The Preacher of Ecclesiastes is quickly bringing us to the conclusion of his lifelong quest for meaning and purpose. He has searched high and low. He has experienced all this world has to offer. He has observed man at his best and at his worst. He knows the brevity of life and the vanity of life’s rewards and the world’s goods. Then enters the God Factor!
Once you factor God into the equation of life, everything changes! Man is no longer the dominant figure, the captain of the soul, or the highest being. He may think he is a god, but there exists the Creator, the Holy One, who is far above man!
Therefore, man is to be extremely cautious before God. Man is but a little speck of dust on a ball spinning in space. God is everywhere! (ch 5)
Man is not the Achiever; God is the Provider. He provides not only the abundance but the ability to enjoy it! Man has no such power! What a tragedy to see a man with much and no joy. (ch 6)
It is God who makes a man either prosperous or poor. He is in control. The main focus of life is how we respond to God, not if we can figure Him out and know His ways. The attempt to understand the ways of God is a vain pursuit. Some righteous die young, and some wicked live long. Only God knows why! (ch 7-8)
It is not for man to know all that God knows. It is only for man that he respond appropriately to the God of the Universe, and that response is a healthy fear that chases away pride and fosters humility!
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