Solomon's pursuits and the concept of vanity in Ecclesiastes

Pursuits of Solomon as Dealt With in Ecclesiastes

The book of Ecclesiastes is believed to have been written by Solomon and contains various pursuits that Solomon reports giving himself over to and relates that lessons that he learned while in the midst of these pursuits. King Solomon is said to have been the wisest man who ever lived however, this cannot be accredited to his having lived a blameless life but instead may be accredited to the many lessons learned by Solomon, which culminated in great wisdom. The specific pursuits that are reported by Solomon in Ecclesiastes include those of:

Competition;

War;

Daily Provisions;

Money and possessions;

Acceptance and influence.

THE PURSUITS

Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 9:11 that: "Again, I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all." From this it is possible to gain an understanding that unless God is directing our path and unless He wills that an individual should make certain achievements that those achievements, whether realized or unrealized, have no capacity to make an everlasting impact on the life of the individual. Solomon's reference to 'time and chance' do not make the suggestion that God is not in control but instead relate as noted in the work of Glasson (1983) that man often does not realize nor understand how God is at work through our efforts. There is a problem in the belief that joy is derived from positive results because results cannot be viewed as reliable. Solomon seemed to know that man was likely to fall into a rut and slip into a place of self-sufficiency therefore he left the warning to us that life under the sun has unexpected twists and turns and that mankind must place trust and hope in God instead of in 'self'. As well, Solomon opens the eyes of the reader to understand that one is not required to be the strongest or smartest but that trusting in and focusing upon God are the only assured means of true success because everything else is mere 'vanity'. Vanity can be understood in the context of the writings of Solomon to mean 'empty, meaningless'. Solomon describes the meaningless of these pursuits by saying "vanity of all vanities" meaning that these pursuits are not only meaningless but that they are the most empty of all empty things.

III. SOLOMON'S SEARCH for MEANING LEADS to GOD

Solomon notes the rising and setting of the sun as well as the blowing of the wind and the falling of rain into the rivers and oceans in a process that continually repeats over and again. This is noted by Solomon to provide an illustration of how the mechanics of life, the earth and the universe continue in repetition while man comes and then goes and it being as though he never lived. Solomon, in his searching comes to the understanding that the world as mankind knows it is characterized by some very fundamental flaws that nothing man is capable of doing will bring about the changes needed. Therefore, the realization of Solomon is that man must search outside of the world and himself in gaining something that is lasting and infinite and that only God can fulfill this need in man. Solomon attempted to satisfy his yearnings through many pursuits but found however, that all these things are 'vanities' and hopeless as well as foolish pursuits that will leave the human being empty-handed at the end of the journey of life. Solomon can to the realization that the only thing a man can leave this world with at the time of his death that has any value is the relationship that man establishes with God the Creator. This is the only satisfaction realized by man in this lifetime that has the power to carry over and follow man into the everlasting or the existence beyond this physical existence on earth.

SUMMARY and CONCLUSION

The Wisdom of Solomon can be easily understood to have been gained through trial and error and through the process of honest and candid reflection, upon not only his life, but the lives of those around him as he witnessed the futile pursuits of himself and others. These pursuits were noted by Solomon to culminate in meaningless rewards that were temporary and that could be merely be blown away with the wind holding no real meaning and no everlasting worth. Solomon was not wise because he was perfect, indeed no; Solomon was wise because of his willingness to reflect honestly upon his own life and the deeper meanings of life.