Ecclesiastes 1
12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Have you ever been up late watching a really good movie when it ends suddenly, but you do not want to end? It just didn't end right. You want to know what happens next, but the movie is over and the story line just left you hanging. Or maybe it ends in a way that catches you off guard. It looked like the hero was going to win the girl, but then he dies. Why did it have to end this way? You may just turn off the TV and set there in the dark, reminiscing about the story you just saw. Feeling empty and wanting more of the story or wanting to change the ending as you think it should be.
In a much greater way, this happened in our community this last week. Only this was not a movie or a play, but rather real people that many in our area knew well. Because it is real, the empty feeling is much greater. To the families and close friends it is a feeling that is unbearable. Even if you did not know Ben, Angel, and Quentin Lucas on a personal level, the tragic story touched all of our lives. All together, nine lives were taken from us. Three young lives from our area alone, gone at once. News such as this makes you stop what you are working on and think about life. You may ask why did this have to happen? It just does not seem fair for young lives be removed from us so soon and so suddenly.
A loss of life is not the only thing that brings emptiness. It seems life is full of empty feelings. In one way or another, all possessions and even goals in life only end with an empty feeling. The longing we carry for new belongings tells us life will be better if we only had them. But life is never better forever with more belongings. The joy that we gain does not last with things. We need other things to bring joy. A close watch of Hollywood and the music world will bear this out. Each year a star making all the money they could want, and at the top of their field will take their own life. Possessions may start out with a bang and high expectations, but in the end life and things in life do not satisfy us in and of themselves.
The writer of Ecclesiastes as quoted above, lived life to the extreme, even beyond the people found in Hollywood and in each case found the same emptiness in life. To read Ecclesiastes will help us deal with life and what it brings our way. It will help us focus on life, as it should be. I want to let you knew this book can depress you at first. If you choose to read it, make sure you read the whole book. Many preachers seeing this depression have done harm to the passage, by trying to force a spiritual meaning to some of the text that just is not there. They are missing the point of the book. The book is meant to show us the empty feeling in life, as if the feeling was our own. The book is to show us what life is like "under the sun." "Under the sun," as in "life on earth without consideration of God." We need to feel this emptiness as the writer tells his story, in order to see the point.
Ecclesiastes 2
17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
In chapter two, life was so empty, that the writer did not see the point of living. He hated life. Bear in mind that this was written by a man that the Bible calls the wisest man ever to live. He had seen that foolish pleasures only last a short time. He saw that living life wisely was better then being foolish, but the same bad things happen to the wise as to the fool, so what's the point? He saw men working their whole life to gain things, only to die after they get them. Money does not help, for if this is your goal, you'll always want more. Nothing under the sun satisfies.
Then the writer makes this statement, which I feel is key to understanding and dealing with life.
Ecclesiastes 7
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Think of the hardest times you have ever been though. Some of us have lived though a lot. You hated going through them. At times you wonder if you will ever see light again. But did you not learn more about life during these hardships then on any other occasion? This is what the writer is saying in this verse. When life throws us a curve ball and life is unfair, if we make it to the other side, we become a stronger person. We have learned things we never knew before, about others and ourselves.
What hardship is greater then death? The empty feeling can bring us to the breaking point. I call this a life check moment. A life check moment is when something hits us in such a way that it demands that we reflect on what we are doing in life. When you first are faced with the bad news of a death, the problems you have in you own life seem little when compared to the bad news. You are quickly thankful for life itself and wonder why you worried all month about a getting a new car. You realize that maybe you were a bit out of control that morning, when you yelled at your little boy for spilling milk, for it could have been your child that died. A life check moment will make you check the things you are doing in your own life and put them in order. You will want to change some things to get back on track. We take this time to refocus our life around what is really important and what is not, for the uncertainty of life really hits home.
I think the writer is hinting of something even greater than a life check. I think he is looking at his own death in order to understand life. We all must die someday. Death is part of each life just as much as a new birth. Thoughts of our own death is not pleasant. Yet the writer is hinting that only the wise man looks at death and gets ready to die. The writer says..
Ecclesiastes 12
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
When we face death and admit we will die some day, we then must get ready for that day. Then and only then can we enjoy life as it is meant to be. We had nothing when we came into this world and we will leave with nothing. We need to enjoy our blessings while we have them, for tomorrow they may be gone. This idea brings with it, contentment. With contentment we can live life, as we should.
18 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.
19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.
The curtain has fallen on the lives of Ben, Angel, and Quentin Lucas. The ending was sudden and tragic. We would like to have seen more of their lives. Like reliving the good movie, we sit in the dark, gazing at the curtain, as we think back, remembering their lives. We wish we could change the out come of this story, but we also know we cannot.
How has this life check changed your life? We think about change during times like this, but do we follow through? To their family members and close friends, this has left a great empty feeling. Have you sent a card to the Lucas family telling the family you are thinking of them? How about your loved ones? When is the last time you told the one you love, that you love them? Don't you think you can come home early one day this week to spend some extra time with your kids? And more then anything, are you ready to meet your maker at your death? Life is uncertain and we must remember this before we can live life, as we should.
Is there something missing in your life? There is only One that can fill the empty feeling. The songwriter said it best.
There are millions in this world who are craving
The pleasures earthly things afford;
But none can match the wondrous treasure
That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.
Fill my cup Lord,
I lift it up, Lord!
Come and quench this thirsting of my soul;
Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more
Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!
In God and God alone, will we find wholeness and contentment in life.