It is hard to read King Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 4-6. As an old man, he looks back and sees that nothing in this life really has meaning.

• Envy is our horrible motivation (4:4).
• Future generations will condemn many of today’s decisions (4:16).
• No amount of money is ever “enough” (5:10).
• Success may be achieved only to die young (6:2).
• Rich or poor, good or evil, we all die and end up in the grave (6:6).

This is life “under the sun” apart from the promise of eternal life.

We see that same reason for discouragement in Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 11. He suffered so much for the Christians in Corinth. He even went without pay so that he could set himself off from the traveling philosophers of that day. But it wasn’t enough. Many in Corinth stood in judgment on his ministry and looked up to “super apostles” who were better speakers than Paul and who demanded and got good pay.

Why did Paul put up with all that suffering? Why did he not just wash his hands of the Corinthians?

It is a testament to the power of the Empty Tomb. The Apostle Paul had seen Jesus risen from the dead. Paul’s endurance in the face of suffering and his persistence in a difficult ministry assure me that Paul was not lying when he testified that the Easter Tomb is an Empty Tomb.

That confidence gives meaning to this “meaningless” life.

• My motivation isn’t just envy – it is to serve the risen Christ.
• Future generations may condemn my decisions – but I have sought to serve the risen Christ and what is not perfect is forgiven.
• Money isn’t the goal – it is leading people to know that Christ has risen and offers them a life that will never end.
• The unfairness of friends who die young – it is offset by the confidence that in Christ the sufferings of this life were light and momentary compared to the glory they experience in Christ’s presence.
• In the risen Christ, I know that there is a difference among the dead. Those who fall asleep in him, who die as believers, are not really dead at all, but they live and reign with Him.

Solomon’s goal in Ecclesiastes is not to leave us in despair, but to lead us through the despair of a meaningless life apart from God to finding full meaning in the risen Christ.

God grant us clarity to see our lives from the perspective of Jesus’ empty tomb. Amen.

An Addendum: The Truth Endures

This morning I was reading about the explosive growth of AI. There will be rapid changes ahead... changes that are exciting and frightening and will bring joy to many and hardship to many. 

We are all wondering... what will the world look like for our children and grandchildren?

There is much that is uncertain... but this is certain. God's truth will endure. 

I find that comfort this morning in an odd place... the serpent in the Garden of Eden. 

Two thousand years ago, Paul could make a reference to something that Moses had written 1500 hundred years before Paul lived, recording an event that happened thousands of years before Moses' time. 

Paul's first readers knew that account... and so do we. 

Think of all the changes that happened...

• from the time of creation to Moses
• from Moses to Paul
• from Paul to us

If Moses and Paul dropped into our world, they would be so confused. So much has changed!

Yet, the account of the serpent in the garden continues to be read and known. 

• Parents are reading this Bible story to their children.
• Adults are believing the "impossible" that a snake speaks because the risen Savior says it is true. (John 8:44 - the devil is the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning)

And the victory remains the same. The Seed of the Woman has come and destroyed the devil's power over us. 

The world has and will continue to change. The Word of the LORD remains unchanged and will endure forever.