Sunstroke (Radio / Podcast)

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
(Ecclesiastes 1:14)

The book of Ecclesiastes deals with man and his mental anguish at confronting the seeming lack of purpose to life. The author takes a comprehensive look into all sorts of lifestyles and worldviews, yet comes back, ultimately, to God. This journey is from a human, rather than divine point of view, and although there are human errors of judgment in it, it is inspired by the Holy Spirit as scripture. Not that the Bible is promoting error; what the Bible does is accurately reflect the point of view that is expounded.

Here it is the view of frustrated man, shown so as to give the ultimate lack of purpose for the humanist. It is a reasoned evaluation considering everything that can be known about the cosmos and of life from a point of view that isn’t truly considering God. The sole means of investigation into the meaning of life is to look “under the sun”, that is, to look at nothing beyond what one can see, investigate, or by appearances alone. This is the plight of those who would look to purely naturalistic explanations for everything.

This book has good in it, but it really is to be a contrast to a divine perspective, and to bring us closer to God, to show us that we cannot possibly find the answers no matter how much we learn apart from the Almighty. Even if scientists were to find their panacea, a unified theory, they still wouldn’t become the Creator whom made it so. Science is a window to the Divine but we stop at studying the window instead of looking through it to God. The window was placed there not simply to be looked at but also to be looked through.

Even those who aren’t scientists per se can get caught up into a “see it and believe it” mentality. Christians can get the idea that they should test God, and they “put out a fleece”, or bargain with God, or any number of other silly things. By assuming to everyday life the empiricism and inductive reasoning of the scientific method, a person may naturally develop an epistemological idolatry – experience becomes the sole god of revelation. If it can’t be tested, it can’t be trusted. We turn the knowledge of God into a scientific experiment. But if we need to know everything to know anything, then we know nothing – which is self-refuting.

Solomon tested everything under the sun, and found it lacking in eternal quality. Vexation of spirit is a term that is used throughout the book, and it basically means a grasping at the wind. That is what trying to discover the meaning of life is apart from God, for it is He who gives life, sustains it, and is the ultimate cause and purpose for it. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. To know God is to know life, and to know your purpose. You can try everything under the sun, but all you will do is get sunstroke, and remain thirsty. However, he who hungers and thirsts after righteousness will be filled (Matthew 5:6).

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©