Solomon: Today he would be considered "EMO"!

Ecclesiastes 1
Life is nothing but a vicious cycle and nothing will ever change.

My life has no meaning because in 100 years it won't matter that I existed.

Ultimately we have no control over anything.

These are, in essence, what Solomon says throughout the first chapter of Ecclesiastes. "Meaningless, meaningless, utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (v. 2). He then talks about how water just flows into the ocean, yet the ocean is never full. The streams' sources just seem to get the water back.

I love that Solomon uses this analogy because today we understand the water cycle - streams, evaporation, clouds, rain, streams. Yet this was a mystery 3000 years ago. It perplexed Solomon (the wisest man to walk the earth!). He even notices that your eyes never get filled with seeing. What an image! Today we take in far more than they did then - TV, internet, buildings, billboards, etc. Yet our eyes never get full and say that you have to clear some things out before we can take in any more.

In essence, I hear a man who is depressed because he realizes that no matter how much he does, it will never be enough. He can't party hard enough, meditate long enough, learn enough, accomplish enough to feel like he done everything. He can't get no satisfication...but he tries and he tries...

This is the voice of modern humanity. If we changed the verbage a bit, I bet we could find similar angst in today's music, poetry, art, and even science. We understand the water cycle, but we can't identify the smallest possible particle - molecules, no - atoms, no - electrons, no - nanoparticles, no...

We can't wrap our hands around the biggest things. Planets, stars, solar systems, galaxies, star systems. It keeps getting bigger.

I truly believe that Postmodernism grew out of the angst of Modernism's search to aleviate all mystery. They failed. Just like Solomon.

Key Question: WHY do you need to know?

Whatever it might be - answers to science issues, answers to philosophical issues - when our goal is to know everything, our goal is really to be God. When our goal is to be God, we will be sorely disappointed and empty.

When our goal is to glorify God, it changes our perspective and our mindset. We are then able to embrace mystery and enjoy it because it reminds us how great and mighty and HUGE God is. And it reminds us that we don't have to be Him...we just need to be us. That is when we find contentment. That is when we rest. That is when find peace.

Under the Mercy,
Jason