16Apr
Gifted writers tempt their audience with powerful openings leaving footprints on our souls. Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities begins, “It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times…” George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four teases, “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 incites our curiosity with, “It was a pleasure to burn.” Herman Melville’s Moby Dick compels with simplicity, “Call me Ishmael.” And finally, Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina resonates with reality, “Happy families are all alike: every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Each of these timeless books begins with a cryptic summary courtesy of creative beginnings. Solomon broke literary ground with the same technique almost three millennia earlier with his tantalizing “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utter meaningless! Everything is Meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV). Do you recall the first time you read those words? Some are driven away by his perplexing introduction; most will tiptoe further, asking as they go, “What does that mean? Where is he going with this?”
As we walk his declining trail, which is the first half of chapter one, we struggle down the cobblestone path of cyclic and progressively negative descriptions of life. In masterful poetry, Solomon confronts us with the truths we like to ignore. Realities such as, there is nothing new, and all we contribute is soon forgotten.
Is Solomon depressed? Were things going poorly in the kingdom? The answer is no and no. Life couldn’t be better for Solomon. He was supernaturally gifted with wisdom, blessed with great wealth, and surrounded by peace. Solomon was well aware of how easy it is to miss or mess up the good in life. He wanted to build a tower pointing to the highest possible earthly achievements. But first, he had to dig to the bedrock before rising to the clouds. Because ultimately, the secrets to happiness on Earth come down from Heaven. More to come!
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