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God Placed Eternity in the Heart of Human Desire. Why?

August 28, 2021 Effie Barba Leave a comment

God …has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 (NKJV)

God placed eternity within the heart of humanity. Clinging to life, desiring a legacy that goes beyond, and wanting to know purpose.

Jean Paul Sartre was an atheistic humanistic philosopher who wrote being and nothingness. A famous quote of his is: “Life has no meaning the moment you lose the illusion of being eternal.”

He also wrote, “That God does not exist, I cannot deny, That my whole being cries out for God I cannot forget.”

Although, he did not believe in God, Sartre recognized the absolute driving desire for all humans to hold fast to eternity. Indeed, it is said that on his dying bed, he spoke, “I do not feel that I am the product of chance, a speck of dust in the universe, but someone who was expected, prepared, prefigured. In short, a being whom only a Creator could put here; and this idea of a creating hand refers to God.”[1]

Many try to claim this was not the case because they want to believe that one of the founders of humanistic thought, could never have concluded God exists. Yet, he wrote even before this: “Existentialists on the other hand find it extremely disturbing that God no longer exists…there could no longer be any a priori good, since there would be no infinite and perfect consciousness to conceive of it.”[2]

Therefore, why would it be so surprising that when facing his own death, he would be drawn to conclude, “there is a God”.

A Look at Ecclesiastes 9:

²All things come alike to all:

One event happens to the righteous and the wicked;
To the ^[^b^]good, the clean, and the unclean;
To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.
As is the good, so is the sinner;
He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath.

³This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. ⁴But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

⁵For the living know that they will die;
But the dead know nothing,
And they have no more reward,
For the memory of them is forgotten.
⁶Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;
Nevermore will they have a share
In anything done under the sun.

Despair at the thought of no Eternity-If death is all there is

Another look comes from Philipp Graham Ryken in Ecclesiastes Redesign-Why everything matters.

The experience of Solomon who is spiraling down into absolute despair shows, “maybe more clearly than anything else in the Bible the reality of life without God. Remember that we are still looking at things from a merely human perspective (as we read these pages of Ecclesiastes), life is so pointless that eventually it leads to despair.

“many thinkers have reached the same conclusion. Like Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes), the philosopher Voltaire, when writing to a close friend, said, ‘I hate life, and yet I am afraid to die.” The young C.S. Lewis, in the days when he was still an atheist, said, ‘Come let us curse our Master ere we die, / for all our hopes in endless ruin lie./ The good is dead. Let us curse God most High.’ Or consider these words from Francois Mauriac, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1952: ‘You can’t imagine the torment of having had nothing out of life, and of having to look forward to nothing but death, of feeling that there is no other world beyond this one, that the puzzle will never be explained.’

Such is life under the sun. The Preacher hated life because of the certainty of death and the absurdity of losing all his wisdom”[3]

What are you frightened of losing in death?

Without the Resurrection, where would we be?

I Corinthians 15 (NKJV)¹²Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁴And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. ¹⁶For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. ¹⁷And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! ¹⁸Then also those who have ^[^c^]fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

But Eternity is Real—Jesus did rise from the Grave

I Corinthians 15 (NKJV)²⁰But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have ^[^d^]fallen asleep. ^…. ²⁴Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God.

So Why did God Plant Eternity into the Heart of each Person born?

So, we may like St. Augustine declare, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Psalm 42:

As the deer ^[^b^]pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
²My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and ^[^c^]appear before God?
³My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”

^……

⁷Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.
⁸The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.

⁹I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
¹⁰As with a ^[^h^]breaking of my bones,
My enemies ^[i]reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

¹¹Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The ^[^j^]help of my countenance and my God.

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?

If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord: I urge you to go to my page titled How to Be Saved by clicking on this link. There is nothing more important than this; because He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore, I urge you to seek Him today.

For Prayer or Comments

If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here

Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here

Poetry Books Available

If you enjoy poetry perhaps you would like to read more of my poetry in my newest book which can be found on Amazon

Can Harmony of Life Be Found in Such a Broken World as This?

