Understanding reality

Many of the observations in Ecclesiastes are related to work. We might even say that Solomon is investigating the significance of our work on earth. This is highlighted by the repeated phrase "under the sun". If you want more on this topic and an interesting overview of the book, read this article. 

We often wonder if what we do will have any real significance for the future. We seek not only to find meaning in our own lives through what we do, but also to have what we do or say have a significant impact on future generations and to help them find meaning through what we leave behind.

Solomon gives us no guarantees! There is no assurance, from his perspective, that what we do will be significant either for us or for those in the future. So what is the point of life? Chapter 1 focusses on the repetition revealed within all of nature. There is nothing new. There is nothing that is unique enough to be remembered or to make a real change in the cycles of the years and seasons. He even observes that, "in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain." Eccl. 1:18

What can we observe from this reality in our fallen world?

• The more we know, the more we find that we don't understand.
• The more we try to repair, the more we find to work on.
• The more we see, the more disappointed we are with the the brokenness around us.
• We are always surrounded by grief and pain in this life.

These realities are where we live and what constantly causes anxiety and fear in our own hearts and in our relationships. This is the starting point but it does not mean that we must maintain this perspective forever. If we stay here, if there really is nothing more than this, then we certainly have nothing to live for and nothing to hope for. Our task now is to gain a higher perspective which acknowledges this temporal reality but sees beyond it and beyond our limited humanity to a spiritual reality. A new and hopeful perspective is not possible without a calm and reasoned assurance that a spiritual reality does exist and can actually inform a higher perspective.

So, where do we stand? We have to know what is real. We have to know our current context and how our current culture has shaped our concepts about identity and reality. Most importantly, we have to be able to measure and evaluate our perceptions of reality against what is actually true for all time and all people in all situations. Only then as we begin to broaden our perspective of reality can we get a better understanding of our own purpose and value within that reality. 

Solomon summarizes it in this way: "I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him." Eccl. 3:12-14 (NIV)

What is real? God is real. He is the Creator and His power and wisdom maintain both the spiritual and physical realities of our existence. "In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." Heb. 1:2-3 (NIV) What is valuable in our universe? That which He has called "good" as described in Genesis chapter 1, which includes the heavens and the earth, the sea and dry land, the birds and the fish, the animals and the plants, and finally humanity made in His image. 

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28 (NIV)

This is central to our reality, that God has created the physical universe, that he made us in His image as the caretakers of this reality and that we honor the value that He has placed on His creation by faithfully carrying out His commission. There are many opinions on the "what" and the "how" of reality but no good answers can never be reached without the "why" of reality. Everything begins with God. There is no purpose to anything without Him as Creator. Our own purpose begins to take shape when we understand this reality.

All is Vanity?

 As we look more closely at Ecclesiastes, we will examine a few themes which Solomon explores. These themes also relate to our current context as we attempt to make sense of time, life, death, purpose, meaninglessness, hope, despair and the value and functions of wisdom. If you want a bit more insight into the wisdom literature of the Bible, take a look at a previous post titled Meditate on it Day and Night.

Solomon uses two voices in this book, which he probably wrote nearer to the end of his life. The 1st voice is that of a critic who asks hard questions and provides depressing observations. This voice highlights the reality that life appears many times to be pointless, redundant and inconsistent. A specific Hebrew word is used to express this idea of meaningless, sometimes translated as "vanity" or "futility". The word is "hebel --- הֶבֶל", which can also mean vapor or breath. The idea is closer to the idea of "mist" in the sense that it might hide a clearer vision of what is beyond it while at the same time being transitory or insubstantial.

The 2nd voice is that of a narrator with a higher perspective. This voice provides some explanation, beginning in chapter 9. Here he points us to the reality that even the wisest do not see the whole picture because our perspective as humans is limited. Only the Creator God has the perspective necessary to connect and hold together the full picture and the ultimate meaning of our existence in this life.

The Thinking Atheist

Of course, we are often presented with many challenges from those who believe strongly that there is no God and that we can and should make sense of life using our own brain and the "scientific" resources available to us. We could call this person "the thinking atheist" who may exist as a username in a social media platform, a friend or a family member; however, I'm not sure that this can actually describe a permanent state of being 😏  Let's think through this together... 

To think does involve several things. These include a state of self-awareness, to have something to think about, to evaluate various perspectives and have the capacity to arrive at somewhat accurate conclusions about reality. But there is always a serious limitation to each of these: the limitation of my own brain with its limited input, filtering and processing power. If I ignore this limitation, then I have not met even the first requirement of real thinking, a state of self-awareness.

This expresses the impossibility of "the thinking atheist", that he or she would assume that they have the information needed as well as the unbiased perspective to come to the conclusion that "there is no god". But, how can those who claim to know there is a god be any different? Aren't they also limited by their own brains and bias? Of course, and this is why we cannot completely trust our own thinking but we must still use it as a tool along with the wealth of historical records, the personal experience of others and critical analysis to develop a more comprehensive understanding of reality. The other important tool is humility, essentially a willingness to consider the claims of Scripture and of Jesus within the context of textual analysis and historical evidence. The claims of theology exist beyond the realm of science and the material world but are also subject to reason and patterns of evidence which can be tested in specific ways.

Notice that these other testing methods are also rational (consistent with the proper use of our mind) but are quite different than pure observation of the material world. When Russia announced its first successful manned spaceflight, they declared, "We have now been to space and see that God is not there". Of course this does nothing to prove that He does not exist. As the Creator, He is not limited to or required to appear within His creation. Better reasoning methods might include ontological arguments, cosmological arguments, and teleological arguments for His existence.

If we are willing to seriously consider these claims, then we come to the conclusion that they are either true, or that they are false and therefore completely unreliable. The result of the 2nd option here is that we have nothing to trust except our own perception of reality and no firm position to evaluate any claims of reality, purpose or value in our world (and most especially about the existence of God). If, however, we come to the reasonable conclusion that God reveals Himself and truth through Scripture and the Person of Jesus, then we have a standard by which to evaluate everything about life (including the existence of God).

The Preacher 

We can now consider why Solomon identifies himself as "The Preacher" in Ecclesiastes 1:1. He is providing a perspective for us that is based on reason and experience and then demands an active response from us. We see also that his position is tempered and humble enough to consider the broader context of how God has revealed Himself throughout history and, more specifically, through His laws, His statutes and covenant with the people who were chosen to transmit that knowledge to the entire world. He wants to share that wisdom with us for our consideration. This is a wisdom that is based in reality, that acknowledges the violence and injustice of life, but also sees the beauty, joy and hope that shines through at certain moments for all of us. There is evidence of a design. Although that design has been badly damaged, the design still points to a Designer and can guide us to true purpose and meaning if we are willing to consider it.