Is That All There Is?
With your permission, I would like to share a small humorous story. It will illustrate a point in this article.
There is a man who has a farm with some chickens. These chickens are kept in a chicken coop that needs the roof repaired. The man is very frugal and does not like to do anything that is not efficient and economical.
The man assesses the need to replace the roof of his chicken coop and determines that he wants to use wood shingles. They are economical, and he can put the new roof on by himself (saving labor costs). He measures and plans to the point where he determines that he needs exactly 145 shingles to replace the roof. Then he preps the coop for a new roof.
The man then goes to the local lumber yard to purchase the cheapest wood shingles he can get. Upon arrival, he tells the clerk exactly what he wants to purchase.
“I want to buy 145 wood shingles.”
The lumber yard clerk says, “You will need two bundles. They come in gross bundles of 144 each. To get 145 shingles, you will need to purchase two bundles.”
“No wait. I want one bundle plus one shingle.”
The clerk explains, “I’m sorry, sir. We only sell shingles in the gross bundles. We do not sell individual shingles.”
“Why don’t you open one of the bundles and sell a small amount of shingles instead of an entire bundle?”
The clerk answers, “Sir, no one buys a small number of shingles or just one at a time.”
“Well, I only need one shingle,” complains the man.
The clerk brings the discussion to a conclusion: “How many bundles do you want to buy? They come 144 to a bundle.”
Dejected, the man is forced to purchase two bundles, essentially doubling his cost for the shingles. In his disgust, he leaves the lumber yard and pulls one shingle out of a bundle, putting it with the others, and hurls the remaining 143 shingles back into the lumber yard. They scatter like a thrown deck of cards.
“Now you have some single shingles to sell!” he yells.
Disgusted, the man makes his way home and proceeds to put the new roof on the chicken coop. The roof is completed just as the man planned, and he steps back to admire the new roof.
He glances down and, on the ground beside his feet, sits one lone shingle. The roof is complete, but he has an extra shingle left over.
He picks up that shingle and flips it like a frisbee over the roof of the chicken coop.
That is the joke. Now you may be asking yourself, “Is that all there is?” What was the point of that story?
Yep, that is all there is… It seems there is no point at all, just a meaningless story.
We live our lives here on Earth as mortals in stages. First is our childhood. Our parents have the primary responsibility to teach us and shape us into functioning human beings. Then we have our youth. We are small but growing. We begin to learn and show the early signs of developing our identity and independence, but there is no significance to our lives except growing. If everything goes well, we survive this time to become young adults. For young men and women, this begins around the age of 12 or 13. Some still think this is a time of youth, but we actually transition through our first emotional development period and begin to develop our personal value system at this time. We are usually influenced mostly by our family, but other relationships also influence us as we socialize. By the age of 18, we are convinced that we can make our own decisions and, if motivated, we begin to chart our course in life. Some of us believe that we have secret skills like Marvel comic book characters, that we are bulletproof, able to drive faster, and think faster on our feet. We are inevitably proven wrong. There are others who emerge into adulthood with little motivation. They are in cruise mode, water flowing downhill.
By the age of 21, the world declares we are adults, and we understand that we are not superheroes and have to do something to take care of ourselves. If we pursued more education, then we are career-minded. If we joined the military service, we have learned how to salute and show respect, and learned skills that we can take with us back into civilian life. If we did neither, we have taken on a job of opportunity to be able to purchase cars and other assorted things of interest. By the age of 30, we are probably married and setting down roots. By the age of 40, our lives are controlled by kids and work. If we are fortunate, we are still married. By the age of 50, our bodies are sending us signals that health care, diet, and exercise are needed, but they give little return. Our grandchildren take precedence over other things. By the age of 60–70, we feel like an airplane trying to land, with more runway behind us than in front of us. We wonder about retirement and having enough to live on when we can no longer work. By the age of 70, if we are alive, we find ourselves looking backward more than forward. Often, we wrestle with regret and have a sense of sadness if we have previously lost loved ones.
