Ecclesiastes by Chris Hearty (2021)

King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, carefully examined all the earth had to offer, pleasure, wealth, and power and discovered it was all futile, like chasing the wind. People come and go but no one remembers them after a generation no matter how incredible their accomplishments were. Solomon's point is do not try to seek joy or contentment apart from God, it will leave you empty. Meaning only comes from turning to God.

King Solomon, who had more wealth and possessions than any man who ever lived, did not deny himself anything that would bring him pleasure. Yet, it did not bring him what he was looking for. Instead, he discovered pursuing pleasure only resulted in chasing the wind. Whether he pursued wisdom or folly, the end was the same, futility. But what he did learn was the ability to find enjoyment and joy comes from God. We cannot enjoy the things of this life without God.

In a world without God, King Solomon asserts that time is just a countdown until death. But because God does exist and he has planted eternity in each of our hearts, each one of us will give an account to God for everything we have done. Those who put their trust in Jesus will pass out of judgment and into eternal life with Jesus. That gives meaning and significance to the choices we make now.

King Solomon considered the oppression the powerful exert over the earth and saw the meaninglessness of justice apart from God. He saw people either try excessively to achieve or the alternative, just give up trying. He saw the perils of being alone in this world. Solomon warns trying to live a life apart from God leads to oppression, discontentment or loneliness.