June 27, 2007

  • FEELING ECCLESIASTICAL

    <ec · cle · si · as · ti · cal   (i-kle'ze-as'ti-k?l)
        –adjective


        the state of mind experienced when reading the book of Ecclesiastes.



    Okay, I modified the traditional definition just a tad, but I can't think of a better word for the feeling I get when reading that book. Solomon has quite a knack for expressing the vanity of life without God. While he guides us thru this seemingly hopeless commentary on life, we get a subtle sense that he's moving us down a path towards meaning and purpose. Still, it's a wide path that veers to the left for fools and right for the wise (Ec 10:2). For example, here's a cheery parable at the end of chapter 9:



    There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. So I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." But the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.


    No fairytale ending here. Yet the book is a needed reminder for us to reflect on what our lifelong pursuits are and how they compare to the bigger picture. While our faith needs to transcend our feelings, we should empathize with those who don't know Christ and are in empty pursuit with little hope of finding true meaning.