One theme that has caught my attention over the summer months is what we might call the cyclical nature of life -- not only evident in the seasons of the year, but also in the very nature of life itself. Life experiences come and go; people travel abroad and return, move in and move out, make their mark and then pass away.
Maybe it has to do with where I find myself in life but I can't help but feel that while there are many pleasing things in daily life its cyclical nature makes a person wonder about the point of it all. For no matter how much good one finds eventually it all passes away and one is faced with the prospect of aging and death.
It was in the context of these thoughts that I discovered again the richness of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew-Christian Scriptures. The theme of Ecclesiastes is decidedly cynical and even morbid. But it is included in the biblical canon, I think, not only because its authorship is attributed to the great king Solomon, but because it reflects something of the reality of life that God intended us to know. Jesus never quoted from this particular book directly but he often spoke of the Scriptures, meaning the Old Testament which also included Ecclesiastes.
But what are we to make of this apparent sense of contradiction in Ecclesiastes between a case of blatant pessimism and the object of biblical revelation which is faith toward God? How can we reconcile this dominant expression of despair with the need for vibrant hope in God?
The answer to this seeming contradiction, I think, is also evident in the book. It is true that the writer is realistically pessimistic about life's emptiness in consequence no doubt of humanity's morally fallen condition (see Genesis 3). But like crocuses peeking up through winter's cold Ecclesiastes also contains a considerable number of references to various gifts from God - contentment in one's work, the companionship that derives from a good friendship and marriage, and the very existence of such a thing as true wisdom.
It is especially in this latter gift from God regarding true wisdom, I think, that we find the hope for which our hearts yearn and to which the writer draws our attention. There is a way out of the sense of despair that we all sub-consciously feel. It is found in some of the last lines of the book: "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
The key to rising above a life of despair, according to Ecclesiastes, is having a proper regard for God and for "minding his business," so to speak. Biblically, doing so leads one to God's ultimate grace in Jesus Christ. In the end true wisdom, it seems, is faith in the One who is the epitome of God's wisdom.