Disclosures

©Effie Darlene Barba, 2021
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. Furthermore, I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned except for my own books. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Credits

New King James Version (NKJV)

Photo licensed from Goodsalt.com

[1] https://catholicherald.co.uk/jean-paul-sartres-confession-of-belief-and-other-surprises-in-a-fine-new-book/

[2] Sartre, Existentialism is a Humanism, Carol Macomber trans., (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2007), 28

[3] Philip Graham Ryken, “Ecclesiastes (Redesign) Why Everything Matters, 2014, Crossway Publisher,

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Can Harmony of Life Be Found in Such a Broken World as This?

August 21, 2021 Effie Barba Leave a comment

Just when we think life might be getting back to normal, another variant of the virus surfaces and is more contagious than the last. Now with the Lambda variant pouring in from South America, we are facing the reality that Covid is here to stay for a while. So, how do we figure out how to live with all of this. Can harmony of life be found is such a broken world? Has it really changed things so much? Before the virus, we continuously were dealing with turmoil, pain, sorrows, and difficulties. Life is complex and difficult. So many search for some harmony of life through many means, just longing to find some balance between the good and the bad. Hoping to find meaning amid the chaos. A harmony of life that weathers the storms without capsizing.

Has it always been such? It would seem all of Ecclesiastes asks that question. Perhaps most of the Bible deals with that. We live in a broken world with broken spirits, because of sin. Created in the image of God; yet, so incapable of truly being like Him. So, where do we go? How do we navigate our ships through the storms of this life without capsizing? Is there such a thing as harmony of life that can be found?

As we turn to Ecclesiastes 7, we may want to keep these questions in mind as we consider both our finding harmony of life in this world and within our own individual hearts.

Harmony of Life

Max Lucado wrote in a commentary on Ecclesiastes 5:18 through 8:17:

Although people cannot fully understand all of God’s plan, the author of Ecclesiastes believed people could find some of God’s goodness.

In this passage, Solomon made it clear that wealth cannot buy happiness and that enjoying your work and life is a God-given gift.

Take your seat in the chair and look across the table at the psalmist David. He motions for you to lean forward. “I have a secret to tell you,” he whispers, “the secret of satisfaction: ‘The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing’ ” (Ps 23:1).

David has found the pasture where discontent goes to die. It’s as if he is saying, “What I have in God is greater than what I don’t have in life.”

Dichotomies of Life: Ecclesiastes 7

A good reputation^[^a^] is better^[^b^] than precious^[^c^] perfume;^[^d^]
likewise,^[^e^] the day of one’s^[^f^] death^[^g^] is better than the day of one’s birth.^[^h^]
²It is better to go to a funeral^[i]
than a feast.^[^j^]
For death^[^k^] is the destiny^[^l^] of every person,^[^m^]
and the living should^[ⁿ^] take this^[^o^] to heart.

What could Solomon mean by this?

³Sorrow^[^p^] is better than laughter,
because sober reflection^[^q^] is good for the heart.^[^r^]
⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.^[^s^]

When is sorrow better than laughter? Why?

⁵It is better for a person to receive^[^t^] a rebuke from those who are wise^[^u^]
than to listen to the song^[^v^] of fools.
⁶For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns^[^w^] under a cooking pot,
so is the laughter of the fool.
This kind of folly^[^x^] also is useless.^[^y^]

How can we see criticisms in a positive light? It is hard to do; yet, do we grow if we always only hear about our good? How can we better learn to take criticism as beneficial?

⁷Surely oppression^[^z^] can turn a wise person into a fool;^[^aa^]
likewise,^[^ab^] a bribe corrupts^[^ac^] the heart.^[^ad^]

Didn’t Solomon just say that sorrow was better than laughter to teach? Yet, now he writes oppression can turn a wise person into a fool? Which is it? Or is it both depending upon the response of the person?

⁸The end of a matter^[^ae^] is better than its beginning;
likewise, patience^[af] is better than pride.^[^ag^]
⁹Do not let yourself be quickly provoked,^[^ah^]
for anger resides in the lap^[^ai^] of fools.
¹⁰Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?”^[aj]
for it is not wise to ask that.^[ak]

What about wisdom and righteousness? Are they the answer?

This too is a dichotomy. For the only righteousness and wisdom that truly counts is that which comes from God. So if we get too caught up in our own self-righteousness, we only become more dismayed than ever. Therefore, to find harmony of life, we must also find the balance between these two dichotomous truths.