When it comes time for our obituary, they mention our parents, our siblings, our descendants, our career, if we had one, some of our accomplishments, and the name of the funeral home for sending flowers.
Is that all there is? Is this a meaningful life? Some would argue yes, but when you are dead and gone, you are dead and gone. What is left?
Wait…
There could have been wealth acquired and even fame.
Nope. After your death, that will mean nothing. Your heirs will spend their inheritance in six months, and, in the following years, your name will be mentioned less and less. Your great-grandchildren probably will not even remember you at all, except when answering questions for Ancestry.com.
If you turned criminal during your life, your descendants will accelerate the process of forgetting you.
So, what is the meaning and purpose of life? What can we accomplish as mortals that counts for something?
Yes, there is something about your life that has meaning, but it has to do with your relationship with God. God promises us that there is something that will be meaningful, but it is not found in the things of this world.
Let us get serious now and focus on the point of this article.
Let us say that somewhere along the journey of your life, you decided to let God into your life. You came to some point in time where God became important enough to you that you called upon Him and asked for forgiveness of your sins. You then began to learn how God wanted you to live, and you started being nice to others and gave up your personal sins of lust, pride, and harm to others. You reached some level of accommodation with God, probably going to church, keeping religious customs, and giving some money.
So, what can we conclude? Is that the meaningful answer? Being religious?
When you step into eternity, everything you accomplished or acquired during your lifetime leaves you like dust in the wind. The fact is that nothing you do here in the time you lived is going forward into eternity. This includes any success or failure that you can recall or claim.
There is a book in the Bible that addresses this question, “Is that all there is?” It is the book of Ecclesiastes, a book written by someone very wise who did not even identify himself. We think Solomon wrote it, but we do not know for sure.
The book is written in an unusual style. The author describes a person in the book called the teacher, a person who gathers others to learn. He also calls himself the son of David and the King of Jerusalem. Solomon was known for his wisdom, being the son of King David, and as the King of Jerusalem. The author assists us in introducing and concluding the book, but he uses this teacher in the book to cover many proverbs, wisdom, and examples that result in one word. The word is “hevel.” Hevel means “meaningless, futile, vanity, etc.” The teacher is explaining that everything a person does in this mortal life is meaningless. But the word “hevel” also has a visual Hebraic meaning associated with “vapor or smoke.” You can see vapor and smoke, but it quickly dissipates. It is there, and then it is not. You attempt to take hold of it, but it escapes you like a fist full of air. The teacher says that our mortal lives and what we do in this life is like smoke or vapor. It is hevel.
Let us look a bit more at what the teacher in Ecclesiastics has to say.
One of the first concepts he addresses is “time.” He writes a fascinating poem.
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to be silent and a time to speak.A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.Ecclesiastes 3:1–8
Our creation is called the “space-time continuum.” Time goes on, whether you like it or not. One of the greatest proverbs you can give to a person on his worst day and his best day is “This too will pass.” Some say that time heals all wounds. I believe that the way you overcome bad history is to make new good history. All these examples deal with time. The poem explains the two sides of the time coin.
However, there is another concept we learn from God about time. It is called eternity.
What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils? I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.
Ecclesiastes 3:9–15
The teacher speaks often of “death.” Death is the future of everything here on Earth. Plants, animals, and mankind all face death eventually. Part of our efforts as mortals is to try to extend life to avoid death. We have doctors and hospitals. We try to eat healthy to stay healthy. We use safety rules to avoid accidents. But when it is all said and done, we die.
For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth? I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?
Ecclesiastes 3:19–22
There is a moment where the writer sees something after death for a man. The spirit of a man ascends upward. While our bodies are made from the elements of the earth (dust) and eventually return to it, God breathes the spirit of life into a man, and it returns to Him after it leaves the body.
Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Genesis 2:7
The teacher goes on to say that those who have passed have an advantage over those still alive. They no longer suffer from bad things that happen here.
So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.
Ecclesiastes 4:2–3
This statement seems shocking to us because we desire to see and be part of life, but it is true that many bad things do occur, and it brings into question the desire for life.
