Solomon reaches his conclusion when he has finished his quest. He sat out in 1:13 to put his God-given wisdom to good use. He was going to seek out everything done under heaven, everything that man’s life involves will be investigated. So Solomon goes headlong into his endeavor, and what he finds concerning man sounds very depressing! Everything, including the life of man, is all vanity and a striving after the wind! Even if you live well and do good, you die just like the sinner and evil person! If you are a good steward and build up riches, you die and someone else spends it. It’s all vanity!
What Solomon was quickly discovering is that something is not right with this picture! The twists and turns of life just do not make sense. Life should not end. Good should be properly rewarded and evil properly punished. What’s wrong with this picture? Well, what’s wrong with the current picture is sin! We are fallen people living in a fallen world, and if that is the case, we should expect the picture to be wrong! Sin never makes sense! Everything has been corrupted. That’s why it seems so vain and useless.
However, there is One who sits above life, the world, and time! He is Sovereign and He is good. Even sin and its corrupting influence cannot thwart His purpose to bring all things to conclusion in His glory! One day everything will be revealed. Everything will be dealt with. Every deed will be made known. Everything will be made right! No more vanity when God brings history to its conclusion and sin to its end!
Therefore, wise Solomon knows that the end of the matter is to fear God and keep His commandments. That’s the only thing that makes sense!
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