As outlined in Ecclesiastes 1-3, we are God’s blessed, chosen, redeemed, beloved children, clothed in the righteousness of Christ as Saints, filled with spiritual gifts from on high. Yet, at the same time we are broken creatures incapable of righteousness by our own strength. This is what Solomon was referring to when he wrote:

During the days of my fleeting life^[^aw^] I have seen both^[^ax^] of these things:
Sometimes^[^ay^] a righteous person dies prematurely^[az] in spite of^[ba] his righteousness,
and sometimes^[^bb^] a wicked person lives long^[bc] in spite of his evil deeds.
¹⁶So do not be excessively righteous or excessively^[^bd^] wise;^[^be^]
otherwise^[^bf^] you might^[bg] be disappointed.^[bh]
¹⁷Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool;
otherwise^[^bi^] you might die before your time.
¹⁸It is best to take hold of one warning^[bj] without letting go of the other warning;^[^bk^]
for the one who fears God will follow^[^bl^] both warnings.^[^bm^]

One Enigma that can break Harmony of Life

Don’t become too caught up in trying to determine God’s plan. His plan is higher than we cana ever understand. When we get caught up in the ideas of the prosperity gospel, we become frustrated rather than being filled with faith.

¹⁴Here is^[^be^] another^[^bf^] enigma^[bg] that occurs on earth:
Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve,^[bh]
and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve.^[^bi^]
I said, “This also is an enigma.” Ecclesiastes 8:

Conclusion to finding Harmony of Life

When I tried^[^bs^] to gain^[bt] wisdom
and to observe the activity^[bu] on earth—
even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night^[bv]—
¹⁷then I discerned all that God has done:^[bw]
No one really comprehends what happens^[^bx^] on earth.^[^by^]
Despite all human^[bz] efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp^[^ca^] it.^[cb]
Even if^[^cc^] a wise person claimed^[^cd^] that he understood,
he would not really comprehend^[ce] it.^[cf]

Proverbs3:

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall ^[^b^]direct your paths.

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?

For Prayer or Comments

If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here

Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here

Poetry Books Available

If you enjoy poetry perhaps you would like to read more of my poetry in my newest book which can be found on Amazon

Can Religion or Government Make Us Happy or Prosperous?

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Scripture used from the

New English Translation (NET)

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Can Religion or Government Make Us Happy or Prosperous?

August 8, 2021 Effie Barba Leave a comment

Thus far in Ecclesiastes, “the Preacher” has looked at the futility of life and human wisdom. For both pass with fleeting hope. A vapor that cannot be contained nor held. Each promise to make us happy or prosperous in some way. However, we find this so only in the illusion of our own minds and hearts. Yet, neither can we hold on to. Both escape us or fail us. Then, we are left with deeper despair than ever before. As we watch the futility of nature itself, always returning to what was before. For all the progress of humanity, there remains the oppressed and the depressed. Time enters and time fades with little to show for all the labor we have done. In his search for meaning, King Solomon looked to see if religion or government could bring lasting happiness or prosperity. Yet, once more, this was but a vapor.

Regarding Religion

As we look first at Ecclesiastes 5, it begins with a warning and an admonition.

“Walk prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.”

How many people go through the motions of religion, without truly worshiping God? Going through the motions; yet, not truly trusting Him nor worshiping Him. That among the religious who call themselves Christians. And what about all the other religions and spiritualists who proclaim their rituals bring them closer to God. Yet for all their religion, they are not happy or prosperous. Oh certainly some may have money; but does money itself make one happy or prosperous spiritually?

Ecclesiastes 5:2-3

2 Do not be rash with your mouth,And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.For God is in heaven, and you on earth;Therefore let your words be few.³For a dream comes through much activity,And a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

What fools we prove ourselves to be when we speak rashly as though we speak for God! So many religious today or those who proclaim themselves to be Christians speak with high and mighty voices, “Surely God would not send anyone to hell! After all we must realize there are many ways to God, and He will honor them all. Let us peacefully just agree with all society places on us. Certainly, we are to love the sinner, remembering from whence we came. But religion cannot become a substitute for true worship.

To Make a Vow

How often do we try to bargain with God? If you do this, then I will do that for you. I will give up everything, if only you… It happens more often than we would like to admit. This is a dangerous place to stand.

