Apparently I owe King Solomon an apology.

 He’s never been my favorite historical figure, for good reason. God gave him so much—money, opportunity, wisdom—and he wasted it. I often ponder what he could have accomplished if he’d used his gifts to advance God’s kingdom instead of his own. Just thinking about it makes me grumpy. And sad. So much potential and so little to show for it.

Because of this, I’ve always viewed Ecclesiastes, Solomon’s end-of-life commentary, as the cynical, jaded reflections of a man who had it all and wasted it. Many Bible commentators agree, calling the book “fatalistic” and “existential.”

A recent deep dive into the book, however, has changed my perspective. This is why I owe King Solomon an apology.

Let me explain.

Thirty-eight times Solomon uses the term “vanity of vanities” to describe just about everything in life: work, relationships, pleasure, food, drink, music, building projects, gardens, farming, friends, and popularity. He even describes the world-renowned wisdom God gave him as “vanity.”

Sounds cynical to me.

Until you dig deeper. And discover that the word translated “vanity” in our English Bibles comes from the Hebrew word hebel, which means “breath.” Not a strong exhalation, but a gentle vapor. 

A puff. The softest whoosh from our lips. The air needed to extinguish a tiny candle.

Solomon says that everything in life—the good and the bad—is a single breath among millions in our world today. It’s quick. It’s fleeting. It’s gone.

Life Apart from God

Many casual readers interpret Solomon’s book as a reminder that life apart from God is empty and purposeless, but the NKJV Study Bible reveals a different twist: “The book itself does not say (life without God is utter emptiness), for there is no qualifying phrase such as ‘except when one is related to God.’ Instead, the book clearly says that life itself is ‘vanity of vanities.’

“Whenever we read the word vanity in Ecclesiastes, we should think not of what is “meaningless,” but of what is ‘quickly passing.’”

This perspective illuminates this oft-disparaged book and its author. Instead of being an ancient killjoy determined to steal our happiness from the pleasures of this world, Solomon is a great encourager.

Enjoy your work and your accomplishments, he tells us, but remember they are fleeting. The pleasure you gain from them is momentary. Hold it lightly. Keep it in its proper perspective. Don’t expect it to satisfy your soul.

Because God has placed eternity in our hearts (3:11), we crave significance and permanence. We long to make a difference. We thirst to know our lives matter and hunger to impact someone or something forever.

We ache to know this world is not all there is.

And it isn’t. Thank God, it isn’t.

We discover through the pages of Ecclesiastes that we’ll find lasting joy and satisfaction only in God.

Enjoy the gifts God gives you, Solomon urges, but don’t sell your soul for momentary pleasure. It will race away like a leaf driven by an autumn wind. Don’t neglect the eternal for the temporal. Don’t chase the next thing, and the next, and the next, for it will always be beyond your reach.

And if you catch it, it will dissolve in a second like cotton candy on your tongue and then be gone.

There will always be a next thing to grasp for, Solomon warns. Another promotion. Another relationship. Another possession. Another dollar. Another degree. Another center-stage moment.

But nothing you pursue will satisfy the ache inside your soul.

Only when we spend and be spent for God does mortality link hands with eternity to bring about lasting joy.

“Fear God and keep his commandments,” Solomon declares, “For this is man’s all.”

Amen. Well said, dear Solomon.

My apologies.

Now it’s your turn. What cotton candy have you tasted that just didn’t satisfy? How is this different from what a life dedicated to God offers? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

Does Your Prayer Life Need Refreshing?

We know Bible reading and prayer are vital parts of our faith, but what happens when our prayer lives become stagnant and our quiet times grow stale? We need something more than just familiar verses and the command to pray. In Refresh Your Prayers, Uncommon Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise, Lori Hatcher shares relevant, five-minute devotions that spotlight unusual prayer verses in the Bible.

Each devotion ends with a Power Point (a spiritual truth to empower your faith) and a Praise Prompt (a short prayer designed to magnify God and make your faith soar). The Live It Out section challenges you to apply what you’ve learned right now for immediate change.

If you’re tired of your all-too-quiet quiet time, Refresh Your Prayers is the answer.

The UNcommon Book on Prayer – Unusual Devotions to Unlock Power and Praise

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