The Message of Ecclesiastes

Vanity and Vexation of Spirit

Solomon had the most glorious earthly life one could have desired in terms of the material and the carnal and the pleasures of this world. His life was “cart blank” (a blank check). He could have and do virtually anything he pleased. From his 300 wives and 700 concubines to his tremendous wealth to his fantastic construction projects (including the Temple that might have been his legacy) Solomon lived beyond the dreams of mankind. Add to it all his tremendous mental and intellectual capacity and Solomon is one of the “Super Men” of the Bible.

Yet, with all this Solomon declared his life to be empty (vanity) and frustrating (vexation of spirit).

I believe Solomon was a man of faith but throughout much of his life he did not live by faith. It appears that with his tremendous knowledge and wisdom came a thirst for experience that lead him down some very shady pathways in his life. When God loosed the reigns of Solomon’s human limitations Solomon ran wild, compelled to try everything and push all limits, running farther and faster than any before him but in the end, getting nowhere.

Solomon may be an illustration of man at his highest capacity with unlimited resources and potential. He may be a small sample of what mankind would have become had Adam and Eve been allowed access to the Tree of Life after the fall and they and their offspring’s physical and mental capacities remained intact from the time of creation.

Before we become too enamored with Solomon’s charmed life we need to keep in mind that in the end he regretted much of what he had done, repented of his selfish and carnal behavior and turned to God for comfort, personal fulfillment, peace, joy and purpose in his life. With all his wisdom (skill, intelligence, intellectual capacity, intuitive knowledge and higher reasoning) he had failed to include God into the equations of life and found only inequities and errors (vanity). He finally concluded that the answers to life’s problems – mathematically of otherwise- are found in faith (empowered belief) in God and obedience to His Will.


RLH