⁴When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it;For He has no pleasure in fools.Pay what you have vowed—⁵Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

⁶Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your ^[^a^]excuse and destroy the work of your hands? ⁷For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.

Was there ever a time that you made a promise to God that if He would just fix this you would? Then what happened.

Government

Some believe that the Government or some politician can fix things so that all might be happy and prosperous. In fact, that is what a lot of politicians campaign on; but, it would appears that they are the ones who become drunken with power. Their promise to fix the nations problems always fall by the wayside.

Ecclesiastes 5:

⁸If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; for high official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

⁹Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.

So much is promised to be given to the poor. Yet all that when managed by government leads to further corruption. There is a movement toward dependency and social slavery in a since by the government as socialistic ideas are further embraced. Yes, the poor need to be fed; but that should be the work of the church to help by guiding people how to stand up while helping them and teaching them of the true source of all that is good.

Ecclesiastes 4:

1Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun:

And look! The tears of the oppressed,But they have no comforter—^[^a^]On the side of their oppressors there is power,But they have no comforter.

Therefore, Happy or prosperous?

We cannot depend upon religion nor government to make us happy or prosperous. Rather we must turn to the true source of life—Jesus Christ. When we understand who the source of our happiness is, then we trust Him, our provider through it all. Joy then can fill our hearts.

Psalm 20: 6-7

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed.

He will answer him from His holy heaven

With the saving strength of His right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

But we will remember and trust in the name of the LORD our God.

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?

For Prayer or Comments

If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here

Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here

Poetry Books Available

If you enjoy poetry perhaps you would like to read more of my poetry in my newest book which can be found on Amazon

When The Wisest Man of All Admits Himself a Fool, What Then?

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When The Wisest Man of All Admits Himself a Fool, What Then?

August 2, 2021 Effie Barba Leave a comment

As I prepared for this lesson, reading, and contemplating all that it might mean to us today, my internet became sketchy. I need to check a few other things and then I needed to write, paste in scripture, while the internet in my house flickered in and out. Frustration, anger, despair all mingled into one big emotional bag. Perhaps one that fit the picture presented by King Solomon depicting the utter futility and waste our lives may seem at moments. There in those pages he, the wisest man to ever live (concerning human things) admits himself a fool. No wonder he used the pseudonym of Preacher instead of King Solomon. Or some says the translation is better philosopher. That name would fit as well. Certainly, today I too felt more the desperation of a fool.

Life if filled with constant change, yet all the same emotions of highs and lows. We seek for eternity, goodness, peace, joy, and hope. Yet, it seems for every step forward, there are rocks or even boulders in our way. Our hearts, hands, and bodies racked with pains we never thought would come. Scars that dig deep within. Perhaps, we too could feel these words penetrate deep within our own souls as well. We battle against the inevitable aging. The whole human race running toward something, only to find nothing there. That is nothing there apart from Jesus Christ. Indeed, we long for that which we cannot fully comprehend. Our desires are for eternity with God; although all too often we fail to recognize that truth and try to fill that longing with everything else.

The Wisest Man

J. Vernon McGee wrote:

“the wisdom God gave Solomon was a little different from what we think it was. We imagine that he was given spiritual insight; but Scripture does not tell us that he even asked for that. He had prayed: ‘Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?’ (I kings 3:9).

Apparently, God gave him what he asked for: wisdom to rule. He was wise in political economy and probably did a marvelous job of ruling the nation. He brought in a era of peace. Other nations of the world went there to study and to behold the wisdom of Solomon. He gave a testimony for God thought the temple with the altar where sacrifice was made for sinners. These were some of the things that the Queen of Sheba learned when she came from the ends of the earth. But in the area of spiritual discernment, Solomon was probably nil.”

This was something I had wondered about before. How did the wisest man to ever live, make such foolish decisions spiritually? But is that not always true of human wisdom? It will always fall short of God’s wisdom. Perhaps that is why 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty,”

The Wisest Man And Fatalism’s Cry

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

²A time ^[^a^]to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
³A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
⁴A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
⁵A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
⁷A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
⁸A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace. Ecclesiastes 3 NKJV

Solomon wrote this as a fatalistic ideology that nothing mankind does can ever matter. However, these words have been embraced since then by philosophers and even became a popular song sung by The Byrds during the time of the sexual revolution and hippie movement. Drugs, alcohol, self-fulfillment of desires with no inhibitions was the thought. Since we have no control of tomorrow, might as well get the most pleasure out of every moment today with no thought of tomorrow. Sadly, sometimes I see this same ideology rampant today throughout our world. This monotony and powerlessness should cause us to look to God. Instead of running so far from Him, we should run to Him instead. For it is God who placed the desire of eternity within our hearts and He only can satisfy the longings of our hearts.

