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- Oct 26, 2007
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Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. Ecclesiastes 12:13 NKJV
When you read the first several chapters of Ecclesiastes, you might find yourself wondering what God has to say to you—or anybody—through the book. Most of the book seems to say that life on earth has no real meaning, that the best we can hope for is just to get through it.
But if you stick with and read all twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes, you’ll see the point Solomon was trying to make, namely, that life here on earth really is meaningless—without God, that is.
A famous mid-seventeenth-century document called the Westminster Shorter Catechism, written in pithy question-answer format, opens with the following:
A1: “What is the chief end of man?”
A1: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
This exact phrase doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible, but the message can be drawn from today’s scripture verse. Solomon had written at length about the meaninglessness of life, but in the end (the very last two verses of Ecclesiastes) he states that every man’s purpose can be summed up like this: “Fear God and keep his commandments.”
Prayer: Father, I never have to wonder why You made me or saved me. The overarching theme of the Bible is that You made me to pursue You, love You, and obey You—with all my heart.
When you read the first several chapters of Ecclesiastes, you might find yourself wondering what God has to say to you—or anybody—through the book. Most of the book seems to say that life on earth has no real meaning, that the best we can hope for is just to get through it.
But if you stick with and read all twelve chapters of Ecclesiastes, you’ll see the point Solomon was trying to make, namely, that life here on earth really is meaningless—without God, that is.
A famous mid-seventeenth-century document called the Westminster Shorter Catechism, written in pithy question-answer format, opens with the following:
A1: “What is the chief end of man?”
A1: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
This exact phrase doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible, but the message can be drawn from today’s scripture verse. Solomon had written at length about the meaninglessness of life, but in the end (the very last two verses of Ecclesiastes) he states that every man’s purpose can be summed up like this: “Fear God and keep his commandments.”
Prayer: Father, I never have to wonder why You made me or saved me. The overarching theme of the Bible is that You made me to pursue You, love You, and obey You—with all my heart.
