Ecclesiastes 1:2-10 (NIV) 2“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly Meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” 3What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? 4Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. 5The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. 6The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. 7All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. 8All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. 9What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. 10Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new?” It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.
Most definitions for the word meaningless indicate something that is without value or purpose. In today’s text, King Solomon identifies several such apparently meaningless things. Among the many examples are the sun, wind, and water. The sun—rises, sets, rises, sets, etc. The wind—blows here, there, here, there, etc. The water—flows to rivers then oceans, but the oceans never fill. Do we really think King Solomon is suggesting all this is meaningless? Is there no hope left?
We might have to dig a little deeper than today’s text, but a continuing study of Ecclesiastes reveals the answer. Rather than placing our focus on meaningless cycles of repetition, which if we are honest, we are too often tempted to do; we should place our focus upon the magnificent balance of all things created by our Heavenly Father. You see, the sun rises and sets to create sustainable weather cycles. It also measures the time and seasons. The wind blows to create a powerful energy resource, bring cooling temperatures, as well as to provide pollination. Water flows to the oceans, evaporates, and falls back to earth as fresh water thus creating a life-sustaining water cycle. God’s creation sustains our lives and brings hope for renewal.
Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!
Gracious Heavenly Father, our LORD God Almighty,
Forgive us when all too often we become bogged down in the redundancy of life, or worse, fail to notice your amazing creation so apparent in our daily lives and so necessary for sustaining life. Forgive us when we take for granted the sun and wind and water you provide. We thank you for your provision. Your creation fills us with humility and gratitude, for without it we would fail to exist.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Savior, Amen.
The devotion Everything is Meaningless: Part 1 was originally written for Monday, December 26, 2016; for Maranatha Devotional Guide, an Advent Christian Publication https://acgc.us As the original author of this devotion, I reserve the right to update and share it on my current devotional blog Write From My Heart at https://writefrommyheartblog.blogspot.com
Email: Dotty Willmon, writefrommyheartblog@gmail.com
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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