Are you still in school? That’s a rhetorical question. The wisest man who ever lived told me you are. I am, too. We are all born into a classroom, and whether we learn or not, the lessons and tests will come as surely as the sun rises.
In his book titled, Ecclesiastes, King Solomon penned his observations and advice for any and all who wanted a clue to what life is all about. Honestly, this particular book is rather depressing, and it most certainly is not in the Top 10 “must read” books in the Bible – any theologian will tell you that.
Yet despite its bare-bones, straight-talk, every human being can relate at some point in their life to Solomon’s pursuit of the meaning of life; we all come to a point where we echo his expression, Everything is meaningless!(Did you know he used the word meaningless 28 times?)
Nonetheless, many a reader has gleaned timeless nuggets of wisdom from Solomon’s melancholy prose; its sage bottom-line advice inspired the 1960s classic song, Turn, Turn, Turn. Those of you who remember that song will recognize its chorus from Solomon’s third chapter:
For everything there is a season,
A time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
Remember the phrase, Eat, drink and be happy, for tomorrow we die? Solomon said that. And, how many ministers quote Solomon’s statement from Chapter 4, verses 9-12, that ends with the phrase, a threefold cord is not quickly broken (the implication of a pure relationship between two people and God), at wedding ceremonies? One more: what goes around, comes around; though that’s not a direct quote, I believe what Solomon said in verse 15 of Chapter 3 could be its source: What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.
Learning is universal. We all learn all the time – even if we hate school. We learn to talk, walk, sing and dance; we learn to feel, or not feel. We learn to manipulate or capitulate. We learn to avoid, pursue, pretend or believe. We learn from pain and pleasure, plenty and pity. We learn on the job and in the pew. From weather, we learn how to build our homes and how to dress. There’s no escaping the classroom of life.
Daddy was a learner. He never ceased in his pursuit of knowledge and wisdom. I’m sure he is right now parked at the feet of Jesus’ throne bugging him for answers to all the things that piqued his curiosity during his 77 years on earth. Me, I’m following his example. I love to dig for the bottom line. I want to know why; I want to know my purpose so my pursuits bear fruit and I don’t get to the end and feel, like Solomon, that it’s all meaningless.
Tragically, some learn for learning’s sake and miss the object of life’s lesson. After laying it all out as plain as he could, Solomon sums up human existence with this bold statement at the end of his short book: Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
How do we “fear God and obey His commands”? Solomon instructs us in several of his many proverbs: Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:3-5)
Alice Cooper was wrong. School is not out forever. Welcome back to school.