there aren’t joys in life.  There are simple things to be savored each day.  “Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.” (11.7)  We should enjoy the pleasures of work, nature and family life, the book reminds us.  There is an inherent goodness to created things, even as we sense their fleetingness.

A few years ago I read a book on the history of Adrian, Michigan, where I live.  Often the author mentioned a certain business or group that met in a particular place, and I would picture the location now in my mind, and usually either the building no longer exists or it is being used today for a totally different thing.  All things pass away, as Ecclesiastes says.

Long ago when I knew a little Hebrew, I took an exegesis class on Ecclesiastes.  We sat in a classroom and took turns translating verses aloud.  One day, early on in the class, my turn came to translate 2:17, “So I hated life, because what is done under the sun is grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.”  I remember right after I said this sentence aloud, the whole class burst out laughing.  I was going through a hard time in life, and I must have said these words with great feeling!  Ecclesiastes is good medicine for people who are weary and sick at heart.

But the pessimism and realism of Ecclesiastes needs to be tempered with the Christian hope of eternal life.  Ecclesiastes says death is the end for all no matter who they are or how powerful they are. Which is true, as far as it goes.  To the Christian, though, death is not the end. The resurrection of Jesus has brought to light the life and immortality of the gospel (2 Tim. 1.10).

So Ecclesiastes helps me put this life in perspective. It is impossible for this earthly life to satisfy. Only Christ can satisfy, and only his spiritual kingdom is an eternal home. This Old Testament book reminds me of a simple truth: this world was never meant to fulfill our deepest longings.  Our ultimate joy is only found in eternal life with God.