The Wise Man (with human wisdom) is Truly the Fool without God

J. Vernon McGee so nailed it when he wrote:

“Man has tried to be happy without God; it is being tried every day by millions of people. This book (Ecclesiastes) shows the absurdity of the attempt. Solomon was the wisest of men and he had a wisdom that was God-given. He tried every field of endeavor and pleasure that was known to man, and his conclusion was that all is vanity. The word vanity means ‘empty, purposeless.’ Satisfaction in life can never be attained in this manner.

God showed Job, a righteous man, that he was a sinner in God’s sight. In Ecclesiastes God showed Solomon, the wisest man that he was a fool in God’s sight.”

Then Why Try?

⁹What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? ¹⁰I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. ¹¹He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:

If we cannot find it, then why? Ah, but you see really we can. For God said,

²⁹But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. ³⁰When you are in ^[^a^]distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice Deuteronomy 4

¹²Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. ¹³And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. ¹⁴I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; ( Jeremiah 29)

Psalm 145:

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
⁹The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.

¹⁰All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,
And Your saints shall bless You.
¹¹They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,
And talk of Your power,
¹²To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,
And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
¹³Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all ^[^f^]generations.

¹⁴The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.
¹⁶You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

¹⁷The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
¹⁸The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
¹⁹He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
²⁰The Lord preserves all who love Him,

Concluding Thoughts

The wisest man is but a fool without God. Our wisdom is futile unless we turn our lives and hearts over to God Himself. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. Let us seek Him with all our hearts. As Paul spoke in Athens, as recorded in Acts 17

²⁴God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. ²⁵Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. ²⁶And He has made from one ^[j]blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, ²⁷so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’

²⁹Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. ³⁰Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

DO YOU KNOW CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR AND LORD?

For Prayer or Comments

If you have a prayer request feel free to email me by clicking here

Furthermore, if you would like to share your story or thoughts, you can comment here

Poetry Books Available

If you enjoy poetry perhaps you would like to read more of my poetry in my newest book which can be found on Amazon

Is Futility Our Only Hope in Life?

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Credits

Photo licensed from Goodsalt.com

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Is Futility Our Only Hope in Life?

August 1, 2021 Effie Barba Leave a comment

Throughout Job, we saw the futility of personal control over our circumstances. After all we live in a broken world where it appears so often that evil wins. There are times when it appears all is lost and much like Job did, we question God. Job’s big question came when all of prosperity disappeared in a moment’s time. Then, now as we turn to Ecclesiastes and ask, what if you had everything? Would that bring lasting joy apart from God? Or is that also, futility of thought and action? After all, a brief glance at the elite and one might see they are some of the most despairing of all.Suicide, drug addiction, drunkenness, and despair reigns rampant among the elite. Always chasing after the wind. One more pleasure, another affair, more money, power, prestige. Yet, it is appointed to every person born, a moment to die.

I saw an article this morning within a women’s magazine describing “smiling depression”; otherwise known as Persistent Depressive Disorder (PDD). It describes those who continue in life with an outward facade of happiness and control; yet, deep within lies a sadness that cannot be overcome. So afraid that anyone might find out, they march on in silent despair. We chase after the wind and in the end, lie down at night wondering what it is all about.

C. S. Lewis wrote: “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”

That brings us to the words of Ecclesiastes:

The Futility of All Endeavors

Ecclesiates 1:

1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

²
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher.
“Vanity of vanities! All [that is done without God’s guidance] is vanity [futile, meaningless—a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes, merely chasing the wind].”

³
What advantage does man have from all his work
Which he does ^[^a^]under the sun (while earthbound)?
⁴
One generation goes and another generation comes,
But the earth remains forever.
⁵
Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;
And hurries to the place where it rises again.
⁶
The wind blows toward the south,
Then circles toward the north;
The wind circles and swirls endlessly,
And on its circular course the wind returns.

