//Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 | Andrew Lundy

“Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!” These iconic opening lines of the book of Ecclesiastes pave the way for the Preacher’s teachings on what truly matters in life. This past Sunday, Pastor Andrew properly introduced us to Ecclesiastes, in giving us some background on the author and his main message of this mysterious, yet wise book. First, we talked about the Preacher’s identity - King Solomon, son of King David, the wisest and most powerful king Israel has ever seen. When God approached Solomon, asking what he most desired, Solomon’s reply was the wisdom to govern his people, Israel. Not only did God answer his request, but he also blessed him with every other manner of material blessing possible. He was famous the world over for his knowledge (even of the trees, animals, birds, and fish!), his large heart, and compassionate spirit. We also talked about the Preacher’s message. He says everything under the sun is vanity (meaningless, like smoke), a conclusion reached after he began to drift from dependence on God to dependence on His blessings. This forces us to examine the harsh reality of the world as it is, and demands the church stop ignoring the world’s questions about life and the meaning of it all. Finally, we get to the Preacher’s point. Spoilers, Solomon will conclude this book saying that God knows every detail of your life and that it is ultimately best to fear Him and serve Him. We must get “over the sun” to find our meaning, and allow Solomon to lead us to King Jesus, the “one greater than Solomon”. He will point the way, but in the end, Jesus is the Way.