graduation day   part 2

Another failed experiment! Though Solomon was the wealthiest man to walk the earth in his day, he still found no lasting satisfaction from all his wealth. The same is also true today because money doesn't buy happiness, as the old saying goes. In fact, Solomon made this remark about money a little later in the book of Ecclesiastes...

"He who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! The more you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income. So what is the advantage of wealth-- except perhaps to watch it as it runs through your fingers!" (Ecclesiastes 5:9-10)


Next up, Solomon considered the worth of wisdom and foolishness...

"Now I began a study of the comparative virtues of wisdom and folly, and anyone else would come to the same conclusion I did-- that wisdom is of more value than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness; for the wise man sees, while the fool is blind.

And yet I noticed that there was one thing that happened to wise and foolish alike-- just as the fool will die, so will I. So of what value is all my wisdom? Then I realized that even wisdom is futile. For the wise and fool both die, and in the days to come both will be long forgotten" (Ecclesiastes 2:12-16).


Wisdom -in the short term at least- has a lot more value than foolishness but it's value is still limited. Why? Well, the wise person and the foolish person share at least one thing in common- both will eventually die. There's something else too- wisdom can't guarantee that people will be remembered after they're gone. And of course, this same fate happens to the foolish and the wise, much to Solomon's disgust!

"So I turned in despair from hard work as the answer to my search for satisfaction. For though I spend my life searching for wisdom, knowledge, and skill, I must leave all of it to someone who hasn't done a day's work in his life; he inherits all my efforts, free of charge.

This is not only foolish but unfair. So what does a man get for all his hard work? Days full of sorrow and grief, and restless, bitter nights. It is all utterly ridiculous" (Ecclesiastes 2:20).


It seems that everyone knows someone who simply must have the latest, the greatest, or the newest stuff. Such people constantly seem to be buying, trading or upgrading just to have the latest model or version of something. Well, Solomon tried this lifestyle and he came to this realization: a lot of "stuff" will often result in a lot of sleepless nights spent thinking about how to manage it.

Now up to this point, Solomon has spent a lot of time discussing things like work, money, possessions, wisdom, and foolishness from his own limited human perspective. But now things are about to change as Solomon switches gears and starts to consider God and His perspective...

"So I decided that there was nothing better for a man to do than to enjoy his food and drink and his job. Then I realized that even this pleasure is from the hand of God. For who can eat or enjoy apart from him?

For God gives those who please him wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away from him and gives it to those who please him. So here, too, we see an example of foolishly chasing the wind" (Ecclesiastes 2:24).


What great truth does Solomon establish for us here? Well, the ability to enjoy things in life is a gift from God. Having nice things without the God-given ability to enjoy them is worthless! Building up a lot of money and possessions without regard to God -who is the ultimate provider of these things- is foolishness. 

The idea of piling up a lot of money an possessions with no consideration to the afterlife is quite a contrast to what Jesus taught...

"Don't store up treasures here on earth where they can erode away or may be stolen. Store them in heaven where they will never lose their value and are safe from thieves. If your profits are in heaven, your heart will be there too" (Matthew 6:19-21).


So what's the point of all this? Well it's simply this: Your life can follow many paths after graduation. The best path is to follow God and His direction for your life. You don't have to try any of those roads that ignore God like the road of alcohol or the road of non-stop partying or the road of pre-marital sex or the road of greed or any of the other roads that Solomon tried just to see if you're missing out on something. 

Solomon has "been there and done that" and he has told you what will happen- without God, everything in life is ultimately futile, meaningless and totally, totally empty. You see, Solomon has already done all the work for you. Of course, you can go back and try these things for yourself and see if he's still right but God's Word doesn't change and The Doctor suspects that you'll eventually come to the same conclusion that he did. 

If you're smart, you'll take these words of Solomon to heart...

"It is a wonderful thing to be alive! If a person lives to be very old, let him rejoice in every day of life, but let him also remember that eternity is far longer and that everything down here is futile in comparison. Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it! Do all you want to; take in everything, but realize that you must account to God for everything you do. So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, can make serious mistakes" (Ecclesiastes 11:7-10).

The Doctor is not a real doctor but he plays one on the Internet. E-Mail prescriptions are also available on an individual basis.

Questions Or Comments Questions Or Comments

 

Except as indicated, all Scriptural references taken from The Living Bible, © 1971, Tyndale House Publishers


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