⁷
All the rivers flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers flow,
There they flow again.
⁸
All things are wearisome and all words are frail;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
⁹
That which has been is that which will be [again],
And that which has been done is that which will be done again.
So there is nothing new under the sun.
¹⁰
Is there anything of which it can be said,
“See this, it is new”?
It has already existed for [the vast] ages [of time recorded or unrecorded]
Which were before us.
¹¹
There is no remembrance of earlier things,
Nor also of the later things that are to come;
There will be for them no remembrance
By generations who will come after them.

The Futility of Wisdom

¹²I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I set my mind to seek and explore by [man’s] ^[^b^]wisdom all [human activity] that has been done under heaven. It is a miserable business and a burdensome task which ^[^c^]God has given the sons of men with which to be busy and distressed. ¹⁴I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind. ¹⁵What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is defective and lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶I spoke with my heart, saying, “Behold, I have acquired great [human] wisdom and experience, more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of [moral] wisdom and [scientific] knowledge.” ¹⁷And I set my mind to know [practical] wisdom and to discern [the character of] madness and folly [in which men seem to find satisfaction]; I realized that this too is a futile grasping and chasing after the wind. ¹⁸For in much [human] wisdom there is much displeasure and exasperation; increasing knowledge increases sorrow.

The Futility of Pleasure and Possessions

2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure and gratification; so enjoy yourself and have a good time.” But behold, this too was vanity (futility, meaninglessness). ²I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” ³I explored with my mind how to gratify myself with wine while [at the same time] having my mind remain steady and guide me wisely; and how to take control of foolishness, until I could see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

⁴I made great works: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself; ⁵I made gardens and orchards for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; ⁶I made pools of water for myself from which to water the forest and make the trees bud. ⁷I bought male and female slaves and had slaves born in my house. I also possessed herds and flocks larger than any who preceded me in Jerusalem. ⁸Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male singers and female singers, and the delights and pleasures of men—^[^a^]many ^[^b^]concubines.

ALL IS FUTILITY

⁹So I became great and excelled more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me. ¹⁰Whatever my eyes looked at with desire I did not refuse them. I did not withhold from my heart any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor; and this was my reward for all my labor. ¹¹Then I considered all which my hands had done and labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and chasing after the wind and there was no profit (nothing of lasting value) under the sun.

Wisdom Excels Folly

¹²So I turned to consider [secular] wisdom, madness, and folly; for what will the man do who succeeds the king? Nothing except what has already been done. ¹³Then I saw that [even secular] wisdom [that brings sorrow] is better than [the pleasures of] folly and self-indulgence as light excels darkness. ¹⁴The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; and yet I know that [in the end] one fate happens to them both. ¹⁵Then I said to myself, “As it happens to the fool, so death will also happen to me. What use is it then for me to be extremely wise?”

Then I said in my heart, “This too is vanity (meaningless).” ¹⁶For there is no [more] lasting remembrance of the wise man than of the fool, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Even as the fool! ¹⁷So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun caused me only great sorrow; because all is futility and chasing after the wind.

The Futility of Labor

¹⁸So I hated all the fruit (gain) of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will succeed me. ¹⁹And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity (futility, self-conceit). ²⁰So I turned aside and let my heart despair over all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.

²¹For there is a man who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill yet gives his legacy to one who has not labored for it. This too is vanity and a great evil. ²²For what does a man get from all his labor and from the striving and sorrow of his heart with which he labors under the sun? ²³For all his days his work is painful and sorrowful; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity (worthless).

²⁴There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and assure himself that there is good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God. ²⁵For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? ²⁶For to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who pleases God. This too is vanity and chasing after the wind.

Must We Conclude Futility is our Only Hope?

Paul the Apostle wrote in I Corinthians 15 (nkjv):

“¹⁹If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”

⁵⁰Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹Behold, I tell you a ^[^m^]mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁵“O^[ⁿ^] Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”

⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

So, Is Futility Our Only Hope in Life?

No, Jesus Christ is our hope of joy in life and in the world to come. He is the only one that can fulfill the desires of our heart. We were made for a relationship with Him and nothing on this earth can satisfy that longing. All else is futility, chasing after the wind.