Have you ever seen a spouse lose a loved one and then not desire to live any longer themselves? This is more than grief; it is the reality that the teacher is referring to.
On this point, the teacher talks about companionship and not being alone. God said in the very beginning, it is not good that man be alone. The creation of a woman was to help meet this need.
The teacher speaks about the value of a partner.
There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task. Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Ecclesiastes 4:8–12
The teacher then speaks of when a man speaks. Our words cause things to happen. The Hebrew word for “words” is devarim; it is the same word for “things.” Simply said, “words” means “things.”
The teacher writes about the benefit of words in this mortal life. Some men write great speeches. They use words and their speech to make things meaningful and have purpose. Consider the Declaration of Independence. It helped form the United States. Or, consider Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and how it spoke of the trauma of the Civil War. So, what does the teacher say?
Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.
Ecclesiastes 5:1–7
The teacher now speaks of wealth and honor. He speaks of them as gifts from God, a reward here on Earth for a man’s labor.
Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart.
Ecclesiastes 5:19–20
Apparently, all this enjoyment results in the business of life ending with nothing left. Your heirs pick up the pieces and carry on. The teacher then takes on another aspect of wealth. The exception to this joy is the person who does not share his wealth with others.
There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt.
Ecclesiastes 5:13
The teacher concludes that there is no real advantage to gaining wealth and honor among men. But he does ask the question about what happens to him after he passes.
For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few years of his futile life? He will spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?
Ecclesiastes 6:12
Here is the teacher’s thoughtful question. What happens afterward?
The writer then shifts to another important part of our lives as mortals: wisdom and foolishness. He speaks of how wisdom is not the answer that we all would like to believe. He is referring to worldly wisdom. It is the flip side to the coin: wisdom is on one side and foolishness on the other side. It is the same coin. He is not referring to wisdom that comes from God.
A good name is better than a good ointment,
And the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth.It is better to go to a house of mourning
Than to go to a house of feasting,
Because that is the end of every man,
And the living takes it to heart.Sorrow is better than laughter,
For when a face is sad a heart may be happy.The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.Ecclesiastes 7:1–4
Choosing worldly wisdom is just avoiding foolishness. Gaining wisdom is part of gaining money; pursuing foolishness makes you poor. Anger in the heart moves toward foolishness; forgiveness and peace are the way of wisdom.
Do not be eager in your heart to be angry,
For anger resides in the bosom of fools.Ecclesiastes 7:9
For wisdom is protection just as money is protection,
But the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.Ecclesiastes 7:12
Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Ecclesiastes 7:19
The teacher then shifts to observations of the righteous and the sinner. He makes a very astute observation.
Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men among them are given fully to do evil.
Ecclesiastes 8:11
In our country, we see convicted killers sit on death row for years. Their sentences are not carried out quickly. As a result, the death penalty is no longer a deterrent. The same is true for other crimes, such as shoplifting and simple theft; the penalty is not a deterrent. Justice requires a measure of swiftness in order to be a deterrent.
I am in favor of due process in our judicial system, including the right to appeal. There are instances of innocent people being convicted, but the point here in this book is valid and true. The teacher reminds us of another fact about truth and justice.
Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.
Ecclesiastes 7:20
And yet,...
Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may lengthen his life, still I know that it will be well for those who fear God, who fear Him openly.
Ecclesiastes 8:12
Then, the teacher steps back from all of this and shares his conclusions.
For I have taken all this to my heart and explain it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.
It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
Ecclesiastes 9:1–3
Whether you are good or bad, whatever you did or did not do, you end up in the same state. Dead.
So, what is there in this life? What is the meaning and purpose of it all? The answer given by the teacher is “nothing.” All that is here are the simple things. A home, a wife, your children, clean clothes to wear, a warm dry bed at night, a clean shower, good food for dinner, happiness, some wine, and good times.
Go then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. Let your clothes be white all the time, and let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.
Ecclesiastes 9:7–10
The teacher shares with us an interesting vision he had.
He saw a small city with few men to guard it. A great king came with his army and laid siege to the small city. But the small city had a poor man who shared his wisdom of how to defeat the great king. After the battle, the small town forgot the poor man and he received no honor.
The teacher then shared this:
So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
Ecclesiastes 9:16–18
The teacher offers a series of proverbs in chapter 10 about being wise and not foolish. I have observed one of them as a leader in both business and ministry. It is a simple fact. Subordinates in every organization like to complain about their bosses. But those complaints are not to be heard by the boss himself. They are venting words baked in a complaint cake with insubordinate frosting.
But here is a problem that the teacher explains. The words spoken go into the air and a bird flies along, snatching them out of the air, and carries them to the ears of the boss.
Uh Oh!
Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.
Ecclesiastes 10:20
This is all part of this mortal life we live that adds up to the “nothing” result.
Again, the teacher says that we should enjoy what we have as best as we can. But remember, God is still going to have the last say in all that happens here.
Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.
Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.
The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.
Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
Ecclesiastes 11:5–10
In the final chapter of the book, the teacher stresses that we should remember the Creator of the world. We should come to terms with knowing Him in our youth, before the resulting years are covered in darkness and fears.
Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
Ecclesiastes 12:6–8
Wait! What is the silver cord and golden bowl that he is talking about? This is perplexing to say the least. Let us examine his counsel more deeply.
At a well, you have a rope and bucket. You drop the bucket down into the well to be filled with water, and then you bring it back up with the rope. A silver cord is a very special rope that brings the golden bowl of wisdom and meaning of life back to you.
The teacher is saying you need to grasp hold of the silver cord and use the golden bowl before your life comes to an end. This is similar to the proverb of counsel.
Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
Proverb 20:5 KJV
He does it using a silver cord and a golden bowl.
Finally, the conclusion of the book is given. These are the most often quoted words from the entire book.
The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
We have no choice except to sort out what we are going to do about God in this life we are living. But this final choice has a bit of a surprise that comes with it.
At the beginning of this treatise, I told a meaningless little story. It is like our mortal life. We get all excited, only to discover there is very little value, leading to “Is that all there is?”
Let me share another small story. This story will present an answer to that which makes it all worth it.
The story goes like this...
A woman with a small dog decides to go downtown and do some shopping. This small, cute dog goes with her everywhere, including shopping. She decides to ride the bus on her shopping trip.
She gets on the bus with her dog and discovers there is only one remaining seat beside a construction worker who is sitting next to the window. She seats herself, placing the dog on her lap.
At first she does not notice, but the worker is puffing on a cigar and blowing his smoke out the window. But, when the worker sees the dog on her lap next to him, he puffs on the cigar and blows the smoke directly into the dog’s face.
The dog dislikes the smoke and squirms on the lady’s lap. The worker does it again, and the woman clearly observes the cause for the dog’s distress.
“Sir, please don’t blow smoke in my dog’s face,” she says. He responds dryly, “I don’t like dogs.”
In a short bit, he puffs again and directs the smoke at the dog’s face.
The woman is now very upset, lecturing the man, “Sir, if you were a gentleman, you would not be smoking that cigar on the bus.” He fires right back at her, “If you were a lady, you wouldn’t bring a dog onto the bus.”
She responds with, “Why don’t you just pitch that cigar out the window?”
In the heat of the moment, he says, “Okay, but you throw the dog out the window too.” Without thinking, the woman suddenly throws her dog out the window. The worker is shocked at first but complies as well and throws the cigar out of the window.
Now sitting there quietly, the woman suddenly realizes what she has done and rushes to the driver, demanding that the bus be stopped. The driver stops the bus and she steps out to the sidewalk. The dog comes running to her.
Guess what the dog has in its mouth?
Answer: the shingle.
What were you expecting?
When we leave this mortal life and leave behind all of the meaningless stuff of mortality, our spirit returns to the Lord. If you developed a relationship with God during your mortal life, your first moments of returning to Him will be beyond the joy of anything this world can offer.
It will be surprising and exhilarating. It will be more than you could anticipate or hope for it to be. It will definitely be more than you were expecting. ■
Shalom,
Article written by Monte Judah
* Scripture references from the NASB95
